What I Read in October 2016 Part III. . .

What I Read in October 2016 Part III. . .

The Fifth Avenue Artists Society by Joy Callaway-- Historical Fiction

Virginia Loften knows one day she will be a famous author like her hero, Washington Irving, and her best friend Charlie will be a famous artist. She knows this as well as she knows one day she will marry Charlie. Ginny knows this with all the assurance of a seven year old girl. By the age of 22, Ginny and her sisters and brother Franklin are supporting their widowed mother with their artistic endeavors. Their father left them plenty of love but very little money. The Loftin siblings are happy though and willing to work hard at what they love, except for oldest sister Bess who believes she is a lady born and a lady she shall be. Ginny never dreamed her plans would be altered until Charlie proposes to another woman out of necessity. Ginny pours her anguish into writing a love story for the ages but is it good enough to publish? When her brother introduces her to his best friend John, a fellow writer, John invites them to his Fifth Avenue artists' salon where Ginny meets a number of artistic men and women. Among her new friends are Tom, a brooding writer and his sister Lydia, who is a special friend of Franklin's. These new friends encourage Ginny's literary efforts and help her on her road to publishing. Some of their comments sting, but she is willing to work to make it better. Then Charlie reenters her life and Ginny's feelings are confused. John cares for her deeply but what about Charlie? Then one night, shocking secrets are revealed that will change the Loftins lives forever.

This is an Edith Wharton-esque drama set in Gilded Age New York. Edith makes a brief cameo in the novel, set before she became a famous writer. However, the writing doesn't live up to the promise of the story and in no way resembles Edith Wharton's style. Rich, poor, drama, passion, intrigue, romance, art- it has all the hallmarks of a PBS Masterpiece drama.

Ginny tells her story but doesn't allow the reader to become fully engaged with her. She tells us how much she loves Charlie and how much he has broken her heart, etc. etc. She tells us she shut herself up to work on her novel and tells us everything else. All that telling makes the first half of the book very very slow and doesn't really allow the reader to become integrated into the story.

The period details aren't bad but the characters spend a lot of time discussing whether a husband would allow them to pursue their art. That's one thing that keeps coming back over and over and gets tiring after awhile. Just seeing one married character and her interactions with her husband was enough to get the characters wondering and show the reader what they were thinking. The epilogue was weird and unnecessary.

The plot is intriguing. I could have cared less about the romantic entanglements but I wanted to know what happened. The plot picks up halfway through and I was mildly interested in whether Ginny would become published so soon. Then BAM - a shocking plot twist and the book became difficult to put down. I had to skip ahead to find out what happened. One of the secrets is very very shocking and completely crazy by our standards. I wasn't totally surprised- there were clues but how it all went down and to whom was the real shocker. There was another secret that wasn't a huge surprise at all. There was a big clue and Ginny, as Franklin's twin, should have known. Ginny claims Frank is her best friend and they're supposed to be twins but that relationship gets dropped in the middle and by the time the drama happens, it seems like they're just siblings who don't know each other well. I thought twins would be able to sense when one is in trouble or something- at least in a story like this one. This plot twist made the story a little too dark for me.

The characters were largely unlikable. Ginny's manner of telling the story didn't really endear me to her and her reactions and interactions with other characters just didn't make her appealing. I wanted to like her because I thought she would be like Jo March, one of my favorite literary heroines, but she's not. The Loftin sibling I hated the most was Bess. She and Ginny didn't get along and I didn't care for Bess for the same reasons Ginny didn't. I liked Mae the best because she had a passion, drive and still managed to be compassionate and caring towards her family. I also liked Alevia and her deep passion for music and lack of interest in marriage. I just thought it was a little strange how she was so obsessed with music and didn't do or think of much else. I had some compassion for Charlie in the beginning but he turned into a selfish idiot and I didn't want him to succeed with Ginny. I didn't like Tom but he didn't deserve Ginny's rudeness. I didn't get that he was any more or less arrogant than any other artist at the salon. Lydia got on my nerves and I felt John was insincere and too dramatic.

The story is loosely based on the author's family history and would have made a better biography. The plot was a little too dark and dramatic for my personal taste.

Content:
Touching breast (twice), hiking skirt up to legs while kissing a man
one man has a reputation as a ladies' man
drug use

Letters from Bath; Or, a Friend in Exile by Meredith Allady--Regency Romance

This novella is a pastiche of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey in parts and a somewhat witty observation of Regency society. Teenage heroine Ann Northcott is being held prisoner against her will... by her mother... in Bath! Ann's mother disapproves of her hoydenish daughter who walks with a slight limp due to a childhood accident. At first Ann is miserable in Bath but she soon finds some unexpected allies. When she meets Miss Barr, Ann discovers a heroine in need of a happily ever after. Ann enlists the aid of her gossipy new friends and a Mr. Grayson, an older gentleman (in his 30s) who may be able to help. Ann doesn't care for him much herself but he could prove useful.

Though this book is set in the Regency period, it's not a romance. It's a prequel to Friendship and Folly. The narrator, Ann, tells the story in letters to her best friend Julia back home. Ann's voice is youthful, wry and witty. At first she comes across as a teenage drama queen but she soon becomes enjoyable. She could be an Emma Woodhouse type with Miss Barr as Harriet Smith, but I think Ann truly wanted to help Miss Barr because she cared about her friend's happiness. Miss Barr is shy and meek but I liked her because she had her nose stuck in a book. I wanted her to escape her situation and I hope she will be happy. There's not much to Mr. Grayson. He seems nice but he and Ann only meet 3 or 4 times so it's hard to tell what he's really like.

The adults in the story don't come off very well. Ann's mother is hard and unfeeling towards her daughter. She parades Ann around Bath for her own purposes and Ann is sharp enough to figure out her mother's motives. Miss Barr's aunt is a cantankerous, penny-pinching old witch who can't stand to have anyone happy. She thinks her impoverished relatives are her slaves to do what she dictates and when. She isn't in the story much but she directs the action.

This is a cute story that I think Janeites and Regency lovers will enjoy.

What I Read in September 2016 Part II. . .

What I Read in September 2016 Part II. . .

