Chocolate Book Review no. 5 - The Companion of Lady Holmeshire by Debra Brown

By -
I'm going to come right out and say that I loved this book. It was well written, meticulously researched, and beautifully brought together at the end with one shock revelation after another. It made many great moral points about social injustice without being either preachy or irrelevant to the modern reader, and it was very satisfying to see some of the more arrogant characters get their comeuppance. I thought the dialogue was especially good, and I warmed to Winnie and Wills from the beginning. I particularly loved the handling of the romance between servants Simon and Anne, and I found myself really liking Genevieve too, despite being convinced that I shouldn't because she was betrothed to Wilfred, our dashing hero. I enjoyed how that little love triangle worked out.

To be completely fair I usually try to find something to criticise in the books I review, but was hard pressed to do so here. I did get confused by the large number of characters and occasionally had to go back and remind myself who some people were, but in any book set in several large households in the early Victorian era (where each character has both a name, a title and a nickname) that's bound to be an issue. I also thought that the ending was just a little too improbable, but I accept that suspension of disbelief is generally a prerequisite for enjoying a good story.

I have also made it something of a personal mission to check books set in Britain but written by Americans to ensure that they don't include such strange alien things as chipmunks (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), rutabagas and acorn squash (English Trifle by Josi Kilpack) or characters who say bad things about the National Health Service (Pursued by Lynn Gardner). I found only one error of this sort in the entire book: a character referred to autumn as "fall". Having said that, although no British person would use the word "fall" to mean the season in modern times, it may be that they did in the nineteenth century.

All in all, the book drew me in, and was a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

Comments

  1. Debra Brown31 January 2012 at 08:17

    Thank you, Anna, for taking the time to read and review my book. Not to mention the payment you sent all the way from England, a delicious chocolate bar. :) I have saved the wrapper in my drawer full of things from around the world, as well as the envelope and postage stamp.

    I am glad you enjoyed the book. I appreciate the point on the word "fall". Until I read it here, I had no idea that it was not used in Britain. Now I know. It makes me wonder what other words you do not use, but I will probably stumble of those, too, in the future.

    Again, many thanks.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of Reviews - and Chocolate

By -
In my last blog I talked about the expense of publicity and why, therefore, it is important to attract readers through other means. Social networking, blogging and and just being "out there" apparently helps people to know your name and have an interest in your work. A gripping, intriguing and well-written back cover blurb is vital, but personally I think you can't beat reviews and recommendations. If someone else has read the book and loved it - especially if they are someone I know and trust - then there's a good chance I'll want to read it too. When a potential buyer is considering the book on Amazon a good review might be the difference between clicking "buy" or not. To this end, I have a proposal. The "Chocolate and Reviews for Books" proposal Here's how it works: You, the author, email me a word document of your book (to anna [at] buttimore [dot] org [dot] uk - and include your postal address in the email). I post you a bar of British...
Read more

I Wore a Skirt to Church on Sunday

By -
Image
I'm very grateful to have permission to reproduce here something by Carrie Stringham Teasdale. I've never met Carrie, but her words had quite an impression on me so I sought her out to ask whether I could share them on my blog.  As background this past Sunday, 16th December, was designated by a group of Mormon feminists as "Wear Pants [Trousers] to Church Day". They felt that being required to wear a skirt or dress to church is indicative of the oppressive and patronising attitude in the LDS church towards women. Now, whilst I'll readily admit that it is a patriarchal church, I personally have never felt less valued or respected in it, or in any way inferior to my brothers in Christ's church. I also only ever wear skirts or dresses because I find them way more comfortable than trousers. In fact, I don't currently own a pair of trousers (that fit). I have held some pretty major callings (on the Stake Public Affairs Council, YW President, Primary Preside...
Read more

Why Muslims Don't Like Us

By -
Image
Imagine, for just a moment, that you grew up in a world where everyone believes in God and respects His laws. Your culture, society and traditions are based entirely on God's holy directives, and the lives of all citizens are dedicated to following His path. In your society the fallen nature of man is well understood, in particular with reference to his carnal desires, and so your society protects men from themselves (and women from men) by putting in place strict rules and laws. Sex outside marriage is illegal. Women are protected from leers and lasciviousness by a protective barrier of fabric which they wear whenever they are among men. This "safety barrier" covers them from their glossy and alluring hair down to their fine ankles, so that no man can look upon them with lust. Maybe they are accompanied by a husband, father or brother, or some other man who can protect them whenever they venture out. Women know that their bodies are sacred and to be enjoyed, visually a...
Read more