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Title: Pandora
Author: Susan Stokes-Chapman
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published Date: 17th January 2023
Page Count: 416
ISBN: 978-0063280021
Price: $17
Reviewer: Gwendoline SK Terry (24th May 2023)

Blurb
Steeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance.

London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes—including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name.

But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear.

A story of myth and mystery, secrets and deception, fate and hope, Pandora is an enchanting work of historical fiction as captivating and evocative as The Song of Achilles, The Essex Serpent, and The Miniaturist.

Review – may contain spoilers!
It took me a long time to get into this story because I despise reading the present tense. It’s good for a blurb, for a review, etc, but an entire novel? No, thank you! The cover was so elegant and I had I been so thoroughly gripped by the blurb that I was compelled to buy the book – had I known it was written in present tense, I never would’ve considered it. Before you say anything, yes, I did flip through the pages before purchasing, but I landed on one of the few flashback scenes where the paragraphs were past tense so I was none the wiser. My heart sank when I got home, read the first page, and realised my mistake. Still, I persevered – the plot was too good for me to give up on.

Despite being determined to read Pandora, I picked up the book, put it down, picked it up, and put it down over the course of a few months, with weeks between each brief reading (and I’m talking brief, a couple of pages at most each time). I loved the story, I was so invested in Dora and sweet Hermes the magpie, and wanted to know how they would escape Dora’s detestable uncle Hezekiah, but it was difficult for me to get past the present tense style. However, that all changed the moment the Coombe brothers entered the story. BAM, I was hooked. All of a sudden, I was able to get over my issue with the tense. After that, I couldn’t put it down.

Pandora is a beautiful, rich novel, packed with intrigue, with the whisper of magic throughout. Susan Stokes-Chapman has a phenomenal way with words, and a writing style that is unique, descriptive and direct. As odd as it sounds, her writing style suits the 1799 setting, and almost gives the impression that Dora herself had written the book.

Also silly, I really liked how ordinary (despite their tragic backstories) Pandora and Edward were. They seemed like real people – she, the quirky, bespectacled waif determined to carve her own path, and the awkward sometimes oblivious aspiring academic who adored her. I liked that Dora was taller than Edward, too. A tiny detail that made me happy, as superficial as it is.

Cornelius was a wonderful character. I loved how witty and snippy he was. Though he was petty with Dora, he did everything he could to make Edward happy, despite his feelings not being returned in kind. In fact, that made me respect him more (and made my heart break for him more), that he gave everything he could to help Edward just to help him. He was a good guy, albeit jealous.

I liked how Dora, Edward and Cornelius’s situation somewhat mirrored Elijah, Helen, and Hezekiah’s, with Dora, Edward and Cornelius handling their triangle in a much healthier way – unlike Hezekiah who let his rage, loathing and jealousy consume him.

Lady Latimer, albeit a side character, was the best. I loved her, the handsome footmen surrounding her, her disconnect from the everyday people, her obliviousness to the monkey and the punch, everything. She was hilarious.

I really liked Dottie’s character arc/path of redemption. She was unlikeable at first, but she was just a realistic product of her situation. She ended up being a good apple, but not in such a way that seemed forced. A very natural evolution of her character.

Hermes’ death destroyed me. Hezekiah’s death wasn’t nearly as bad as he deserved.

I felt for the Coombe brothers. They were a very colourful set of characters, likeable in their own way. My heart broke for them in the end.

I did expect the mythological aspect to be more pronounced. As I said previously, the magical element was very much a whisper. When Dora heard voices coming from the pithos I was expecting something big to come of that later on, but instead, nothing. I did enjoy Zeus having a sneaky cameo both by pointing Edward in Dora’s direction, and at the very end.

The novel was very smooth and somewhat slow, building up at a gradual pace. The last hundred pages FLEW, however. The conclusion was fast, everything suddenly coming to a head, and then it was done, the book was over. I was surprised that the bizarreness of Hezekiah’s death wasn’t noted by Dottie or Dora.

Ultimately I think Pandora is either your cup of tea or it’s not because of the sluggish pace for the majority of the book. After getting over the hump about the present tense, I loved it and I would definitely read more from this author, no matter the tense.