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee--Young Adult Historical Fiction

Mercy Wong has finished her education at the Oriental Public School in San Francisco, the one school she and her fellow Chinese-American youth are allowed to attend. Mercy has big dreams, however, and a plan to lift her family out of poverty. She plans to become an herbal tea merchant and marry her best friend Tom, who is supposed to succeed his father as a Chinese medicine doctor. She especially wants to ensure her frail younger brother doesn't have to take over their Ba's laundry business. Armed with her bible, The Book for Business-Minded Women by a Mrs. Evelyn Lowry, Mercy sets out to launch her grand plan. The first step is to get in to St. Clare's, a respected girls' school on par with the Wilkes school for boys. Mercy knows it will be difficult to convince the board to allow her in because of her race and her family's economic situation, but Mercy has a few tricks up her sleeve. Upon starting at the school, Mercy must pretend to be a Chinese heiress, deal with a mean girl, avoid a caning from Headmistress and practice comportment. St. Clare's is not an academic school but a finishing school. Even though it's not what Mercy expected, she's determined to succeed at any cost. When tragedy strikes on April 18, 1906, Mercy's world is upended. It would be easy to give in to despair like everyone else she knows, but that's not Mercy's way. She uses her very un-ladylike, un-Chinese "bossy cheeks" to find a way to save herself and her friends.

This is a pretty good book for young adults. I liked the multi-culturalism in the novel and learning something about Chinese-American life in the early 20th century. I was hoping for a link to Samantha from Under the Painted Sky, to discover if she made it to San Francisco and had descendants. This is a stand-alone novel though. The plot is interesting and it did really capture my attention at times. I knew about the earthquake and have read other novels about it but by the time the earthquake happens in this story, I was invested in Mercy's story and needed to know what happened. What does happen is a bit surprising and very interesting though not exactly realistic. I wasn't thrilled with the homage to A Little Princess. That was unnecessary and been done too many times as was Melody's struggle with Elodie. My biggest quibble was that Francesca wouldn't use the word pasta but macaroni. I'm not sure if there was a sizable enough Italian population in San Francisco in 1906 to even warrant an Italian restaurant. The food would be foreign and unfamiliar to anyone else. [OK apparently there were 15,000 of them in San Francisco alone... thanks Google]. I also wasn't completely thrilled with the little bit of preachiness at the end. There's a slight religious element to the book: Mercy's Ba is Christian, Ma practices a blend of Eastern religions and St. Clare's is a Catholic school.

I loved Mercy and her "bossy cheeks." Sometimes I thought she was crazy but she is 15 and I remember being very silly at that age. Rules were meant to be tested at that age. Mercy is caring and compassionate when it comes to her family. She's a bit tough to befriend though because she's so brazen, devil-may-care. I liked how much she loved her family and how all she did was for them. She was the best big sister. Her relationship with Tom felt a little forced. I liked how she never gives up and finds a way to accomplish her goals.

My favorite secondary character was Francesca, an Italian girl who loves to feed people. That's kind of the norm for Italians though. Francesca's family's restaraunt. It doesn't make Francesca unique. I quibble a bit at her attending a white, exclusive girls' school. Italian girls were expected to help their mothers and take care of their parents. I am not sure she would be engaged already in her teens. Marcus is a complete donkey's behind and I can't imagine her parents would want her to marry him if they knew what he was like. Headmistress won't let that happen!

Mercy's other school friends are difficult to distinguish. They each have distinct personalities and backgrounds but I kept getting confused as to which was which. An audiobook with a full cast or different voices would help with this confusion, especially since there are a lot of characters in this book. I liked the girls, especially the Texan. Elodie is a typical mean girl with the typical story. She gets more unique and interesting after the earthquake. The same is true for Headmistress.

I wasn't thrilled with Tom. I could have done without the romance. It didn't really add anything to the story. I admire Tom for his ambition and going for his dream, but the way he did it was not great. He's absent for most of the book so the relationship feels tacked on afterwards. He serves to give Mercy a dream and someone else to care about.

The most vibrant minor characters are Mercy's family. I liked them a lot. They're very colorful and interesting. Her mother is a bit too dramatic with her fortune telling business, and doom and gloom predictions. Ba is sometimes hard on Mercy but he loves her and teaches her to be the young woman she is. Mercy's little brother, Jack, is very sweet.

I liked this book with it's tough main character. It's not quite as compelling as Under the Painted Sky but parts are interesting and I was eager to find out what happened to Mercy next. I especially liked the feeling towards the end when 
SPOILER AHEAD

The girls start Mercy's Kitchen and feed 100+ people. The coming together the author described in her note sounded like the feeling after 9/11. The outcome after rebuilding is the same too.

SPOILER

Content warning spoiler : 
Mild language. Mercy refers to a specific root as looking like a "man's energy pouch. 

Also SPOILER:

[There's rumors the priest has a girlfriend and when searching for him after the earthquake, Mercy finds him in dead in bed, naked, with a married woman. Elodie's father has a mistress

END SPOILER/Review

Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell--Historical Mystery

September 1896- As the social season is coming to a close, Emma is excited at being requested to report on a Bohemian artists' retreat at her Uncle Frederick Vanderbilt's home, Rough Point. Emma is excited to test her journalistic skills and be recognized for her accomplishments but fears her well-meaning family made the request. She is surprised, and not all together pleased, to discover the request came from the former Edith Jones, now Mrs. Edward Wharton (not yet the famous novelist), the artist who inspired her parents to move to Paris, abandoning Emma to the sole care of Nanny. Emma is uneasy when she discovers undercurrents between many of the artists, including her own parents, who have come to surprise her. Everyone seems to be hiding something and no one seems happy. Emma is pleased when she is able to inspire wealthy patron Sir Randall Clifford, a sculptor who may buy Rough Point. Emma is shocked and saddened when Sir Randall never returns from a walk on the cliffs. Did he slip or was he pushed? Jesse Whyte isn't sure and he wants Emma's eyes and ears when she can observe for him. As a nor'easter rages outside, the guests are trapped inside with a murderer who is determined to see them all dead. Emma must enlist the aid of the one who knows the artists the best, even if it means facing her childhood nemesis, Mrs. Wharton.

