Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette KowalAfter the disappointment of The House on Durrow Street by Galen Beckett, I was dubious about this "What if Jane Austen wrote fantasy/Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell substitute." Especially given the recommendation of Cory Doctorow, who's Little Brother left me furious for two days for its shameless glorification of immaturity as selflessness. The first three quarters didn't fully allay that trepidation - a typo in the first chapter, and distinctly uncomfortable relationships between the heroine and her sister, not to mention the unadventurous nature of the plot (completely cribbed from Austen in terms of event and situation, not that that's necessarily bad). However, the final quarter, where the character show their mettle and the action wraps everything up in a glamour of delight, more than made up for it. Not up to the "masterpiece of the past ten years" level of Susannah Clarke's Norrell, but quite diverting, and more than superior to Beckett's series. Easy Virtue, by Noel Coward (film, starring Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, and an awesome butler)Well, I must give Coward a try now. Delightful, if saddening, with very strong performances (Biel making up for the rather dull performance in the lackluster Illusionist).
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