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The Lambs of London, Peter Ackroyd
Chatto & Windus
Reviewed by John Whelan (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

Historical novelist, biographer and scholar Peter Ackroyd returns to his happy hunting ground of pre-Victorian London.

With his latest novel he takes a brief look into the lives of the real Lamb family. The story blends fact with fiction, combining actual events and people of the time with a healthy dose of "what if?"

The literary family of Charles and Mary Lamb, along with their senile father and domineering mother, are the central characters. The story revolves around the sudden appearance of manuscripts supposedly written by Shakespeare. The effect these significant documents have on people within the Lambs' circle of friends is at the heart of the story.

The sights, sounds and smells of London are vividly portrayed and the reader is left in no doubt as to the reality of life on these particular streets. The tone and style of the novel is very much of the period and as such takes a little getting into, but once past this the book opens up into an enjoyable but rather tame read.

There can be no faulting the authenticity behind The Lambs of London but it's my guess it will only be fully appreciated by aficionados of the period or those with a keen interest in Shakespeare.