Currently Reading:
-
James Madison by Lynne Cheney (received through NetGalley
- The Boleyn Deceit by Laura Anderson
- Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta (received through NetGalley)
- The Quick by Lauren Owen (received through NetGalley)
- Michaelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J. Unger (received through NetGalley)
- The Angry Years: The Rise and Fall of the Angry Young Men by Colin Wilson (received through NetGalley)
- Catch Your Breath by Shannyn Schroeder (received through NetGalley)
- Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch (received through the publisher)
Recent Reviews:
Dark Aemilia by
Sally O’Reilly (received through NetGalley)
3.5 stars
This novel imagines the life of Aemilia Bassano (later
Lanyer), based on the real woman, who was one of the first women poets
published during Elizabethan times. Growing
up she was educated beyond the standards of a typical woman of her time and
became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth because she could converse in Latin. Her beauty and learning landed her as
mistress of Lord Hunsdon and the lover of William Shakespeare. An accidental pregnancy forces her into
marriage and her circumstances change drastically as she studies in witchcraft
and magic. Where the novel excels
brilliantly is reimagining London during the late sixteenth and early
seventeenth century. The grit, filth and
overcrowded streets can be easily conjured while reading this book. Not much is known about Aemilia, but it has
been suspected that she was Shakespeare’s “dark lady”. The love story between Aemilia and
Shakespeare is central to this story and I enjoyed its inevitable drama.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the supernatural element of the
book and I think that Aemilia’s life was interesting enough without it. There are witches, necromancy, demons and depictions
of other such things that are difficult to slog through and I found myself
skimming these sections. Overall, I
thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of London and of the struggles of life at
this point in history but the book was incredibly slow at times making it
difficult to finish. I received this
book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars
After reading the synapsis, I was extremely excited about
this book and while I did enjoy reading it, the story did not quite live up to
my high expectations. Ned, Earl of
Ashby, is known to his friends as “lucky Ned” for his ability to always come
out on top. John Turner is his best
friend and secretary and decides to teach Ned a lesson by proposing a bet. The two men decide to switch places on their
trip to the country and Ned has to make a woman fall in love with him using
just his natural charm and not his title.
He is put in the path of Phoebe Baker, a governess who has a personal
vendetta against the Earl. I was looking
forward to a good redemption/love story and this just ended up being okay. The first half of the book was very slow
which forced everything to be quickly resolved in the second half. I liked the characters of Ned and Phoebe and
while I enjoyed their story, I was sort of hoping for more. I received this book from NetGalley in
exchange for an honest review.
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