Books à la Mode | a book, beauty, and fashion blog: MacMillan

Showing posts with label MacMillan. Show all posts

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Interview with Melissa Pimentel, Author of The One That Got Away + Giveaway (US/Can)

I'd like to welcome Melissa Pimentel to the blog today to celebrate the exciting release of The One That Got Away from St. Martin's Press!

Welcome to Books à la Mode, Melissa! Let's get this interview started.

Will you please share a brief introduction with us?

Melissa Pimentel grew up in a small town in Massachusetts in a house without cable and therefore much of her childhood was spent watching 1970s British comedy on PBS.

At twenty-two, she made the move to London to do an MA in Modern Literature at University College London. She has lived there happily for ten years, though she still adamantly refuses to eat a scotch egg. Before meeting her fiancé, she spent much of her time trawling the London dating scene for clean, non-sociopathic sexual partners and blogging about it, which became the inspiration for her first novel.

These days, she spends much of her time reading in the various pubs of Stoke Newington and engaging in a long-standing emotional feud with their disgruntled cat, Welles. She works in publishing and is also the author of Love by the Book.

It's amazing to get to feature you today! Readers, here's a bit about the book, which just hit shelves this week:

Melissa Pimentel delivers smart, funny, and modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, where a young woman comes face-to-face with a lost love, proving that the one that got away is sometimes the one you get back.

Ruby and Ethan were perfect for each other. Until the day they suddenly weren't.

Ten years later, Ruby's single, having spent the last decade focusing on her demanding career and hectic life in Manhattan. There's barely time for a trip to England for her little sister's wedding. And there's certainly not time to think about seeing Ethan there for the first time in years.

But as the family frantically prepare for the big day, Ruby can't help but wonder if she made the right choice all those years ago? Because there's nothing like a wedding for stirring up the past...

Describe The One That Got Away in six words.

Are second chances at love possible?

How did you arrive at writing romance?

I’ve always loved rom-coms—I spent my childhood watching old Katherine Hepburn/Cary Grant films—and honestly think there are few things more satisfying that a well-played happy ending. I guess I wanted to try creating a few of my own!

What was your inspiration for the book?

Persuasion has always been my favorite Jane Austen novel, and one that I think is often overlooked in favor of Pride and Prejudice and Emma. There’s such a subtlety and gentility about it—it’s a real slow-burner—and Anne is one of my favorite fictional heroines. I thought it would be fun to try to bring it into the modern world!

How do you react to a negative or harsh review to your books?

I wish I could say I didn’t read them or that I just shake them off, Taylor-style, but... sadly not! I’m a dweller by nature, so bad reviews are one of the things I can find myself dwelling on. Usually a long run or a thick slice of cake are enough to push it out of my mind, though!

Blog babes, click "Read more" to find out Jamie's random favorites, her best personal advice, and what she considers an occupational hazard of being a writer. We're also hosting a giveaway for a finished copy of The One That Got Away, so you don't want to miss that either!

Dog Dish of Doom by E.J. Copperman Giveaway (US/Can)

Dog Dish of Doom (Agent to the Paws #1)
E.J. Copperman
Thomas Dunne // Minotaur Books // St. Martin's Press

Cozy fans and animal lovers alike won't be able to keep their paws off Dog Dish of Doom. Laugh-out-loud funny, E.J. Copperman's series debut is "lots of fun" (Library Journal, starred).

Kay Powell wants to find that break-out client who will become a star. And she thinks she’s found him: His name is Bruno, and he has to be walked three times a day.

Kay is the Agent to the Paws, representing showbiz clients who aren’t exactly people. In fact: they're dogs. Bruno’s humans, Trent and Louise, are pains in the you-know-what, and Les McMaster, the famous director mounting a revival of Annie, might not hire Bruno just because he can’t stand them.

This becomes less of an issue when Trent is discovered face down in Bruno’s water dish, with a kitchen knife in his back. Kay’s perfectly fine to let the NYPD handle the murder, but when the whole plot seems to center on Bruno, her protective instincts come into play. You can kill any people you want, but you’d better leave Kay’s clients alone.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Dog Dish of Doom—yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What is your favorite aspect about your dog? If you aren't a current dog owner: are you a dog person or do you prefer other pets?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. E.J. and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

My dog will paw at my hands if I stop scratching his ears. He'll do it until I pick my hand up and start scratching again. Classical conditioning at its funniest!

