Austen-inspired romance reads | Romance book picks inspired by Jane Austen’s couples

Jane Austen is often cited as the originator of what we think of as the Romance Novel. Her books certainly inspired several of the popular tropes in today’s romance novels, including enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, and second-chance romance.

Given that my brain is always at least 10% occupied with Austen-related thoughts, I often find myself drawing parallels between relationships in modern romance books and Jane Austen’s romantic pairings. The result is this blog post, in which I have a romance book recommendation inspired by the main romantic pairing in each of Jane Austen’s six novels. I’ve got a mixture of historical, fantasy and contemporary recommendations, so hopefully there’ll be something for everyone!

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*I want to caveat this post by pointing out that it does somewhat give away who ends up with who (both in Jane Austen’s novels and the modern reads) – so if you haven’t read all of Jane Austen’s novels, or don’t like to know who the main love interest is when going into a romance novel, it might be best to skip it!*

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Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice // Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

Title: Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1)

Author: Olivia Atwater

Published: 29th March 2020

Pages: 284

Genre: Fantasy

Let’s start with the most popular of all Jane Austen’s romantic pairings! Pride and Prejudice is the original enemies-to-lovers romance, which is perhaps the most popular romance novel trope these days. But I think simply calling Elizabeth and Darcy “enemies” overlooks the subtleties of their relationship at the beginning of the book, particularly in the scene at Netherfield where Elizabeth and Darcy engage in a witty mutual character assessment which goes straight over the head of the bemused Caroline Bingley.

It was this scene in particular which made me think of Half a Soul as the ideal recommendation for Elizabeth and Darcy fans. This is a delightful Regency fantasy novel featuring a budding relationship between Elias Wilder, the newly appointed Lord Sorcier of England, and Dora Ettings, a young lady taking part in her first London Season with the additional challenge of having only half a soul, the other half having been claimed by a faerie when she was just a child.

Missing half a soul means Dora often misses implicit social cues, and struggles with being less able to feel emotions than her fellow humans. Her pragmatic, unflappable nature and witty retorts, however, make her the perfect sparring partner for the gruff, impatient Lord Sorcier who has established rather a fearsome reputation for rudeness amongst London society.

Behind the gruff exterior, Elias reminds me of Darcy in several ways – from his struggles with a sense of great responsibility to others, to his severe dislike of falseness and deceit. Just like Elizabeth, Dora prompts Elias towards a change of perspective, and the pair perfectly complement each other whilst being distinctly their own people.

Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley from Emma // The Season by Sophia Holloway

Title: The Season

Author: Sophia Holloway

Published: 23rd June 2022

Pages: 320

Genre: Historical

Next, the book that first sparked my inspiration for this blog post. Of all the recommendations on this list, the relationship in The Season definitely bears the closest resemblance to its Jane Austen counterpart. This is a light-hearted, historically rich Regency romance novel following the transition of Lord Charles Henfield and Miss Henrietta Gaydon’s relationship from childhood friends to the potential of something more.

Similarly to Mr Knightley and Emma’s relationship, Lord Henfield is the first to realise that he’s in love with Henrietta (in fact, he’s aware of it at the beginning of the book). Henrietta, though, heads off to her first Season in London still very much thinking of Lord Henfield as an older brother – and matters are further complicated when her stunning success as a debutante leads to several other eligible suitors paying her attention.

I feel that the phrase “written in the style of Georgette Heyer” is thrown at any non-steamy Regency romance these days – but on this occasion, the label is accurate. The period details, humorous tone and entertaining cast of supporting characters all evoke Heyer’s style, so if you’re a Heyer fan who also loves the friends-to-lovers trope, I’d recommend giving The Season a try.

Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion // Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Title: Love and Other Words

Author: Christina Lauren

Published: 10th April 2018

Pages: 432

Genre: Contemporary

Persuasion features perhaps the most romantic of romance tropes (if that even makes sense) – the second-chance romance. When I say romantic, I suppose what I actually mean here is angst-ridden – because with long-lost love often comes angst and misunderstandings aplenty.

