Review: "Royal Romances" by Leslie Carroll

Hello, hello.

I don't usually read non-fiction (unless it is particularly riveting) but I have particular interest in European royalty, so I gladly picked up Leslie Carroll's most recent non-fiction.

Like many, I am pretty enamored of the goings-on of history’s royal families and I'll even admit that I got up at 5am in the morning to watch the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In Royal Romances, Ms. Carroll delves into this well-loved subject with fervor. Twelve royals are profiled: from the rather obscure Charles VII of France to modern-day Prince William of Wales (hoorah!). Each section features an introduction to the era and the royal in question, followed by individual passages on the women or men involved in the romance.

Overall, the entries make for fascinating reading, though at times there is a little too much detail. As a result, the pace sometimes slows to a crawl. And with the exception of the entries on England’s George VI and Prince William, all of the romances discussed focus on affairs with both suitable and unsuitable paramours. While salaciousness makes for fun reading, only a few imperial love matches can be found in history. Counterbalancing the torrid passions of the nobility with some good old-fashioned “Happily Ever After” would have made this book really shine.

Nonetheless, Leslie Carroll knows her subject and handles it well. Those obsessed with the back door romantic dealings of Europe’s royalty will find treasure in Royal Romances.

Review: "Mrs. Lincoln's Rival" by Jennifer Chiaverini

As promised last week, today I am reviewing Mrs. Lincoln's Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini. I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I mentioned last week that I love seeing Civil War fiction on the market. Since my own "Rebel Heart" was set during the same time period and I was generally told by agents and publishers alike that the era is tough sell, I'm glad that some novels set during this period are getting through. Personally, I think novels with anti-slavery protagonists are considered PC enough for publication while novels that tackle the gray areas of slavery get overlooked. Yes, I'm talking about my own novel. But I digress.

Mrs. Lincoln's Rival is based upon real historical characters (for the most part). The main protagonist is Kate Chase, one of the leading society hostesses in Washington in the years preceding the Civil War. Her father, Salmon P. Chase, was an accomplished politician who tried on several occasions to become president, but he was never able to clinch the nomination. Kate is the consummate politician herself, though she does so in the ways afforded to women of the time period. She was a beautiful, witty, accomplished intellectual who with single minded tenacity,

Kate Chase in 1861

sought to forward the political ambitions of her father. But being a paragon often leads to some difficult to swallow character traits. I had a love/hate relationship with Kate. While I admired her determination to excel in a world dominated by men, she could be petty, vain, and prideful. Many of her personal decisions and reactions were lamentable, though she was always spot on when it came to dispensing political advice to both her father, and later, her husband.

The novel itself is fast paced and slow in turns. The first fifty pages dragged along in attempt to bring the reader up to speed on Kate's past. Often the narrative was bogged down with tedious political maneuverings and play-by-plays of daily events. Still, I found myself staying up well past by bedtime on many occasions.

As the ending played out, I found myself wondering why the book was even called  Mrs. Lincoln's Rival as the lady in question rarely appears throughout the novel. She is much talked about, and Kate was clearly her rival in the social world of Washington, but to name the entire novel after a trumped up rivalry was a bit of a stretch. The novel could have stood along on Kate's merits. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel (even if the Civil War was forced into the background and was rather sanitized in its depiction) and recommend it to lovers of American and women's history.

Review: "Mistress of My Fate: The Confessions of Henrietta Lightfoot"

Happy New Year folks! My apologies for the radio silence but I was taking a much needed breather during the holidays. But now it is back to work both literally and figuratively. I hope to have more reviews for you in 2014. I've recently acquired an account for Netgalley, and have started reading and reviewing upcoming novels outside of my regular duties for the Historical Novel Society. I'm currently reading Jennifer Chiaverini's "Mrs. Lincoln's Rival". It is always nice to read a novel about the American Civil War. Recently it has seemed to be an untouchable subject in historical fiction, and while I would prefer to see more Southern accounts represented (naturally), it is still good to see some books getting published.

But until then, I bring you a review of Hallie Rubenhold's "Mistress of My Fate: The Confessions of Henrietta Lightfoot". It has been on my TBR list for quite some time so when I took a road trip to Virginia in October, I picked up the book on CD from the local library and started listening.

"Mistress of My Fate" follows the triumphs and woes of Henrietta Lighfoot or rather as she began, Henrietta Ingerton. What follows is a fascinating account of a well-bred woman's fall from grace, all in pursuit of love.

Set in the lush and bawdy 18th century, Ms. Rubenhold presents a wonderful historical. It is well researched and thoroughly ensconced in period details. Some authors cannot seem to strike the right blend of historical details; they either go overboard and bore the reader or they casually throw in references in order to maintain the label of historical fiction. Of course she does have a PhD in history with an emphasis on the 18th century so well she should have a good grip on this period. But unlike some academics who try to jump into fiction, she is actually good at writing!

I will admit that the story itself sometimes drags. The author certainly puts the main character Henrietta through her paces, not making anything easy along the way. Things are so hard for Henrietta, that sometimes I was compelled to roll my eyes at yet another obstacle being thrown in the heroine's way. She could be somewhat wishy washy at times as well. I found myself wanting to shake her and scream, "DO SOMETHING!" She whines a lot, but it is so well rendered I could almost visualize her gnashing of teeth and the wringing of her hands.