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends August 28th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize once they are chosen, or else their winnings will be forfeited.
Although I do randomly select winners, I am in no way responsible for prizes, nor for shipping and handling.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Top 5 Reasons Another Man's Ground Was Set in Branson, MO by Claire Booth + Giveaway (US/Can)

Another Man's Ground (Sherrif Hank Worth #2)
Claire Booth
from Minotaur Books // St. Martin's Press // MacMillan

It starts out as an interesting little theft case. Branson, Missouri’s new Sheriff Hank Worth is called out to look at stands of trees that have been stripped of their bark, which the property owner had planned to harvest for the booming herbal supplement market. At first, Hank easily balances the demands of the investigation with his fledging political career. He was appointed several months earlier to the vacant sheriff position, but he needs to win the fast-approaching election in order to keep his job. He thinks the campaign will go well, as long as he’s able to keep secret the fact that a group of undocumented immigrants—hired to cut down the stripped trees—have fled into the forest and he’s deliberately not looking for them.

But then the discovery of a murder victim deep in the Ozark backwoods sets him in the middle of a generations-old feud that explodes into danger not only for him, but also for the immigrants, his deputies, and his family. He must rush to find a murderer before election day, and protect the vulnerable in Branson County, where politicking is hell and trespassing can get you killed.

In Another Man's Ground, her next novel featuring Sheriff Hank Worth, acclaimed author Claire Booth delivers a taut, witty mystery that will grip readers from the opening pages to the breathless conclusion.

The First Line of The Gypsy Moth Summer by Julia Fierro + Giveaway (US/Can)

The Gypsy Moth Summer
Julia Fierro
from St. Martin's Press // MacMillan

It is the summer of 1992 and a gypsy moth invasion blankets Avalon Island. Ravenous caterpillars disrupt early summer serenity on Avalon, an islet off the coast of Long Island--dropping onto novels left open on picnic blankets, crawling across the T-shirts of children playing games of tag and capture the flag in the island's leafy woods. The caterpillars become a relentless topic of island conversation and the inescapable soundtrack of the season.

It is also the summer Leslie Day Marshall—only daughter of Avalon’s most prominent family—returns with her husband, a botanist, and their children to live in “The Castle,” the island's grandest estate. Leslie’s husband Jules is African-American, and their children bi-racial, and islanders from both sides of the tracks form fast and dangerous opinions about the new arrivals.

Maddie Pencott LaRosa straddles those tracks: a teen queen with roots in the tony precincts of East Avalon and the crowded working class corner of West Avalon, home to Grudder Aviation factory, the island's bread-and-butter and birthplace of generations of bombers and war machines. Maddie falls in love with Brooks, Leslie’s and Jules’ son, and that love feels as urgent to Maddie as the questions about the new and deadly cancers showing up across the island. Could Grudder Aviation, the pride of the island—and its patriarch, the Colonel—be to blame?

As the gypsy moths burst from cocoons in flocks that seem to eclipse the sun, Maddie’s and Brooks’ passion for each other grows and she begins planning a life for them off Avalon Island.

Vivid with young lovers, gangs of anxious outsiders; a plotting aged matriarch and her husband, a demented military patriarch; and a troubled young boy, each seeking his or her own refuge, escape and revenge, The Gypsy Moth Summer is about love, gaps in understanding, and the struggle to connect: within families; among friends; between neighbors and entire generations.

Need You Dead by Peter James Giveaway (US only)

Need You Dead (Roy Grace #13)
Peter James

Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, faces his most mysterious case yet in Need You Dead.

Lorna Belling, desperate to escape the marriage from hell, falls for the charms of another man who promises her the earth. But, as Lorna finds, life seldom follows the plans you’ve made. A chance photograph on a client’s mobile phone changes everything for her.

When the body of a woman is found in a bath in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to the scene. At first it looks an open and shut case with a clear prime suspect. Then other scenarios begin to present themselves, each of them tantalizingly plausible, until, in a sudden turn of events, and to his utter disbelief, the case turns more sinister than Grace could ever have imagined.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Need You Dead—yay!!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What about you, as a person, is extraordinary? How do you stand out from other people?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Peter and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publicist—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at Wunderkind PR!