A key theme of Persuasion is Anne’s (and as we discover later, also Captain Wentworth’s) pining for what could have been, whilst feeling unable to express their feelings in the present. There’s plenty of mutual pining to be found in Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, with Macy and Elliot both desperately trying to squash down feelings about the past which reemerge when they bump into each other years after an unspecified incident that brought their years-long friendship to an abrupt end.

In Persuasion, we are shown details about Anne and Captain Wentworth’s previous relationship through Anne’s reflective internal monologue – but in Love and Other Words the narrative alternates between Macy and Elliot’s childhood and the present day, which personally worked really well for me in terms of upping the angst levels and making me care for these characters. This novel has a more melancholy feel than the other Christina Lauren novels I’ve read, which I think should appeal to readers who enjoy Persuasion for its slightly heavier tone.

Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram from Mansfield Park // Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis

Title: Dear Emmie Blue

Author: Lia Louis

Published: 14th July 2020

Pages: 336

Genre: Contemporary

Mansfield Park, I find, often firmly occupies last place in people’s personal rankings of Jane Austen’s novels. But that’s certainly not the case for me – I have a fondness for the character of Fanny, and admire her determination to stick to her convictions.

Emmie Blue, the titular character of this recommended read, reminds me a lot of Fanny. At thirty years old, she’s already faced a lot of challenges, and often finds herself in the position of giving too much to the other people in her life, particularly her best friend Lucas. Similarly to Fanny’s experience of being raised by her aunt and uncle, Emmie has been somewhat adopted into Lucas’ wealthy family, and so we see Emmie experience the struggle of attempting to find her place in a far more affluent social circle than she’s used to.

I don’t want to give too much away, since Dear Emmie Blue is definitely a book where you should go in knowing as little as possible – but I will say that if you are someone who roots for Fanny all the way and cheers as she slowly gains the confidence to stand up for herself, I think you will also enjoy Emmie Blue’s journey, and the romance she experiences along the way.

Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility // Romancing Daphne by Sarah M. Eden

Title: Romancing Daphne (The Lancaster Family #3)

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Published: 21st June 2017

Pages: 328

Genre: Historical

This was perhaps the hardest recommendation to think of. Sense and Sensibility is probably my least favourite Austen novel – and a big part of this is that I find the romances a little uninspiring. But as I thought of the pragmatic, intelligent Elinor and the duty-bound Edward, I was reminded of Daphne and James from Romancing Daphne.

Daphne’s life is in a way a reversal of Elinor’s – rather than a fall from grace and displacement from their home, the Lancaster family’s fortunes have been elevated by the marriage of eldest sister Persephone to the extremely wealthy Duke of Kielder in book 1 of the series. But in Daphne’s pragmatism and intelligence I saw similarities to Elinor, and Daphne’s struggle to escape from her beautiful sister Athena’s shadow as she reluctantly embarks on her Season reminded me of the contrast between the characters of Elinor and Marianne.

The love interest in this novel is one James Tilburn, who mainly reminded me of Edward due to his honest feelings for Daphne becoming complicated by scheming family members and competing priorities. With ulterior motives and secret arrangements, misunderstandings follow close behind – and like Elinor and Edward, the biggest challenge facing Daphne and James is to cut through all the noise and complication and have an honest conversation about their feelings.

Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey // The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

Title: The Midnight Bargain

Author: C.L. Polk

Published: 13th October 2020

Pages: 369

Genre: Fantasy

Northanger Abbey is perhaps the most adventurous of Jane Austen’s novels. Although there is a romance present, the novel’s main focus is parodying some of the period’s popular gothic fiction, of which Austen was a big fan.

In Northanger Abbey, we see Catherine Morland’s naivety and overactive imagination get her into a spot of bother when she is invited to stay at the imposing Northanger Abbey by her friends the Tilney siblings. Beatrice Clayborn, the heroine of The Midnight Bargain, is similarly naïve, and her determination to illegally practice magic (which is frowned upon for women in this fantastical version of Regency society), means she is often the cause of her own misfortune, with similarly hilarious results.

Beatrice’s friendship with the Lavane siblings also reminded me of Catherine’s infatuation with the Tilneys – especially as Beatrice finds herself falling for Mr Ianthe Lavane. The course of true love does not run smooth, though – not least owing to the disapproval of the Lavane siblings’ formidable mother. There’s a lot of important feminist commentary in The Midnight Bargain which gives it a serious tone at times – but there are also plenty of humorous misadventures which I think fans of Northanger Abbey will enjoy.

