A Mad, Wicked Folly

“I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of "Women's Rights," with all its attendent horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety."

Queen Victoria, 1870

Victoria Darling dreams of becoming an artist.  She spent her childhood drawing and fantasizing of the day she could attend art school.  She hopes to be one of the best artists in the world, with her paintings hanging in galleries, and lauded for her work.  However, in 1909 England, upper class women were expected to paint flowers, or fruit.  Things that would hang on their walls and home, and not to spend too much time away from their household duties.  Vicky wants more that that.   While at finishing school in France, she begins taking an art class focusing on the techniques of drawing the undraped figure- the nude.  When the model doesn't show up, Vicky makes the decision to model for the class.  Many of the other students had done it, and she felt she needed to do it to fit in.    She is discovered by another student, and sent home in disgrace.

Her parents quickly arrange a marriage for her, to cover up the scandal, and deny her art school.  Vicky is determined to continue with her art.  She begins preparing for the entrance exam once she realizes her fiancee won't mind if she paints once she is married.  He even agrees to pay the tuition.  As she begins to search for subject matter, she befriends a suffragette from America.  Lucy moved to England and supports the rights of women.  She introduces Vicky to the Pankhurst sisters and Vicky begins to paint for them.  During one of the protests, Vicky meets a young police constable, Will.  Will wants to become a writer, and Vicky begins to paint him in exchange for illustrating his stories.  Things get complicated quickly when Vicky realizes she is falling in love with Will.  If she doesn't marry, she will be sent to live a life of solitude with her great-aunt.  She must figure out what is important to her- her place in society, or her art.

This was such a good book.  I love historical fiction, and the turn of the century is a fascinating time.  England had been ruled for so long by the very proper Queen Victoria.  Once she died and her son, King Edward VII became king, he was much more relaxed when it came to tradition.  Women began to demand equal rights, and some of the social standards began to change.  Vicky is an amazing protagonist.; very headstrong and not afraid to speak her mind.  The details of her passion for art very intriguing, information I had not known previously.

I highly recommend this book.  I truly loved it.

Spring Break Reading

I have been slammed at work and home, so blogging has, unfortunately fallen to the wayside.  I have still been reading!  I'm going to give quick reviews to my 3 latest.

Kippy Bushman lives in Friendship, Wisconsin, population 689.  When her best, and only, friend is found murdered, the police are quick to point the finger at Ruth's boyfriend, a serial womanizer and town troublemaker.  Using Ruth's diary, Kippy begins to think someone else murdered her best friend, and begins to try to unravel the mystery herself.
This was a very quirky book, many of the plot points coming out of left field.  I did enjoy it because you want to get to the end to find the killer.  Kippy is a cute character, but very different.  Maybe it's the small town Wisconsin in her?

The Madman's Daughter is a twist on Dr. Moreau's Island, a- a sci-fi novel written by H.G. Wells.  It was made into a movie in 1996, starring Anthony Hopkins and Val Kilmer.  It is also on the Texas Tayshas reading list, and I really enjoy historical fiction.
Juliet Moreau is struggling to survive in Victorian London.  Her mother recently died, and her father fled in shame when the horrors of his experiments were made public.  Juliet cleans the local university, but when she runs into Montgomery, her father's servant, he tells her he is alive on a small island in the Pacific.  Juliet makes the treacherous passage to the island.  Along the way, the crew find a castaway floating in the sea and take him on board.  Since he has no money, the captain makes him stay on the island with Juliet and Montgomery.  Once she is reunited with her father, Juliet begins to realize the extent of his experiments, and is horrified at what he has become.  She, Montgomery, and Edward begin to plot to escape, but a monster is killing the inhabitants and her father is making escape difficult.
I had seen the movie when it came out, and recognized the story of the island.  Many of the plot points are the same, but I definitely enjoyed Juliet's perspective.  Warning: this book can be very gory and bloody, with Juliet's interest in science, and her father's crazy experiments, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it.  The second book: Her Dark Curiosity, is available and continues  Juliet's story with a take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  This book ending with a crazy cliffhanger, so I will pick that book up soon.

There is nothing to do during the summer in small town Carp, New York.  So, a game called Panic began.  Every high school student pays $1 everyday for the entirety of the school year.  That money goes into a pot that is then divided up between the winner and the anonymous judges.  The winner usually brings home $50,000.   It's called Panic because each stunt increases in danger with every elimination.  The game has even gone so far, there have been deaths.
To Heather, that money could finally get her, and her little sister Lilly, out of the trailer park and away from their drug and alcohol using mother. To Dodge, winning Panic would mean revenge.  His older sister, and best friend Dayna, was left paralyzed when she was playing the last round.  The game gets insane pretty quick, and Heather and Dodge are trying to remain in control.  Told in alternating voices, between Heather and Dodge, the reader really gets in on the action, and see parts of the story one narrator might leave out.
I loved this book.  It was very fast-paced and I think many students will enjoy it too.  Oliver also wrote one of my favorite series, Delirium, and she did not disappoint with this one.
I will try to keep this blog updated as much as I can!  Hopefully things will slow down soon.

Amber House

When Sarah's grandmother dies, she travels with her family from Seattle to Amber House, one of the largest private homes in Maryland.  Sarah has never been there before, her mother refused to visit, but she has heard stories from her grandmother who would come to her.  Amber House is huge, with two stories added on during the three centuries it has been in Sarah's family, a grand ballroom, 9 bedrooms, a conservatory filled with exotic plants and flowers, and even a large hedge maze on the grounds.  Sarah's mother wants to sell the property and leave as quickly as possible, but Sarah's 5 year old autistic brother convinces their mother to stay.  Sarah meets Jackson, the longtime maid's grandson and together they begin exploring the house for lost diamonds.  During these search Sarah begins to have visions of her ancestors when she picks up their old belongings.  At first, she likes the comforting scenes of her family's past, but as secrets betrayals, and even crimes play out in front of her, she begins to realize there is a lot about her family she doesn't understand.  The attention of one of Maryland's senators sons is also thrown in.  He his handsome, athletic, and seems to have sincere interest in Sarah.   This all culminates in a large sweet sixteen party Sarah's mother is throwing for her at the house, where the secrets only seem to deepen.

Another book from the Tayshas list, and this one was more  my speed.  I really enjoyed the supernatural aspects of the story.  The history of AmberHouse, though pretty brutal, was interesting and added a different aspect.  Sarah seems insecure. and that got a little old, she's constantly wondering why the senator's son is spending so much time with her, and trying to decide is she likes it, or not.  The ending went a little too far out there for me.  I know the book is supernatural, but it went so far extreme, I thought it was a little too much.  This is going to be a trilogy and the second book just came out, and I will read it to see how Sarah's story plays out.