The Temple of the Muses - Jane Davis - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Jane Davis

SERIES: The Chiswell Street Chronicles #2

GENRE: Historical Literary Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: March 2, 2026

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A historical literary fiction about a bookseller couple. Based on a true story. Character-oriented storytelling. Excellent research, sensible writing, admirable depiction of 1780s-90s England. A book about books, but the books alluded to were too esoteric for me. Somewhat conversation-dominated at times, which doesn’t always work for me. The second book of the Chiswell Street Chronicles duology, and better read in series order. Definitely recommended.

Plot Preview:

1780. London. Dorcas and James Lackington are ready to put their dream into action: to create a reading space where no one will feel out of place by their gender or occupation or social class. They believe that books are the best way out of poverty, which is also proven by James’ rise to his position as a successful independent bookseller. So they launch a daring social experiment: pricing books low enough to be affordable to even servant girls and apprentices. Not everyone likes this socialistic endeavour. A powerful group of men, determined to keep reading and access to books exclusive, begins attacking the Lackingtons’ venture. But Dorcas understands that their survival doesn’t depend on staying silent but on fighting back.

The story comes to us in Dorcas’ third-person perspective over a period of about fifteen years.

This isn't my first Jane Davis book; it is my fourth! Three of these novels have been historical fiction works based on true events, and in each case, she left me mesmerised with her intricate research. The people she writes about are ones we would never have heard of otherwise: ordinary citizens of historical London who attempted something extraordinary.

This Chiswell Street duology was inspired by a glance at something so random, I can't even believe it led to a novel [pun intended] idea! This series focuses on the life of Dorcas Lackington née Turton, who worked alongside her husband in their bookstore and was known locally as a strong resource at the shop. Their eventual venture became the biggest bookshop in the UK at that time. Its name? The name of this book.

Today, James Lackington is still somewhat known. If you google ‘James Lackington’, you will find many articles crediting him for revolutionizing the book trade by being the first to offer cheap books against strictly-cash payments. However, you won't find Dorcas’ efforts and contributions mentioned anywhere. This is why I am most grateful to such historical fiction works that shine a spotlight on the forgotten women of the past: women who stood equal to their husbands and were yet relegated to negligible ranks by history.

As this novel is a sequel to ‘The Bookseller’s Wife’, it continues directly from the events of the first novel. I had only the vaguest recollection of the story from Volume One, so I just crossed my fingers and soldiered on. Just as in Volume One, Volume Two also has a story with two distinct parts. But the transition worked better for me this time as the change was somewhat gradual and expected.

Here’s a spoiler-free summation of my experience of Volume Two.

Bookish Yays:

📚 Dorcas as an individual and as James’ wife. Love how 21st century feminist thoughts aren’t forced on her character. She seems like a thinker beyond her time and yet of her time. A part of me is sad that the real Dorcas died before experiencing Jane Austen (who was probably writing her Juvenilia works when Dorcas passed away); I am sure she would have loved Austen’s writing.

📚 The secondary characters, several reprising their roles from the first book (Loved seeing Patience and Robin again) and several new ones (Letty being my favourite of these.)

📚 The layered character development. No major character is flawless, which further enhances the realistic feel.

📚 The depiction of 1780s-90s London. The writing captures the sounds, sights and smells of old London perfectly.

📚 The research – mindblowing! Not just the Lackington story but the other major events of the era also are rooted in reality.

📚 The portrayal of the book trade of that time and how the Lackingtons shook the status quo with their revolutionary decisions. I enjoyed seeing a small-time outsider take on the mighty trade establishment.

📚 Equally insightful is the depiction of the classism against certain strata of readers and the demeaning approach towards those who enjoyed novels. Seeing how women were dependent on the men in the family for their reading material made me immensely grateful that I wasn’t born then.

📚 The bookish content, whether it is the nonfiction tomes or the novels or the authors or the poems and poets of the era. – simply wow! Usually I enjoy seeing how characters interpret a book or an author I love. But this time, the books referenced were almost entirely unknown to me, so my knowledge fell far short of what was required.

📚 The vocabulary: never deliberately verbose and yet so precise to the situation. The author’s choice of words leaves me in awe.

📚 The pacing. Surprisingly steady and fairly fast despite the book being a character-driven literary work.

📚 The ending. We know what’s coming and we know it can’t be avoided but it is still a bittersweet experience.

📚 The author’s note, which sheds further light on her writing choices and clarifies fact vs. fiction. Some of the facts she revealed left me furious at one character.

Bookish Okays:

📖 The start was a bit shaky for me, which might partly have to do with my affected concentration and partly because I had minimal recollection of the first volume. Also, the initial chapters are very dialogue-intensive, which never works for me. Thankfully, after about 18-20%, I settled into the rhythm and enjoyed the story better.

📖 James Lackington. Sometimes endearing, mostly frustrating. There were so many times I felt like he should have been sketched differently, but considering how he was an actual person, this is just wishful thinking. I appreciate how there is no forced redemption arc inserted in his character. I could end the book hating him without feeling guilty about it.

Bookish Nays:

📕 The prologue. A bit confusing as it's from 1794, fourteen years ahead of where the main story begins. It is a direct scene from near the end of the book and contains a glimpse of what is in store for the main character. Perhaps it was meant to serve as a hint of her fate, but I wish it hadn’t been there at all. The surprise (or shock) would have been greater then.

Overall, this is not a book filled with action but with interaction. This story focuses on ordinary Londoners of the era, so realism gets utmost priority. I don’t know if I can encapsulate Jane Davis’ writing with my words, but I can just say: she has a very distinct storytelling style that I have not seen in any other author, and that keeps me reading her works.

While the book *might* work as a standalone, you will not be able to understand the nuances of the Lackington marriage and their bookstore without reading the first volume. So this series is better experienced in the order of publication.

Definitely recommended to readers of literary historical fiction who like stories about unheralded women of the past. If you want something twisty and thrilling, this isn't for you. But if you want to read a life story of a woman who contributed towards the first ever bookstore promising to be “the cheapest in the world”, if you enjoy storytelling that is mellow rather than melodramatic, and if you want a further reminder of how history is written by men, give this indie novel a go.

My thanks to author Jane Davis, Rossdale Print Productions, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing the DRC of “The Temple of the Muses” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.