A Reintroduction to Sepia Tinted Window

Hello, and welcome or welcome back to Sepia Tinted Window! It’s been a while, but I am making my return to the blogosphere, and I’m excited to get back to posting content that I hope will help you find your next historical fiction read! But before getting back to my usual bookish content, I thought I’d explain a bit about why I stopped blogging, and my plans for the blog going forward.

Where I’ve been

The final post before I stopped blogging is dated January 2020 – and I’m sure that without me needing to explain further, you’ll have a fairly good idea of why I ended up taking a break. Yes, as was the case for each and every one of us, the pandemic completely flipped several aspects of my life upside-down, including my reading habits. Historical fiction (particularly WWII historical fiction, of which I read a lot) often contains heavy and intense depictions of ordinary people’s emotional struggles, which I just wasn’t in the headspace for, so I found myself turning instead to escapist reads or childhood favourites.

My love for historical fiction never faded, though, and eventually I discovered new ways of incorporating historical reads into my life, like branching out into the adjacent genres of historical romance and historical fantasy. I also pounced on any new historical release marketed as ‘comforting’, or ‘uplifting’, and by now I’ve gathered quite the collection of light-hearted historical reads which I’m hoping to put together as a recommendation post.

Taking some time away from blogging might actually have been exactly what I needed, because it’s allowed me to consider some changes I’d like to make here on Sepia Tinted Window. There’s nothing too drastic, and I doubt whether anyone would have even noticed without me drawing attention to them in this post – but I wanted to set them out here to gain clarity for myself as much as anything.

What’s next for Sepia Tinted Window

So with that brief introduction out of the way, here’s how I want to do things on Sepia Tinted Window going forward.

1) I will only review books when I feel that I have an in-depth (usually positive) opinion to give.

This is the one that literally nobody else would have noticed, but in the past, I wrote a review for almost every historical fiction book I read. Some reviews almost wrote themselves, because I had so much I wanted to say – but other times a book was just ‘okay’, and I found myself struggling for points to capture what was simply a neutral, ‘meh’ reaction that has little value for readers of this blog, who are (I imagine) looking for recommendations of historical fiction books to read.

I know that lots of people love posts that ‘spill the tea’, or feature negative ‘hot takes’ on books, and I’m confident there’s a plethora of content out there to fulfil those needs – but here on Sepia Tinted Window I’ve decided I want to focus on spreading some positivity and advocating for the historical fiction genre, which means generally focusing on reviewing books I’ve really enjoyed. So in case anyone finds themselves thinking my reviews are suspiciously positive and (understandably) questioning their authenticity, here’s the explanation!

2) I will no longer be accepting review requests from authors or publishers.

I want to preface this point by expressing my sincere gratitude for all the previous opportunities I’ve had to review advance copies of books on Sepia Tinted Window. As someone who writes fiction as a hobby, I have the utmost respect and admiration for each and every author who has worked to get their book published, and understand how important it is to ensure that your work is reaching readers.

Sepia Tinted Window was always supposed to be a hobby to enjoy in my spare time, but I consistently found that having books to review by a certain date turned reading into a chore and put me into a reading slump, not least because I’ve discovered over the past few years that I’m very much a mood reader. So I hope that any authors or publishing teams reading this can understand and accept my decision to stop accepting review requests, because after several attempts at making it work, I’ve concluded that reviewing advance copies significantly hampers my ability to read for fun.

3) I might occasionally deviate from purely historical fiction-centred content.

While historical fiction remains my favourite genre, it’s far from the only genre I read. I’m actually a pretty eclectic reader, and I don’t want to limit myself to only posting reviews of historical fiction books when there are books from other genres that I might really want to discuss. I definitely still intend for Sepia Tinted Window to focus primarily on historical fiction books – but beyond reading, I also have quite the eclectic collection of interests, and I want to give myself the freedom to ramble about some of the other topics that interest me if inspiration strikes.

