Author:Hester Grant
The enthralling story of an eighteenth-century family and their extraordinary achievements.
Four brothers, three sisters. Brought up in a Northumberland rectory and in the close of Durham Cathedral, the Sharps would achieve exalted positions at the heart of British society. In 1781, the celebrated painter Johan Zoffany put the final brush strokes on the luminous portrait that immortalised the siblings’ rise, and their remarkable unity and passion for life.
Ambitious, free-thinking and courageous, the Sharps were pioneers in the major movements that defined the eighteenth century – from political reform and philanthropy to medicine and industry. John, an eminent priest, established a model welfare state at Bamburgh Castle and commissioned the world’s first lifeboat; William became surgeon to George III; while James was a visionary inventor, canal promoter and engineer. Most famously of all, Granville, the youngest son, battled tirelessly as Britain’s first great campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade. Despite the social strictures of their day, Elizabeth, Judith and Frances claimed significant independence, and played key roles in hosting the Sharps’ famous musical parties on barges on the Thames.
In this vivid, moving biography, Hester Grant charts the siblings’ shared journey to prominence, and explores the values and enduring bonds that inspired their success. The Good Sharps brings to life not just these men and women who realised that the future could be different, but also the new world they created.
[A] luminous and detailed account of the lives of this unique family and the turbulent times they navigated... striking and poignant
—— David Olusoga , Sunday TimesGroup biography at its best: a family of vivid and inspiring personalities, making waves in diverse, interconnected worlds. The Sharps leap off the page and into your heart. Georgian England will never seem quite the same again
—— Amanda ForemanWhat a family, and what an age: the seven Sharp siblings not only helped refashion the 18th-century world around them...but the causes that engaged them then are hardly less resonant some 250 years later... an account of lives fulfilled and well-lived, narrated with exceptional insight, warmth and humour. Grant conjures the texture and bustle of daily lives in vivid, imaginative vignettes that track the siblings at work and play, and one closes the book with a sharp pang of regret, along with real affection and admiration for its protagonists.
—— Ariane Bankes , SpectatorGrant skilfully weaves her vast knowledge of 18th-century English history and the complex story of a large family into a fluent narrative... It's the intertwining in their lives of the radical and the typical, the ordinary and the extraordinary which Grant's book so beautifully reveals
—— Ivan Hewett , Daily TelegraphThe Good Sharps offers readers a unique and poignant perspective from which to consider the Georgina period
—— Who Do You Think You Are?A beguiling biography of a prominent eighteenth-century family... Hester Grant's deeply researched historical biography has timely resonance in its focus on Granville Sharp... Grant charts his actions with flair and authority...[a] fine book
—— Alexander Larman , ObserverThe incredible true story of one very gifted family... The little-known story of seven siblings from Durham who changed late Georgian London society for the better
—— Katie Law , Evening Standard (Best Summer Reads for 2020)The author's balanced prose is ideally suited to her imaginative and delicate reconstruction of the past... This is a quietly ambitious book, impeccably researched and full of interest
—— Elisa Segrave , The OldieIan Mortimer manages to inform and delight in equal measure
—— Sue Baker , BooksellerEnthralling and detailed
—— Roger Lewis , MailA fascinating and involving angle on history
—— ChoiceWords of contemporaries including Pepys, Mariner Edward Barlow and Celia Fiennes bring to life the changes of the period
—— Kirsty Woods , Who Do You Think You Are?Irreverent, witty and beautifully democratic, this is a delight.
—— Rebecca Armstrong , iA superb period to read about… Mortimer describes London brilliantly with its old walls and teeming streets.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardHistory at its most entertaining.
—— PD Smith , GuardianIntriguing, informative and entertaining.
—— Jane Shilling , Daily MailAn engaging book that can be read with pleasure
—— Susan Doran , BBC History Magazine
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