Review: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
by Lauren Willig
Book One in the Pink Carnation series.
Harvard graduate student Eloise Kelly has finally gained access to historic papers that claim to prove the identity of the Pink Carnation, an English spy who succeeded the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian as England’s master of espionage in France. These documents, from the family archive of the descendants of the Purple Gentian, have never been made available to scholars before. As Eloise plunges into the papers, the reader is thrown back in time to the era of the Napoleonic wars as a plucky young woman named Amy leaves rural England so that she may return to France, land of her birth, and avenge her father, who was murdered by the French government. Amy’s plans are thrown into chaos when an English antiquarian steals her heart, a turmoil that would only grow if she knew that the dashing young lord was also the Purple Gentian.
Sometimes you get sucked into a book series that you wouldn’t want to admit to reading in public. For me, the Pink Carnation series definitely qualifies. As a general rule, I’m not a big fan of romance novels, even when thrown into a good historical setting. Perhaps it’s just my fondness for Baroness Orczy’s classic The Scarlet Pimpernel and fictional spy rings, but something about The Secret History of the Pink Carnation is so irresistible that my normal objections are tossed aside.
The book is really two stories in one. The first story is a modern day chick-lit starring Eloise Kelly, an insecure American obsessed with the Pink Carnation. Her research puts her at odds with Colin Selwick, the disgruntled heir of the Purple Gentian’s papers. Their flirtation intrudes on the historical romance starring clumsy, silly Amy, a pretty young thing who wants to fall in love with the Purple Gentian and have merry swashbuckling adventures. In fact, Amy’s been practicing her whole life for that career. She’s goofy and impractical, big on imagination but lacking in subtlety. Both Amy and Eloise come off as slightly dense; each woman taking so long to uncover the secret identity of the spy at the center of her obsession that the reader is left wondering about their powers of observation and deduction. But despite their goofy awkwardness and occasional ineptitude, the two heroines are entertaining and it’s fun to follow them around.
Meanwhile, the two heroes, Colin and Richard Selwick, prove that blood may indeed run thicker than water, so similar are their personalities. They’re initially distant and aloof, but quickly settle into a cheerful brotherly humor that makes sense give that they’re both protective older brothers. They’re good-looking and fiercely intelligent, leading to a slight arrogance that vexes the heroine, who is prone to getting into fights with them. Sound familiar? Well, it’s not a new trope, especially in romance novels, but Willig’s witty dialogue and fantastically outlandish situations keeps these familiar roles amusing.
I first read this book back in 2007, and I half-expected my older, cynical self to be disappointed when I revisited the story. If anything, I enjoyed it more the second time around. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation may be a guilty pleasure, but it’s still one I enjoy.
3 out of 5 stars
To read more about The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Howards End by E. M. Forster
2013: The Iron King (The Accursed Kings #1) by Maurice Druon
2012: The Green Man by Michael Bedard
2011: Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano
2010: Angel & Apostle by Deborah Noyes
2009: Etta by Gerald Kolpan
by Lauren Willig
Book One in the Pink Carnation series.
Harvard graduate student Eloise Kelly has finally gained access to historic papers that claim to prove the identity of the Pink Carnation, an English spy who succeeded the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian as England’s master of espionage in France. These documents, from the family archive of the descendants of the Purple Gentian, have never been made available to scholars before. As Eloise plunges into the papers, the reader is thrown back in time to the era of the Napoleonic wars as a plucky young woman named Amy leaves rural England so that she may return to France, land of her birth, and avenge her father, who was murdered by the French government. Amy’s plans are thrown into chaos when an English antiquarian steals her heart, a turmoil that would only grow if she knew that the dashing young lord was also the Purple Gentian.
Sometimes you get sucked into a book series that you wouldn’t want to admit to reading in public. For me, the Pink Carnation series definitely qualifies. As a general rule, I’m not a big fan of romance novels, even when thrown into a good historical setting. Perhaps it’s just my fondness for Baroness Orczy’s classic The Scarlet Pimpernel and fictional spy rings, but something about The Secret History of the Pink Carnation is so irresistible that my normal objections are tossed aside.
The book is really two stories in one. The first story is a modern day chick-lit starring Eloise Kelly, an insecure American obsessed with the Pink Carnation. Her research puts her at odds with Colin Selwick, the disgruntled heir of the Purple Gentian’s papers. Their flirtation intrudes on the historical romance starring clumsy, silly Amy, a pretty young thing who wants to fall in love with the Purple Gentian and have merry swashbuckling adventures. In fact, Amy’s been practicing her whole life for that career. She’s goofy and impractical, big on imagination but lacking in subtlety. Both Amy and Eloise come off as slightly dense; each woman taking so long to uncover the secret identity of the spy at the center of her obsession that the reader is left wondering about their powers of observation and deduction. But despite their goofy awkwardness and occasional ineptitude, the two heroines are entertaining and it’s fun to follow them around.
Meanwhile, the two heroes, Colin and Richard Selwick, prove that blood may indeed run thicker than water, so similar are their personalities. They’re initially distant and aloof, but quickly settle into a cheerful brotherly humor that makes sense give that they’re both protective older brothers. They’re good-looking and fiercely intelligent, leading to a slight arrogance that vexes the heroine, who is prone to getting into fights with them. Sound familiar? Well, it’s not a new trope, especially in romance novels, but Willig’s witty dialogue and fantastically outlandish situations keeps these familiar roles amusing.
I first read this book back in 2007, and I half-expected my older, cynical self to be disappointed when I revisited the story. If anything, I enjoyed it more the second time around. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation may be a guilty pleasure, but it’s still one I enjoy.
3 out of 5 stars
To read more about The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Howards End by E. M. Forster
2013: The Iron King (The Accursed Kings #1) by Maurice Druon
2012: The Green Man by Michael Bedard
2011: Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano
2010: Angel & Apostle by Deborah Noyes
2009: Etta by Gerald Kolpan