Tirzah, Sophia, and Polly are best friends who’ve left boarding school and gone back to very different lives. The year is 1896, and Polly is teaching in an orphanage, Sophia is scouting for a rich husband at the London Season, and Tirzah is stuck acting as an unpaid companion to her grandmother. In a series of letters buzzing with atmosphere and drama, the friends air their dreams, hopes, frustrations, and romances. Can this trio of very different young women—one industrious, one artful, and one in exile—find happiness and love near the dawn of the Edwardian era?
I haven't read many epistolary novels, so I wasn't sure how well I'd enjoy this - how well will I follow the story without descriptions? Given my historical difficulty telling characters apart, how will it go?
Answer: It went very well. The girls are different enough that, even in writing, they're easy to tell apart. The handful of letters and news articles from other people stand out, too. As a Regency romance, it's not hard to tell where the story is going, but the joy is in watching them get there, working together to overcome obstacles even though they are miles apart.
The side characters are fantastic as well, and I was quite reluctant to leave them by the end! If we're very lucky, Sally might continue the series (I hope, I don't have any information). I didn't cry quite as much at this as I did at certain other novels by her, but there were definitely a few tears here and there.
A fantastic read: I'm so glad I tried it out and I can't wait to recommend it to other people.
Yours, From the Tower publishes on the 7th of September, 2023 in the UK (top image) and on the 9th of January, 2024 in the US (lower image). I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment