Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Books We Love, Ltd Type: Fiction Pages: 398 Copyright: January 31, 2014 ISBN-13: 9781771451819 It is London 1663 and science flourishes in a mini-Renaissance. Celia Barber shares her father’s shop; he barbers, and she heals during a time when women are not allowed to practice medicine. As a licensed barber, Celia longs to visit the Royal Society or Surgeon’s Hall to see a dissection, but women are not allowed. She befriends a viscount who sneaks her into the Royal Society, where she sees an experiment and meets Robert Hooke, the great scientist of the day. Celia’s sister works as a domestic in Whitehall Palace, who finds an ancient coin. Will it lead to hidden treasure? Life in London is harsh. People sicken and die easily. As a healer, Celia sees tragedy. She cannot save all who come to her. Hardest of all, will she be able to save her brothers? Excerpt After nine o’clock in the morning, daylight finally peeped its dreary head above London. Clouds and coal smoke wisped low to obscure church steeples and house rooftops. Men pulled carts piled with goods, their ironclad wheels making an unholy din against the icy cobblestones. People clogged the lanes, their chatter loud as they competed with the ringing cartwheels. Wrapped snug in a heavy cloak and hood, and a woolen scarf slung around her neck, Celia Barber and her half-sister, Priscilla, slogged along City lanes filled with snow and ice. As they met clusters of passersby, Celia gazed into their faces to see if she would recognize her mother. When a bairn of three years, her mam had cast her to the streets--shoved her out the door and locked it tight. Dressed only in a nightshift, barefoot and hungry, Celia remembered pounding on the panel until her hands bled.

A "Dirty" Story :)
The Barbers is a thoroughly researched historical novel, in which readers who love authenticity and accuracy will certainly delight. (I did!) It might not, however, be everyone's cup of tea. The author uses 17th Century vernacular throughout, so put your Aphra Behn cap on before you start. Likewise, no punches are pulled regarding the harsh realities of the class system, or the lewd demeanor of the Restoration Court. The descriptions of walking on London's narrow, medieval streets had me rooting for the hideous cleansing that The Great Fire would soon bring. The heroine, Celia, is a lively, charming creation, a woman with curiosity, one who wants to be a surgeon. Her hopes and dreams must founder in a world which endlessly denigrates and belittles "the fair sex" it pretends to place upon a pedestal, so the HEA, though present, is somewhat muted. Still, you'll root for Celia and her eccentric, cobbled together little family as they strive to live and love in 17th Century London.
"The Barbers: A Tale Most Curious and Rare" It most certainly is!

Great Historical novel
If you want to get a good, clear picture of London in the early 1660s, "The Barbers" is for you. In this well-written and well-researched novel, the author, Katherine Pym, puts the reader right there. The story is told through the viewpoint of Celia, whose father is a barber, and who aims to heal others at a time when women were not allowed to practice medicine. We learn of the licentiousness of the court of Charles II. But most of all, we learn of Celia's trials and tribulations with her dysfunctional family and her love for one of the nobles at the king's court.

There were scenes in the novel in which I felt that the author went into too much detail. I would have liked to see more narrative. But everything considered, it was a great read, one that held my interest throughout.

I loved this book
I loved this book. The history of the time period is woven into the story. The author kept my attention throughout the book.