BarbarianKing, I think part of the reason that Mrs. McGinty has taken issue with your comment is simply the tone your used in your criticism. You're coming on a bit too strong.
As a history major myself, I care a lot about correct details, and (although I have been known to get details wrong on occasion in my stories) do try to be historically accurate when I write. I would personally not write a story like this one. But, considering that a number of published novels--even well-written ones--do fiddle around with time periods and details to an extent that would make a lot of history majors cringe, this kind of fiction isn't exactly a travesty previously unknown to mankind. It can be fairly considered a type of fantasy. Perhaps Mrs. McGinty's story is about a London of the future in which these sorts of events would occur. In such a London, there would be a history of "free England" to encourage the main character to want to free the slaves brought there.
By all means, let's also try to make our criticism constructive. I know from personal experience that when someone can only identify the bad points, and not the good, in something I have written, I tend to tune them out entirely, even if some of their points are accurate. Balanced criticism is more likely to help the writer improve, because the writer will not feel that he or she has been personally attacked. I don't mean that you intended to be perceived this way, BarbarianKing; I would just recommend that you be more gentle in trying to help Mrs. McGinty improve her writing so that she doesn't feel threatened and then ignore your suggestions for that reason.
