It has been a slow and lacklustre reading year for me so far. April held a few gems (Caroline Moorehead’s biography of Iris Origo and Elizabeth Bard’s Picnic in Provence stand out) and June has been respectable but otherwise the year has been bleak. I’ve read much-praised new releases and, much to my frustration, been unmoved by them all: The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson… I love all three authors and they all still write beautifully but these books just fell flat for me.
So what exactly have I been looking for? A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley, as it turns out.
I first heard about Kearsley and her historical novels shortly after I started blogging but it wasn’t until 2012 that I first picked up her books for myself. To be perfectly honest, there was still too much reliance on the supernatural (ghosts, inexplicable time travel, etc) for my rational self, but I loved Kearsley’s extraordinary attention to historical detail, her engaging writing style, her level-headed, competent heroines, her fascination with Jacobites…well, in the face of all that, a ghost or two was no great barrier. I read The Firebird with great pleasure when it came out in 2013 (Jacobites! In Russia!) and placed my library hold well ahead of A Desperate Fortune’s release this year, looking forward to learning about Jacobite supporters living in exile on the continent between the uprisings. I expected to enjoy it but did not suspect it would immediately become my favourite of Kearsley’s books (supplanting The Shadowy Horses) and one of my favourite books of the year.
Like most of Kearsley’s books, the story alternates between a historical setting and a modern one. But rather than being linked by the supernatural, the two eras are tied together here by a young woman’s diary. Cue much rejoicing by this skeptical reader. Our modern heroine, Sara Thomas, is an unemployed computer programmer with Asperger’s. At the request of her cousin, she finds herself in France attempting to decode a young woman’s diary from the 18th Century for a social historian, who hopes the diary will contain details of everyday village life and help relaunch his career. Instead, once Sara breaks the cipher, she discovers a breathless adventure featuring spies, assassins, pirates, royalty in exile, and, of course, romance.
While Sara is an admirable heroine (The Globe & Mail reviewer called her Kearsley’s “most endearing heroine to date”), I fell completely for Mary Dundas, the diarist. Born to a French mother and a Jacobite father living in exile in France, Mary was raised by her aunt and uncle following her mother’s early death. She has grown to adulthood with no contact at all from her father and elder brothers, developing into a smart, composed, loving, and very lonely woman. When one of her brother appears and asks her to come live with him and his wife, it seems like the family she has yearned after for so many years has finally come back to claim her. Instead, she soon finds herself living in Paris, helping to conceal a man wanted by the police. When he is betrayed and they find their lives in danger, Mary flees to Rome with a motley crew: an accused thief, a monosyllabic Highlander, and a woman who knows more about Mary’s past than she does herself.
I loved this book so much. The balance between the two eras is perfect and it says much about how appealing Sara is as a protagonist in her own right that I never felt frustrated when the narrative switched from Mary’s story to Sara’s. Sara has her own journey to take, albeit a far less dangerous one, as she attempts to open herself up to new friends and the possibility of a relationship. But it was Mary’s story that left me breathless at points – and not just from the thriller-like pace. There is, let us be frank, a rather dishy love interest for Mary. If you like your heroes protective, quiet, and kilted, have I found a book for you.
As soon as I finished reading, I wanted to start again. And, really, I can’t think of any higher praise for a book.
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sounds interesting.
It is that!
I love the colours on cover page. About writing it does look quite interesting and I think I’m going to grab a copy now.
It’s a very interesting story. I hope you do track down a copy and enjoy it.
I think Mary is my favorite of all of Kearsley’s heroines. I loved this book, too.
Isn’t she wonderful? I don’t think any of Kearsley’s previous heroines even come close.
Thank you, Claire, I, too, have had a lackluster reading year. Many of the new titles promoted have such glowing reviews that I have been disappointed when reading the actual book. My list of titles to be read grows longer and longer and I become more and more discouraged when I actually locate and begin to read the proclaimed book. As a retired librarian I find most of my books in the library. I will begin my quest for Susanna Kearsley today AND I will google “Jacobite” to discover exactly their beliefs…Thank You!! Marcia
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Good luck with your quest, Marcia! Kearsley is a Canadian author so it’s been very easy for me to find her books here. I know not every library system is as well stocked. And enjoy learning about Jacobites – plenty of interesting reading ahead for you!
I just haven’t connected with her books that I have tried, unlike everyone else I know. This makes me feel I should try again!
Until this, I’d really only connected with The Shadowy Horses but this one is definitely a winner.
So happy your slump has been broken! I read a Kearsley a few years back and loved it. Ever since then the rest of her books have been on my “in case I’m desperately in need of a good book, I can count on one of these” list. In fact, I’m thinking I’ll have to consult this list soon. I’ve been trying to read through my physical book shelves before I move again in two months, but I keep finding duds. 😦
Good to find the duds now so you can give them away and save the hassle of lugging them through a move!
This sounds wonderful. I love books that have a ‘piece of writing’ as the connection between past and present. I am so glad you told us about this one. Eager to get my hands on a copy.
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I loved it too! Haven’t read a book by her yet I haven’t loved.
I am already feeling greedy for her next book!
It’s funny, but I’ve had the same experience with rather lackluster reading this year. I read some wonderful books early in the year (like 84, Charing Cross Road and L.M. Montgomery’s A Tangled Web), but the last few months, I seem to have been trudging through a lot of “just okay” books. But my summer reading list includes titles by some favorite authors, so here’s hoping they won’t let me down…
A Desperate Fortune sounds intriguing—I’ve heard Kearsley compared to Mary Stewart, a favorite author of mine, but the fact that most of her books seem to have that supernatural element kept me from being really attracted to them, since I don’t care for that either. Tell me, would you call it a “clean” read? I prefer to stay away from books with a lot of profanity or explicit scenes.
I can see the Kearsley/Stewart comparison and some of Kearsley’s early books have a very gothic/Stewart-esque tinge to them – which I loathe. Her more recent, more historically-focused books are much more to my tastes. And I would definitely call this book a clean read.
This has been on my TBR for ages. I will just have to wait it out to get to this one. Unlikely to appear in my part of the world for a long time. I’ve loved the books I have read of this author. Love the alternating time lines.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that the wait isn’t too unbearably long. You do have a treat in store once you get your hands on it.
Yes, for the most part, my reading has been a bit lack lustre, too. When this happens I return to old favourites (84 Charing Cross Road has been mentioned – an excellent book and an excellent film, too) but I have been reading Francine Raymond’s All my Eggs in One Basket and the sequel, Flying the Coop, both of which are an absolute joy and tell of garden-writer’s home with chickens first in Suffolk and then her move to Kent in Flying the Coop.
A lot of books I’ve started and had great hopes for and then I’ve just gone off them. I won’t mention which, but it’s happened quite a lot this year. Maybe my expectations are just too high.
Having said all that (sorry, cliché) I will put this Kearsley on my List. Not read her before, so might as well start with one with such a glowing review.
It’s always good to have old favourites, like 84, Charing Cross Road, to rely on. Rereading is such a comfort and, for me at least, sometimes the only way to break out of a reading funk.
Did you read Atkinson’s Life after Life? If so, what did you think of it? It’s on my TBR pile and I haven’t opened it up yet.
Read it and loved it. Did not love the companion novel, A God in Ruins, though.
Good to know you liked Life after Life. I’ve had it on top of my TBR pile, and am reluctant as I steer clear of books about WWII, but since so many people liked it, I’ll open it up.
[…] over at The Captive Reader said that as soon as she finished reading A Desperate Fortune she wanted to start it over again! I really enjoy a historical/modern duel narrative when it is […]
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