I gave up reading historical romances for a little while because they started feeling dated and repetitive. I understand that it’s hard to write about independent women and diverse characters in times that don’t lend themselves to that. I’m grateful to Evie Dunmore – and now Mimi Matthews – for bringing me back to historical…
George Eliot, a classic Victorian novelist, has created characters that are so distinct from other novels of the time. Published in 1860, this novel is set around the 1820s in Lincolnshire, England. I was drawn into this story from page one, with little Maggie Tulliver playing on the banks of the River Floss. Maggie is smart,…
I really enjoyed this Victorian-era mystery/thriller by Karen Odden, although I did have some issues with the pacing at the end. Nell Hallam is a young woman who sneaks out of her brother’s home every night to play piano at the Octavian Music House. She’s masquerading as a man so she can earn enough money…
Those who love a good gothic novel will certainly appreciate this one, as will those looking for more LGBTQ stories and characters in their reading. I’ve been wanting to read Sarah Waters, but I started The Paying Guests and it didn’t grab me. This book did, with its Victorian London setting and its reference in…
Readers of Anne Perry will enjoy this mystery set in Victorian England. It’s a mystery that concentrates more on social and historical issues of the time, in this case railroad safety. The characters are interesting and the story is fast-paced and engaging. Set in the 1870’s, Elizabeth Fraser is returning home from her “Fourth Season”…
Stella Gibbons wrote this comic novel in 1932. It’s a satiric look at English novels like those by Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence, and the Bronte sisters, where the tone is gloomy and nature reflects the moods and attributes of the characters. I picked up this book for a few reasons. First, I’m trying to read…
If you’ve finished the Lady Julia Grey series, you’ll be excited about this new series by Deanna Raybourn. Raybourn seems to have started three other series in the last few years (A Blade of Summer Grass, City of Jasmine, and Night of a Thousand Stars), so I’m not quite sure if this one will stick.…
I finally finished it! Not the best way to start a review, I’m afraid. I didn’t read this book as well as I would have liked. By that I mean, I got halfway into this book and realized the only way I was going to get through the long-winded parts was to skim a little…
Well, I’m clearly no good at read-alongs, because I failed to post the last two weeks and honestly, I enjoyed the book so much I finished it well ahead of schedule. So there you are. Reading on a schedule doesn’t work for me. That aside, this was a wonderful book, and I’m grateful to the…
This is a book I wouldn’t have picked up if not for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Challenge. Of all the books on that list, this one was a question mark for me. I haven’t read much of the “adventure fiction” of the 1800s, except for Treasure Island in grade school. Although since it’s English…
I only discovered Sherlock Holmes last year, although I always wanted to read the stories. I love Victorian literature and classic mysteries, so Sherlock Holmes is a perfect fit. Maybe I was inspired by the movie with Robert Downey Jr, which I thought was pretty weak – I wanted to see what Sherlock Holmes was…
Spring-Heeled Jack is pretty much what you’d expect it to be – it’s good, fun steampunk set in an alternate version of Victorian England. The “twist” is that it actually explains how the alternate reality came to be. It also involves a whole cast of real-life characters, including the explorer Richard Francis Burton, the poet…
The Book Stop 