Giveaway ends June 21st at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The Graves by Pamela Wechsler Giveaway (US/Can only)

The Graves
Pamela Wechsler

Abby Endicott, the chief of the District Attorney’s homicide unit in Boston, returns in the heart-racing follow-up to Mission Hill.

Things are looking good for Abby: she’s top pick to be the next District Attorney, and her musician boyfriend Ty has moved in, despite her upper crust family’s objections. But a serial killer is on the loose, and with two college-aged girls dead and another missing, time is running out. When the sons of a prominent government official are linked to the murders, Abby pushes back, stopping at nothing to find justice for the girls. This time, the killer could be right under her nose, and she may be the next victim.

In The Graves, former prosecutor turned television writer Pamela Wechsler delivers a tense and enthralling Boston-set thriller about the intersection of power, privilege, and justice.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away three print copies of The Graves—that's three winners total. Yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What is your favorite thriller? Whether it's a book or movie!

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Pamela and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

The Others and Gone Girl are my favorites!

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends May 16th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence by Alyssa Palombo Giveaway (US/Can only)

The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence
Alyssa Palombo

A girl as beautiful as Simonetta Cattaneo never wants for marriage proposals in 15th Century Italy, but she jumps at the chance to marry Marco Vespucci. Marco is young, handsome and well-educated. Not to mention he is one of the powerful Medici family’s favored circle.

Even before her marriage with Marco is set, Simonetta is swept up into Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici’s glittering circle of politicians, poets, artists, and philosophers. The men of Florence—most notably the rakish Giuliano de’ Medici—become enthralled with her beauty. That she is educated and an ardent reader of poetry makes her more desirable and fashionable still. But it is her acquaintance with a young painter, Sandro Botticelli, which strikes her heart most. Botticelli immediately invites Simonetta, newly proclaimed the most beautiful woman in Florence, to pose for him. As Simonetta learns to navigate her marriage, her place in Florentine society, and the politics of beauty and desire, she and Botticelli develop a passionate intimacy, one that leads to her immortalization in his masterpiece, The Birth of Venus.

Alyssa Palombo’s The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence vividly captures the dangerous allure of the artist and muse bond with candor and unforgettable passion.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence—yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

How much value do you place on beauty? How important do you think it is to be beautiful?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Alyssa and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

Judging by the premise of the novel and Simonetta Vespucci in real life, very important ;) I think our society places a great deal of emphasis on physical appearance and I agree it can be highly influential (socially, in terms of self-esteem, etc.) but people should be aware that it isn't everything. I think there are things that matter more, like intelligence and humility (preferably the combination of both!)

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends May 10th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Monday, March 13, 2017

Before the War by Fay Weldon Giveaway (US/Can)

Before the War
Fay Weldon

London, 1922. It’s a cold November morning, the station is windswept and rural, the sky is threatening snow, and the train is late. Vivien Ripple, 20 years old and an ungainly five foot eleven, waits on the platform at Dilberne Halt. She is wealthy and well-bred—only daughter to the founder of Ripple & Co, the nation’s top publisher—but plain, painfully awkward, and, perhaps worst of all, intelligent. Nicknamed “the giantess,” Vivvie is, in the estimation of most, already a spinster. But she has a plan. That very morning, Vivvie will ride to the city with the express purpose of changing her life forever.

Enter Sherwyn Sexton: charismatic, handsome—if, to his dismay, rather short. He’s an aspiring novelist and editor at Ripple & Co whose greatest love is the (similarly handsome, but taller) protagonist of his thriller series. He also has a penchant for pretty young women—single and otherwise. Sherwyn is shocked when his boss’s hulking daughter, dressed in a tweed jacket and moth-eaten scarf, strides into his office and asks for his hand in marriage. But his finances are running thin to support his regular dinners on the town, and Vivien’s promise to house him in comfort while he writes is simply too good to refuse. What neither of them know is that she is pregnant by another man, and will die in childbirth in just a few months...

With one eye on the present and one on the past, Fay Weldon offers Vivien’s fate, along with that of London between World Wars I and II: a city fizzing with change, full of flat-chested flappers, shell-shocked soldiers, and aristocrats clinging to history.

Inventive, warm, playful, and full of Weldon’s trademark ironic edge, Before the War is a spellbinding novel from one of the greatest writers of our time.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Before the War—yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

Which country's war story would you want to read about? In American literature there seems to be an abundance of WWI and WWII stories from the US's perspective, but every country must have their own war culture that would be fascinating to read about.

