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The Perfect Visit tells the story of two bibliophiles who go back in time to rescue lost books and manuscripts. Vanessa Horwood decides on Regency England. Ned Marston goes to Shakespeare’s London.
But Vanessa wants to rewrite history. And Ned wants to meet the Bard himself.
The novel takes its title from Jane Austen’s Emma: “it was a delightful visit – perfect, in being much too short.” Vanessa and Ned both plan such perfect visits. And both reach their destinations. Then things go wrong and their sojourns become longer and more dangerous than either had ever imagined.
Vanessa falls foul of the law, transported from Jane Austen’s genteel world to the dark underbelly of a Regency prison. London in 1607 shows an equally black side to Ned when he antagonises one of Shakespeare’s rivals, escaping with his life only to find that an accident of time takes him only halfway home.
Reviews
Praise for The Perfect Visit:
“Stuart Bennett’s remarkable visit to Regency England is compulsive reading, a treasure house of observation, perceptiveness and detail. Admirers of Jane Austen’s novels will feel that they have truly come home.” – Stephen Orgel, General Editor, The Pelican Shakespeare.
“If you enjoy novels with bookish characters and antiquarian themes, have I got a recommendation for you! . . . Ned and Vanessa’s experiences among famous authors and book collectors make for a perfectly delightful read. . . . . It brings to mind the PBS slogan, ‘entertainment without the guilt.’” – Rebecca Rego Barry, Fine Books & Collections.
“The Perfect Visit is, no way to say it otherwise, a perfect treat – who of us would not want to spend a few days [or pull an all-nighter!] in the company of a time-travelling couple who are each in turn lovers of books, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and just possibly each other?” – Deborah Barnum, Jane Austen in Vermont.
“Since I am a long-time scholar in the areas of Elizabethan and Regency literature I had my doubts about this novel but it came highly recommended by a colleague whose opinion I respect. I have seldom been so surprised and delighted. The story gripped me from page one and didn’t let go. The author is a master story-teller and I have moved his next novel, Lord Moira’s Echo, to the top of my “to be read” pile. I look forward to more from Mr Bennett.” – Unsolicited Amazon review by Charles Robert Baker, January 27, 2016.
“This book is a rare find: an intelligent page turner. What makes it so delightful to read is the author’s delight in telling the story. He loves history, old books, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the main characters so much that I promptly loved them too — though at first I knew little about the subject matter. Now, it needs to be a film!” – Unsolicited Amazon review by Violet Reynolds, December 27, 2018.
Interviews with Stuart Bennett
Deborah Barnum interviewed Stuart Bennett about The Perfect Visit in April 2012. Links to the two-part interview are:
The cover of The Perfect Visit, reproduced above, shows an original print from the author’s collection which appeared in Rudolph Ackermann’s Repository, 1826 with the caption “Evening Dress.”