Net for Small Fishes

I probably would give this a 4.5 if possible, just because the ending trailed off a bit, but it is so much better than most historical novels, especially ones that are based on real historical characters and events. There is court intrigue and fashion, but the emphasis is on the gritty reality of women, in high and low life, trying to control their own destiny under patriarchy. Both the atmosphere and the characters are convincing and immersive: they're not modern people with interesting clothes, they're people who have fully internalized the place they're struggling with and their attempted solutions aren't modern ones either.

It brought to mind the movie The Favorite, and Emma Donoghue's historical novels.