What I Read This Weekend

What I Read This Weekend . . .

My Jane Austen Summer : A Season in Mansfield Park by Cindy Jones -- Austenesque Fiction

Lily Berry's life is a mess. In a matter of months she lost her mom to cancer, her dad to another woman, her boyfriend and her job (for reading Jane Austen at work) and... she finally finished all of Jane Austen's novels and has come to the sad realization that there will never be more Jane Austen novels. She doesn't know what to do with her life and dreams of living in a novel. She consults her inner Jane Austen (her imaginary best friend) and decides to accept her friend Vera's offer of attending a literary festival in England. The literature professors and professional actors will be interpreting Mansfield Park, Lily's favorite novel; she just HAS to go to this festival. Vera passes Lily off as an actress to get her into the festival. She's supposed to take the place of Bets, a young woman whose father is financing the dying festival. When Bets shows up and the literature professors snub the inexperienced Lily, Lily is put to work to come up with a business plan for saving the festival. With the patroness on her death bed, Lily needs to work fast, but she's distracting by the brooding Deacon in the attic and her obsession with him. She's also determined to appear on stage in a plum role. First she must stop being Fanny Price and find her inner Mary Crawford and then she can get her life on track to where she wants it to be. The characters in this novel are similar to their literary counterparts. Lily is not a very likeable character. She's worse than Fanny Price (who I can not stand) because she's whiny, self-centered and obsesses over every little thing. She acts like a stalker around the men in her life and when even her ex says she's "too needy," she refuses to acknowledge her problem. I do understand about her relationship with her mom and the sentimental ties to her childhood and her reaction to her father's new life. I could empathize but at the same time, I wanted her to move forward like her sister. None of the other characters are very appealing either. I didn't care much for Willis. I couldn't figure out who he was supposed to be and am still confused over what happened. I'm not much into brooding men myself so I didn't see the appeal. Bixby is even worse than Willis for different reasons, Magda is witch with a capital B and even Vera and Nigel use Lily for their own purposes. Bets is a stereotypical teenager but I found her honesty refreshing. I kept waiting for Lily to grow up but she never really did. The story drags on way too long and ends rather quickly. I'm a bit confused as to why it ended the way it did and what the ending is supposed to mean. This book just didn't appeal to me very much. I was also turned off by Lily's obsession with the Anglican church and everything that goes with it that she mentioned far too often  in the beginning. If I had known there was strong Christian content, I probably would not have read this book. Other content warning: one mild love scene and one bizarre somewhat graphic scene that I can't explain without spoiling the plot. The only plot parts that really interested me was what would happen with her father and if she would find her necklace. Otherwise, this book was not worthy of my attention. Austenland this is not.

Regency Romance Reviews

cleaning house and moving some reviews to a new post



The Primrose Path by Barbara Metzger -- Regency Romance
Corin Knowlton, Viscount Knowle is furious when he discovers that his aunt has died and left her cottage and money to a bunch of dogs! He believes the cottage is on his property and therefore, should belong to him since his aunt left no heirs. His aunt's will says otherwise. Corin tries to overrule the will, unsuccessfully, and then tries to threaten, bribe and then kiss (twice!) his aunt's companion, Miss Angelina Armstead into leaving the cottage. Though the second kiss was not altogether unpleasant, Lena mistrusts Corin. Lena is not about to leave the only loving home she has known since early childhood and is determined to stay with her beloved dogs until they join Aunt Sophie in Heaven or find loving homes. Lena also intends to oversee the plans for a new home for unwanted dogs that was Aunt Sophie's dream. Corin then tries to tackle the dogs, one by one, trying to find homes for them but discovers, to his display and the utter consternation of his valet, that the dogs were unwanted because they all have certain personality quirks or health issues that made them undesirable to their previous owners. Corin's political career is on the line if he can't move Angelina and the dogs because a certain French anti-Bonapartist writer and spy has escaped France and heading to England where Corin is expected to put the spy up in Primrose Cottage! To complicate things further, Angelina has placed an advertisement in the paper to locate her long-lost sister and has females coming and going from the cottage just when Corin is expecting the very proper Lord Wyte and his most eligible daughter Melissa, whom Corin hopes to marry. Corin both resents and enjoys the interruptions to his previously well-ordered life. He's torn between his ambitions and duty and his growing admiration of Lena. Many more crazy escapades happen before the happy conclusion. Initially I disliked the principal characters, but my feelings changed after I got to know them and understood their situations. The secondary characters are delightful and the plot is funny and sweet. The romance really takes a back seat to the dogs but I didn't mind; I'm crazy about dogs and dog rescue so that part of the plot really appealed to me. I giggled out loud on almost every page over the wonderful descriptions of the dogs and Corin's attempts to get rid of them. I wanted to adopt each and every one of the dogs myself. This book is a must-read for dog lovers and Regency romance fanatics! I loved it!

