| Title | : | Willful Impropriety: 13 Tales of Society, Scandal and Romance |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0762444304 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780762444304 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published June 1, 2012 |
Deliciously alluring, these thirteen historical romances from a talented array of YA authors will make even the most cynical heart swoon.
Table of Contents:
“The Dancing Master” by Genevieve Valentine
“The Unladylike Education Of Agatha Tremain” by Stephanie Burgis
“At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber
“Steeped In Debt To The Chimney Pots” by Steve Berman
“Outside The Absolute” by Seth Cadin
“Resurrection” by Tiffany Trent
“Mrs Beeton’s Book Of Magickal Management” by Karen Healey
“The Garden Of England” by Sandra Mcdonald
“False Colours” by Marie Brennan
“Nussbaum’s Golden Fortune” by M. K. Hobson
“The Colonel’s Daughter” by Barbara Roden
“Mercury Retrograde” by Mary Robinette Kowal
“The Language Of Flowers” by Caroline Stevermer
Willful Impropriety: 13 Tales of Society, Scandal and Romance Reviews
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A collection of short stories set in Victorian England, a few fantastical, most not. I didn't care for half of them.
I liked:
"At Will" by Leanna Renee Hieber. Portia Nightingale takes London's theater world by storm playing both male and female parts, and never revealing her own gender or sex. I wish there'd been a bit more of Mr. Smith, because even at the end I didn't have a firm grasp on his personality or looks, and
"The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain" by Stephanie Burgis. Agatha is nearly sold into a marriage that will suck her magic dry, just as all women of her family are, until she's able to slip the trap. The emotional abuse Agatha went through at the hands of her governess is subtly but convincingly conveyed, as are its effects.
"Nussbaum's Golden Fortune" by M K Hobson. A supercilious trickster tries to use his friend's magical artifact for riches...only to realize he's being conned himself. I liked the twists and turns to the story, and only wish it had been a little longer so I could've had a better idea of Oesterlische.
"False Colors" by Marie Brennan. Victoria has successfully passed as her late twin brother aboard the Hesperides for years, but now she's being blackmailed by a cowardly lieutenant and knows she can't stay much longer. Again, I felt like I wanted more characterization and more to the final chapter, because I'm fascinated by how two people used to operating as equals would act when one is now presumed by everyone to be lesser and different from the other.
"Mrs.Beeton's Book of Magickal Management" by Karen Healey. I thought this began very well, with a nicely ironical tone ("Lady Flora Wittingham was in constant peril of immediate expiration. This day alone, she had been forced to eat cold kedgeree when she arrived late at the breakfast table, wear a pale green day dress that muddied her complexion, and accompany her father and his guest on a gentle walk about Rabton Park's icy grounds while Cyril, Marquess of Chumley, treated them to an extended account of his own grounds in the North. Flora had, in private, declared all these misadventures likely to herald her immediate removal to paradise, and yet, she had survived to this moment, where she was dressing for dinner in her pretty chambers. Indeed, despite frequent threats of imminent demise, she had survived to the age of seventeen."), but it got a little soppy and unrealistic near the end. A future earl doesn't just marry a lady's maid without far more trouble than a minor family tiff. Plus, as with other stories in this collection, the romantic couples know each other for such a short period of time and I know so little about the men.
"The Language of Flowers" by Caroline Stevermer. Olivia watches admiringly as her older sister makes a success of her first Season, but becomes worried when she falls under the sway of a mysterious foreigner.
Possibly my most favorite was "The Dancing Master" by Genevieve Valentine. Leah is plain and shy, and her parents hire a dancing master to give her a little more polish before she makes her debut. The family dynamic here is so well written, from Reg's needling to their mother's managing ways. Most of all I liked Leah, her disturbed feelings about not being able to avoid strangers dancing with her, her crush on Miss Hammond, her worry about a lonely future, and her wary beginnings of a friendship with William. -
Don't let the title fool you--it and the subtitle were clearly marketing ploys by the publisher. However, the stories were absolutely wonderful--not erotic in genre, but convention and envelope stretching, without a doubt, most with romantic elements. A really delightful read. Don't rate on the misleading marketing, but on the merit of the stories themselves--you may find yourself surprised!
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The reason I like short fiction is that you get a variety of things for little time investment. Some of these stories were either so long and boring, or just plain boring, they kind of dragged down the little gems of stories that I actually enjoyed. On the upside, I did encounter some new-to-me young adult authors whose stories I enjoyed.
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As with any anthology, some stories were better than others.