Final thoughts

Okay, I think that’s it! If you’ve made it to the end of this post, I’d like to thank you for your continued interest in my content. I’ve already got some book recommendation and review posts lined up, so look out for those here on Sepia Tinted Window soon!

10 Books That Defined My Decade

As 2019 drew to a close, I found myself mulling over the decade just gone. It’s quite likely to be the most significant decade of change I’ll ever have in my life: I sat my GCSEs and A-Levels, got a Masters degree in Physics, met my boyfriend, moved to London to start my first graduate scheme, then realised I didn’t enjoy said graduate scheme and quit to start another job in a completely different field.

In such a period filled with big life changes, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how my reading tastes have evolved throughout the decade. This blog post is therefore a journey through the last ten years of my life by way of the books that were most important to me at the time.

April 2010: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I read this in after visiting Anne Frank House on a holiday to Amsterdam, and reading it at the age of 15 (the same age Anne was when she was captured and arrested) had a profound impact on me.

It was saddening to witness how quickly Anne was forced to grow up, but fascinating to see the mature and passionate person she became. Reading this diary inspired me to begin a journal of my own which I kept regularly throughout my teenage years – and I’m glad I did, because it’s so interesting to look back on now.

July 2010: Noughts and Crosses (Noughts and Crosses #1) by Malorie Blackman

This was my first ‘proper’ YA novel, which I read on recommendation of a friend at school. It made me intensely uncomfortable in exactly the way Malorie Blackman intended – I kept finding my mind’s eye automatically picturing the powerful Crosses as white and the persecuted noughts as black, which made me really question the assumptions that had been drilled into me by society.

It’s also an incredibly gripping story, and I vividly remember sobbing my heart out on a sun lounger in Turkey as I reached its emotional conclusion.

July 2011: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Ah, Sarah Dessen – quite possibly my favourite author during my late teenage years. Her books are just the sort I wanted to write myself at the time: the perfect blend of romance, family drama and important issues.

Just Listen remains my favourite novel of hers – it deals with a number of heavy topics whilst maintaining an overall sense of hopefulness. I also adored the romance in this story (Owen is the best Dessen love interest, okay?), and the focus on music which runs throughout the plot.

August 2013: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin

This book marks a definite shift in my reading tastes, and it coincided with one of the most significant periods of change in my life: my first year at university.

No longer scared of being bullied for my nerdiness, I was free to enjoy my first taste of the adult fantasy genre – and wow, what a ride! Unfortunately I had the first book accidentally spoiled by a friend, so the second book was my first true experience of the trademark George R.R. Martin rollercoaster of shocks (and I’ve actually still only read up to book 3, so no spoilers pleaseee).

March 2014: Emma by Jane Austen

It’s crazy to think that at the beginning of this decade, I had never read a Jane Austen novel. Thankfully this has now been set right; through my second and third years of university, I made my way through all six of her completed novels.

While I adore each of them, Emma was an instant favourite. Despite Austen commenting that she had created “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like”, I (and many others) love Emma as a character precisely because she is so flawed.

July 2014: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

It seems I do a pretty good job of choosing holiday reads that I will enjoy! I’d heard a few people say that this was a good series to binge, so both my mum and I decided to read it – and I think we both frustrated my brother by being pretty much glued to our Kindles the entire week.

There’s nothing like that feeling of being utterly consumed by a book, which is why I remember this one so fondly. It’s also one of only two books I’ve ever managed to convince my boyfriend to read (the other being Scythe by Neal Shusterman).

February 2017: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

This book is special because it was the first recommendation I got from a magical place on the internet I’d just discovered called Booktube, which did wonders for rekindling my love for reading after a difficult couple of years.

It was one of those cases of a book coming into my life at just the right moment – I’d been diagnosed with anxiety and depression only a few months previously, and seeing such raw and honest anxiety representation in a book really helped me work through my feelings surrounding it.

October 2017: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights was the first novel I ever read as part of Victober (the annual October Victorian reading challenge), and it sailed straight onto my all-time favourites shelf.

At the time of reading it, I was studying for stupidly stressful exams in a job I wasn’t enjoying, and flicking it open during study breaks to read about the exploits of all these awful people was exactly the distraction I needed!

