Longbourn by Jo Baker

As most readers of my blog know, I am obsessed with all things Jane Austen.  What you might not know is that I am also an avid Downton Abbey fan.  I love Masterpiece Theatre in general, but as soon as I saw this series I was hooked and devoted.  My entire family loves it as well.

In Longbourn, author Jo Baker brings together my two obsessions.  Longbourn is the story of the staff behind the scenes that make Pride and Prejudice possible.  Author Jo Baker is descended from a family that was “in service” and was able to incorporate just what it would be like to be the staff at a regency manor.

Sarah was taken in as a young orphan and raised by the infamous Mrs. Hill (infamous in that Mrs. Bennet is constantly calling for her in the novel and can’t seem to get along without her).  Her childhood is spent learning to be a housemaid in a small estate.  There is Mr. Hill, Mrs. Hill, Sarah, and young Polly working at the estate by the time Sarah becomes a young woman.    The house is put into an uproar when Mr. Bennet hires newcomer James as a footman.  He is a great help with the work, but is also very mysterious.  Sarah finds herself suspicious and trying to solve the mystery of him.

Sarah also finds herself captivated by Ptolemy Bingley, a young mulatto footman that arrives at Netherfield with the exciting new family in the neighborhood, the Bingleys.  Ptolemy is different than anyone Sarah has ever met.  He was born a slave on the Bingley estate in the West Indies, but is now a free man in England. Will Sarah find love with Ptolemy or the mysterious footman James?

I LOVED this novel.  Longbourn opened up an entirely different world to the Austen novels than I have ever read before.  How are all of the ladies able to get ready, eat, and get to their dances?  There is an entire team that works behind the scenes to make it possible.  It was wonderful to finally read a story about the pros behind the scenes and to know that they have a story too.  

I also loved James’s backstory in the Napoleonic Wars.  I was also intrigued by so many secrets to Pride and Prejudice that would make sense.  So slavery is where the Bingley’s made their fortune, etc.   I felt like the secret of this novel is that it in no way changed Pride and Prejudice, but instead expanded the story and gave a back story to so many intriguing plot lines.  I loved learning more about Mr. Bennet and Mr. Wickham.  I love how Sarah thinks to herself that Miss Elizabeth wouldn’t be taking such long walks through the mud if she had to scrub her own petticoats.    

Overall, Longbourn is a great historical fiction novel about the fascinating people often overlooked in literature, the servants who made all of the great events possible.  It was a fascinating story

Book Source:  The Kewaunee Public Library

The Final Sacrament by James Forrester

The Final Sacrament is the third and final book of the excellent trilogy that began with Sacred Treason.  It is Elizabethan London and those following the Catholic religion are not safe.  William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms and herald to Queen Elizabeth is a secret Catholic and holder of a document that could bring Queen Elizabeth down.    Catholic rebels want the document to put their own Catholic ruler on the thrown and will stop at nothing to make it happen, including kidnapping Clarenceux’s wife and daughter.  Clarenceux knows the stakes are high and will stop at nothing to get his family back together.

I enjoyed this action packed novel, although I did find it rather sad.  But it would have been a sad time to live in.  I enjoyed the entire trilogy.  It really got me thinking about what it would have been like to have been a common person living during such perilous time, and how lucky I am to live in a time and place where I can practice my religion without fear of persecution.  

Overall, The Final Sacrament was a thought provoking action-packed historical fiction novel.  I highly recommend it and the entire trilogy.

Source:  Review Copy from Sourcebooks  -Thanks!

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

Title: Venetia
Author: Georgette Heyer
Read by:  Richard Armitage
Publisher: Naxos Audio

Length: Approximately 4 hours and 51 minutes (Abridged)
Source: MP3 Audio through Wisconsin Public Library Consortium – Overdrive on my Droid

I loved Venetia.  Venetia is a spirited heroine who lives out in the country taking care of her younger brother and waiting for her elder brother’s return from the continent.  She is beautiful and spirited, but living in limited circles, has been unable to find a suitor.  One day the mysterious and handsome Lord Damerel returns to his nearby estate.  The two meet and instant sparks fly.  Lord Damerel has a scandalous past, but Venetia doesn’t care a whit for it.  After her older brother’s new wife returns and takes over care of the estate, Venetia finally gets a chance to go to London and experience society.  She also plans a way to make Lord Damerel forget his past and move on to a future, with her.