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These thirteen tales take place in the changing society of the Victorian era. The world was still reeling from Darwin's shocking confessions and the Queen in mourning for her beloved Albert, social rules still mattered and one misstep was costly. The teenagers in this story openly defy convention and turn the rules upside down. Some of the teens fall in love with the wrong person for reasons of class or even gender. Some of the teens are awkward and some openly rebel against traditional gender norms by identifying with the opposite sex. They discover sensuality and sexuality and come of age in a society where people couldn't accept them for who they really were. I liked some of the stories a lot, some only a little and others I found confusing.
In At Will by Leanna Renee Hieber, a young actress becomes a star in Shakespeare's cross-dressing roles thanks to the mysterious man known only as Smith. Portia adores the freedom to play a woman one day and a man the next, until she falls in love. Then she desires to be known for her true self. She'd give it all up for love, if she could. This is an OK story. I expected some magic to appear in the story but it's straight historical fiction with elements of realism. I found the way the story was told a bit tedious. Everything is related by the main character in passing so it doesn't really engage the reader. The message is a bit heavy-handed and the ending is awkward but it's not too bad.
The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis has nothing to do with Kat or the Guardians, which is disappointing. It's a new story about a girl who was raised by an absent-minded scholarly father. Though her governess was strict, Agatha has finally found the will to dismiss the woman and begin a study of magic. Just as she reaches the age to be presented, her estranged aunt shows up to ruin Agatha's like. First, she insists on taking Agatha to London to be presented and then she reveals secrets that force Agatha to go against what she believes in. Only one other person gives her the courage to stand up to the villains. This story is a bit awkward. The beginning starts off well and sets a good story. The villains are especially nasty and I felt horrible for Agatha. I had to keep reading to see how she handled the situation. That part ended up very rushed. In the middle and at the end is a strange romance. I wasn't expecting it, I don't believe it's accurate for the period though I understand the message aimed at teens. I was really hoping for more about the Guardians so this was a bit of a let down. It's not my favorite story.
In Nussbaum's Golden Fortune, by M.K. Hobson a young man, Astor Nussbaum, has discovered a magical scroll which will make him a fortune. Anyone who knows about the scroll is after Nussbaum for their own purposes, including some thugs and his friend Peter Oesterlische. Oesterlische desires to wed an heiress and he has plans to cut out Nussbaum and gain a fortune. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story. It was entirely unpredictable until the very end. I liked the magical elements and I wish there had been more space allowed to explain more about the scroll and the magic of an alternate 1889 New York. The conclusion is a bit shocking. I didn't expect it at all but in many ways it's more realistic than the typical fairy tell ending. This is one of the better stories in the collection.
The Colonel's Daughter by Barbara Roden follows the pattern of a typical period romance story. A strong-willed, high spirited teenage girl befriends her new ladies' maid, a girl from the streets. Together, they must find a path to happiness. This story is one of my favorites in the collection. The ending is rushed so I wish it could have been longer. This is a sweet, simple story for lovers of traditional or sweet romances.
I was excited to read Mercury Retrograde by Mary Robinette Kowal. It was a bit confusing at first because I didn't understand what was happening. This story doesn't really include magic but the heroine relies on the importance of star charts and planet alignments to chart her destiny. I thought she handled her romance badly, typical of a young heroine. Her hero is quite worthy though and I liked this sweet little romance. It's predictable but again, for those who like sweet, traditional style romances, this one is a good one.
False Colors by Marie Brennan is for anyone who loves Persuasion, Horatio Hornblower, Master and Commander (i.e. British Naval stories). The main character, Simon, a young lieutenant in Her Majesty's Navy is at home on the sea but awkward on land. He doesn't poses a title or fortune, only one sickly sister Victoria. He dreads an upcoming ball but it happy his best friend Harry will be there by his side. At the ball, a surprise, an old friend, a bully and a duel manage to change Simon's destiny The big reveal wasn't such a surprise for me. I did wonder at the beginning. I liked this story a lot. It was much better than a certain series I enjoyed in the beginning. There are many great period details and lots of action and adventure. This is one of my favorite stories.
Mrs. Beeton's Book of Magickal Management by Karen Healey has the same basic premise as The Colonel's Daughter. However, this one has the extra added element of magic. How fun if Mrs. Beeton's simple book could actually be a guide to household magic? How would Mrs. Beeton handle a crisis of a villain intending to impose his will on an innocent? The young heroine, a ladies' maid is the only one with the knowledge to uncover a villain, but because of her sex, she isn't allowed to study magic at university like the young gentlemen in the story. They must combine knowledge and will to save the fair maiden. This is my favorite story in the collection. It has sweet romance (more than one), magic, a really nasty villain and lots of excitement. I only wish there had been more space to fully explain the magical theory behind the action. This one is great for fans of Sorcery and Cecilia and other Jane Austen + magic style stories.