July 2018: Dear Mrs Bird by A.J. Pearce

You’re all probably sick of hearing me talk about this novel by now – but in compiling my list of books for this blog post, I remembered exactly why Dear Mrs Bird holds such a dear place in my heart.

I read this in July 2018, six months after my Nana passed away from dementia. When she was alive, I loved listening to her talk about her wartime experiences – so to have the feel of the period brought vividly to life in this novel evoked the comfortable memories of that special time spent with her.

September 2019: Edge of Eternity (The Century Trilogy #3) by Ken Follett

Yup, I did it – I finished the Century trilogy before the end of the decade! Although I initially didn’t think this final instalment was as good as the previous two, I’ve found myself unable to stop thinking about it even months after I read it.

I learnt so much from this series, and it’s made me realise how much I love reading historical fiction covering multiple perspectives, especially when done so masterfully. I was moved to tears by the book’s ending, and I’m confident that I’ll never stop recommending this series to anyone who’s remotely interested in modern history.

Review: The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger

 

Title: The Dragon Lady
Author: Louisa Treger
Publisher: Bloomsbury Caravel
Publication Date: 13th June 2019
Pages: 320

 

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think The Dragon Lady is one of those novels which tries to be too many different things at once, and therefore ends up not exploring each of its themes to their full potential. Telling the life story of liberal activist Lady Virginia Courtauld, this book attempted to be a biography, crime novel and romance all at once – and sadly, this combination didn’t quite work for me.

Before picking up this book, I had never heard of Ginie Courtauld, so I was eager to learn more about this fascinating woman who defied the social customs of her time in more ways than deciding to get a shocking tattoo of a snake on her leg. During her time in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the 1950s, she and her husband fought for racial equality despite their liberal views making them unpopular amongst their European peers.

Although we get told about Ginie and Stephen’s activism throughout the novel, I never felt as though I was given the opportunity to truly discover what Ginie was thinking and feeling as the various events took place. The timeline skipped around a lot, especially during the first half of the book, and I found that this stopped me from truly getting into the story, since I’d just be getting to know one set of characters only to find myself pulled away to a completely different time and place.

A definite strength of Louisa Treger’s writing, though, is her descriptive prose. I especially liked the parts of the novel set in Rhodesia; I could literally feel the stifling heat as I read, and could vividly picture the vibrant gardens surrounding Ginie and Stephen’s home. I’m not normally one to particularly notice descriptive writing, but in this case it definitely helped bring the setting to life, and was one of my favourite things about the book.

The Dragon Lady transported me to a place and period of history I previously had no knowledge of, which I always enjoy when reading historical fiction. Unfortunately the characters fell a little flat for me, though. It might have been the jumping around in the beginning, but I never quite managed to connect to the characters, giving this more the feel of a factual biography rather than a gripping novel.

The Hamilton Book Tag

As you might have gathered from my constant shouting about it both here and on Twitter, I’m unashamedly obsessed with the MASTERPIECE that is Hamilton the Musical. So when I spotted the Hamilton Book Tag over on Pretty Purple Polka Dots, I naturally decided I’d have to do it myself!

The original tag was created by booktuber Maureen, and although some of the questions sound spoiler-y in nature, I’ve managed to find a way to answer all of them in a way that keeps the post completely spoiler-free (you’re welcome)!

THE QUESTIONS

1. The Room Where It Happens: Book world you would put yourself in

I was trying to think of a fantasy world, then realised that they’re generally bleak and terrifying, so instead I’ll go with the fictional town of Lakeview where all of Sarah Dessen’s books are set, because then I’d get to hang out with all her characters.

2. The Schuyler Sisters: Underrated Female Character

I feel like Emma Woodhouse from Emma gets a lot of hate, but I actually think she’s a great character. Her flaws only make me like her more, because I can get behind a realistic heroine way more than a perfect one.

3. My Shot: A character that goes after what they want and doesn’t let anything stop them

Is it even a blog post written by me if I don’t somehow mention Emmy Lake from Dear Mrs Bird?

4. Stay Alive: A character you wish was still alive

The Seven Sisters series might centre around Pa Salt’s death, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing we could have had some scenes with him and all his adoptive daughters before he died.

