Summary
Victorian-Era England Comes Alive in This Witty Romance
For years Charlotte Withersby has worked as an assistant to her father, an eminent English botanist. As she approaches the old age of twenty-four, her father pushes her out into society, swayed by an uncle who believes God's only two roles for women are marriage and motherhood. When one of the Withersbys' colonial correspondents, Edward Trimble, returns to England, he's drafted as the new assistant so Charlotte is free to marry. This suits Edward's plans quite well, since the last thing he wants to do is reunite with the family he is ashamed to call his own.
Though Edward proves himself vexingly capable on the job, Charlotte won't surrender the job without a fight, and schemes with her best friend to regain her position. Perhaps if a proposal seems imminent, Charlotte's father will see his error and ask her to return. Charlotte tries to make headway in her town's social life, but reveals herself to be unaware of all the intricacies of polite society. Though Edward pitches in, tutoring her in society's expectations, she just seems to make things worse. And the more she comes to know of her father's assistant, the more trouble she has imagining life without him. Caught in a trap of her own making and seeing the hopelessness of her prospects, will Charlotte get to keep her work or will she have to cede her heart?
My Thoughts
This was a good book. It had a premise that included botany, and this is the first book I have read that has to deal with this type of study. I was intrigued by how in depth the author was going to go into when it came to this and how it would connect the character's in her book.
This is a classic story of a heroine who is witty, likeable, and forced to do something she has no interest in at the moment: marriage. Charlotte was a character that wasn't hard to like. She was strong, independent, but I felt solely found her identity in her father's work. I was rooting for her throughout the story to speak up for herself and do what she wanted and find her identity in the work that she did. On her journey to being presented to society it's clear Charlotte knows nothing about how to do that. She is not well informed about dress protocol or when it's appropriate to speak one's mind. These were the moments where the relationship between her and Edward are very entertaining to read. The very man that she hates for taking her job is helping her being presented to society in order to find a husband. I was laughing and smiling through this book it was a good entertaining read. The wittiness is perfect for this era and for the story. Edward is a guy that I find always interesting to read. A young man who is hiding something and is always bewildered by Charlotte's ideas.
Concerning the component of botany in the story it was very detailed. I didn't feel it was lacking in anything or not well researched. Mitchell is clearly a talented writer who doesn't skim or hold back from her readers. It's in depth gives even the reader a chance to learn something new.
This is a good read for the new year. The cover is gorgeous and the story will bring a smile to your face. If you like to laugh out loud maybe keep this as a home read and not a public one.
Rating: 3 out of 5 bookshelves
I received a free copy from Bethany House Publishers in return for an honest review.
About the Author
Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.
No comments:
Post a Comment