The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

From the publisher:

"Though poor, plain, and unconnected, Charlotte Bronte possesses a deeply passionate side which she reveals only in her writings--creating Jane Eyre and other novels that stand among literature's most beloved works. Living a secluded life in the wilds of Yorkshire with her sisters Emily and Anne, their drug-addicted brother, and an eccentric father who is going blind, Charlotte Bronte dreams of a real love story as fiery as the one she creates.

But it is in the pages of her diary where Charlotte exposes her deepest feelings and desires--and the truth about her life, its triumphs and shattering disappointments, her family, the inspiration behind her work, her scandalous secret passion for the man she can never have, and her intense, dramatic relationship with the man she comes to love, the enigmatic Arthur Bell Nicholls."

My thoughts:

Charlotte Bronte is an author who is near and dear to my heart. I first read Jane Eyre when I was eleven years old and became absolutely fascinated with gothic romances. It remains one of my most beloved novels to this day, and if you ask anyone in the family why my daughter's middle name is "Jane," they will tell you truthfully, "She's named after Jane Eyre."

I was delighted to read The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte as Syrie James is successful in capturing the authentic voice and spirit of Charlotte Bronte. Many aspects of Charlotte's life are well-documented in preserved letters to her family and friends, and James used the contents of these letters and other biographical research as the basis for these fictional diaries.

In these diaries you will learn of the trials and tribulations of the Bronte children -- growing up motherless and poor as the children of a strict clergyman, they often escaped into a fantasy world and wrote stories and poems from an early age. Each sibling secretly hoped to one day become a published author, and it was their gift of writing that gave them such joy and sense of accomplishment. Charlotte, particularly, was quiet but independent, and often bristled at societal limitations placed on women. Intending to open their own school, Emily and Charlotte travel to Belgium for intensive study, and it is here that Charlotte meets a professor who will have a profound impact on the course of her life and her emergence as a novelist.

The purpose of the diary, though, is the exploration of her heart; the effects of the tragic loss of so many she loved, her relationship with the curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls, and the personal fulfillment this unlikely relationship ultimately brings to Charlotte's too-short life.

Highly recommended for fans of Jane Eyre.

Title: The Secret Dairies of Charlotte Bronte
Author: Syrie James
Publisher: HarperCollins
2009
454 pages

Zombies & Chickens & Awards, Oh my!

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the Zombie Chicken -- excellence, grace, and persistence, in all situations even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all.


Thank you to my wonderful blog friend, Kim, at Chapter Chit Chat for bestowing the Zombie Chicken Award on my little Slice of Life! I promise, under threat of a zombie apocalypse, to pass this award of excellence on to other bloggers whose posts and book musings inspire and energize me!

First on my list today to receive the Zombie Chicken Award is Lezlie at Books 'N Border Collies. Besides featuring the cutest pups (Skye and Max), her book blog is chock full of interesting links to book-related topics and her writing is informative and concise. I love her plan and mission statement for being a lifelong learner!

I recently discovered Sharon's lovely blog, Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews. It is a very welcoming and peaceful place to visit, as if you have wandered into a secret garden. Her book reviews are excellent -- polished and professional. Treat yourself to a few minutes each day at Sharon's blog.

My favorite genre is historical fiction, and there are so many terrific blogs that specialize in this area. One of my new favorite historical blogs is The Burton Review. Marie writes professional, thorough reviews and makes her blog an enchanting place to visit.

And last but certainly not least, one of the most charming and energetic bloggers that I've had the pleasure of meeting in this book community deserves this award: Reagan at Miss Remmer's Reviews. She's just the most enthusiastic, thoughtful book blogger out there!

So.....there you have it. I will now proudly display this newest token of friendship from Kim and happily pass it along to thank those fantastic bloggers who make this book blogging community so much fun.

Second Sight by Amanda Quick

Late in the reign of Queen Victoria...

"The skeleton lay on an elaborately carved and gilded bed in the center of the ancient laboratory that had become the alchemist's tomb.