5. Burn: The most heartbreaking end to a relationship you’ve ever read

I’m not going to give any spoilers, but if you’ve read Home Fire you will know what I mean when I say that the ending completely broke me. And if you haven’t read it yet, you definitely should!

6. You’ll Be Back: Sassiest villain

Caroline Bingley from Pride and Prejudice has to be up there – she never passes up an opportunity to sass Lizzie with fake compliments.

7. The Reynolds Pamphlet – A book with a twist that you didn’t see coming

I recently read The Corset by Laura Purcell, and THAT ending took me completely by surprise!

8. Non-stop: A series you marathoned

I’m usually terrible at finishing series I’ve started, but I flew threw The Hunger Games trilogy during a family holiday.

9. Satisfied: Favourite book with multiple points of view

Homegoing is unique in that every single chapter is told from a different point of view, and it’s one of the many things I love about this book.

10. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: A book/series you feel like will be remembered throughout history

The Hate U Give has already had such a huge impact on so many people – I definitely think it will become a classic.

BONUS QUESTIONS

1. Helpless: A relationship you were rooting for from the start

I don’t know if this is cheating since they’re already together at the start of the book, but I loved Eden and Connor’s relationship in Goodbye, Perfect.

2. Ten Duel Commandments: Favourite fight scene

Basically any fight scene involving Vin in The Final Empire – Brandon Sanderson writes the most inventive and cinematic fight scenes.

3. Say No To This: Guilty pleasure read

I pretty much just read whatever I fancy, regardless of target age range or genre, so I don’t really have an answer for this one!

4. What Comes Next: A series you wish had more books

I wish The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett was longer than 3 books – I’m currently putting off reading the last one because I don’t want it to end!

5. Right Hand Man – Favourite BROTP (Friendship)

My favourite platonic relationship is hands down Frances and Aled in Radio Silence.

6. What’d I Miss: A book or series you were late to reading

Hahahaha basically EVERY POPULAR SERIES (see answer to Question 8). The worst culprit is probably The Mortal Instruments, which I only started reading last year.

Review: The Corset by Laura Purcell

Title: The Corset
Author: Laura Purcell
Publisher: Raven Books
Publication Date: 20th September 2018
Pages: 416

 

 

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book – but oh boy, it was INTENSE. This beautifully-written Gothic tale sucked me in from the very beginning, taking me on a wild ride through the grim and grisly parts of Victorian Britain.

The Corset tells the story of Dorothea Truelove, a young heiress with a passion for phrenology, and her visits to Oakgate women’s prison to visit Ruth Butterham, a sixteen-year-old seamstress convicted of murdering her mistress. From the very beginning there is a supernatural element to Ruth’s tale, which I previously haven’t enjoyed in historical fiction – but Laura Purcell weaves it so deftly into the story that it fast became one of my favourite elements.

I love stories with contrasting protagonists, especially when both are women, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both Dorothea and Ruth through their alternating chapters. The stark contrast between Dorothea’s scientific world view and Ruth’s fantastical tale made the story so interesting, causing me to continuously reassess my opinions as I tried to decide who I believed.

There’s lots of good period detail in here, including some interesting detail on phrenology and lots of insight into the process of dressmaking. It’s worth noting that Laura Purcell also doesn’t shy away from the more gruesome details in her writing – and in fact there were a couple of points where I actually did have to set the book aside for a moment, because the more graphic scenes are written so vividly that they actually made my stomach churn!

Most of the characters in this novel aren’t great people at all, yet I still found myself absorbed in their lives as I eagerly awaited the next twist or turn. I enjoyed reading about them with the same sort of morbid fascination as I felt when reading Wuthering Heights, so I definitely think Laura Purcell succeeded in capturing the essence of Gothic fiction.

The final twist took me completely by surprise, and I’m still mulling it over even a day after finishing the book. Overall this was a thoroughly absorbing read, and I’m keen to read more by Laura Purcell – but if The Corset is anything to go by, I think I’m best sticking to reading her books during daylight hours!

 

Review: After the Party by Cressida Connolly

Title: After the Party
Author: Cressida Connolly
Publisher: Viking
Publication Date: 7th June 2018
Pages: 272

 

 

I have such mixed feelings about this book. For the first half I was absolutely loving it and couldn’t wait to see where it was headed – but by the time I got to the last 90 pages or so it became an uncomfortable slog, so much so that I seriously considered not finishing it.