The Language of Flowers by Caroline Stevermer is a departure from her usual historical fantasy. It's a straight historical story about a young lady who admires her fearless, beautiful and much-admired older sister. The heroine, Olivia, uncovers some secrets that lead to surprising truths. Though this story is largely predictable, I liked it. The message at the end is very realistic and it came as a surprise. It departs from the usual storyline in these sorts of novels. If you like the Regency Romances published by Signet and Zebra, you'll probably like this short story. It's nothing like her novels though so her usual fans may not like it.
The Dancing Master by Genevieve Valentine features a heroine who is awkward and a bit peevish. She has no interest in her upcoming Season and is convinced she'll never be a success. She's certain she's doomed to failure despite the dancing master her parents have hired. Even her governess is a better dancer. Leah is mortified when her mother invites her cousin William to stay. She knows how that story ends and wants no part of it. The ending of the story may confuse you. I'm not certain why what happened was such a betrayal or why it happened the way it did. I'm confused about Leah's feelings. I think she's confused so the ending comes across as awkward. I liked William and wish the story was about him.
The Garden of England by Sandra McDonald tells the story of The Secret Garden from the point-of-view of an Indian maidservant. I absolutely love this idea. It makes MUCH more sense, realistically, than the actual novel and shows the reader what English society in India was like and how the English viewed Indians. I felt sorry for Ashna but I liked her curiosity and sense of adventure. What happens after she arrives at Misslethwaite Manner is exciting and the ending is all that I could have wished. It also takes Ashna out of the original story so there's no complications in rewriting the plot. This is a great rewrite and one of the best written stories in this anthology.
Resurrection by Tiffany Trent reveals the difficulties of life on the streets in Victorian London. Life for a female was even more difficult, so the main character chooses to live life as a boy. While running mysterious errands, his job takes him to the home of a noted surgeon. Jonathan meets Dr. Grace's spirited daughter who also dares to defy convention in different ways. The period details in this story are excellent. I guessed at what the mysterious packages were, that much was obvious. There's not much explanation as to Dr. Grace's motive or why the thugs tried to kill Jonathan. The ending is really unrealistic. The villain just capitulates with no good excuse and gives in to bullying. It has a happy ending but an unconventional one. I really liked Willie but she's very unrealistic for her social class at that time. I would have liked to know more about her, her thoughts and feelings and how she turned into a rebel instead of repetitive passages about delivering packages and running from thugs.
Outside the Absolute by Seth Cadin features a gender-bending main character. It's a bit confusing when the pronoun changes from she to he and back again. It took me awhile to figure it out and we don't know whether Sam was born Samantha or Sam until the very end. There's a group of young, bohemian artists living and working together who plan an exhibition of their work, which would not be allowed in any official art exhibition. It's similar to Les Miserables in that the young people want to overturn society. There's a romance that's unconventional even by today's standards. I was so confused and lost in this story, I consider it the weakest of them all.
Steeped in Debt to the Chimney Pots by Steve Berman takes place in winter 1884 in London where a sprite and a young man conspire to rob the Folk and humans alike for their own gain. Apparently the characters were introduced in a previous story which left me confused about what was happening. I don't like stories about supernatural beings. I can't really describe this story because I just didn't know what was happening. I put it down and went to sleep instead. -
"At Will" by Leanna Renee Hieber
- 3/5 stars. I really enjoyed the premise, but I wish it had been developed more.
"The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain" by Stephanie Burgess
- 2.5/5 stars. Again, liked the premise, but it felt really under-developed and insta-love-y.
"Nussbaum's Golden Fortune" by M.K. Hobson
- 4/5 stars. Really liked the voice with this one, tho I wish it was a tiny bit longer and had a bit more fleshed out.
"The Colonel's Daughter" by Barbara Roden
- 3.5/5 stars. Mary's background had me on the edge of my seat. The plot was ok, but I really liked Mary in particular.
"Mercury Retrograde" by Mary Robinette Kowal
- 5/5 stars. YES, THIS IS WHAT I CAME HERE FOR. It's flirty and atmospheric and I would tbh read an entire book of this.
"False Colors" by Marie Brennan.
