Author: Deborah Swift
Format: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publish Date: November 27, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the author and as part of this tour; however, this did not affect my review.
Why You're Reading This Book:
- You're a Historical Fiction fan.
- You like stories about sisters.
- You like vivid settings.
From Goodreads.com: "A spellbinding historical novel of beauty and greed and surprising redemption
England, 1660. Ella Appleby believes she is destined for better things than slaving as a housemaid and dodging the blows of her drunken father. When her employer dies suddenly, she seizes her chance--taking his valuables and fleeing the countryside with her sister for the golden prospects of London. But London may not be the promised land she expects. Work is hard to find, until Ella takes up with a dashing and dubious gentleman with ties to the London underworld. Meanwhile, her old employer's twin brother is in hot pursuit of the sisters.
Set in a London of atmospheric coffee houses, gilded mansions, and shady pawnshops hidden from rich men’s view, Deborah Swift's The Gilded Lily is a dazzling novel of historical adventure."
My Two Cents:
"The Gilded Lily" is a story about two sisters, Ella and Sadie, two sisters in Restoration England in the 1660s. It is also the companion novel to Swift's earlier book "The Lady's Slipper," which I have not read yet but plan to after reading this book. "The Gilded Lily" is a total stand alone story so you don't need to read "The Lady's Slipper" first. You will enjoy this book just fine!
The story jumps off quickly when the sisters end up in London after Ella plans a scheme that could end with the sisters getting in a lot of trouble. Very quickly we see how different the two sisters are and how they deal with their situation differently. I definitely liked Sadie a lot better than Ella. Ella just doesn't think about what's she's doing. She does it and thinks about it later on which gets her in trouble over and over again throughout the book. Ella also doesn't seem to think about the trouble she is causing for her poor sister, who is forced to silently stay in a room at the boarding house all day while Ella is out finding a job at the upscale ladies' store, "The Gilded Lily." I kind of wanted to know more about what the motivation behind being so mean to her sister. Sadie, on the other hand, is very nice and sweet. There are other characters in the book but we don't get to know much about them in the story.
I really liked the historical detail in this book. Swift does a great job of capturing the sort of grungy and gritty environment omnipresent in Restoration England. You really feel like you're with the sisters being chased on the streets of London! I can't wait to see what other books Swift comes out with next!
Bottom line: A gritty Historical Fiction with good detail!
Don't miss the rest of the tour! (I'll be doing a giveaway on 11/29):
Monday, November 19
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden's Court
Tuesday, November 20
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Wednesday, November 21
Review at Reading the Past
Thursday, November 22
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Enchanted by Josephine
Friday, November 23
Review & Giveaway at The Broke and the Bookish
Monday, November 26
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review at Layered Pages
Wednesday, November 28
Review at Books Like Breathing
Thursday, November 29
Review & Giveaway at The Book Garden
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Friday, November 30
Review at The Lit Bitch
Saturday, December 1
Author Interview & Giveaway at The Lit Bitch
Monday, December 3
Review at Luxury Reading
Tuesday, December 4
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at One Book at a Time
Wednesday, December 5
Review at One Book at a Time
Review & Giveaway at The Eclectic Reader
This book is just up my street!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one too, the historical details from this time really added to the book.
ReplyDeleteSounds great!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds really good! Great review.
ReplyDelete