After the Party opens in 1979 with a woman called Phyllis Forrester describing being reunited with her children after a stint in prison – although her crime is not disclosed at this point. We then move back to the 1930s, where Phyllis and her family have returned to England after spending a few years abroad.

Phyllis and her family move in very high circles, with lots of internal politics going on between her two sisters as they jockey for position in the political organisation they are currently both members of, which we soon come to learn is Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. The tension between Phyllis and her sisters kept me intrigued throughout the first portion of the book, as did the glamour and opulence of the parties they attended.

With tension brewing and relationships straining as Phyllis and her husband also began to involve themselves with the British Union, I was very much given the impression of impending shock and drama – but the “dramatic events” promised by the blurb never really put in an appearance. I’d expected the imprisonment of Phyllis to form the nail-biting conclusion to the book, but instead it happened sooner than I expected, which instantly sapped all the intrigue out of the story for me.

The remainder of the novel displayed abundant evidence of Cressida Connolly’s historical research, but unfortunately it often read more like a textbook description of the fate of women like Phyllis who were imprisoned during the Second World War. I found myself completely disconnected from Phyllis as a character, and all the characters I’d previously been interested in seemed to fade into insignificance.

By the time the plot reached its unsatisfactory ending, I found myself thinking I must have completely missed the point of this novel. At its heart I think it is an exploration of how seemingly ‘nice’ and ‘respectable’ people such as Phyllis can end up becoming extremists. Through Phyllis it is demonstrated that nobody ever thinks of themselves as an extremist – her political views were perfectly sensible and reasonable as far as she was concerned.

I did very much like the themes explored in this novel, often finding that it resonated too closely with our current political climate – but in the end there wasn’t enough of interest to grip me all the way through.

Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

 

Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: 10th July 2008
Pages: 248

 

 

Alright, I hope you’re ready for a gushing review – because that’s definitely what this one is going to be! It may have a mouthful of a title, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an instant new favourite of mine, and a strong contender for the best book I’ve read so far in 2019.

This epistolary novel is told entirely through letters sent and received by Juliet Ashton, an author from London who has made a name for herself writing comedic fiction throughout the Second World War. The novel opens in 1946, where we find Juliet trying to come up with a subject for her next book when she receives a letter from one Dawsey Adams from Guernsey, who was a member of the titular literary society during the Nazi occupation of the island during the war.

Through Juliet’s correspondence with Dawsey we are introduced to various other members of the literary society – and these characters were definitely a highlight of the novel for me. From the quirky Isola Pribby and her quest to find her life’s calling, to doting grandfather Eben Ramsey whose grandson Eli was evacuated to Yorkshire during the war, I really felt as if I was reading about the lives of real people.

Much of the novel’s plot focuses on the occupation of Guernsey during the war, and it was here that the authors’ meticulous research shone through. Reading about some of the atrocities faced by the residents of Guernsey during the war made me so angry, because in all the years I spent studying WWII in History classes at school, not once were any of these issues covered.

There were definitely some emotional moments in this book, but it maintained a hopeful, heartwarming style –  very similar to Dear Mrs Bird, one of my favourite novels of 2018. The authors succeeded in building up an excellent picture of their fictional Guernsey literary society, highlighting how the war entangled various members of the community in unexpected and unusual ways. Each character had their own story to tell, but there was still a central overarching narrative to drive the plot forward.

At only 248 pages long, this is a relatively short novel, and I would have happily read another 200 pages about these wonderful characters’ lives! The epistolary format may be a turn-off for some, but I personally love this style of novel – and if you do too, I would highly recommend giving this beautiful story a read.

 

OWLs Readathon Wrap-Up

Throughout the month of April, I was taking part in the OWLs Magical Readathon hosted by G over at Book Roast. In my OWLs Readathon TBR post I briefly discussed how the readathon works, so check it out if you’re wondering what on earth a Magical Readathon is!