I loved Richard Armitage’s narration.  I could listen to it all day long.  And even better, he would make the perfect Lord Damerel in a Hollywood version of this novel.  Please Hollywood – it would be wonderful!

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

In 1962, Pasquale is trying to promote and improve his family’s hotel in a remote coastal Italian community. He is surprised when a young American movie actress, Dee Moray, shows up looking for a room. He is further surprised to discover she is dying of cancer. The book flips between many different viewpoints of the story through the years. In present day, Shane Wheeler is trying to sell his movie idea to Claire Silver, the legendary producer Michael Deane’s assistant, when he finds himself an impromptu translator for an aged Pasquale who has turned up looking for Dee Moray. Together they all unravel the love story of Dee, which touched many lives including film legends Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

I love 1960’s film so having the novel set during that time and involving the production of Cleopatra was wonderful. The novel also touched the horrors of WWII with novelist Alvis Bender. He wrote one perfect chapter of a novel while staying at Pasquale’s hotel, but was never able to finish it. I loved the threads of all of the tales and how they eventually wound up together in one perfect story. I still find myself thinking about this novel, it was a great read.

Beautiful Ruins was the September FLICKS Book and Movie club pick (I’m behind on my reviews!). I sadly had to miss that meeting due to work; I really would have liked to discuss the novel!

Being a Wisconsinite, these quotes were some of my favorites in the novel. It is a young woman, Maria, talking to Alvis while he is in Italy during WWII.

“I can take you to Wisconsin. You can get fat there.”

“Ah, Wisconsin,” she said, “The cheese and the dairy fields.” She waved her hand in front of her face as if Wisconsin lay just beyond the shrub trees alongside the road. “Cows, farms, and Madison, moon over the river, and the college of the Badgers. It is cold in the winter but in the summer there are beautiful farm girls with pigtails and red cheeks.”

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library

The Lady’s Maid by Dilly Court

The Lady’s Maid is a great story of friendship and of romance. 

 The story starts with two unwed young mothers in the 19^th century.  Both are forced to give up their babies due to circumstances.  One of the babies born to a Gypsy mother and aristocratic father becomes Josephine (Josie), the daughter of a Baronet.  The other, Kate, the daughter of an aristocratic mother and soldier father, becomes the daughter of a servant.  The two grow up as fast friends.  As young women, they both discover they are in love with men unsuitable for their station in life and that life isn’t easy for a single woman.

I love how very different the two women were and how it was very hard at that time to make a living without marriage.  I loved their friendship, although Josie’s unfeeling treatment of her friend often made me want to reach into the pages and smack her. The story was interesting and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.  It was the perfect book for the start of fall and left me wanting to read more Dilly Court novels.

I reviewed this book as part of the TLC Book Tour.  For more information on the tour, check out this site.





This novel is available as an e-book in the United States

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

 Title: The White Princess

Author: Philippa Gregory

Read by: Bianca Amato
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Length: Approximately 18.5 hours (15 CDs)
Source: Simon & Schuster Review Copy – Thank-you!

If you have noticed, since school has gotten back into session, my reviews have diminished greatly.  I’m trying to get the second year of my program (new classes – new lab!) off the ground and things are quite hectic involving me working seven days a week.

Therefore, I’m going to try to do some brief reviews just to keep myself somewhat caught up on reviews. 

I enjoyed listening to The White Princess.  I am particularly fascinated by the War of the Roses, and The White Princess is the story of Elizabeth of York and her marriage to Henry Tudor that effectively ended the War of the Roses and created a new ruling house, the Tudors.  In this novel, Elizabeth pines away with love for her deceased Uncle Richard and is forced to marry Henry.  She despises him at first, but grows to love him over time.  Elizabeth was always a second fiddle in the Tudor court after Henry’s mother, Margaret, but she endures.

While I enjoyed this story, I grew weary of some of the repetitiveness of the story, especially Elizabeth lamenting the death of her lover, her Uncle Richard.  I was actually disgusted by this and felt no sympathy at all towards her.  I also thought it was strange that she and her mother hoped for a Yorkist prince to return and overthrow Henry.  At that point, Elizabeth’s own children were in line for the throne – why would you want to displace your own children?  It didn’t add up.

I thought that Bianca Amato was a great narrator and also enjoyed the medieval music that was played during breaks in the audiobook.  Overall, The White Princess was another enjoyable light historical fiction from Philippa Gregory.