Fingersmith (Sarah Waters)

It's been a long time since I read anything by Sarah Waters -- 2009 in fact when I reviewed The Little Stranger. I've been meaning to pick up her other novels, but there is always something new that comes up.  I was reading a magazine a few months ago, and a celebrity whose name escapes me now mentioned that the twist in Fingersmith left her gasping for air. I realized right then and there that I needed to take a break from my other selections and finally devour another Sarah Waters book.

It is absolutely impossible to do justice to Fingersmith's synopsis by trying to put it into words. It is often compared to Dickens's Oliver Twist, but with twist after twist (no pun intended) thrown in. Each of the separate parts is narrated by one of the two leads: Susan is the daughter of a hanged murderess living in a house filled with thieves (fingersmiths). She is talked into becoming the maid for Maud Lilly, a naive heiress who really has no idea how to be one. Susan is tasked by one of the thieves to take part in his trickery of Maud, but do not believe anything because nothing is as it seems.

This is the best I can do with a synopsis. Just read it -- no, devour it. Waters has a gift of making her readers hang on to her every word, then when the rug is eventually pulled out from under us, we have only ourselves to blame. This is a rare 5 rating for 1776books.

MY RATING - 5

This House is Haunted (John Boyne)

It's been awhile since I've actually had goosebumps and been in a constant state of anxiety while reading a book.  Congratulations John Boyne – This House is Haunted is exactly the type of novel one would expect from a title like that.  It's a good old fashioned ghost story set in the 1800s, and even Charles Dickens makes an appearance, however unfortunate.

After going through the unimaginable loss of the only relative she has left in the world, Eliza Caine decides to leave her life in London for a brand new start.  She answers a mysterious ad for a governess in a place she's never been, soon discovering that there are no parents there to meet her, just two children.  When unexplainable things start to happen that threaten her life, Eliza realizes that there is a force in the house that doesn't want her there.  Most people would just run in a situation like this, but Eliza's moral responsibility for the children is just too great.  The house is full of secrets, and Boyne reveals them slowly, delivering punch after punch.

Some reviewers have stated that this book is full of "haunted house" clichés, but I disagree.  Boyne has crafted a highly original and unbelievably scary tale that will keep you up at night.  And isn't that all you can really ask from a ghost story?

MY RATING - 4

Girl in a Blue Dress (Gaynor Arnold)

As I have stated before, historical fiction is above and beyond my favorite genre, especially those that take place in old Victorian England. There is something about the elegance and etiquette of this time period that is second to none. Could you imagine having to present your "card" to a friend's maid to be "announced" to her? When was the last time you wrote a "letter" to your friend instead of a text or e-mail?

Girl in a Blue Dress has fictional characters; however, Arnold states that she drew her inspiration from the family life of Mr. Charles Dickens himself. There seems to be no greater Dickens scholar than she; yet, by her own admission, she took many liberties in extending the truth and filling-in-the-blanks. The novel begins with the end - the funeral of England's most admirable author, Alfred Gibson. He has long been separated from his "widow", Dorothea, the narrator of the story. Dorothea's flashbacks to her happy beginnings with Alfred, the births of many, many children with him, and finally, their painful separation, make up the gist of the novel. However, it is the inner torture of Alfred (as it is with many creative souls) that Gaynor seems to want to make the heart of Girl in a Blue Dress.

It is interesting that I immediately made a comparison in my mind with this novel to The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Both authors should be highly commended for their efforts and incomparable research. However, as with Whicher, I found myself looking at the clock, wanting this to end. It is just too long and wordy, with endless meetings upon meetings between the characters. Dorothea meets with one person for twenty pages to bare her soul, then she meets with another person for twenty pages. If you like novels with great character development, then this is the book for you. However, if you want some sort of plot to go with those characters, I would advise you to look elsewhere.

MY RATING - 4 for effort, 3 for readability