Historical fiction with a healthy dose of spirits....
I'm giving this one four stars. There are a lot of things that I liked. But I found the pacing to be a bit slow. All in all a solid trip into a less common time and place explored in historical fiction.
I think the time period and the author, Margaret Verble's, commitment to it really stands out to me. I haven't read a ton of historical fiction centered around this time and place, but this stands out to me as really original and in a class of its own.
I also liked the author's characters. Each one felt fully realized. All of the good, bad, and ugly traits were highlighted - no sugarcoating character's flaws. I think the author did an excellent job of laying out these characters and making them feel real - even when those characters were in fact spirits.
My main criticism will likely vary from reader to reader - for me personally though, I found it to be a little slow. I wanted just a little bit more urgency throughout. I think elements of this novel would have been more successful for me if it felt like it felt more active.
All in all a good read.
I think the time period and the author, Margaret Verble's, commitment to it really stands out to me. I haven't read a ton of historical fiction centered around this time and place, but this stands out to me as really original and in a class of its own.
I also liked the author's characters. Each one felt fully realized. All of the good, bad, and ugly traits were highlighted - no sugarcoating character's flaws. I think the author did an excellent job of laying out these characters and making them feel real - even when those characters were in fact spirits.
My main criticism will likely vary from reader to reader - for me personally though, I found it to be a little slow. I wanted just a little bit more urgency throughout. I think elements of this novel would have been more successful for me if it felt like it felt more active.
All in all a good read.