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osprey_archerWhat I've Just Finished Reading
Courtney Milan's The Duchess War, which I unexpectedly loved. Well, not completely unexpectedly: the whole Brothers Sinister series has a prequel novella, The Governess Affair, which I did enjoy a lot.
But I didn't expect to love this book quite this much, but I do, I totally do, because both Minnie and her paramour Robert the duke of Clermont have so many issues. Like, seriously, so many issues.
Minnie has a phobia of crowds so bad that she faints when too many people look at her, because of a bad experience with a mob in her childhood that left her with a scar on her cheek. (The exact details come out as the book progresses, and I won't spoil them here, but it leads to one of my favorite quotes in the book. "This?" she said, touching her cheek. "Oh, no. I intended to get that. I consider it a beauty scar.")
Meanwhile, Robert is convinced that no one will ever love him because neither of his parents did. His mother left his father because he was an abusive wastrel, but she returned once a year to visit Robert, and his father was always after Robert to be terribly adorable so she would cave in and decide to stay. It never worked, which exasperated his father: Any other boy, and things would be so much better. Even your mother doesn't want you enough to stay.
And of course having to harden her heart against her son again and again so she could leave her horrible husband at the end of each visit ended up more or less destroying the mother-son relationship, too. I think Robert's mother is my favorite character in this, actually, because she would have been so easy to make a caricature: as she says herself, when she visits the heroine's house to talk her out of marrying Robert, "I have read Pride and Prejudice. I know precisely what role you're casting me in - the officious Lady Catherine, foolish meddler, who believes that Darcy must marry her miserable daughter."
It's this great meta moment, because I totally had. She's not a nice person; her life experiences have hardened her too much for that. She's become exceptionally clear-eyed and pragmatic, and when Robert and Minnie go ahead and marry, she accepts the accomplished fact and calmly changes tack to help make the marriage a success.
And, issues and all, Robert and Minnie are perfect for each other. Perfect for each other! As Minnie says: "There is nothing stupid about your telling me that you love me. Ever."
What I'm Reading Now
Still Neverwhere, which is not catching fire for me. I promised a friend that I'd read it so I will finish it, but...yeah.
Also Gwen Raverat's Period Piece, which I think could have used a firm editor: someone willing to tell her that, no really, you cannot quote quite this extensively from your mother's (really rather boring and prosaic) letters.
What I Plan to Read Next
Courtney Milan's A Kiss for Midwinter, the companion to The Duchess War, which is about Minnie's best friend Lydia and, presumably, the way that she too finds true love.
Courtney Milan's The Duchess War, which I unexpectedly loved. Well, not completely unexpectedly: the whole Brothers Sinister series has a prequel novella, The Governess Affair, which I did enjoy a lot.
But I didn't expect to love this book quite this much, but I do, I totally do, because both Minnie and her paramour Robert the duke of Clermont have so many issues. Like, seriously, so many issues.
Minnie has a phobia of crowds so bad that she faints when too many people look at her, because of a bad experience with a mob in her childhood that left her with a scar on her cheek. (The exact details come out as the book progresses, and I won't spoil them here, but it leads to one of my favorite quotes in the book. "This?" she said, touching her cheek. "Oh, no. I intended to get that. I consider it a beauty scar.")
Meanwhile, Robert is convinced that no one will ever love him because neither of his parents did. His mother left his father because he was an abusive wastrel, but she returned once a year to visit Robert, and his father was always after Robert to be terribly adorable so she would cave in and decide to stay. It never worked, which exasperated his father: Any other boy, and things would be so much better. Even your mother doesn't want you enough to stay.
And of course having to harden her heart against her son again and again so she could leave her horrible husband at the end of each visit ended up more or less destroying the mother-son relationship, too. I think Robert's mother is my favorite character in this, actually, because she would have been so easy to make a caricature: as she says herself, when she visits the heroine's house to talk her out of marrying Robert, "I have read Pride and Prejudice. I know precisely what role you're casting me in - the officious Lady Catherine, foolish meddler, who believes that Darcy must marry her miserable daughter."
It's this great meta moment, because I totally had. She's not a nice person; her life experiences have hardened her too much for that. She's become exceptionally clear-eyed and pragmatic, and when Robert and Minnie go ahead and marry, she accepts the accomplished fact and calmly changes tack to help make the marriage a success.
And, issues and all, Robert and Minnie are perfect for each other. Perfect for each other! As Minnie says: "There is nothing stupid about your telling me that you love me. Ever."
What I'm Reading Now
Still Neverwhere, which is not catching fire for me. I promised a friend that I'd read it so I will finish it, but...yeah.
Also Gwen Raverat's Period Piece, which I think could have used a firm editor: someone willing to tell her that, no really, you cannot quote quite this extensively from your mother's (really rather boring and prosaic) letters.
What I Plan to Read Next
Courtney Milan's A Kiss for Midwinter, the companion to The Duchess War, which is about Minnie's best friend Lydia and, presumably, the way that she too finds true love.
