Book one is done

Alrighty, so we are heading into hour 4 and I have finished my first book.
Finding Anne de Bourgh 

By: Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

Genre: Fiction, Women's Fiction

Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary:

As heiress of Rosings Park, Anne de Bourgh’s health is of utmost importance to her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Thus, following the shock of a recent fire at Rosings Park, the young woman is spirited away to Brighton to take the cure. While her domineering mother is bent on healing her daughter’s sickly constitution to secure her a suitable match, Anne herself is far more concerned with sketching the flora and fauna of the lovely sea town. It is in pursuit of artistic inspiration among the flowers that Anne becomes acquainted with Mr. Owen Talbot, a charming man with whom Anne feels an immediate connection, notwithstanding their differing stations.

But despite their growing esteem for one another, the couple faces an insurmountable problem: Lady Catherine has set her sights on a rich, well-connected man for her daughter, and Mr. Talbot is simply too common. With their love in jeopardy, the couple soon faces far graver problems. There has been a murder in Brighton, and Anne is innocently drawn into an amateur investigation that ultimately traces its roots to her own family. With a frightening foreshadowing regarding the de Bourghs, Anne begins to question whom she can truly trust.

My thoughts:

So this was one that I did thoroughly enjoy the concept of. Anne was never a character I gave much thought to in Pride and Prejudice. To me she was just another obstacle to Darcy and Elizabeth and nothing more. Hinrichsen follows the Austen formula while creating her own characters.

With Anne being so sickly, her mother has determined to bring her to Brighton in order to restore some health before going to London in the hopes of scraping together a match for her. As Anne gains not just physical strength but also inner strength to begin to defy her mother and live life at least somewhat on her terms. Over time she begins to make more decisions to her daily routine and even gasp what unsuitable gentleman she keeps company with.

I liked seeing her gain her voice. My favorite quote from the book is "Be assertive. Follow your heart. Be the woman you want to be." That is some good empowerment right there. She didn't turn into a domineering shrew, she simply became who she was meant to be. A daughter of the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh was NOT meant to be a doormat - not even for her mother. I am so very glad she came to herself and found some backbone. 

My critisims come with spoilers - if you would like them simply highlight between the *** We knew right off the bat who the bad guy was. He has his own chapters trying to explain his motive and we know there is a plot against Anne. I feel like this would have been a MUCH stronger novel had we not known. Let Mr. Lambert b e a Willoughby or a Wickham - someone who at first seems charming but then suddenly is not at all who we thought he was. We did get to see him change sides because of his daughter, but seriously that would have been amazing to have us feel the same betrayal as Anne. Bad editor for not catching and fixing this. Yes there was a little bit of rug pulling with Mrs. Webb but honestly not nearly enough and I was left unsatisfied.***

If you enjoy Austen for the funny wit and biting commentary, this isn't the book for you. If you enjoy Austen for sweet romance and want a light little read, this definitely does the job. I will most likely read something else of Hinrichsen if I come across it. 

Reverse Readathon! Hours 1/2

Hello all!

Oh how I love the Dewey Readathons. The fact that this is a reverse one - more relaxed, and more on my time table (I'm a night owl after all) really makes me happy. I have been listening to The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted for the first couple of hours. I didn't get off work until right when this started.

I haven't prepared for this nearly as well as I have for the past readathons, I don't have snacks, I don't have a stack of specific books to read, I don't know what this is exactly going to look like. I do know that I need to plan a lesson for my church meeting on Sunday and that I will be missing the last hour because I will be picking my parents up from the airport. But this is what I love about the Reverse 'Thons - they are relaxed.

These next couple of hours will have me finishing Finding Anne de Bourgh, The Sisters Mederos...and from there I don't know. I'm currently 8 books behind my goal of reading 75 books this year, so I would say that my biggest goal is to catch up. I also know I will be sleeping on this one. But I'm so happy that I have the chance to set aside some time to just read.

The Get to Know you Questions:

1)What fine part of the world are you reading from today? And what time is it where you are?

I'm reading from SLC UT - It's currently 7:40 PM

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

As my stack doesn't have many books actually planned I don't really know. But I do think I'm going to reread my favorite Dragon Singer and I love that one. 

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? 

GARDEN SALSA SUNCHIPS!!!!

4) Do you have a #reversereadathon plan of attack? 

Nope

5) Are you doing the readathon solo or with others? 

Riding Solo, I've never been able to get this organized with friends I know in person. 

Let's get this going!

The Girls in the Picture

By: Melanie Benjamin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

Summary: An intimate portrait of the close friendship and powerful creative partnership between two of Hollywood’s earliest female superstars: Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. An enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator’s Wife.

Hollywood, 1914. Frances Marion, a young writer desperate for a break, meets “America’s Sweetheart,” Mary Pickford, already making a name for herself both on and off the screen with her golden curls and lively spirit. Together, these two women will take the movie business by storm.

Mary Pickford becomes known as the “Queen of the Movies”—the first actor to have her name on a movie marquee, and the first to become a truly international celebrity. Mary and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, were America’s first Royal Couple, living in a home more famous that Buckingham Palace. Mary won the first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Talkie and was the first to put her hand and footprints in Grauman’s theater sidewalk. Her annual salary in 1919 was $625,000—at a time when women’s salaries peaked at $10 a week. Frances Marion is widely considered one of the most important female screenwriters of the 20th century, and was the first writer to win multiple Academy Awards. The close personal friendship between the two stars was closely linked to their professional collaboration and success.

My Thoughts:

This book came out at such an incredible time. It's a story of the power of women - as most books are by Benjamin. It demonstrates the power that women could claim for themselves, but also the imbalance of power that was/is prevalent within the industry.  I personally didn't know much about the beginnings of Hollywood and to see it here, through the eyes of some of the most influential women in the industry, delighted me. I had no idea the female collaboration behind the beginning of the movies. The friendship and power between Marion and Pickford was refreshing and enjoyable to read.

Benjamin poured herself into this book. She meticulously researched the topic and brought her usual depth to all characters involved. She created a world I didn't want to leave and this book was almost impossible to put down. 

This is a definite must-read for anyone who loves the movie business and seeing how it developed, from the evolution from flickers to talkies, to seeing the rise of some of the studios we know today. There were also appearances by the likes of Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplain. This was a novel steeped in detail that brought true color to the era of back and white movies.

I can't recommend this book enough. I've put it down to be read for book club and have told so many friends that if you could only read one historical novel from 2018 it really needs to be this one!