While I admire the attention to detail in creating a novel that rang very true in terms of historical content, my experience never reached the state of 'riveting' noted in the description of the novel. I had great sympathy for Fido, Harry and the daughters but disliked one of the central characters, Helen so intensely, it interfered with my desire to read on. Read on I did as this was a selection for my book club. I would only recommend the novel to those like the author who have a passion for understanding the relationships between men and women in the 18th century.