I didn't find this story as engaging as the previous novels in the series. As a near-native of Rhode Island, the charm in the stories is watching Emma move around Newport and interact with the famous socialites of the day. I've been to The Breakers, Marble House and Beechwood (many many times) but never to Rough Point, where all of the action in this story takes place. Rough Point is currently decorated as the home of 20th century heiress Doris Duke. I'm more into the 19th century and the house no longer resembles the scene of the novel so I can not use this novel as a guidebook to 19th century Newport. All of the action takes place at a Rough Point that no longer exists.

Doris Duke's Rough Point- image from Newport Restoration Foundation

However, apparently there is still a kitchen garden, where a key scene takes place.

Doris Duke's Rough Point- image from Newport Restoration Foundation

The plot borrows from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (or so my mom told me when we JUST watched an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries with the same exact plot). This is not my favorite murder mystery convention. I'm squeamish and I prefer it when one singularly nasty person is murdered! I also felt the classic "dark and stormy night" plot was too much of a cliche, though it was a New England nor'easter instead of a snowstorm. The same plot was used nicely in Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas and The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen. I probably would have liked this one more too if I wasn't a local. I figured who who the murderer was pretty early on but I wasn't sure because I just didn't see a motive for killing everyone. I had to keep reading very very late into the night/early morning to see who actually did it and why. I wasn't surprised at who but why was a bit of a surprise.

None of the artists are likable except Edith Wharton. Like Emma, I discovered things about each character that didn't appeal to her or me. I also picked up on possible undercurrents between two characters that were never fully addressed, perhaps because the story is told by Emma and she's an innocent maiden. Her parents have faults, mainly they're selfish, but they do love her as much as they can. I am not prejudiced against Edith Wharton the way Emma is, so I quite liked her. She proves to be the kind of friend Emma needs- one who can encourage her and help her on her literary path. I only really know Edith Wharton from her novels so I was excited to meet her early in her career in this novel. Her relationship with her husband was difficult but she sometimes made it worse with her own temper. They were a mismatched pair. Sir Randall seemed nice when he was with Emma but when things about him became known, he became more complicated. I think he was fundamentally a good person but made some mistakes that cost him dearly.

My favorite secondary character is Patch, Emma's spaniel mix. He plays a large role in the story. I'm a sucker for a good dog story, especially when the dog in the mystery is actually involved in the plot rather than a mere accessory. I can't wait to read more about Patch and Emma teaming up to solve mysteries.

Emma's character development was pretty good but without Derrick, the love triangle didn't work. Emma's sudden realization felt forced to me, to add an element of romance to the story. Emma's character is developing nicely. I really like her independence. She's still limited a bit by her relationship to the Vanderbilts and by gender norms, but with role models like Aunt Sadie and Edith Wharton, she is fast becoming a modern woman. She still has decisions to make and things to realize about what she wants out of life. I look forward to seeing her grow more.

This one is for hard core murder mystery fans, those who have walked past Rough Point and others who enjoy a classic murder mystery.

What I Read in July 2016 Part VI . . .

What I Read in July 2016 Part VI . . .

Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander--Cozy Mystery

Juliet Capshaw is returning home to Ashland, Oregon, after 10 years away, first at culinary school and then as a pastry chef on a cruise ship. Juliet has returned to decide what to do about her failed marriage and to help her mom run their family bakery, Torte. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is in full swing with theatergoers and actors crowding into the bakery. One customer and OSF board member, Nancy Hudson, has earned the enmity of OSF director Lance and leading lady Caroline but is either of them mad enough to kill? When Jules discovers Nancy in a pool of blood and jam on the bakery floor early one morning, it leads her to learn about old secrets, scandals and reflect on her past romances.

I liked this story well enough. It dragged in parts and there were too many mysteries going on at first. One by one the stories are told and I was left to puzzle out who actually did Nancy in. I was surprised at the reveal. My thought process naturally followed Juliet's. This mystery takes a different path than the usual cozy. There's a lot more specifics about the town and Jules finds herself in danger more than once. I thought that made the story a little repetitive and too long. There's also a LOT of specific details about baking and how Jules and her mom make new creations. I was surprised that Torte is a bakery/cafe and they serve savory as well as sweet. I prefer my bakeries to serve sweets only. I'd rather read about cupcakes and cookies than bread and savories so I probably will not visit this series again.

Also, I had a hard time clicking with Jules. She's a drama queen, like her namesake. I felt she was more than a little bit of a food snob, though she denied she was. She was super critical of the bakery's rival and local businessman who is trying to buy out her mother. The town business is tourism and kitschy decor and poor pseudo-historical foods probably draw in more crowds than a gourmet bakery given the OSF is Ashland's main draw. Juliet's relationship drama was a lot less dramatic than I expected. I can see why she would be hurt and angry but why leave the marriage? My guess is she was infatuated with Carlos and craved his attention but wasn't really in love. She's also a bit snippy towards their customers and her mother's employees. Her mother hired them for a reason and Jules should let her mother handle personnel problems or bring her concerns to her mother. A small town bakery is not a cruise ship. Jules needs to drop her attitude if she plans to stay in the small town.

The townspeople didn't appeal to me either. The only secondary characters I liked were Juliet's mother, the Professor and Thomas. The Professor is quirky in a nerdy way and seems intelligent and kind. Thomas is a smart cop and warns Jules their town isn't as idyllic as it seems and yet she takes kind of a superior attitude and isn't very nice to him. She has some cringe-worthy moments with Thomas for sure. There's not enough of a relationship hook there to keep me interested.

Foodies will rejoice because there are several recipes in the back but sadly none appeal to me. I probably won't be reading more of this series.




A Golden Cage by Shelley Freydont--Historical Mystery

Deanna Randolph is staying with Gran Gwen and the Ballards while her mother and older sister are off in Switzerland curing Adelaide's migraines. Deanna is thrilled to escape her draconian mother and do fun things like wear the latest fashions and ride her new safety bicycle. Deanna's independence drives Joe crazy. He worries she'll ruin her reputation or worse, once she becomes involved in a mystery. After helping to solve a murder a few weeks earlier, Deanna is on the case again after an actor from Judge Grantham's birthday party turns up dead in the Ballards' parlor. The case involves a chorus girl, Amabelle Deeks, who was once a society girl who ran away from home. Laurette Ballard is friends with Amabelle's mother and feels responsible for helping the girl when she turns up one night in distress. Amabelle is gone in the morning when the murder victim is discovered. Deanna worries Belle has been taken by the murderer or killed. Perhaps she IS the murderer, but Deanna doesn't think so. Will is under pressure from the cottagers to solve the case quickly and if he can't find Amabelle, someone else will get the blame.

