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Book Review of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock
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A stodgy British ship-owner is at first dismayed, and then enriched, when one of his captains brings a "mermaid" back from the South Pacific. Ownership of the bizarre item brings him to the attention of one of the most celebrated courtesans of London, who summarily demands that he provide her with one of her very own.

A fantasy, a morality tale, and an extended metaphor on desire.