To pursue my magical career of choice (Astronomer), I was required to pass 3 OWLs: Arithmancy, Astronomy and History of Magic. I successfully completed those exams, and also managed to pass another 3 to bring my total to 6 exams passed. I therefore ended this exam season with a grade of Exceeded Expectations, which was my initial aim at the beginning of the month!

I am atrocious at making and sticking to TBRs, so unsurprisingly I did deviate slightly from the list I set myself back when I wrote my TBR post. Here are the books I actually did end up reading, and some brief thoughts on each of them:

Arithmancy

The Prompt: Work written by more than one author

My choice: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Rating: *****

Thoughts: An absolute delight! Such a heartwarming WWII tale about how books can help you through the toughest times.

 

Astronomy

 The Prompt: Star in the title

My choice: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Rating: ****

Thoughts: This was the closest book on my TBR to fitting the prompt, so I decided to stretch the rules a little. I’m glad I did, too – this was such a fun and adorable YA contemporary.

 

History of Magic

The Prompt: Published at least 10 years ago

My choice: Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

Rating: **

Thoughts: Definitely NOT Heyer’s best. Unlikable characters, boring plot, and a very unsatisfying conclusion. Would recommend giving this one a miss.

 

Herbology

The prompt: Plant on the cover

My choice: The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

Rating: ****

Thoughts: A clever, twisty (and occasionally historically inaccurate) medieval thriller with a completely enthralling ending. Read my full review here.

 

Defence Against the Dark Arts

The Prompt: Reducto: title starts with an “R”

My choice: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Rating: *****

Thoughts: My first Alice Oseman novel – but certainly not my last! Her characterisation is second to none, and I still think about this book constantly even though I finished it weeks ago.

 

Potions

The Prompt: Next ingredient: sequel

My choice: A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir

Rating: ****

Thoughts: Well, THAT was intense. I’m pretty sure my heart barely stopped pounding the whole way through! Simultaneously excited/terrified to read book 3.

 

So that’s it for the Magical Readathon until the NEWTs in August! I had so much fun taking part in it – huge thanks to G for all her incredible hard work in putting this amazing event together and making it such a great experience for everyone ❤

 

 

 

 

 

Review: The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

 

Title: The Western Wind
Author: Samantha Harvey
Publisher: Random House UK, Vintage Publishing
Publication Date: 1st March 2018
Pages: 304

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Western Wind seems to have been everywhere recently. Longlisted and subsequently shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, it was also the Waterstones fiction book of the month for March this year. Although the 1490s time period isn’t my usual choice, the premise sounded so intriguing and creative that I thought I’d give it a try.

This novel follows four days in the life of village priest John Reve in the aftermath of the death of one of his parishioners. The really unique thing about this story, though, is that it moves backwards in time from the fourth day following Thomas Newman’s death towards the day of the death itself.

I was a bit sceptical about this method of telling the story, since I was worried the tension would all fall away as we moved backwards through each day – but Samantha Harvey definitely knew what she wanted to achieve, and executed it so well. Within each of the four days, an additional layer was peeled back to further explain certain characters’ motives and actions, until the incredibly clever final section of the book which had me utterly gripped.

Despite really enjoying the beginning and end of the book, my attention did waver during the middle two days. During this portion there was little in terms of excitement or pace, and many of Reve’s actions and musings made little sense until the final section of the book.

Another point to note is that this novel should not be read as an informative guide to life in 1490s England. I’d attempted to prepare for this by reading an article by Samantha Harvey in which she explained some of her choices regarding historical detail – but this didn’t stop some of the inaccuracies really grating on me. The worst culprit for me was a description of rain tapping on people’s coats, which brought to mind jarring images of modern anoraks and jerked me right out of the medieval setting.

Samantha Harvey’s evocative descriptions of the Somerset countryside thankfully helped bring the village of Oakham to life, even if the portrayal of the time period was sketchy. I got a real sense of the dismal, murky atmosphere in the village as its inhabitants attempted to come to terms with the loss of one of the wealthiest and most well-liked members of their parish.

Overall, I found The Western Wind to be a challenging but rewarding read. The middle section was a slog at times, and some of the inaccuracies were frustrating, but this is such a well-crafted and intelligent novel that I can definitely see why it made the Walter Scott Prize shortlist.