I only meant to read some of the book but of course I ended up staying up really late reading! I figured out who the murderer was pretty easily and I figured it had something to do with the Comstock Laws. I was a bit surprised by the reveal but not totally. That thought hadn't really crossed my mind. I thought something a little more typical for this period so kudos to the author for making the mystery extra complicated. She also deserves praise for the diversity of her cast of characters. In the first book we had an exotic dark skinned man servant and here we have theater people who are more open about their unconventional lifestyles. They fit within the context of the period and the latest newsworthy gossip of the year. I was a little surprised the author dared to go there. The subject matter of the book is very relevant to our own time as well.

This story is much better than the first. The writing is overall better and I especially liked the mentions of real people and real "cottages." I need to visit Chepstow now! I liked the cameos by Mrs. Astor and Mamie Fish, two of my favorite Gilded Age people. Consuelo Vanderbilt causes gossip with her brief appearances. There are also references to other real life Newport figures. The one thing that I found off was the women's suffrage movement. That was a big issue later on in the early 20th century when Alva Vanderbilt held suffrage events at Marble House. I'm not sure if women were being imprisoned and force fed yet. Mostly middle class women became involved in woman suffrage and not upper class ladies at this time.

The characters in this story are delightful. Deanna is not my favorite sleuth though. She's very young and she often behaves childishly and recklessly. Her reaction to Joe's criticisms is very immature, especially towards the end. I love her relationship with Elspeth. Elspeth adds a lot of comic relief to the story. I love how she is "true blue" to Deanna. Joe behaves very boorishly in this novel. His criticisms are valid but it's not his place to decide what Deanna can and can not do. It's up to his grandmother and she knows what she's doing. He spends the whole book dancing around his real feelings for Dee but I hope he doesn't declare himself too soon because I think she's still too immature and needs to grow a bit. I love Joe's family. His parents are so sweet and such a lovely couple. His mom is very admirable and way ahead of her time. I'm not really sure she's accurate for the 1890s but she champions causes that were becoming major concerns in big cities in America. Gran Gwen is awesome and I would love for her to be my grandmere. She can cut down any society lady or deliver a comment that means the opposite of what she says. I'd love to see an encounter between Gran Gwen and Alva Vanderbilt. Gran Gwen is very modern for the 1890s also.

New characters here are sharply divided between upper crust "cottagers" and lower class actors and actresses of the theater troupe that comes to Newport. Judge Grantham is a well-connected and high placed judge in New York. He is a staunch supporter of the Comstock laws regulating morality. He has strict ideas of what is proper and doesn't hesitate to stomp on anyone he considers behaving immorally - unless that person is one of his own and then he may choose to look the other way. His son-in-law, however, will not let anything slide. The women of the family are very meek and I had a tough time keeping track of which was the Judge's wife and which was his daughter. The actors are an interesting bunch. I felt sorry for Talia to be subjected to the sleazy Mersey and I felt sorry for Noreen. I didn't entirely like her or the complications she introduced to the plot. The actors are a colorful bunch but I had trouble keeping track of who was who. They add to the story and make the story stand out from other typical Gilded Age/Victorian and Edwardian mysteries of this type.

I look forward to reading more about Newport in the Gilded Age in the future, I hope!

What I Read in June 2016 Part IV . . .

What I Read in June 2016 Part IV. . . 


An Ocean Apart, a World Away by Lensey Namioka--Young Adult Historical Fiction

Xueyan aka Yanyan is eager to finish at the American missionary school near her home in Nanjing, China and go to college to become a doctor. She is envious of her best friend Ailin who is leaving for America. When Yanyan goes with Eldest Brother and his friend Liang Baoshu to Shanghai to wave goodbye to Ailin, Yanyan gets more adventure than she bargained for and finds herself strangely attracted to Baoshu and him to her. She must make a difficult decision about her future. Can she have the life she dreamed while following Baoshu and having adventures or should she honor her father's wishes and become a doctor as she has always dreamed? Her decision isn't easy either way.

I really liked the characters in this book. Because Yanyan's father lived and worked in England, he is more Westernized than most Chinese men. He's very progressive- even for a Westerner- he allows his daughter to attend an American school, speak out at the table and learn as much about science and medicine as she can. This makes Yanyan an appealing character for modern teens. She has hopes and dreams but finds her head turned by a young man. She doesn't give up even when the going is tough and always does the unexpected. I need a sequel so we know what happens to her! Ailin is also an admirable character. I didn't read her book but this one fills in enough background information. Ailin refused to conform to societal norms and sought out her own path to happiness. I liked that the book follows her so readers can find out how she's doing in her new life.

Baosho seems exciting and the type of bad boy teen girls love to crush on but not the type that appeals to more mature women. Without spoiling the story, I came to the same conclusion about him that Yanyan did and would have felt the same way about it.

I knew a little bit about the history of China during this time but I learned a lot more. I also really liked the incorporation of the history of American Chinese restaurants and American Chinese food. The story teaches gentle lessons about prejudice and judging people without knowing them. It was a tiny bit juvenile for a young adult novel so I would say this book is for young teens on up.


These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly--Young Adult Historical Fiction

Seventeen-year-old Jo Montfort wants to be a reporter like her hero Nellie Bly, but it is extremely difficult to do when one is a student at a girl's school in 1890. The headmistresses would rather Jo write about kittens and tea parties than the plight of mill girls. Her friend Trudy cautions Jo to wait until after marriage to a suitable gentleman before breaking the rules, but Jo just can't dream of a marriage without love. Then the unthinkable happens- her father is accidentally killed while cleaning his gun. Was it an accident? Jo knows her father was smarter than that and when she hears a newsboy declare her father had committed suicide, she becomes determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. She won't stop until she has answers. Her quest will take her into parts of New York she never dreamed existed and uncover some long held secrets that reveal her proper world is not all it seems.