The Duke's Disappearance by Margaret Summerville -- Regency Romance
Lady Julia Granby has been living in the country mourning the death of her husband for over a year when a friend convinces her to participate in the Season. Bored to death by fortune hunters, Julia decides to hide away in the country for awhile where no one can find her. After finding his fiancee in another man's arms, the proud Duke of Wayland ran off without waiting for an explanation, realizing that the lady only loved his title and fortune. With his pride wounded, George can no longer bear to be in London. Like Lady Granby, he heads to the country to live anonymously for awhile. Unbeknowst to their employers, Julia's maid and George's valet are in love and privy to both master and mistresses' secrets, so the maid Molly schemes for her mistress and herself to move to the very same country as the Duke of Wayland. Lady Granby assumes the position of a genteel lady fallen on hard times and settles into life in a country cottage on the Duke of Wayland's estate. Longing to return to his happy childhood home, the Duke tries to take up residence in his cottage, only to discover Julia already there. He is angry and tries to remove the lady, but since he is in disguise, he can not legally evict the lady. The Duke takes up residence in a sparse cottage owned by the much-hated Squire Henshaw and takes up the life of a struggling writer. The more Julia and George see of each other, the more they enjoy one another's company. The servants, Molly and Ben build their own romantic relationship and help push their employers closer together. The wicked Squire threatens the women and a local villager and nearly destroys the budding romance. Much of the plot is devoted to Molly and Ben's relationship and consequently Julia and George's story is not very well-developed. The plot moves very slowly and not much happens. The characters are two-dimensional, not very interesting. I couldn't feel anything for either of the principles and I disliked the Duke's quick temper. Characters in this novel continually behave outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior of the time. Much of the behavior and some of the language is not historically accurate. The best part of this book are the wonderful descriptions of fashion. I wouldn't recommend this book to any except those who are determined to read every Regency published. 

 
 
Impudent Lady by Joan Smith - Regency Traditional
The book jacket reviews refer to Joan Smith as the Canadian Georgette Heyer (who was hailed as a 20th century Jane Austen), but she doesn't come close to the master for matching interesting plots and characters. I felt Prudence was too wishy washy and the hero was too much of a rake and an idiot for me to like. Some of the talk of the ton was too "warm" for my tastes.

Middle Grades Reviews

Past Middle Grades Reviews

Cleaning house and moving some reviews around.

Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George -- Middle Grades fantasy
When the king learns that another kingdom has mounted an army on dragon and plans to attack, he asks Creel to help save the kingdom with the help of local dragons. Upset at the king's attitude towards dragons, Creel sets out to prove that the enemy dragons are not fighting of their own free will. Together with her friend Marta, Martha's betrothed Tobin, Prince Luka and her favorite dragons, Creel sets off to spy on their enemies in Citatie. Creel and Marta uncover a dangerous and deadly secret that leads to The Second Dragon War and it's up to the girls to save the day. I wasn't crazy about this book either. I guess I'm not much of a fan of dragons. The action took a long time to set up and then the battle took up only a brief amount of space before the long ending. I could have used more about the dragons and a longer action sequence. The romance parts were sweet and I really liked the wedding scene. One important thing to note is the glossary in the back, which I didn't discover until after I had read the book. I found many of the names and place names too difficult to pronounce on my own without the glossary and wish I had seen in before I started reading.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George -- Middle Grades fantasy

