Finally, a book I can really sink my teeth into! Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain is a wonderful novel. It is historical fiction based on the life of naturalist Eleanor Glanville in the late 17th century.

She was accused of being insane at the time for her interest in the natural world and her preoccupation with butterflies. These were acceptable things for a man, but not a woman. This is the story of a remarkable woman who defied convention at the risk of her very life.

The daughter of a wealthy Puritan landowner, Eleanor grew up in the Moors around Somerset. She found much beauty in this natural environment, which led to her love of butterflies. In later life her husband (who she had been passionately in love with) and her eldest son, tried to have her declared insane to gain control of her land.

There are remarkable descriptions of the environment, of the plants that apothecaries we’re learning to use to treat illness, of the coffeehouses in London where men (only) would gather to have intellectual discussions, as well as the religous battles and civil war of the times.

This book is rich in detail, well written, and it is the story of an amazing woman. A thoroughly enjoyable read.