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Fay and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

I would love to read about WWI from the Japanese perspective. There are some stories about Hiroshima but maybe something else more civilian-focused.

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends March 27th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Monday, February 27, 2017

The Typewriter's Tale by Michiel Heyns Giveaway (US/Can only)

The Typewriter's Tale
Michiel Heyns

“Live all you can; it’s a mistake not to.”

Combining fact with fiction, Heyns recreates the society in the little town of Rye around the celebrated author Henry James, ‘the Master’, as seen through the cool gaze of his typist, Frieda Wroth. Admiring of the great author, she nevertheless feels marginalized and under-valued, a mere typewriter, amidst the stolid servants and chattering guests. But when the dashing Morton Fullerton comes to visit, Frieda finds herself at the center of an intrigue every bit as engrossing as the novels she types every day, bringing her into conflict with the flamboyant Edith Wharton, and compromising her loyalty to her employer.

The urbane, long-winded Henry James, the suave, witty Morton Fullerton and the voracious, larger-than life Edith Wharton: caught in a triangle of which she only gradually comes to understand the nature, Frieda tries to obey the Master’s dictum: ‘Live all you can; it’s a mistake not to.’ But living, she finds, exacts a price: it takes place at the expense of other lives.

Michiel Heyns here uses his extensive knowledge of Henry James and his times as basis for a fiction in which the comic and the tragic are inextricably interwoven. Carefully researched and yet abundantly inventive, The Typewriter’s Tale brings to life a man and a period that have recently been the subject of renewed interest worldwide.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of The Typewriter's Tale—yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

The Typewriter's Tale is told from Henry James's typist's perspective. Which famous person's assistant would you be most interested in reading a story about?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Michiel and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

It'd be really interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at the employees of American industrialists and their elite families, such as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Carnegies, etc.

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends March 13th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The Weight of Him by Ethel Rohan Giveaway (US/Can only)

The Weight of Him
Ethel Rohan

At four hundred pounds, Billy Brennan can always count on food. From his earliest memories, he has loved food’s colors, textures and tastes. The way flavors go off in his mouth. How food keeps his mind still and his bad feelings quiet. Food has always made everything better, until the day Billy’s beloved son Michael takes his own life.

Billy determines to make a difference in Michael’s memory and undertakes a public weight-loss campaign, to raise money for suicide prevention—his first step in an ambitious plan to save himself, and to save others. However, Billy’s dramatic crusade appalls his family, who want to simply try to go on.

Despite his crushing detractors, Billy gains welcome allies: his community-at-large; a co-worker who lost his father to suicide; a filmmaker with his own dubious agenda; and a secret, miniature kingdom that Billy populates with the sub-quality dolls and soldiers he rescues from disposal at the local toy factory where he works. But it is only if Billy can confront the truth of his pain, suffering, and the brokenness around him, that he and others will be able to realize the full rescue and change they need.

Set in rural, contemporary Ireland, Ethel Rohan's The Weight of Him is an unforgettable, big-hearted novel about loss and reliance that moves from tragedy to recrimination to what can be achieved when we take the stand of our lives.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of The Weight of Him—yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What is a social issue or cause you are passionate about?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Ethel and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

Naturally (due to my profession), I'm an advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. I'm also interested in how it interacts with poverty and racial inequality and increasing access to treatment and education for such populations.

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends March 8th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Monday, February 20, 2017

I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi Giveaway (US only)

I Liked My Life
Abby Fabiaschi

A story from debut author Abby Fabiaschi that is "as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking."

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.

Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge...but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal?

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away three print copies of I Liked My Life—that's three winners total. Yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What is something unique about your life that you like?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Abby and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

I appreciate being from two different cultures, American and Korean. It's an honor that not many people get, and I think all multicultural people, especially children, should embrace their unique intersections!

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publicist—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at Goldberg McDuffie!

Giveaway ends March 6th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Shoes for Anthony by Emma Kennedy Giveaway (US/Can only)

Shoes for Anthony
Emma Kennedy

This 1944 World War Two drama tells the story of Anthony, a boy living in a deprived Welsh village, anticipating the arrival of American troops. Suddenly, a German plane crashes into the village mountain. A Polish prisoner-of-war survives and is brought into the community where he builds a close relationship with Anthony. Later, the villagers discover one of the Germans on the plane has survived and is still on the mountain.

