I am not a big historical fiction reader, but in trying to expand that genre to my reading list, I gave this one a try and I have to say – I was not disappointed. I think what got my attention was the cover. It matches perfectly, to me, the main character in this tale – Phillipa Cashel. This is a rags-to-riches type story.
Phillipa, Pippa to some, is a character who has escaped her
previous life to do something good. She has such an inner strength about her
that I appreciated. No matter how folks she encountered treated her, knowing
her past, she kept on going to fulfill her dream … that of creating an
organization to help women who were trapped in the same sort of life she had.
She was also offered an opportunity that she wasn’t sure she would pursue. I
also liked her attraction to one Sir Bertrand Thorndike, or Bertie to his
friends. Bertie has a story of his own.
What I really found intriguing was the writing style and how
true it stayed to the time period. I could just imagine some of these
characters in my mind’s eye. It was also interesting to me how the ‘classes’ in
one of the homes were described – from scullery maids, to first-floor maids, to
second-floor maids. I’ve never read a historical fiction book with the classes
defined like that.
According to the list of books in the front matter, this is going to be a part of a series, and the ending of book one is a perfect setup for book two. I’ll be sure to watch for it. The series is Of Cloaks & Daggers.
No comments:
Post a Comment