- 3/5 stars. "And here's my review -- not gay enough." Come on. If there's cross-dressing it's gotta be gay or trans, just come on, we all know this. (How desperately I want a story where the love interest loses interests the moment they find out the other person's real gender, bc let's be real, they're gay.) Also, rather unsatisfying ending.
"Mrs Beeton's Book of Magickal Management" by Karen Healey
- 4/5 stars. Oh this was fun. I really loved Irene, she was v cool.
"The Language of Flowers" by Caroline Stevermer
- 4/5 stars. It wasn't extremely noteworthy or anything, but very very enjoyable to read. Good writing.
"The Dancing Master" by Genevieve Valentine.
- 4.5/5 stars. Very subtle, which I loved. Also super entertaining?? It really held my attention for the entire time reading it.
"The Garden of England" by Sandra McDonald.
- 4.5/5 stars. Re-telling of The Secret Garden, with a few things changed. I really really liked this.
"Resurrection" by Tiffany Trent
- 5/5 stars. OH LORD YES. This is super gay & super atmospheric and I really want to read an entire book of this story, please please please???
"Outside the Absolute" by Seth Cadin
- 3.5/5 stars. OK, I'm of two minds about this one. On one hand, I loved the characters soooo much -- the main character is genderfluid and trans, and it seems as tho their love interest is a trans woman. But the story was super super hard for me to follow?? I'm still not entirely sure about everything that happened?? I think this story could have been better had it been longer.
"Steeped in Debt to the Chimney Pots" by Steve Berman
-- 5/5 stars. I really really really enjoyed this one. It reminded me a tiny bit atmospherically of A Darker Shade of Magic and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (at least from what I've read so far). I would love a book of these characters and this world, it was really enjoyable. -
Anthologies are hard. I always feel bad for rating them 3 stars (because do I ever give an anthology anything other than 3 stars??), but it's kind of required. Some stories really hit the nail on the head. Others a giant misses. The only other way to rate anthologies is to rate each individual story and guys. No. That's just too much work. Kudos to those of you who manage it, but I'm just a slug in a girl suit too many days for that option to be viable. Also, I started this anthology back in October, maybe September, and that's just a long time for 13 stories. That's like, 2 weeks per story. That's like, 2 pages a day. That's just weird. Wait, maybe I'm the weird one. I think I've been watching too much Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and now I'm channeling. I'm going to stop before it make it worse.
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Странна подборка от истории, обединени от идеята за силни женски образи, които могат да съберат нужните сили ( магически или просто емоционални ) да се обърнат срещу семейството, обществото или каквото там им пречи да бъдат това, което желаят като кариера, семейно положение или много често сексуалност. Признавам, че не всички разкази са от изключително ниво, нито че имат кой знае колко задоволителни развръзки или някое от очакваните достойнства на кратката форма, но много от тях просто те грабват на едно доста лично ниво и те карат с желание да прелистваш страница след страница, следвайки някоя героиня в личната ѝ битка за независимост. Феминистично четиво, но в никакъв случай лошо такова.
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(2.5) I really only liked the Stephanie Burgis story in this, which reminded me of Stevermer and Wrede in the early days when they were being more gleeful. The actual Stevermer story was so forgettable I literally can't remember which one it was (that's right, it was the story featuring a dancing master that wasn't as good as Genevieve Valentine's).
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Eh, it was okay. I didn't find myself absolutely LOVING any of these stories, although I did enjoy the majority of them at least a bit. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good Victorian setting. I also liked that there was some diversity, although not quite as much as I hoped for.
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Didn't actually finish it, because I didn't like any of the stories that I read
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Enjoyed some of the stories
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Thirteen tales set from the Regency to the Victorian Era.
1. 'At Will.' A young actress with the ability to play both men and women convincingly is brought to London to stymie society as they desperately try to figure out what she really is. I found this story disturbing, and not in a good way. The author seemed to want to show that freedom from gender expectations is freedom itself, but that isn't the message I got here. The young woman here is cisgender and heterosexual, and desperately wants a man to fall in love with her. Her handler is forcing her into isolating androgyny when she really feels no interest or excitement in dressing as a man beyond the freedoms it allows her. Her handler is forcing her into the mold he wishes her to fill, for his own ends and pleasures, and then convincing her that she wants the same thing. That doesn't seem like freedom to me.
2. 'Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain.' A motherless young woman takes advantage of her father's studious distraction to learn magic, which is forbidden to women. When her imperious aunt descends to bring her out, Agatha is forbidden all her magic and learning once more, and forced to comply. You can guess how well that turns out. I liked this one, even though it was a much-overdone trope--I liked the romance and the ending.