Despite these flaws, I was compelled to keep reading. Or in this case, listening as I had the audio version of the book. I didn't finish on my road trip (it is very long book) so I was smuggling the CDs into work so I could listen while at my desk! The narrator (Moira Quirk) was brilliant and it was amazing that she could differentiate the large cast of characters. I particularly liked her dramatization of Phillip Quindle.

I am very much looking forward to the second installment of Henrietta's story entitled "The French Lesson" which Ms. Rubenhold is currently working on. For more information on this book, check out Henrietta's website.

Merry Christmas!

I'm taking a break from this week's post since it is Christmas Eve. I'm busy baking up a storm now that I have decent kitchen to do so. The Christmas lights are blinking and my record player turning out the sounds of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas".

But I wanted stop in quickly to wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Hannukah...am I too late for that?) and a stupendously fabulous New Year. I haven't accomplished much on the writing front this past year, I can only hope that the coming months will bring with them a revival of my passion for the written word. I have so many stories to tell, after all.

Review: The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

So today's read was another book that I read during 2013. "The Painted Girls" by Cathy Marie Buchanan is a fascinating look at the world of 19th century France and the ballet that inspired such great artists as Edgar Degas.

We don't get enough French historical fiction in my opinion, so I'm always glad to read something set in that country. "The Painted Girls" is set during the heady years of Belle Epoque Paris. While the novel can be somewhat depressing sometimes (as life must have been for those scraping by to make a living wage during this period), the novel ultimately celebrates triumph over adversity.

 The van Goethems, a poor family living hand to mouth in the slums of Paris are main protagonists. Antoinette, Marie, and Charlotte are three sisters, with the oldest, Antoinette, being a stand-in mother to her two younger sisters as their mother is too busy drinking the family's wages in Absinthe. Marie is the very sensitive, over thinking intellectual of the family who is pulled from her convent school and enrolled (along with her sister Charlotte) in the ballet school at the Paris Opera. Meanwhile Antoinette becomes embroiled in a torrid romance with the street wise Emile Abadie. They both end up working as extras in a theatrical production with Emile often passing along his wages to help Antoinette out. Nonetheless he is a sulky bad boy who conceals a dangerous side until the end of the novel. There were times that I wanted beat Antoinette senseless for believing his tripe, but we all have a gullible side, I suspect.

Despite the trials and travails of the van Goethems, the ending is quite satisfying. An interesting read if you enjoy the old Parisian landscape of cafes, music halls, and of course, the beautiful Paris Opera House.

This novel also got significant coverage in the Washington Post and on NPR, so well worth a read.

Review: My Notorious Life by Kate Manning

Hello there dear readers. As promised, I have returned for Review Tuesday. I'm very proud of myself...but I digress.

This week's review is from my August 2013 review for the Historical Novel Review, and this novel also happens to be another favorite of mine. "My  Notorious Life" by Kate Manning is partly based on a true story from the mid-19th century, but completely smart and witty.

The novel focuses on scrappy Axie Muldoon, a child of the gritty New York streets. Begging is a way of life for her and her two siblings when they are scooped up by one of the 19th century’s moralizing do-gooders and packed off for Illinois on an orphan train. Once in the small town of Rockford, Axie’s family is torn apart as her younger sister Dutch and little brother Joe are adopted by different families. Axie herself is considered an undesirable and is sent back to New York with fellow orphan Charlie. There she begins a meteoric rise from humble servant girl to midwife apprentice to a benevolent abortionist known as New York’s most infamous “she devil.”

"My Notorious Life" is a humorous but often heartbreaking look at New York’s forgotten ones. Axie is a plucky heroine, feisty and determined to not only make something of herself but to reunite her family. She does it all on her own terms, and even as rises up from the gutter, she never forgets her roots. She is a very three-dimensional character, which is a hard feat to accomplish. You sympathize with her, cry with her, and laugh at her antics and wry sense of humor.

Manning deftly captures the abject despair of poverty and the dazzling glitter of the Gilded Age. The hypocrisy of late 19th-century America is always present and rendered brilliantly through the people who come to Axie for help, as well as those who seek to destroy her. There are aspects of social commentary woven into the narrative – some might even say that they are applicable to modern times – but the plot itself shines the brightest and should be enjoyed. My Notorious Life is highly recommended and not to be missed.

Review: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Probably my hands down favorite novel of 2013 was A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. I read this novel in under twenty four hours, and if that is not the mark of a good book, I don't know what is.

I read Williams' first novel, "Overseas" when it was released, and while it had merit, and was riveting enough to keep me turning the page, it also had many flaws. The author apparently learned from her mistakes because "A Hundred Summers" grabbed me from the opening paragraphs and did not let go.

I loved the protagonist Lily. It is rare that a character is so nuanced; she is both innocent and jaded, a mixture of traits that could easily be eye-rollingly impossible to believe, but Lily manages to pull it off. She has a big heart and loves deeply, but yet possesses a few base characteristics (jealousy, for one) that make her a stunningly real character. Nick, her former love interest, is at times too perfect (a problem, if I remember correctly, with the male protagonist in "Overseas" as well), but he is sufficiently tempered with "bad" traits as well. The whole cast of characters were interesting and well drawn. Even Budgie, the girl everyone loves to hate, has a few redeeming qualities.

What got me was the stunning secret revealed towards the end of the novel. The author had me convinced (as was all of New York society) that a particular situation detailed in the book had gone down one way, and so I was shocked when the truth was revealed. Slow clap for Ms. Williams for I am rarely stunned by a big secret in a novel.

I'll wrap this up with a hearty recommendation to read "A Hundred Summers". You won't be sorry.