Creel is an orphaned country maiden with a gift for embroidery and a dream of leaving the village to become a professional needleworker. However, her family is poor and her aunt decides the best way to reverse their finances is to sacrifice Ceel to a dragon so a knight can rescue her, marry her and support the whole family. Creel's adventures don't turn out as planned - for one thing, the dragon refuses to eat her! Instead, Creel befriends the dragon and recieves a beautiful pair of slippers from the dragon's hoard. She then sets off for the King's Seat, dismisses the knight, meets more eccentric dragons and discoveres a dangerous secret that could be the end of all she cares about. I didn't like this story as much as I thought I would. I liked like Creel rescued herself but I was expecting more pluck and wit from her. The story picked up towards the end when the kingdom was in danger. I would recommend this book to 9-12 year olds but maybe not to adults. I do plan to read the sequels though and hope I like them.

I Put a Spell on You by Adam Selzer -- Middle Grades mystery/school humor

I picked this up because the author's wife is an online acquaintance of mine and I'm not sorry I read it! 6th grade Hall Monitor Chrissie Woodward has always been on the right side of the law, that is, the side of the Principal, but as the community prepares for the big spelling bee, Chrissie begins to suspect the principal's office of being corrupt! She sets out to gather evidence from her peers in this amusing adventure. The story is told from the points of view of the kids involved in the spelling bee: the know-it-all, the homeschool transfer, the class clown, the kid who will eat anything and the girl whose parents want her to win more than anything. This book seems to be based on Watergate, which I'm not sure kids would get, but it reminds me so much of the books my teachers used to read to the class in elementary school that it doesn't matter if kids get the little nods to history. Each of the kids in the story is so intense and the adults are all crazy and "bad," but since the story is told from the point of view of the kids, I can see how they would see adults as "bad." I enjoyed this book a lot and couldn't put it down until I finished the mystery and saw who won the spelling bee! I also learned a lot of new words that I have never even heard of!

Young Adult Reviews

Past Young Adult Reviews

I'm cleaning house and moving some reviews around. 




Bloodhound: Beka Cooper Book 2 by Tamora Pierce -- YA Fantasy/Adventure
Set in Tortall 200 years before Alanna, Beka Cooper, a common-born girl from the city slums is now a full fledged officer of the law, a Dog. When she discovers someone is forging silver coins and the economy is in trouble, Beka and partner Goodwin are assigned under cover duty in Port Caynn to sniff out information, Beka is accompanies by her "birdie" Slapper the pigeon, as well as a new friend, Achoo, the scent hound. Beka detests playing the part of a silly young girl but it helps her make friends, and enemies, in Port Caynn. She and Achoo must work their hardest to find the forger and stop them before it's too late. This is another great offering from Tamora Pierce. A new fan could read it without knowing much of the background and long-time fans will enjoy learning more of the history of Tortall. This story has romance as well as adventure and a cute dog. I enjoyed it as much as Terrier and hope the third volume doesn't take as long to be published!

A Voice of Her Own: Becoming Emily Dickinson by Barbara Dana -- YA Historical Fiction

A fictionalized biography of Emily Dickinson. The author uses Emily's writing to flesh out the reclusive offer and show the reader how she came to be the great poet she was. I had a really hard time getting into this story. I just couldn't get into Emily's head. I finished the book but don't remember anything about it. My original review is lost in the ether somewhere!

Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly -- YA Historical Fiction

Set in the Adirondocks in 1906, sixteen year old Mattie Gokey helps run the family farm and look after her younger siblings now that her mother has passed away and her older brother ran off. Encouraged by a forward thinking teacher, Mattie devours words and dreams of attending college and becoming a writer herself. She's torn in her loyalties between duty and dreams which are further complicated by a romance with a local boy. Mattie also feels drawn to a young woman who is a guest at the hotel where Mattie works in the summer. When the young woman turns up drowned, Mattie is even more drawn to her and learning this young woman's story. Mattie tells her own story alternating between past and present using her favorite words from the dictionary to highlight the important happenings of the last year. This is an incredibly well-written novel with rich details that sucked me into the story and didn't let go. I had incredibly sympathy for Mattie, being a literature lover and a college educated woman. I, too, was torn in what I wanted her to do. The murder subplot is only a small part of the book but it shapes Mattie's life and helps her decide where her place is. I have seen this book on the shelves since it was first published and I don't know why it took me so long to read it. It's one of the best YA novels I've read. I especially enjoyed all the literary references to my favorite writers.