I really wanted to like this book. It started off good- like Edith Wharton writing for a YA audience. There were some good parts that Charles Dickens would have written. This book is the secret love child of Edith Wharton and Charles Dickens locked in a vault for a modern writer to insert a modern type of heroine and pretty much ruin a good thing.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT (stop here if you don't want the least hint of a spoiler).









This story followed a formula that I've read one too many times before. Even though I couldn't put the book down and doubted the identity of the murderer, I wasn't really surprised by any of the reveals. I figured things out faster than Jo and Eddie. Eddie at least should have been able to piece together the clues even if Jo couldn't. The plot relied on too many coincidences for my taste and the constant emphasis on freedom pretty much gave away the shock value of the reveal. Again, Eddie really should have known.

END SPOILER






As a mature adult, I could have done without the teen angst romance. I didn't buy it at all. I can see why Jo would be drawn to Eddie, the same way Lady Sybil was drawn to Branson but I feel like Jo saw Eddie as an escape, a means to an end and her heart wasn't fully engaged even though she said it was. She behaved childishly and recklessly whenever he was around. I can't really see why Eddie loved Jo. The romance begins too quickly and there's too much drama. The ending was OK- more realistic than I was expecting anyway.

I'm torn between admiring Jo for not putting up with the stifling world she comes from and admiring her bravery and also thinking she is a little heedless. I don't think I could be so brave and I think I would rather NOT know. I wondered how she could hurt her family by making their secrets public. I was sort of hoping the author would make the bold choice of making Jo behave like a person from the 19th century and not as a modern young woman. Jo thinks and behaves like a modern young woman and that makes her easier to relate to than her friend Trudy who breaks the rules but wants that life of ease and comfort. I'm conflicted in my feelings for Jo but I think teens will like her a lot and relate to her. I think I would have enjoyed the story more when I was younger.

The secondary characters are the real stand-outs. They seem like they were the creations of Charles Dickens without the humor. I had no idea that such an underworld existed in New York though I'm not totally surprised. I would have been less surprised if the book was set in London. I really liked Fay and how she made the most of a bad situation. Her story is certainly horrifying and more interesting and real than Jo's story. I had to skip a lot of Oscar's detailed medical information. I don't have the stomach for that sort of thing. Forensic detecting is introduced quite nicely into the Mrs. Jeffries series without being gory. Grandmama is a cringeworthy hoot. She reminded me of Aunt Marge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with all her talk of breeding. Yuck.

What saves the book from being a true dud is the historical details. The author did a lot of research and she has the skills to introduce the different parts of New York and the current issues of the day without interrupting the flow of the story. The reader is really transported to 1890s New York City.

I would recommend this book to older teens/young adults. Mature people stick to Edith Wharton and Charles Dickens..

Content warnings:
Violence
language
discussions about sex
pre-marital pregnancy mentions
fondling
passionate kissing
prostitutes
gory medical information
a seedy underworld

What I Read in March 2016 Part VIII

What I Read in March 2016 Part VIII . . .

A Gilded Grave by Shelley Freydont-- Gilded Age Mystery

Eighteen-year-old Deanna Randolph is making her debut in Newport society after her arranged marriage to Joseph Ballard, scion of one of Newport's old families, falls through. Deanna doesn't want to marry Joe or anyone right now. She isn't cut out for society life like her sister Adelaide who is insipid as a girl can be and engaged to the worthy Charles Woodruff. She's tired of her mother's strict rules, the stuffy clothes she's forced to wear and the endless rules that keep her from ruination. She longs for her childhood days when she was carefree and could splash in the waves on the beach and follow her now-deceased brother Bob, Joe Ballard and their friend Will Hennessey on their adventures. Deanna isn't done having adventures just yet though. When her older sister Adelaide's migraines don't improve, Mrs. Randolph takes Adelaide to a specialist in Boston and Mr. Randolph goes back to New York to deal with business, Deanna is left to stay with her best friend Cassie Woodruff and the Woodruffs guests, Lord David and Madeline Manchester. The sugar cane plantation owner from Barbados has some to do business with R and W Sugar, Deanna, Cassie and Joe's family business. He has also come to look at some new inventions of Joe's in his workshop in the seedy Fifth Ward. Lord David's business could keep the evil Havermeyers from stealing R&W and creating a monopoly. When the Woodruff's maid, Daisy, ends up dead on the cliffs and Joe's apprentice is accused, Deanna suspects the maid's death is not a simple matter of being in the family way but part of a larger chain of sinister events happening in the Woodruff home. Soon Deanna realizes the only people she can trust are her maid Elspeth, Joe Ballard and his eccentric Gran Gwen. Can she solve the mystery before the murderer realizes she has figured it out?

I liked this book a lot but I didn't find it as interesting as Alyssa Maxwell's Gilded Age mysteries. This is partly because Deanna is so young but mostly because the characters and their homes are fictional. I can't use this novel as a guide book to Gilded Age New York the way I can with Alyssa Maxwell's books. Nevertheless, I did really enjoy the Newport setting. Downton Abbey fans will like this look at American society in 1895. The story also contains an upstairs/downstairs element that fans of the British period dramas will enjoy. The plot was engaging enough to stay up very late reading and sophisticated enough that I only figured out one secret, but not the identity of the murderer or murderers. I also liked the growing friendship between Deanna and Joe and the light romance. I had a suspicion about Adelaide's headaches and subsequent trips to Boston and Switzerland but my suspicion didn't come to pass and I suppose it didn't make sense for the story. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. The big reveal comes from a character other than the villain so we don't really know the whole story and the way the events unfold did not satisfy me. It IS more realistic but I like my books to have tidy endings so I'm not left with questions and longing for the next book to see what happens.