The two-hundred-year-old bones were still draped in tattered robes that had been fashioned of what had surely been the most costly silks and velvets. Gloves and slippers embroidered with gold and silver thread shrouded the bones of the hands and feet, giving an eerie appearance of flesh and blood."
p. l, Second Sight by Amanda Quick

My thoughts:

This was an unusual novel, combining elements of mystery and the paranormal in the Victorian era. The heroine of the story, Venetia Milton, is a victim of circumstances. Forced to support her siblings due to her parents' death, her father's scandalous past, and their financial advisor's duplicity, she tries to earn a living as a photographer. She is resigned to the fact that marriage is not an option for a working woman with scandalous family secrets. In addition, Venetia has a few secrets of her own to hide...she has psychic abilities and can perceive an individual's aura.

Good fortune and financial success arrive when she is hired by the mysterious organization, the Arcane Society, to photograph a collection of the society's ancient artifacts. The photographic fee is substantial and society member, Gabriel Jones, is young, handsome, and all alone in the crumbling mansion. During her week- long assignment photographing the secret artifacts, Venetia develops of plan of seduction...she believes the encounter, while being enjoyable, will remain their secret and they will both move on when the assignment is completed.

While enjoying their night of seduction, they are interrupted as intruders attempt to break into the house. Venetia is dragged through a secret tunnel by Gabriel and sent to safety far away from the Arcane Society's mansion. She watches in horror as the mansion goes up in flames.

Saddened by the news that Gabriel Jones has died in the fire, Venetia decides to use the significant fee she received from the society to relocate her family, open her own fashionable portrait studio, and assume the identity of "Mrs. Jones." A widow maintains respectability and much more freedom in Victorian society, and Venetia enjoys her independence. She didn't consider that someone would stop at nothing to obtain the secrets of the society. By assuming the identity of a society member's widow, she has unwittingly put herself in grave danger.

Imagine her surprise when her best-laid plans go awry.

"There was nothing like having a dead husband return from the grave to ruin a fine spring morning."

This was a light, quick read, and it kept me turning the pages. The romance aspect, I thought, was flat and lacked depth and dimension, but the elements of suspense were interesting. This is a series which reveals more of the society's secrets in each installment and I'm anticipating continuing with the series.

4 stars = very good; worth reading

Title: Second Sight
Author: Amanda Quick
2006
301 pages
genre: paranormal mystery

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. If you'd like to play along, please do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

Here's my teaser from The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James:

p. 3

"I have, in my secret heart, long dreamt of an intimate connection with a man; every Jane, I believe, deserves her Rochester -- does she not? Yet I had long since given up all hope of that experience in my own life."

Blogger gremlins?

So sorry if anyone tried to leave a message under a post titled, "The Sounds of Silence." I wrote a post yesterday, but I kept getting an "error" message. I thought it best to delete the post if it was causing a problem...evidently it went through to bloggerland but it is not here on my blog. Must be those little blogger gremlins....

The Arcane Society

I'm always on the lookout for an interesting or unusual series, and I recently discovered Amanda Quick's Arcane Society collection that combines the Victorian period (a favorite of mine), mystery, romance, and the paranormal. The first book in the collection is Second Sight which introduces the Arcane Society, an ancient secret organization devoted to psychic research. I will soon be posting my thoughts about Second Sight, a romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, but in the meantime here are two youtube clips that discuss the series and give the background to the intriguing Arcane Society. There is also an author interview with Amanda Quick (she also writes under the names Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle).






You can also visit the author's website and read the history of the Arcane Society by clicking here.

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

From the publisher:

"East London, 1888 -- a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.

But Fiona's life is shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything--and everyone--she holds dear...."

My thoughts:

The Tea Rose is a sweeping saga featuring star-crossed young lovers Fiona and Joe in Whitechapel during Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. Hopes and dreams, tragedy, terror, suspense, love and loss, revenge, good fortune and triumph are the threads that weave this tale of the indomitable heroine, Fiona Finnegan. I enjoy big, chunky historical novels, and this one takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as she travels from London to New York in her struggle to survive and overcome the adversity in her life. The novel needed some editing as I thought it ran a little long in parts and could have been more concise, but the period details were interesting and the twists and turns of the plot lines were compelling. The reader is a little battle weary by the ending, but it is worth it to stay until the bitter end. Do I love it enough to read the sequel, The Winter Rose? Probably not -- this will be a stand alone book for me. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it lacked that special quality that would have made this otherwise
interesting story a 5 star read. If you've read it, what are your thoughts?

Title: The Tea Rose
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
2007
557 pages

4 stars = Very Good; worth reading