Category: Book Critic

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Long Live the King (Love & Inheritance Trilogy #2) by Fay Weldon

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Long Live the King (Love & Inheritance Trilogy #2) by Fay Weldon

Like many fans of the show, Downton Abbey, I am constantly on the look out for upstairs/downstairs inspired books to tide me over until the next season of Downton comes out!

I stumbled upon Fay Weldon’s latest novel in the Love and Inheritance series, Long Live the King and was thrilled to learn that Weldon was actually the writer of the original series Upstairs Downstairs.

This novel is full of Edwardian era intrigue, not to mention a healthy dose of occultist practices such as seances and communicating with the dead.

Queen Victoria is dead and along with her, the restrictive lifestyle that had defined her reign. Her son, Bertie is to take the throne and London is buzzing with excitement about the upcoming coronation.

It’s to be the historic and  social event of the new century!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

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In post WWII Montreal, Lily Azerov arrives to meet her betrothed for the first time.

But this stranger harbors a secret. In Eastern Europe she stumbles upon a dead woman and assumes her identity.

After fleeing Eastern Europe for Palestine, as a new woman, she becomes engaged via mail order to a Canadian names Sol Kramer.

After arriving in Montreal, Sol refuses to marry her rather quickly after the meeting. Luckily for Lily, his brother Nathan steps in and marries her.

At the wedding, a couple of uninvited guests of the groom arrive. Ida has heard from her cousin, Sonya,  in Tel Aviv that a woman has been there pretending to be their cousin Lily.

Ida and Sonya have both determined that Lily isn’t their cousin at all but rather a woman who assumed an identity in order to escape the horrors of the Holocaust.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: A Little Folly by Jude Morgan

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Valentine and Louisa Carnell have lived under the overly cautious eye of their father for their entire lives. They have scarcely been allowed to leave their country estate in Devonshire nor have they been allowed visitors.

Their father has purposefully alienated them from their deceased mother’s family so it’s mostly been just the three of them for years. Then suddenly, their father dies leaving them a comfortable fortune and the forbidden freedom they have been craving.

Valentine and Louisa have received a condolence letter from their estranged cousins who happen to be visiting a few towns away and plan on heading home via Devonshire. The siblings agree that their first independent act will be to invite their cousins to stay with them.

When Tom and his sister Sophie arrive, they bring an unexpected guess–the Lady Harriet Eversholt, who is living apart from her husband. Valentine and Louisa welcome them to their home and when they hear of Lady Harriet’s tragic marriage they can’t help but welcome her too.

After a short holiday in the country, Tom and Sophie must return to London. They invite both Valentine and Louisa to join them in London and take in the excitement and distractions of town.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag

by The Lit Bitch4 Comments on Review: The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag

Alba’s life is falling apart. Everything that she has been working for has literally come to a grinding halt, she has lost all hope.

While working on her MPhil at Cambridge, she suddenly gets rejected and can no longer continue pursuing her passion–history.

While wandering the streets of Cambridge one night, she suddenly finds herself in front of a house that she has never seen before.

Mysteriously drawn to the house, Alba is met by the land lady, Peggy, who invites her into the house for some tea.

As soon as Alba enters the house, she notices the hundreds of photos of famous women in British history–Beatrix Potter, George Eliot, Daphne du Maurier to name a few.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman

Hugo Delegate sits in jail for a series of murders he may or may not of committed.

He is passionately in love with Bronwyn, the young wild girl who was raised by wolves.

Hugo is from a wealthy family, and after leaving Harvard he joins his family on a railroad trip to the western United States.

It is here that he meets Bronwyn and his family agrees to adopt her.

Upon returning to the East Coast, the Delegate family takes it upon themselves to educate her and present her to high society.

Surprisingly, Bronwyn takes well to her new life, but she does have her own set of motives.

Bronwyn is the toast of the town. She is wildly sought after by many eligible men both young and old, but they all too frequently turn up dead….murdered in a grizzly fashion and in some cases–castrated.

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