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rhodered's review
4.0
Unlike much of Lisa Mason's previous work, this is not time travel. It is a mystery set entirely in 1896. Mason's exquisite historic research and sheer delight in the every day fascinations of the past, which made her time travel novels so memorable, are center stage here. I was constantly surprised at the details she tossed in, such as the fact that there was a huge popular debate over whether bycicles should have brakes at all, or the fact that it was illegal for women to dress as men.
The truly lovely thing about this research is that it doesn't weigh down the story at all, the way it can in many historic novels. Instead countless everyday facts of times past glitter from every angle, adorning the story like jewelry.
And the story itself is whiz bang! I only guessed who the murderer was about 15 seconds before the book solved the puzzle. Everyone is dashing here and there - from the midwest to China, on trains, horses, steamships, rickshaws, bikes and their own feet. They eat fantastic meals, beat off spider attacks and kung fu masters, explore modern medicine's frontier, become local celebrities, get drunk, defend themselves with elegant weapons, read the encyclopedia, and have sex so good that the female involved always, always comes twice.
So, why not a five? I felt the main character's progress from shy, naive widow to worldly adventurer was too abrupt. No explanation is given of how she can suddenly wield chopsticks and identify a wide variety of handguns without instruction. Also, as she grows, the male lead in our romance is steadily diminished from a dashing hero to a sidekick. I liked the message of feminism, that a woman can be equal to a man in bravery and intellect....but that should not mean the man is made lesser as a result. He is now dr. Watson to her sherlocke, when he had started out much higher.
The truly lovely thing about this research is that it doesn't weigh down the story at all, the way it can in many historic novels. Instead countless everyday facts of times past glitter from every angle, adorning the story like jewelry.
And the story itself is whiz bang! I only guessed who the murderer was about 15 seconds before the book solved the puzzle. Everyone is dashing here and there - from the midwest to China, on trains, horses, steamships, rickshaws, bikes and their own feet. They eat fantastic meals, beat off spider attacks and kung fu masters, explore modern medicine's frontier, become local celebrities, get drunk, defend themselves with elegant weapons, read the encyclopedia, and have sex so good that the female involved always, always comes twice.
So, why not a five? I felt the main character's progress from shy, naive widow to worldly adventurer was too abrupt. No explanation is given of how she can suddenly wield chopsticks and identify a wide variety of handguns without instruction. Also, as she grows, the male lead in our romance is steadily diminished from a dashing hero to a sidekick. I liked the message of feminism, that a woman can be equal to a man in bravery and intellect....but that should not mean the man is made lesser as a result. He is now dr. Watson to her sherlocke, when he had started out much higher.
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