Recently Read
Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (maryrobinette): The sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey, this volume finds glamourist Jane Vincent and her new husband on their honeymoon in Belgium with friends as well as on assignment to complete a magical mural for a client. The trouble is that Napoleon is on the march, and what started out as a trip promising pleasure, satisfying work, and a cordial exchange of magical knowledge and technique turns into an adventure colored by war and the discovery of a secret that Jane's husband has kept quiet in a rather awkward way that has Jane wondering about his fidelity. I still think that Kowal's magic system is terribly clever and perfectly apropos for the Regency setting. It was interesting to watch as Jane struggled to adjust to a culture and a language different from her own, and quite satisfying to see her come into her own as a glamourist. Recommended.
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James: Continuing in the Regency era seemed to be the way to go, so I picked up this book for a continuation of the mood. In the spate of sequels to classic novels, P.D. James comes with a sequel to Pride and Prejudice in which, happily settled at Pemberley six years into their marriage, Elizabeth and Darcy are set upon by her sister Lydia on the eve of a ball, hysterical and convinced her precious husband Wickham is dead. As it turns out, his best friend is dead, and Wickham is the prime suspect. James does a nice job of evoking the feeling of the Austen books, and occasionally rises to Austen's sharp-eyed social observation and witty commentary. As much as I enjoyed the reading, I constantly felt one step removed from the characters, never truly invested in anyone's distress or success. There is no clever or interesting detective, no characters who evoke genuine sympathy. Elizabeth and Darcy seem most concerned that their peaceful, affluent existence has been disrupted and it's their job to as appropriately as possible dispense with all the unpleasantness. Elizabeth has lost her wit and braininess to proper housewifely duties. Darcy, far more complexly realized, is the more interesting of the two and still, because he's given relatively little agency, isn't terribly compelling. He frets a lot. I was most engaged when the story looked as though the shadow of guilt might be cast across Darcy himself. I think the prime mistake that James made in her choices here was making the plight Wickham's. He's a despicable character and, frankly, I kind of wanted to see him get his comeuppance. If the story, if the question of guilt, had centered around Elizabeth or Darcy, characters a reader might be truly invested in seeing exonerated, I would have found it much more compelling. As it was, it's a puzzle that the reader sorts and puts together but is never truly involved with. Ultimately, it's a little disappointing.
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James: Continuing in the Regency era seemed to be the way to go, so I picked up this book for a continuation of the mood. In the spate of sequels to classic novels, P.D. James comes with a sequel to Pride and Prejudice in which, happily settled at Pemberley six years into their marriage, Elizabeth and Darcy are set upon by her sister Lydia on the eve of a ball, hysterical and convinced her precious husband Wickham is dead. As it turns out, his best friend is dead, and Wickham is the prime suspect. James does a nice job of evoking the feeling of the Austen books, and occasionally rises to Austen's sharp-eyed social observation and witty commentary. As much as I enjoyed the reading, I constantly felt one step removed from the characters, never truly invested in anyone's distress or success. There is no clever or interesting detective, no characters who evoke genuine sympathy. Elizabeth and Darcy seem most concerned that their peaceful, affluent existence has been disrupted and it's their job to as appropriately as possible dispense with all the unpleasantness. Elizabeth has lost her wit and braininess to proper housewifely duties. Darcy, far more complexly realized, is the more interesting of the two and still, because he's given relatively little agency, isn't terribly compelling. He frets a lot. I was most engaged when the story looked as though the shadow of guilt might be cast across Darcy himself. I think the prime mistake that James made in her choices here was making the plight Wickham's. He's a despicable character and, frankly, I kind of wanted to see him get his comeuppance. If the story, if the question of guilt, had centered around Elizabeth or Darcy, characters a reader might be truly invested in seeing exonerated, I would have found it much more compelling. As it was, it's a puzzle that the reader sorts and puts together but is never truly involved with. Ultimately, it's a little disappointing.