What I wasn't crazy about was the young heroine. Deanna is likable but she's very young and naive. This leads her into dangerous situations which could have gotten her killed eventually. She feels goaded into doing the opposite of whatever Joe and Will tell her, despite the fact they are concerned about her safety. I think modern teens and adults can relate to her sense of longing for her childhood and her rebellion against doing what is expected of her. She's modern enough to appeal to contemporary readers. My own personal preference is for older heroines. Deanna isn't too modern for the 1890s though. Times were changing and evidenced by the references to Mrs. Ballard's interests and the changing fashions. Cassie thinks Deanna's mother is too old-fashioned and strict. I also liked that Deanna missed her older brother Bob, who died in an influenza outbreak at Yale and how she cared about not just her maid but also the other two maids who feature into the story. She looks at Elspeth as a friend and not an employee.

Elspeth is an interesting character. She's from an Irish working class family and yet she's nearly as stuffy as Deanna's mother. Elspeth knows the rules and knows her place but she cares about Deanna and can't help but act as a surrogate sister to the girl. Their love of dime novels is a little silly but it also makes their minds sharp and shows them how to pick up on clues the police may have overlooked.

Cassie, Deanna's best friend, is rather silly and naive. She doesn't know or want to know, anything about her father's problems. She has no interest in solving a murder and only want to have fun and flirt with handsome, rich young men. However, she is fun-loving and a rule breaker when she wants to be. She and Deanna make a good team because Deanna's level head can keep Cassie from getting into too much trouble and Cassie can make Deanna lighten up a bit. Cassie has a good relationship with her family. Her parents represent the less fun aspects of Gilded Age Society and the pitfalls of being used to having too much money. The other main female character is Madeline Manchester. Growing up in Barbados without a mother makes her more worldly than the sequestered New York/Newport girls. She's more sophisticated but also harder and colder. She doesn't care much about anything but her brother. She cares a little TOO much about him which to me, tipped me off about something that is revealed at the end. Her brother David is very charming but I didn't care for him much. He was too charming and too eager to flirt with Deanna.

I really liked the Ballard family. Joe is a complicated character. Like Deanna, he chafes against the rules of society, but at the same time wants her to obey them. He has a brilliant mind and is an honorable gentleman. He's just too stubborn for his own good sometimes. He would make Deanna an excellent husband if he let himself care for her in that way. My favorite character is Joe's Gran Gwen. She's a real eccentric. I love her sharp wit and her devil may care attitude. She reminded me of Lady Violet in Downton Abbey yet Lady Violet would be horrified at Gwen's egalitarian attitude, her past history with men and her sympathy for women's rights.

This is an interesting and entertaining book for readers in their older teens and up. I would classify it maybe as "new adult" because Deanna is only 18. Since the story is told through Deanna's eyes, she's very innocent and some of the darker aspects of Gilded Age society pass right over her head. There are mentions of mistresses, affairs, hints at what happens when couples go off alone to the rocks in the dark and one incestuous kissing scene.


A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn--Victorian Mystery

Veronica Speedwell isn't content to stay in her country village now her Aunt Nell has passed away. Since the age of 18, Veronica has been traveling the world collecting butterflies and selling the specimens to collectors. It's not the most proper thing for unmarried ladies to do in 1887, but Veronica is not a conventional spinster. As she contemplates her next adventure after burying her age, she returns home to find an intruder ransacking her aunt's rented cottage. Veronica bravely fights the man off, but he attempts to abduct her. She is saved by the timely interference of a German Baron who whisks Veronica away to London and takes her to his friend Stoker, a fellow naturalist and promises tantalizing secrets about Veronica's mother. Stoker is a great bear of a man; a taxidermist, naturalist and as cantankerous and secretive as they come. He's not match for Veronica though, who can easily handle him. When the good Baron is murdered, Stoker panics and drags Julia off on an adventure across England to a traveling circus, a run down estate outbuilding, to London and on the Thames. It seems someone is after Veronica but for what purpose remains for her to find out. With Stoker's help, she approaches the problem with a scientific mind, but the results of her investigation have wider repercussions than she realizes and her life may be in danger.

I was sad to leave behind the Mad March family and Brisbane but had high hopes for this new series. The adventure wasn't quite as thrilling a mystery as in the Lady Julia Grey series. The plot didn't get really good until 2/3 of the way through. I found the whole thing relied too much on coincidence and especially the big secret. My reaction to the secret was "What?! No!" It is just so far fetched. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense realistically speaking. I can think of a number of other ways to solve the problem. I also think I know the identify of the superior pulling the string, which should be obvious to Veronica once she knows the truth. I'm not fond of "what if" type stories I also found the constant use of scientific names for species to be way over my head. This book needs a glossary!

My biggest problem was the anachronism known as Veronica Speedwell. She is a VERY modern woman- very, very modern. She considers herself a scientist, thinks nothing of dallying with men when her libido requires it (as long as she is abroad and the men are not English) and hares off with men she doesn't know without a chaperone merely because she thinks she's an expert at reading facial expressions because she's read about them. The big big big problem here is that there is no way a sheltered young lady brought up by two spinsters in a sheltered English village would have access to the information she seems to have access to. No librarian would ever allow a girl/unmarried woman to read scientific texts. Most, if not all, libraries had closed stacks at that time and even if the stacks were open, a librarian would not allow Veronica to check out the books she seems to be reading. No doubt Veronica will enjoy the writings of Mona Caird, a married lady. There were lady scientists in Victorian Britain but I don't think they were as independent as Veronica and it just doesn't make sense for her character. Her frank discussions with Stoker, a man she doesn't know well, about sexuality and sex just seem unbelievable for a Victorian woman. In some ways she reminded me of Amelia Peabody Emerson because she was so smug and also very managing. Those who think Lady Julia Grey is too modern will not like Veronica.

I liked Stoker better than Veronica. He is brooding but different from the brooding half-Gypsy Nicholas Brisbane. Stoker has a back story that has yet to be explained but he doesn't get along with his family, has had a drinking problem, a bad temper, is passionately devoted to scientific study but has lost his nerve after a dark time. He's battled depression and isn't quite on the other side. He's a loyal and caring friend, even when he thinks he hates Veronica and doesn't trust her. He's gentlemanly in his relations with women, despite the fact the sexual chemistry between him and Veronica is palpable. If I go on to read any future books in this series, I'd like to know more about Stoker. He's not the type of hero that would appeal to everyone and he wouldn't be my type of romantic hero but as a character in a novel, I enjoyed his complexities and how Veronica brought out the side of him he believed lost.

