The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo

This novel is all the more fascinating for being based on a true story. Mary Willcox, a poor mixed-race girl in Regency England, experiences dreadful hardship, and is next seen as the mysterious Lady Caraboo, taken in by the wealthy Worrall family. Mrs Worrall is fascinated by anything exotic, and her rather flighty and shallow daughter Cassandra is excited by the new arrival. Brother Fred, a spoilt young man, first seen in a brothel, where his treatment of a prostitute is probably true to life but cruel, is a little more sceptical. Caraboo speaks in her own made up language, wears free flowing robes and a turban, and hunts with a bow and arrow on the island in the lake. We can see why she loves to be Caraboo, free from the hardships and violence she has experienced, and able to be more truly herself by assuming a false persona. As the book continues, the characters develop. Cassandra becomes less sympathetic, heedless as she is of her working class admirer's broken heart, while Fred softens and starts to fall in love with Caraboo, even as his suspicions about her are confirmed. Caraboo, meanwhile, is threatened by hangers-on around the family, who see through her but try to use her for their own materialistic purposes. The book has a lot to say about who we are and the pretenses we put on for other people, and also about the limited chances in life that a woman had: true of the wealthy and sheltered Cassandra as well. The historical period comes to life well in the book, although it also has a lot to say that is relevant today. The opening of the book where Mary, who has also lost her baby, is raped, is sensitive and not too graphic, and there is also an early scene in a brothel where prostitutes are paraded around the room on silver trays for men to select. This gives a feel of historical accuracy, and helps set the scene for a world in which women have severely limited choices, as well as saying something important about Fred's choices. However, I do think this makes the book suitable for slightly older readers than might otherwise be the case. 288 pages / Ages 14+ / Reviewed by Carol Williams

Suggested Reading Age 11+