book review: Daughter of Mystery

[kareina]

I recently set aside my "no fiction in English" rule (which is intended to improve my Swedish by reading in that language) to read Daughter of Mystery, which was written by hrj.

I knew before I picked it up that I would probably like the book--I have been reading her live journal for years and I enjoy her writing style, and I have enjoyed reading her posts about the book in progress (and about the squeal, which has also been published). However, this is a book that I wouldn't have heard about if I didn't have a connection with the author. Why not? Because it is a Romance, and I generally avoid reading Romance novels, so I never hear about them.

In this case, however, while it is certainly published as a Romance, it could well have been published as Fantasy (which genre I have been reading avidly since I discovered it in early high school or Jr. high school). If, like me, you enjoy books with a historical setting, books which are not only well written but use the English language as an art form, books with complex plots, plenty of politics, intrigue, and the literal changing of fortunes than this book is for you. (Mom, you want to buy this book!)

The story sucked me in, and during the couple of days I was reading it it was difficult to put it down to go do the things that I needed to do, and zero progress was made on projects in progress.

My only (minor) criticism of book comes down to the problems I have with all Romance novels: The mono-normative example they tend to set for relationships, usually combined with some major failures on the part of the lovers to communicate with one another. It is typical of the genre that two people meet, feel a growing attraction towards one another, encounter problems that prevent their union, followed by a happy ending wherein they finally declare their undying love for one another.

I, personally, find it frustrating to read the part of any Romance wherein the heroes are failing to communicate with one another, because I place high value on communication. Luckily for me, while this book does, of course, have a component that involves communication issues between the characters, for me they felt fairly minor compared to the over all story-arc, so I spent only a tiny fraction of the book wishing they would just quit being stupid and talk. So if you have been putting off reading this one because it is a Romance you might want to re-consider it.

I know that hrj wrote this book, in part, because she was tired of the hetro-normative stories that are so prevalent in the book publishing industry, and she longed to read books about "people like her". I can sympathize with this feeling, since, as a polyamorous person, I long to read books that show characters who are able to love more than one person at a time, and mange to engage in stable, healthy, happy relationships with multiple people.

However, hrj didn't write this book for me, so while she does show an example of a character who is still on ok terms with an ex-lover, the character also says something to the effect of "but I never loved her", so it misses this one point on my wish list. However, a really high percentage of published books also miss this point, and I am content to enjoy the book for what it is, rather than being disappointed in it for what it is not (while still making my wish out loud, in hopes that others can recommend books that fulfill that point; I know that zzambrose has written books that do feature happy poly relationships, has anyone else?).

If you want to read a well-written and complex story in a historic setting that includes unexpectedly inheriting a fortune (one of my favorite themes, ever!) and lots of fun to read, go get a copy of this book.

Comments

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Thanks for violating your principles for me! :)

I know exactly how you feel about always hoping that a book will hit *your* particular sweet spot on a topic. I can't guarantee that I ever will, but I *can* guarantee that my characters won't all have the same take on love and relationships. And you never know....

(I will quibble on one point only because we're friends -- normally I hold by the principle that you never talk back to a review. What Barbara says is "I wasn't in love with her" not "I never loved her". A nuanced difference, perhaps. If you want a few more details on that, check out "Three Nights at the Opera" available on the alpennia.com page.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making the time to reply! I knew I didn't have the quote right, but neither did I want to take the time to look for it when I didn't remember just when in the story that conversation fell. I will be certain to look for that story, I really want to know more about that episode in her life. Heck, I want more of all of Barbara's back story in general.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

There are a few items in Barbara's back-story that might be fun to write (in the "trauma can be fun" sense). But I dunno. I think I'd rather drop bits and hints and let people imagine for themselves. (You have to leave *something* for fanfic to tackle.)

[kareina.livejournal.com]

...and thanks for reminding me of the short story. I remember seeing it mentioned some time back, but at that point I hadn't yet read the book, so didn't go looking for the story, and then forgot about it.

I just stayed up too late reading it after coming home from a folk dance evening. Enjoyed it very much. Would have enjoyed more details, too--what happened at dinner? In what manner was the Baron informed?...

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Ah, but the secret of good stories is to leave the reader wanting more, not less! Nothing I could have written about that dinner would be as enticing as what your imagination will back-fill from the clues of what came after. Also, I tend to write short stories with a very strong underlying symbolic structure. This story is structured around the three opera nights and the alternation of viewpoints. I *could* have broken that structure to tell other parts of the story, but I like the challenge of the structure, just like I prefer writing poetry in formal meters.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Indeed! My comment wasn't intended as a complaint, nor as a request, but just as a way of letting you know that you succeed in the goal of writing something enjoyable that leaves the reader wanting more.

In other news, my mother tells me that she did, in fact, get the book, and enjoyed it. :-)