 

Last Dance on Holladay Street by Elisa Carbone -YA Historical Fiction

In 1878, when Eva's adopted parents die, she must make her own way from the Colorado prairie to Denver in search of her birth mother whom she believes was unable to support a child back when Eva was born, but surely must be able to by now. Eva receives a big shock when Denver and her mother are not what she expected. She is befriended by a fellow "colored" person who helps her find her path to freedom. This is an interesting, mature look at the women in the Old West. My heart went out to Eva as she struggled through life and couldn't put the book down to see how she found a way out of her difficult situation. This book is well-written and seems realistic. I enjoyed it.

 

Austenesque Review

Austenesque Review

Cleaning house and moving some reviews around.

Emma Watson: Jane Austen's The Watsons completed by Joan Aiken

This novel attempts to complete Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons. Emma Watson was adopted by an aunt after the death of her mother, 14 years earlier. Now the aunt has remarried and Emma has to return home to her ailing father and three older spinster sisters. Her eldest sister is kind and good, caring for their father and trying to ignore her broken heart from a long ago romance. The other two sisters are busy husband-hunting and their eldest brother is married to a greedy, grasping woman who dislikes Emma. At a local assembly, Emma dances with a young boy who introduces Emma to his kind mother and his uncle, the vicar, who also dances with Emma. Jane Austen left off after the assembly and Joan Aiken attempts to pick up the novel and finish where Austen left off. Emma is a saintly heroine, helping her eldest sister care for their father and their home while despising her other sisters and brother. She befriends little Charlie Blake and his family including Mr. Howard, the vicar and attracts the interest of the interest of the rakish Tom Musgrave and the slow-witted Lord Osborne. Emma experiences many tragedies before she can find happiness. The first half of this novel is well-written and in the vein of Austen but the rest of the story is full of tragedy before it abruptly comes to an end. This isn't the best Austen adaptation. It doesn't seem like something she would write and there isn't really an ending except for an epilogue which tells what happens to the characters. I would recommend this to Aiken fans and Austen fans who are curious about what happens to Emma Watson.
Romance lovers and historians look elsewhere.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler, Read by Orlagh Cassidy
Modern LA girl Courtney Stone nurses a break-up with her fiance by reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Courtney falls asleep and when she wakes, she's not herself! In fact, she's not even in LA or the 21st century! Courtney seems to be inhabiting the body of a 19th century Englishwoman named Jane Mansfield who has a life worthy of the plot of a Jane Austen novel. Courtney must learn to navigate the social waters of Regency England. Jane's kind but indifferent father leaving things to Jane's scheming matchmaking mother who is determined to marry Jane off to the handsome Charles Edgeworth. At first Courtney/Jane is attracted to Edgeworth, but when she channels Jane's memories, she is disturbed by an unflattering image of Edgeworth. Edgeworth's spinster sister is also determined to prevent the match for Jane's own good. Courtney worries about what to do about Edgeworth and her own situation back in LA and how to get home again. Courtney's reminisces and Jane's memories provide the back story but create awkward moments when Courtney/Jane breaks out of the narrative/carrying on a conversation to relate a memory. Orlagh Cassidy is not a very good narrator. Her voice is pleasant enough but her English accent is atrocious and her pronunciation isn't much better. Courtney was a little annoying with lots of hang-ups and problems a la Bridget Jones but she grew on towards the end. Jane seemed intriguing and I wanted to know more about her and her life. The story also doesn't really fill us in on what happened to Jane (there's a sequel for that). The ending is rather confusing but different in a good way. I thought I would dislike this book but despite the negative aspects, the plot kept me interested and addicted and I really enjoyed the story.