There are an assortment of other people who flit in and out of the story. The villains (or are they?) are deep and complex. Their motives are specific to the place and time and provide some interesting background information on the 1880s. I wish the author had included a note explaining more of the history.

I have mixed feelings about this book but I will probably read the next one if my library carries it.


I Don't Know How the Story Ends by J.B. Cheaney--Middle Grades Historical Fiction

It's bad enough that Isobel Ransom's father went off to war when he didn't have to, but now her mother is dragging Isobel and her irrepressible little sister Sylvie off to Los Angeles to stay with Mrs. Ransom's sister. Isobel resents being dragged away from her native Seattle. Los Angeles seems like a foreign land with shoot-outs and cars carrying strange boxes following people's every move. It's 1918 and the motion picture industry is just getting started in LA and it's all very strange and foreign to Isobel, who isn't really allowed to see pictures. The only kid Isobel's age to hang out with is her movie-obsessed step-cousin Roger. Roger wants to be a famous filmmaker, like his idol D.W. Griffith. Roger's father wants to send him to military school, thinking the boy needs to grow up. If only Roger can convince D.W. Griffith to hire him, his father won't make him go to military school. He's been working secretly with his acquaintance Sam on a film but first he needs more actors. He enlists a reluctant Isobel and an eager Sylvie to act in his film. Isobel points out the film's one big flaw- there's no ending. Actually, the plot keeps changing daily! Will Roger ever finish his film? How will the story end?

I really liked this look at early Hollywood. I've read a little bit about the motion picture industry when it was based on the east coast and I've seen History Detectives on a Hollywood investigation but mostly I didn't know much about the silent film era. I know just enough to know D.W. Griffith changed the film industry by making epic films rather than brief vaudeville style acts. I also know a bit about Charlie Chaplin and his womanizing and of course I have seen some of the films featuring his iconic character The Tramp. All this and more is included in this novel. I didn't realize that movie film had to be developed like print film and I didn't really know anything about movie cameras and how movies were filmed. So, obviously, I enjoyed the history behind the story. The plot is cute. I was kept wondering how the movie would turn out and what the plot would ultimately be. I was torn between wanting Isobel's father to return from the war and not wanting him to return. I knew if he did, he wouldn't be the same and Isobel would have a hard time accepting the change. The underlying father at war story made this novel more than a cute story about movies. I found the last chapter and epilogue especially heavy handed and knocked off a star because of it. I also knocked off half a star because I failed to cry at the end, though I can see other readers tearing up.

A note to parents who give this book to children: because the book is set in 1918, the characters sometimes use somewhat offensive ethnic terms to describe people. It may go over the heads of the target age reader or it may bring up questions.

Isobel's whole life has been changed and her father's absence has made her grow up too fast. She's proud but at the same time angry and resentful towards her father for leaving. This gives her character depth, more than any of the other characters who are mostly two-dimensional. I could relate to her, being the oldest child in my family. Sylvie's crazy antics lighten the mood of the story but I got tired of her being the annoying, cutesy little kid all the time. I liked Roger, though I thought he was crazy if he thought he could avoid military school while all his actions pointed towards his father being more inclined to send Roger! The issue of his Indian mother comes up a bit at the beginning but gets dropped quickly. I completely forgot about his being different, which I assume was the author's intention, but some more interaction with his peers would have been nice. Sam is more interesting character. Silent and steady, Sam has had a tough life. He accepts what is and what can not be changed, which is rather sad. It allows him to connect with Isobel. His passion for film making leads him to an odd friendship with Roger and somehow it works.

This story deals a lot with parent/child relationships. Isbobel's mother is, from Isobel's point-of-view, a bit strict and no-nonsense. I'm sure having a husband away at war, even as a doctor, and raising two children would be difficult. Mother's personality changes when they come back to her native LA. Surrounded by her eccentric sister, flattering movie stars, and sunshine, she allows herself to ignore her cares for awhile. This makes her relationship with Isobel complicated and I think I would feel the same way as Isobel at 11. My favorite character is Aunt Buzzy. She's eccentric and a lot of fun - just the opposite of her sister. Her husband, Titus, seems like a fun person too. He appears briefly and then leaves and reappears to advance Roger's part of the plot. Roger has a difficult relationship with his father, similar to Isbobel's father's relationship with his father.

I liked the story enough to read a sequel if there is one and to want to read more by this author but I don't think it will be the best children's book I've read all year.

What I Read in August 2015 Part I

What I Read in August 2015 Part I ...

Murder At Beechwood (Gilded Newport Mystery #3) --Historical cozy mystery

A year after the events at Marble House, Emma wakes up suddenly to a strange wailing sound outside. She, and her household (which now includes Stella, the former prostitute) assume was a passing storm. When Emma opens the front door to retrieve the paper, she receives a huge surprise; the noise was a baby crying! Someone left a baby on Emma's doorstep because of the reputation Gull Cottage has for being a haven for those in need. Emma, Katie, Nanny and even Stella quickly fall in love with the infant, but Emma is determined to find the baby's family. Not only do the courts not allow spinsters to adopt children, there may be issues of inheritance at stake or someone is longing for their child or lost family member's child. She has only one clue to go on- a hanky trimmed in fancy Brussels lace threaded with gold. This child must belong to someone wealthy! In her duty as a society reporter, Emma tries to ferret out who was missing from Society this past Season. While watching a yacht race at Beechwood, a terrible squall actually blows in and some boats go down. Emma is terrified when some men go overboard, including her erstwhile beau Derrick Andrews. As the men return from the sea, one is missing. As Emma uncovers the clues, she feels certain this man's death is connected to the baby. She's determined to solve both mysteries which are easy compared to the mystery of Derrick's feelings for her and what she plans to do about them. She also tries to play mediator between her Aunt Alice, Uncle Cornelius and her cousin Neily who wants to marry the lovely, but "new monied" Grace Wilson.