3. 'Nussbaum's Golden Fortune.' Young men going for the gold--literally (I think). Didn't finish this one; didn't like the main character.
4. 'The Colonel's Daughter.' An uncontrollably wayward colonel's daughter gets a lowborn girl as a companion, and they become friends. When the colonel's daughter falls in love with someone unsuitable, that friendship becomes invaluable. I wasn't really sure this all hung together--I don't know that the companion was really necessary to the plot as a main character, and the daughter's waywardness seemed to kind of fizzle? Not sure I bought the romance that much, either.
5. 'Mercury Retrograde.' The daughter of an astronomer falls in love with the Anglo-Indian who installed and maintains her father's orrery, and consults the stars about how to convince her father to let her marry him. There's only one possible way. I liked this one--good details, and a nice twist at the end.
6. 'False Colors.' A young Naval lieutenant is being blackmailed into lying for someone who knows his secret, until the young man can stand it no longer. This is another tried and true trope, but I liked it anyway--wish the ending had allowed the main character more true freedom, though.
7. 'Mrs. Beeton's Book of Magickal Management.' In the Regency era, a young lady is being magically seduced into an unwanted marriage, until her magically adept maid steps in, along with a handsome young man. This was a fun one, with good details about the world and the magic, and if the ending was pure wish-fulfillment, oh well!
8. 'The Language of Flowers.' A teenage girl's older sister is the belle of the ball, beseiged by admirers, but Olivia is concerned that her sister is throwing herself away on someone who is not telling the truth about himself. Turns out, he's not the only one. This is a classic Regency romp, ala Georgette Heyer, which makes sense, coming from one of the authors of Sorcery and Cecilia. Fun!
9. 'The Dancing Master.' A teenage girl is being forced into preparing for society, though it's the last thing she wants. Her family hires a smarmy dance instructor with eyes not only for the girl, but for her older companion, who failed to 'take' during her own seasons. Add in a male cousin brought in unnecessarily to distract the girl from the dancing master. I wasn't sure how I felt about this story. It was sad, if realistic, but often the feelings were so veiled I wasn't sure if they were really there; then the story lost its focus and purpose. In the end, I just didn't connect enough with the story, and all the details about how to behave in society were about as exciting to read as any etiquette handbook--which is to say, not much.
10. 'The Garden of England.' Secret Garden fanfiction, from the POV of Mary's Ayah, who accompanined her to England and found it a strange world compared to India. I liked this one, knowing the original book so well, though of course liberties were taken with various characters and so forth. Fun idea, though.
11. 'Resurrection.' How a girl disguised as a boy ended up as a surgeon with a lovely wife. It's a realistic story of the work of the 'resurrection men' who supplied corpses to doctors, so it was a harrowing and often gory story, but I really liked the romance.
12. 'Outside the Absolute.' Couldn't read this one. I tried several times, rereading paragraph after paragraph, but couldn't figure out what was going on. It was too much work for something that was supposed to be entertaining, so I gave up.
13. 'Steeped in Debt to the Chimney Pots.' Started this story of fairies in London, but just didn't like the characters and didn't like the gambling plot, so didn't finish. -
More of a 3.6-3.7 average stars:
Some stories travel the historical route, while others sway to off into the land of faery as if making their way to those Elfin Hills. Some were pure fluff for me, while others had a nice twist to them. I enjoyed quite a few of the stories, and wonder if some will continue on with these characters again (looking at "The Language of Flowers"and "The Dancing Master"). Also my favorites here "Mrs. Beeton's Book of Magickal Management" could follow onward with Irene pursuing her magical goal or Little Elsie taking up the magical mantle. Also I was happy to venture back in Tupp and Lind's world in "Steeped in Debt to The Chimney Pots" and wonder if there are more tales in that world where glamour is a form of faery currency. I may have to investigate these particulars and see if they do continue on. -
The title is pretty misleading - doesn't suit the stories.
Fantastic! I read it all in one afternoon :)
1. At Will by Leanna Renee Hieber: 4 stars
Really enthralling; kept me turning pages! Somehow, I just had to keep reading :D
2. The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis: 3 stars
Interesting magic, and I liked the plot. It did feel a bit rushed/ unconvincing in parts, but it is a short story so it's not overly important.
3. Nussbaum's Golden Fortune by M.K.Hobson: 2.5 stars
This one was a lot longer than the first two, and sometimes fairly boring. I think it was mainly because Oesterlische (main character) was so unlikeable. However, the good bits were very good. I think that I enjoy it more in hindsight than I did while reading it. Liked the humour.
