The Ghost of Lily Painter by Caitlin Davies

For a woman in the mid 1800s she was incredibly forward-thinking and held back by convention and by men! I found some of those men difficult to like, such as her father at times, and a man who later on in the story comes to be a major part of Daisy’s life. The descriptions of the knitted swimming costumes made me smile but they must have been so uncomfortable to swim in. Her father is pushy and exploits Daisy, whereas her mother is horrified that Daisy loves swimming. Telling her life story to an unknown person who she is watching in the prologue, Daisy puts across in a matter of fact way the many life-changing events she goes through. Straightaway she feels an affinity with the water, be it at the swimming baths or in the wide open space of the sea. I ended up being completely captivated by Daisy’s story and absolutely loved the book.ĭaisy is four when she is first introduced to the pleasures of swimming by her father. Historical fiction isn’t always my bag but certain books in the genre do tend to catch my eye and I think the fact that Daisy Belle is inspired by many real life events really captured my imagination.

Inspired by the careers of Victorian champions Agnes Beckwith and Annie Luker, Daisy Belle is a story of courage and survival and a tribute to the swimmers of yesteryear. But Victorian women weren’t supposed to swim, and Daisy Belle will have to fight every stroke of the way if she wants her dreams to come true. And then she will set sail for America to swim across New York Harbour.

She will race down the Thames, float in a whale tank, and challenge a man to a 70-foot high dive. By the end of that day, she has only one ambition in life: she will be the greatest female swimmer in the world. Her father, swimming professor Jeffrey Belle, is introducing his Family of Frogs – and Daisy is the star attraction. Summer 1867: four-year-old Daisy Belle is about to make her debut at the Lambeth Baths in London. My thanks to Anne Cater for the place on the tour and for providing the ebook for review purposes.

I’m delighted to be closing the blog tour today for Daisy Belle, Swimming Champion of the World by Caitlin Davies, and I will be sharing my review.

The Ghost of Lily Painter by Caitlin Davies