19th Century England...Again!

The Silent Governess
by Julie Klassen

Ah, nothing like a trip back to merry old England back in the 19th century.   
Melodrama- the servants' world below stairs...the handsome Lord and his secretive cousin...the persistent stable boy...the strange gamekeeper...and the mysterious governess with a hidden past...
What do they all have in common? A penchant for stirring up trouble in unexpected ways. 

Olivia is forced to flee from her parent's house when a horrible incident causes her to fear for her life and her mother's. She runs away to Brightwell Court where she accidentally overhears a dreadful secret that will greatly affect Lord Bradley, the young son of Lord Brightwell. Intending to keep her from revealing his secret Lord Bradley forces Olivia to become the new under nurse to the children of his beautiful cousin Judith, recently widowed and residing at Brightwell Court. Olivia soon becomes fast friends with the children but does not convince the Lord of her innocence quite so quickly.   
But, Olivia is not the only one aware of the Lord's secret; someone is blackmailing Lord Bradley. Could it be Felix, the lazy dandy under pressure to graduate from school who might just snap? Is it Croome, the frightening gamekeeper with something to hide? Is it a poacher, intending to make a pretty penny off of Lord Bradley? Or could it be Olivia herself, who has a great secret of her own and was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Julie Klassen really did her research when she wrote this story, each chapter starts off with an excerpt from a book about 19th century English life and sets a precedent for what the rules and conventions were for a typical household. Without giving away the main conflict: the details and intricacies can be muggy but it is all explained in the end.  
I really like the story and would definitely recommend it. Now excuse me; I'm off to reserve more Julie Klassen books from the library.

 

As I See It

Life As We Know It

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas

Rating: PG-13 

Score: 3.5/4

This movie starts off with the awkward date that first sets Holly against Messer for several years. They were set up by their mutual friends, Peter and Alison. When the date goes south before Holly even pulls out of the driveway in her 'Smart Car' it will become a running joke in the group of friends that Holly can't stand Messer. 
Fast forward to the present day, Peter and Alison live in a gorgeous house and have a baby girl named Sophie. Her one year birthday has just been celebrated and life is perfect.  Until the night that Holly gets a phone call from the police station telling her that Peter and Alison are dead and Sophie is an orphan.

A la Raising Helen, Holly and Messer have been appointed Sophie's guardians...even though they both have busy jobs and have never raised a child before. There is also the fact that they can't get along and the added bonus of Sophie's cute doctor, Sam, who likes Holly. 

Even though the concept of this movie has been done many times and of course had a predictable ending, I couldn't help but enjoy it.  Mishaps, that would probably not happen in real life, with the baby were funny (at one point Messer pushes Sophie down to keep her from walking for the first time before Holly gets there to see it) and the nosy neighbors that lived next to Alison and Peter's house were fun to watch. 
The movie felt longer than most chick flicks, I found myself shifting in my seat after the 90 minute mark, it's almost two hours long which is really no great stretch. 


It's predictable, unoriginal, and exaggerated. But it's also cute, sweet, somewhat funny, and great for just a day of relaxing.

Jane Austen: One Hundred Years Later

Frederica

By Georgette Heyer

When I first heard about Georgette Heyer I thought she was just another "chick-lit" writer.  I definitely wasn't expecting a story this charming!

Set during the Regency period of England's history Frederica is a sweet novel depicting the trials and tribulations of Frederica and her siblings.  Their parents are dead leaving Frederica as the head of the family.  Technically her older brother Harry is the head of the family but "Freddy" is much more capable.  Frederica brings her beautiful sister Charis to London for the Season so that she might make a wonderful match.  Accompanying them are the younger brothers Jessamy and Felix and their unhappy aunt.  Frederica makes an appeal for help to their distant cousin the Marquis of Alverstoke who is indolent and selfish. 

Frederica doesn't want financial support, she wants the Marquis to use his social influence to launch Charis into Polite Society.  The Marquis of Alverstoke surprisingly agrees to do so; but only because he wants to spite his arrogant, demanding sisters who want him to launch their own daughters into Society. 

The Marquis soon finds that his Merriville cousins do not always follow the precedents set down by their peers, inadvertently of course they always seem to be getting into scrapes.  Along the way Charis gains a large set of suitors and to her surprise, and Alverstoke's, so does Frederica.  

This novel was delectable! Although at times I had trouble understanding the vocabulary because of the liberal use of nineteenth century British slang, I enjoyed it so much that using the context was enough.  It was like reading Jane Austen; the author had done so much research that the background and diction could have easily been Austen.

This is recommended for anyone who loves historical settings, Austen, and a good story!     

Passionate Patriotism

Time Enough For Drums
by Ann Rinaldi

I would have done a Spotlight on An Author  for Rinaldi but decided I wanted to specifically highlight this book.

It's the beginning of the Revolutionary War and Jemima lives in Trenton, New Jersey and is a passionate Patriot. Her older brother is in the army under Washington himself and her other brother is yearning to go to war. Jemima's parents are also supporters of the Revolution.
But Jemima is headstrong, spoiled, and very open about her views. She is constantly being reprimanded by everyone around her to keep from insulting those known as Tories. The reason being that her sister Rebecca married a British soldier and Jemima's tutor John Reid is a Tory.
John is a stern teacher and he and Jemima engage in many quarrels about her education and behavior. When John leaves on business Jemima is left to her own devices, which means she engages herself in the Patriot cause and sends her brother off to war. When John returns they both find that they missed each other more than they initially realized. Then, Jemima finds out that John is not doing exactly what he says he is and that he is in fact a Patriot spy!
The reality of this hits home when the Hessian and British soldiers settle in Trenton and Washington makes his famous crossing of the Delaware River. Caught between two armies, worried about her brother and friends, and of course John Reid, Jemima must learn to survive in this new, turbulent world. 

This book is one of my favorites, I've read it over and over and still love it! While Jemima is not an exemplary character initially, it's still possible to understand her point of view and angst. Learning to live in a revolution is not an easy task but Jemima handles it well. Ann Rinaldi has written many other books dealing with American history, all of them highly enjoyable.