Mr. Price’s Calloway – ARC Book Review
I love ARC reading! So I was very excited for the opportunity to read this upcoming novel. The book description drew me in from the start, and as someone who grew up in Viriginia, I also loved that the story was set here. Also, as someone who grew up in a time and place where “roles are meant to be filled” was taken very literally, I was curious to see how this story would handle it.
Reading Mr. Price’s Calloway is like entering a storm – a flurry of suspense, unfiltered passion, and complex narrative that will hold your attention throughout. In Deveaux’s Landing, women are expected to obey. But Frances sees something different for her life. She didn’t expect to be whisked off her front porch and forced to love a man old enough to have raised her!
If she doesn’t follow the rules… something awful could happen to her. So, how will she navigate this treacherous journey?
Alison C. Hawes has crafted a rich and eerie universe that is both seductive and unnerving. This little Virginian town, with its complex social structures and harsh laws, is the ideal setting for a narrative that examines survival, power, and control.
And it parallels a lot of societal struggles we are still dealing with today – so be warned of that going in. Parts of it may make you want to scream at the injustice in the world. But you’ll find yourself rooting for Frances all the same, and hoping her story ends on a happier note than how it started.
“Yet another day trapped in the wrong decade, in a house with a makeshift family, in a makeshift town, who would never love her. But what if those days could come to an end? What if the one person who actually held Frances’ destiny in a tight fist… was her? Could she become the ringmaster and put a stop to this mess?”
Our story centers on Frances Calloway, a character whose bravery and tenacity endure even in the most trying circumstances. As a young woman, still very much a child herself at 14, she was ripped off her porch and thrown into a strange man’s hands – told that she now belongs to him.
Her path is painful and unvarnished, but what really sets her apart as a memorable figure is her unwavering resolve. As Frances made her way across the perilous seas of her new reality, I couldn’t help but cheer her on.
Now, she was Frances Price. And as much as she may not have chosen her circumstances for herself, now she was here, and she would do as she was told. Or would she? From the first chapter, we see the struggle of our main character, and how difficult it is for her to submit to a lifestyle that is cold, cruel, and abusive. One she never would have chosen for herself.
From the ruthless and crafty colonel and captain to the submissive villagers who dare not disobey the law, Hawes skillfully creates her characters and gives them all life. These relationships give a clear image of a society based on control and fear, and the plot is made more complicated and nuanced by the terrifying realism of this setting. Every scene feels both unpredictable and captivating because of the tense interpersonal interactions.
The atmosphere of Mr. Price’s Calloway was what really caught my attention. Beautiful and evocative, Hawes’ work depicts a town that is unpleasant on the inside but attractive on the outside – and don’t we all know from experience what this is like? A sense of discomfort permeates the entire book because of the striking contrast between the story’s gloomy overtones and the detailed descriptions of Deveaux’s Landing.
I found myself wanting to turn the pages again and again to see what happens, but at other times also feeling like maybe I needed a break due to the passages that are more difficult to read and hit a little too close to home. There are issues of survival, coercion, and control – and all are explored honestly throughout the story.
These sequences, though sometimes hard to consume, are crucial to the story and show Frances’ strength and determination to follow her own path in a society that attempts to suppress her.
Overall, the book is very well written and obviously well edited. There are no typos or grammatical errors that distract from the story or the enjoyment of it. The pacing is well done, with each chapter escalating the tension and advancing the plot appropriately.
There are twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. It’s a provocative book, engrossing, and unnerving while also being captivating.
It comes out on January 30, 2025. You can preorder now!