Joyous, thrilling, and nostalgic, Emma Kennedy’s Shoes For Anthony will have you wiping your eyes one moment and beaming from ear-to-ear the next. This is a small gem of a novel that reviewers and readers will cherish.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Shoes for Anthony—yay!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What is your favorite type of shoe to wear?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Erica and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

While I love the look of heels, I definitely don't feel safe in them LOL! I would have to go with combat boots because they're comfy and cute.

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publisher—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at St. Martin's Press!

Giveaway ends February 15th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US and Canada residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Friday, November 18, 2016

7 Heart Review: Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

This is an advertisement for SheSpeaks/St. Martins Press. I received a copy of Victoria for free.

Victoria
Daisy Goodwin

Page Count: 368
Release Date: November 22nd, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist via publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, SheSpeaks and St. Martin's Press!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Drawing on Queen Victoria’s diaries, which she first started reading when she was a student at Cambridge University, Daisy Goodwin—creator and writer of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria and author of the bestselling novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter—brings the young nineteenth-century monarch, who would go on to reign for 63 years, richly to life in this magnificent novel.

Early one morning, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria is roused from bed with the news that her uncle William IV has died and she is now Queen of England. The men who run the country have doubts about whether this sheltered young woman, who stands less than five feet tall, can rule the greatest nation in the world.

Despite her age, however, the young queen is no puppet. She has very definite ideas about the kind of queen she wants to be, and the first thing is to choose her name.

“I do not like the name Alexandrina,” she proclaims. “From now on I wish to be known only by my second name, Victoria.”

Next, people say she must choose a husband. Everyone keeps telling her she’s destined to marry her first cousin, Prince Albert, but Victoria found him dull and priggish when they met three years ago. She is quite happy being queen with the help of her prime minister, Lord Melbourne, who may be old enough to be her father but is the first person to take her seriously.

On June 19th, 1837, she was a teenager. On June 20th, 1837, she was a queen. Daisy Goodwin’s impeccably researched and vividly imagined new book brings readers Queen Victoria as they have never seen her before.

Review

You bet I had to match my nails to this stunning cover.
Most know her for her long-lived, powerful rule over Great Britain, but very few know her story outside of the monarchy. Victoria is a dazzling glimpse of Queen Victoria not only during her reign; rather, it covers the four-year timespan before she ever thought to ascend throne, to her first few years in.

There's a really interesting dynamic between the struggle for power that surrounds young Alexandrina (Victoria's birth name), as well as her hard-earned path to ascension. A great player in this is Lord Melbourne, Victoria's closest friend and confidante upon King William IV's death—unusual because he was 40 years her senior—who would go on to be a hugely successful mentor in Victoria's most critical years. Goodwin portrays him as a charismatic, hard-to-figure-out character, and I loved the ambiguous but wholly intriguing relationship between him and Victoria.

Victoria is also highly empowering; I loved reading about the obstacles she faced just for being a female ruler, and how she overcame them. Who would have thought, in 1837, that such a small girl, hardly a woman at eighteen, would end up ruling the world?

While well researched, this novel isn't bogged down with facts or a timeline of events that usually makes historical fiction difficult for me. It felt like a natural story, specifically about Victoria's development in her teenage years and early adulthood. It portrays the Queen in a relatable, human light—a perspective I've never seen before, and appreciate extremely. This is a very approachable account of the more intimate details of Victoria's life; Anglican history buffs and romance lovers alike will really enjoy this.

Pros

Story flows well and the ending is satisfying // Many points of rising action and tension // Well-fleshed characters: Victoria is easy to sympathize with and Lord Melbourne is fascinating // A great historical perspective of an endearing character

Cons

Some parts are melodramatic (not that they're overly dramatic, but the characters just act really scandalized over the smallest things) // I wish the subplot with Victoria's domineering mother had been more developed in the latter half of the book

Verdict

Less of an all-encompassing biopic and more of a glimmering coming-of-age story of one of the most powerful female rulers in history, Victoria is a historical drama that paints a vivid picture of the Queen's earliest, most transformative years. Daisy Goodwin is a natural storyteller; lovers of all things British Royalty will eat this book up. Equal parts political examination and budding romance, it left me thinking: What a beautiful novel. If you're curious about Queen Victoria as a person rather than just her political roles, go pick this up immediately.