Regency Romance Reviews

Regency Romance Reviews

cleaning house and moving some reviews to a new post


The Education of Lady Frances by Evelyn Richardson-- Regency Romance
Lady Frances Cresswell has been in charge of the estates since their father's death two years earlier and her younger siblings since their mother's death 10 years ago. Frances is smart and strong-willed and easily able to cope with estate matters and the rambunctious twins. She has even devised her own educational system to make learning fun. When her younger friend Kitty Mainwaring is summoned to London for the Season by her uncle, Frances offers to join the nervous Kitty in London for the Season, despite unpleasant memories of her own first Season. When Frances first meets Kitty's uncle, Lord Julian Mainwaring, The Marquess of Camberly, they argue over estate matters and he instantly labels her a bluestocking and a prude. Subsequent meetings between Frances and Julian prove Frances to be intelligent but not overbearing and Julian is surprised to discover that he enjoys the company of Frances and the younger children very much. Julian and Frances provide each other with the intellectually stimulating conversation they both crave and soon Julian finds that the time he spends with Frances is far more agreeable than spending time with his mistress. However, the romance moves slowly and may never evolve into more than friendship so those closest to the pair intervene to give Frances confidence in herself and Julian a little push! Frances is an unusual heroine and one I could strongly identify with. I quite agree with her opinion of the ton and her unorthodox teaching methods would have made school a lot easier. I loved all the little period details which were woven into the plot. I usually don't like children in my Regency novels but Cassie and Freddie are amusing as are their animal companions. However, there were a few things I didn't like about this novel, namely Julian is a bit of a boring hero. We are told a lot of what he does but never get much of the action. The story is told from an omniscient point of view, so we know what everyone is thinking, even the pets, which is a little jarring at times. There are a few grammatical errors in some of the sentences which are a little confusing. Overall, this is a good read, especially if you love novels set during the Season and historical details. Skip this one if all you want is romance.

Miss Cresswell's London Triumph by Evelyn Richardson-- Regency Romance
Lady Cassandra Cresswell, the former hoydenish little sister of Lady Frances Cresswell, is all grown up spends her days studying Ancient Greeks and playing with her impish nephew Teddy and his assortment of animal companions. Cassie seems happy, though those closest to her believe she lost much of her sparkling personality when her twin brother Freddie and best friend Ned Mainwaring went off to India. In order to help revive Cassie's spirits, a family friend invites her to London to help catalog the Parthenon friezes (known as the Elgin Marbles). Cassie enjoys her work and the scholarly discusses with her co-worker, the Honorable Horace Wilbraham. Secretly, Frances feels that Horace makes Cassie too severe and that Cassie would be better off enjoying the delights of the Season. Freddie and Ned return from success in India causing a sensation and Cassie can hardly believe how grown-up and full of finesse her old pal Ned is, nor how handsome he has become. Cassie, Freddie and Ned's former childhood playmate Arabella Taylor is the belle of the ton and determined to have Ned by her side. Ned happily plays Arabella's game, using his new found skills to flirt and charm the lady, which annoys Cassie. Cassie believes she dislikes the Season and all London Society and what it stands for. She longs for the carefree days of childhood until, like her sister, she receives help from her nearest and dearest to realize her feelings and bring her to the notice of a certain gentleman. Cassie is an admirable character and I liked her and what she stood for and happy that she was appreciated for her mind before her beauty. Frances is unfortunately too busy to appear in much of the novel and instead the reader is subjected to her rambunctious five-year-old-son who speaks with a lisp. I think the author made some mistakes in titles and inheritance which need to be overlooked in order to follow the plot.This sequel is worth a read to find out what happens next, but otherwise is slow moving and almost identical to The Education of Lady Frances. 

A Handful of Promises by Jeanne Savery -Regency Romance
A Regency Romance revolving around three couples. The primary couple, Secundus Alcester and Lady Helen Rotherford, were separated 15 years ago when the lady's father refused Sec's marriage proposal because the gentleman had little money and no prospects. 15 years later, Sec returns to England a wealthy man, determined to help his orphaned nieces and nephews sort out their lives and marry his lady. I wanted to like Helen for being an older, intelligent female interested in reform, but she doesn't have much personality. I'm not entirely sure why she even loves the hero except that he has always loved her for who she is and not for her fortune. Their love story advances too quickly and is resolved too neatly. I liked the nieces, especially 8 year old Tibby who desires to help her family all she can. I also liked the love interest of the eldest nephew for being an independent, headstrong young woman. Generally I prefer witty, comedy of manners novels that attempt to emulate Jane Austen's style, so this one isn't high on my list of favorites.