ŷ������

Easily more than 5 stars. Not even a question about it.

Imagine with me for a moment: you’ve just finished a book so good all you can do is close the binding and sit, basking in the joy of what it’s like to get lost in a story.
This was me a few nights ago. Struck by how much I enjoyed this book and feeling personally offended that it was over (��.although it was 500+ pages so I really shouldn’t complain 🤣).
As I opened this book a few nights in a row, I found myself completely pulled into the story, loosing all concept of time and even the notion that it existed (to the detriment of my sleeping habits 🙃).

Quincy St. Claire is an unusually spunky and independent heroine, fundamentally disregarding many of the “norms�� of the mid-Victorian society. On the outside she’s mysterious and complicated; but as you get to know her depths and layers, you come to understand her, and ultimately feel the things she does. As she lives the year this book is set around, you’ll feel your heart racing & your gut wrenching. You’ll feel both her pain and her elation. The other characters fill in dimension to the her story as friends, mentors, and (perhaps) a true lover. True in the sense of someone seeing beyond the walls you’ve built, loving you and choosing to love you even when it gets tough.
“His nearness was like lightning, and she needed it even as she was certain she wanted to run from the storm of this companionship that so startled her, despite not knowing how.��

Beth Brower’s writing is vibrant. So much so it almost breathes. She’s thoughtful, intentional, poetic. She has her own unique voice but she reminds me of Charlotte Brontë, L.M.Montgomery, or Amanda Dykes.
Her words wrap around my heart and stay there.

😇: talk of religion, attending church, & mention of Bible stories; nothing evangelistic or overtly Christian-themed
😍: a couple chaste kisses
🤐: occasional light language (h*ll, d*mn)
⛔️: child starvation & death