4. The Colonel's Daughter by Barbara Roden: 4 stars
Very enjoyable and I adored the ending! Constance had a great personality; I really liked her character development through her friendship with Mary.
5. Mercury Retrograde by Mary Robinette Kowal: 2 stars
Loved the premise - what a great idea! In the end though, there wasn't really much plot and the story went back over old ground. Could have been better.
6. False Colors by Marie Brennan: 4 stars
Really enjoyable! I guessed the 'twist' pretty early on, but that didn't stop me enjoying the story.
7. Mrs.Beeton's Book of Magickal Management by Karen Healy: 3 stars
A very fun read.
8. The Language of Flowers by Caroline Stevermer: 3 stars
Good but not extremely exciting. I liked the way the sisters understood each other better by the end of the story.
9. The Dancing Master by Genevieve Valentine: 2 stars
Well-written, but I guessed what was going to happen and didn't particularly care.
10. The Garden of England by Sandra McDonald: 2 stars
I wasn't a fan of this story. I can see why people would like it, but I couldn't get into it. Too long.
11. Resurrection by Tiffany Trent: 3 stars
Very interesting premise. The characters were good. I did feel like there were a few too many ideas for one short story, but maybe that's unfair
12. Outside the Absolute by Seth Cadin: 2 stars
Did anyone actually understand this story? It was pretty confusing - I ended up skimming quite a lot of it.
13. Steeped in Debt to the Chimney Pots by Steve Berman: 4 stars
Lovely story. The characters were fantastic, and I loved the world-building. Really liked the ending. -
I guess I just felt like this was kind of blah overall. So many stories felt cliche and super on the nose.
Some specific thoughts on each story below.
"At Will" by Leanna Renee Hieber - 4 stars - OH. I wasn't sure about this one at first--it seemed perhaps a bit too on the nose--but it ended up being a really great, fairly complete short story that left me wanting more, but wanting that "more" left to my imagination.
"The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain" by Stephanie Burgis - 2 stars - Yeah, too on the nose. And the women were portrayed as too black and white.
"Nussbaum's Golden Fortune" by M.K. Hobson - 3 stars - Okay, but I liked the idea a LOT more than the execution.
"The Colonel's Daughter" by Barbara Roden - 3 stars - Fairly typical romance story, really. I think I'd have liked it more if it had been longer. There wasn't much time for development.
"Mercury Retrograde" by Mary Robinette Kowal - 4 stars - Ahhhh. This was a good one! Maybe it's time to go back to her
Glamourist Histories series.
"False Colors" by Marie Brennan - 3 stars - Okay. Just . . . exactly what you expected it to be.
"Mrs. Beeton's Book of Magickal Management" by Karen Healey - 4 stars - Another one that's probably too short for the story it told. But many points for not condemning a girl who's looking forward to her season.
"The Language of Flowers" by Caroline Stevermer - 3 stars - One of those stories that felt like it was focused on the wrong character. For my personal taste anyway.
"The Dancing Master" by Genevieve Valentine - 3 stars - Way too subtle a story. I didn't see where it was going at all.
"The Garden of England" by Sandra McDonald - 4 stars - Nice enough. Fun connection to a beloved childhood story.
"Resurrection" by Tiffany Trent - 3 stars - I enjoyed where this ended up, but it felt rather cliche in places.
"Outside the Absolute" by Seth Cadin - 1 star - This writing didn't work for me at all.
"Stepped in Debt to the Chimney Pots" by Steve Berman - 2 stars - This writing didn't really work for me either. -
Simply put, this is an anthology of 13 historical stories that include everything from society, scandal, and romance such as the following.
“At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber – This story is about a young lady, Portia, that has been raised in theater. Because of her skill acting in both male and female roles she has become a prized character that is brought into society as a companion of one of societies more known males, Mr. Rothschild. It’s where she fits into the role that is the issue.
“The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain” by Stephanie Burgis – Agatha has taken to running her father’s house while he engrosses himself in his studies. But her aunt doesn’t see this as proper training for a young lady and steps in to make Agatha a proper lady.
“Nussbaum’s Golden Fortune” by M. K. Hobson – Nussbaum is a gentleman with bad luck. He owes some powerful people a lot of money. He goes to his old friend Oesterlische for help selling a magical map. But things go wrong when the map and Oesterlische’s fiancé are held for ransom.
These historical based stories are about things that were not as acceptable then as they are now and how people stepped out of the normal rules to follow their hearts. I really liked the concept of the stories. My personal favorite was The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain. She has spunk and even though she is forced into following societies rules, she rises above them at the end.