I speed read half this book the night before going to Newport. I speed read the other half in Newport while my family ate lunch. I may not have absorbed everything but I started the day at Ochre Court, which in the novel is the home of the Goelets. I walked along the cliff walk and saw Beechwood in the distance (still sadly under construction). It really helped enhance my enjoyment of the novel walking in Emma's footsteps, literally. I felt the plot was not as good as the other two books. The mystery happens right away and there's two mysteries in one. There's too much going on in this story. I also thought Emma pondered too much on her feelings about matrimony and what to do about Derrick. Her feelings show she cares for him but her thoughts seem otherwise. She overthinks the situation too often. I missed the swoony romantic relationship she had while sleuthing with Derrick. The ending was far from satisfactory. The Vanderbilt family drama frequently overshadowed the mystery and dragged down the tone of the story, which was already sad.

I never guessed who the baby's mother was. It came as a surprise to me and the plot twist was very shocking. I guessed the same woman that Emma suspected. There seemed to be more grisly murder in this mystery than the previous two. I had the same suspicion about the murder that Emma did so when all was revealed I was as surprised as she was. The way everything tied together seemed a bit too coincidental and very surprising. This still didn't stop me from wanting to skip ahead to the end. I had to pause and wait an hour before I could finish the novel and the wait was tough.

An Afterward by the author tells the reader what happened to the real people featured in the novel. I knew half the story already. I hope this isn't the last Newport-set mystery. I enjoy them and I love visiting the places featured in the stories. Murder at the Elms sounds good. Or Murder at Belcourt Castle. Murder at Rosecliff...  

At  The Drop of a Hat  (A Hat Shop Mystery #3) by Jenn McKinlay-- Cozy Mystery

A bride comes to Mim's Whims with an unusual request- she wants Viv to fix her late mother's wedding hat. Viv is delighted to fix up one of Mim's creations and Scarlett and Viv are certain this is what Mim would want. When their client, Ariana Jackson, doesn't return their calls, Scarlett decides to go to Ariana. When she arrives at the building where Ariana works as an assistant to a sleazy lawyer, Scarlett finds Ariana standing outside over the dead body of hr boss. The police seem to suspect Ariana and are getting nowhere with the investigation. Scarlett and Viv are certain Ariana didn't do it and of course launch their own investigation. Scarlett also has to deal with her treacherous blushes whenever Harrison is around; hope her favored contestant on the Great British Bake Off wins or else she'll be stuck cooking dinner for all her friends and deal with Viv's secrecy regarding her love life.

This mystery isn't quite as engaging as the first two. I was certain I knew who did it, but the plot twist really surprised me. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. I like the characters so I'm interested in their personal lives, of course, and why Viv doesn't confide in Scarlett. She doesn't ever give a reason which is infuriating for Scarlett and the reader. Scarlett's romance with Harrison is heating up more. It's so sweet and charming! I love the slow pace of it and I hope Scarlett can keep her vow of celibacy going. It makes the love story more interesting. I love Nick and Andre and they add a lot of great comic relief to the story.

As for the new characters, they're hardly in the book at all. Ariana strikes me as weak and meek. It's unclear at first why she continues to work for the sleaze bag hot shot lawyer. Her reason surprised me and didn't seem like a good reason. I loved her relationship with her fiance but I got a jealous vibe from him and wasn't sure he was totally in love or why they love each other. I also got a creepy vibe from Ariana's barrister who is a little on the sleazy side. Ariana's formidable soon to be mother-in-law also crossed my mind as someone not to tangle with who may be too protective of her son. These characters were hardly in the story. Mariska is a stereotypical aging beauty with a Russian temperament. I found her boring and irritating. Her lover, known as "towel guy," appears briefly on the scene but doesn't have any personality. We're told things about him but he hardly gets to speak for himself.

Overall, this is a cute, light mystery that's less distressing than the previous one. It ends with a huge shocker and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

What I Read in November Part VI . . .

What I Read in November Part VI . . .

Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell -- Historical Mystery, Historical Romance

Only a few days after Emma Cross solves the mystery of the murder at The Breakers, she receives a mysterious phone call from her cousin Consuelo Vanderbilt. Consuelo is distressed and needs someone to talk to. Upon arriving at Marble House, Emma is confronted by Consuelo's mother Alva who insists Emma persuade Consuelo to marry the Duke of Marlborough... or ELSE is the implication. Cowed, Emma tries to reconcile her cousin to the idea of marrying the Duke. This only succeeds in alienating her eighteen-year-old cousin. Consuelo wants to be free to marry the man of her own choosing, a much older "old money" friend, Winthrop "Winty" Rutherford. Alva has even hired a fortune teller to tell Consuelo's fortune the way Alva wants it ... or ELSE is the implication... When the fortune teller ends up dead with Alva's new maid Clara standing behind with the murder weapon, Emma is distressed. She was the one who helped Clara find the job and is certain the girl didn't do it. When Consuelo goes missing, Alva begs Emma to find the girl and be discreet about it or else the Vanderbilts' reputation will be tarnished. Emma plunges head long into an investigation which brings her into close contact with Derrick Anderson once again. She can hardly deny her feelings for him, but she's determined to be her own woman.

This is another excellent book set in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island. The mystery has so many suspects with plausible motives yet they have alibis so I was unable to figure out who the murderer was. I did figure out they were lying about something but I didn't guess the extent of their perfidy. I was really surprised. I was also surprised at Consuelo's plot. I didn't really like how the author tweaked history a bit. It makes the story improbable, but I liked it anyway.

The setting is amazing. It's very different from the tourist Newport I know. I especially like that the author takes us to different parts of the island where tourists don't usually go. Since I visited Marble House over the summer, I loved the descriptions of the house, which is slightly different from the way the museum is decorated today. I have a love/hate relationship with Alva. I admire her dedication to women's rights but she scares me. I was looking forward to seeing Emma go toe-to-toe with Alva and I was not disappointed. Emma is the only one strong enough to stand up to Alva. I love that about her. I also love that Emma is determined to be an independent spinster. I admire her very much and like to think I would be like her if I lived in 1895. There's just enough romance to satisfy my inner romantic. Derrick is a bit cocky and I am not sure I like him but I think he is a good match for Emma and they could work things out. Consuelo is a sympathetic character. I felt bad for her but at the same time, I felt she was just so naive and sheltered, she wasn't able to make her own decisions. I just read her memoir All That Glitters so I'm aware of her story. I think readers will empathize with her and feel for her.