Thursday, October 16, 2008

Julia Quinn 'Mr. Cavendish, I Presume'

It never fails that I just can't wait for PaperBackSwap to send me the latest Julia Quinn. I finally broke down and bought it, full price, at the grocery store. Can you imagine! Well, it was my birthday week so maybe I can be forgiven.

Did I mention my birthday, let's talk about that for a second. I started the day with my 5 year old waking me at 4am, and 5am and 6am. Then on my way to class, (Tuesdays I have to bike), I discovered my bike seat was all wet from the recent rain when it soaked through to my undies. Moments later my shifter actually cracked right off leaving me in a very low gear and feeling like a hamster on a wheel. My Sociology professor had very inconveniently scheduled an exam ON my birthday, the nerve, so I had to take said exam once I finally arrived. After the exam I walked out of the building and looked up and realized it was the MOST gorgeous fall day. I took the five year old out to lunch where there was no whining or screaming. (the kid is on steroids, this is amazing!) When we got back home said angel child went off to play, I grabbed Julia Quinn and sat in the fall sun on my lovely porch and read. Really 38 doesn't get much better. I even managed to finish up the day with drinks with some good friends at a hip and edgy bar. Well, as hip and edgy as Madison gets.

Oh, back to Quinn. I'm happy to report that I have a complaint. Not a complaint really but at least something I can say other than," Goodness, this woman's stories are brilliant." Quinn's endings are never her strong point, usually they suffice since the beginnings and the middles are so completely brilliant. But as long as I'm pretending to review the book; the sex scenes near the end seem to come out of nowhere because there isn't much build up to their desire for each other. We are told that Thomas thinks about Amelia 'that way' but we aren't shown through their own physical experience of their own physical desire. As a result the sudden physicality of their need at the end seems incongruous. Oh, it's nitpicky, no doubt there. I loved that Amelia stayed relatively weak willed, not something I would ever have expected to love, but that's the brilliance of Julia Quinn.

Historical Romance 2008: 5 of 5 bucolic Irish villages.

3 comments:

Kate said...

You know, it's quite funny how much your review system speaks to me...I spent much of today dealing with the word "bucolic." Seriously.

Stewart said...

Happy birthday, Lis!

I don't know too much about romance novels, but commuting by bike for several years in the midwest taught me a thing or two about dealing with the weather.

I recommend keeping a shower cap or plastic bag with a rubber band in your saddle bag. When you park your bike, just slip the shower cap over your seat. This will keep it nice and dry while you are inside learning about societal gender norms!

The gear shifter is a much tougher problem, and I experienced something similar when my cables froze during a particularly chilly morning commute. If you have gloves on, you can physically move the chain onto a new gear, and that can sometimes make the rest of the trip more palatable.

BTW are you commuting on my very first beloved mountain bike, the Trek 820?

Again, happy birthday!

Heloise said...

Kate, just here to serve, and to worship you for commenting on my blog.

Stewart, I just haven't been willing to do the plastic bag cause they look so lame, but the shower cap appeals to me. :)
And YES, I am commuting on your beloved Trek 820! Every time I mention to hubby that I might like a new bike he asks me how many miles I think I've put on that bike. Whatever!

PS. Don't think I haven't noticed your avoidance of my Don't Look Down post!