I will be honest, this is one book that I did have a hard time sticking with. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the book was horrible, it was quiet good. It’s just one that I have been looking at for several months and just can’t finish. Please don’t let this statement ruin your opinion of the book.
If you like historical stories and those where people find ways to rise above their lot in life, then you will enjoy this book.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. -
This anthology was definitely a mixed bag, containing straightforward, conventional romances that have a very faint hue of "impropriety", as well as more unusual stories which go beyond Victorian boundaries and explore the truly "scandalous" (at least for that era), with LGBT themes or issues of race. Guess which ones are worth reading. No story is too "scandalous" to merit an adult rating.
I loved, loved, loved “At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber (the first story), a gender-bending homage to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. It was different, with a bittersweet, unexpected ending. I had tried to read The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker and gave up after the first chapter. But, having enjoyed "At Will" - I will have to reconsider Hieber's fiction.
“The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain” by Stephanie Burgis was another story I adored. I loved Agatha's fiery spirit, the magical world Burgis created, and the surprising, happy ending. I now want to try Burgis' middle grade books.
“The Garden of England” by Sandra Mcdonald is a fantastic retelling of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, as told from the point of view of an Indian nursemaid which comes with Mary Lennox to England. Mary is not quite the sweet heroine here nor her uncle the pitiable guardian as in the book.
“Mrs Beeton’s Book of Magickal Management” by Karen Healey is one of the more conventional romances with a fantasy setting. A very delightful story.
I love how the heroine of “The Language Of Flowers” by Caroline Stevermer interprets the intentions of her sister's suitors through the bouquets they send her. This seems like the most Victorian of the stories, but has the appeal of exploring the relationship between the two sisters.
I found “The Dancing Master” by Genevieve Valentine to be the most haunting, about unrequited love. -
I'm never any good at giving ratings to anthologies, and found this one harder than normal, as it didn't live up to expectations overall. There were a few good stories, a few I thought much less than good, but my favourite was Stephanie Burgis' story, "The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain". Not just because I expected to, given how much I've enjoyed everything else she's written. It was short and sweet, and it took a while for me to figure out what I thought was great about it. Part of it was that it showed how hard Agatha had had to struggle in order to be allowed to study magic, and how completely all that was taken away from her. More though, was the fact that the subversiveness that was the heart of the whole anthology allowed for more than just Agatha's living a fulfilling life herself. (Not, of course, that I have anything against stories that show characters doing just that.) Agatha's personal misery, had she not been able to escape it, would also have required that the misery be passed on down to the next generation female. I really, really liked this, because it fits in with the idea that striving to be happy oneself is essentially an unselfish act; freeing oneself necessarily leaves one with more to give to others, not less. The romance wasn't very developed, but I was fine with that, as the romantic partner showed Agatha that magic itself was infinitely more than she'd ever been taught - I'd consider that made for a keeper too.
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Too lazy to review the stories individually right now! I liked the collection overall and it was pretty good on gender and sexuality. A little more Eurocentric than I would have liked – only one story had a protaganist spend time out of Britain and the vast majority were set entirely in London – but y'know. I'd still use it as a example for my 'Just Because It's Set in the Victorian Era is Not An Excuse for Espousing Victorian Attitudes, Let's Hear It For Progressive Historical YA' argument. :) A couple favourites: The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis, False Colors by Marie Brennan, The Dancing Master by Genevieve Valentine, The Garden of England by Sandra McDonald (Secret Garden fanfic :DDDDDD Ngl I have read better Secret Garden fic online but pretty delightful to run across in a published work), Resurrection by Tiffany Trent, Outside the Absolute by Seth Cadin (wasn't a huge fan of the style but genderqueer protagonist! =DDDDDD Actually on that note let's toss in At Will by Leanna Renee Hieber which comes with bonus theater meta). Instalove was kind of a persistent problem in the collection but ehh. I'm more forgiving of that trope in the short story format, there's not a whole lot of space for relationship development there. 4 stars
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Best Bits: It's kind of difficult to do an anthology in the best bits/nit picks format, but I'm going to attempt it. For those that love historical fiction with a bit of scandal thrown in, this is the anthology for you. As a fan of The Parasol Protectorate series, I found many of the stories within this book to be fabulous reads. My favorites included The Colonel's Daughter by Barbara Roden (a story of a companion who helps her charge hide a forbidden romance), Mrs. Beeton's Book of Magickal Management by Karen Healey (a story about a lady's maid using magic to stop a spell gone wrong), and Resurrection by Tiffany Trent (a story about a woman disguising herself as a boy). The book has some diversity, too. There are characters from across the globe, and love between all genders. If only all books could be that way!
Nit Picks: I think that there were a couple stories where length was an issue. I wanted more from The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis (seriously, can these characters have a book?!). I thought that Nussbaum's Golden Fortune by M. K. Hobson was a bit too long, and that the story would have been more effective had it been a bit more concise.
Overall, it's a good anthology that fans of the genre will enjoy. -
2-3 stars
Das einzige greifbare Überthema für diese Kurzgeschichtensammlung ist das viktorianische Zeitalter. Ansonsten schienen den 13 AutorenInnen keine Grenzen gesetzt worden zu sein. Von homosexueller Liebe (The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain) über Zauberei (Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Magickal Management) bis zu farbigen Bediensteten (The Garden of England) war alles vertreten und hat eine schöne bunte Mischung ergeben. Leider waren die meisten Geschichten nur “ganz nett”. Kaum eine war richtig mies (nur Nussbaum’s Golden Fortune hab ich aus Langeweile abgebrochen und die letzten zwei Geschichten aus “wann ist das endlich zuende?” nur noch übersprungen). Die meisten waren wirklich süß, aber darüber ging es nie hinaus. Keine der Geschichten konnte mich beeindrucken oder überraschen.
Nett für zwischendurch, aber wieso sollte man sich für zwischendurch damit zufrieden geben? Bei der nächsten Anthologie, die ich kaufe, werde ich auf jeden Fall genau auf die Autoren achten und nur noch danach gehen, wen ich schon kenne (in dieser Sammlung nämlich niemanden) und wessen Geschichten ich schätze. -
I read about half the stories in this anthology, and though it is billed as romance, there was no romance in the stories. The subtitle "13 tales of Society, Scandal, and Romance" is misleading.
A few problems ran through every story I read: There was no romance, which I already stated. There was usually a romantic pairing, but the characters never met earlier than halfway through the story. When these tales are only about 40 pages, that's saying something. When they did meet, no one had any significant interactions. The longest any of them were even together was almost 1 page. There was nothing to show that this would be a romantic couple.
These stories are all about flouting Society, and getting away with it without having to pay any consequences. No one seemed to even have a very good reason for doing it, which just made them come off as childish. -
i am REALLY enjoying this collection of victorian-era short stories, many of which include magic, gender-bending or twisty surprises, and all of which include romance.
my favorite so far is "false colors" by marie brennan, about a young navy lieutenant hiding a secret at sea!
also loved: "the garden of england" by mcdonald (retelling of 'the secret garden' from the ayah's perspective!!) and 'resurrection' by tiffany trent.
i'm sorry to say that i found seth cadin's prose in "outside the absolute" 100% unreadable. i kept reading the same sentences over and over without anything sinking in, so i skipped it. the rest of this book is a delight!! -
“The Dancing Master” by Genevieve Valentine
“The Unladylike Education Of Agatha Tremain” by Stephanie Burgis
“At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber
“Steeped In Debt To The Chimney Pots” by Steve Berman
“Outside The Absolute” by Seth Cadin
“Resurrection” by Tiffany Trent
“Mrs Beeton’s Book Of Magickal Management” by Karen Healey
“The Garden Of England” by Sandra Mcdonald
“False Colours” by Marie Brennan
“Nussbaum’s Golden Fortune” by M. K. Hobson
“The Colonel’s Daughter” by Barbara Roden
“Mercury Retrograde” by Mary Robinette Kowal
“The Language Of Flowers” by Caroline Stevermer -
This collection was a delightful surprise -- neoVictorian stories -- some involving magic or steampunk elements, some not -- in which impropriety is a theme in its many forms. With stories by Genevieve Valentine, Leanna Renee Hieber, and Mary Robinette Kowal contributing, it's already clear it's going to be above average. Most of the writers had a solid sense of the time period they were playing with -- I caught the word "deconstruct" used once, which took me out of the moment -- but overall they skewer the conventions nicely, often playfully.
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*currently reading*
"The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain" by Stephanie Burgis: 4/5. Is it just me or does Agatha seem like a budding sociopath? I liked her all the same. This world seems really interesting and spooky.
"Mrs.Beeton's Book of Magickal Management" by Karen Healey: 4/5
I loooooooooooved it. The romance was kinda sudden, but the characters were fabulous.
"The Dancing Master" by Genevieve Valentine: 5/5. Some really subtle great stuff in this story. How do you words, Genevieve? Really liked the main four characters.
