Scan barcode
A review by bhavani
Dark Desires by Eve Silver
3.0
Rating: 3.5 stars
One of the first things I thought of when I started reading the book was who drew the anatomical renderings of the human body in the 19th century. Based on what I know of the century, drawing is considered a female accomplishment. If this is the case, did anatomists hire male or female artists to draw for them if they couldn't do it themselves? Is this another case where women drew these observations, got paid a measly sum, and was left out of medical history, as women so often are? Did these anatomists ask their female family members to do it for them? I need to lookup more information on the history of medical sketch artists.
I like that Darcie saved her life by sewing the wound on her hand and accidentally pouring alcohol on it, preventing her from getting an infection and dying without adequate medical care. Not that adequate medical care during this period would have helped her, given that not many people knew or accepted hygienic practices to prevent infections.
The book's funniest moment is when Darcie decides to investigate the two men carrying a trunk to the carriage house and discovers they are carrying linen and contraband French brandy. Their interaction made me laugh out loud. It's a misunderstanding of epic proportions.
There were just two things that annoyed me. Why did Darcie lean against the carriage house wall and sink against the doorsill every time she was overwhelmed by Damien's presence? This seems to me like an overreaction.
Reading Dark Desires reminded me of gothic romances popular in the 1800s, which led Jane Austen to make references to it in Northanger Abbey. Except in Dark Desires, the heroine is not a gently-bred country girl. There's a good reason why she is so fearful of the outside world and finds it hard to trust others. With incomplete information from people warning her against Damien and having lived on the streets where every movement is to be feared, is it any wonder why her imagination runs amok?
One of the first things I thought of when I started reading the book was who drew the anatomical renderings of the human body in the 19th century. Based on what I know of the century, drawing is considered a female accomplishment. If this is the case, did anatomists hire male or female artists to draw for them if they couldn't do it themselves? Is this another case where women drew these observations, got paid a measly sum, and was left out of medical history, as women so often are? Did these anatomists ask their female family members to do it for them? I need to lookup more information on the history of medical sketch artists.
I like that Darcie saved her life by sewing the wound on her hand and accidentally pouring alcohol on it, preventing her from getting an infection and dying without adequate medical care. Not that adequate medical care during this period would have helped her, given that not many people knew or accepted hygienic practices to prevent infections.
The book's funniest moment is when Darcie decides to investigate the two men carrying a trunk to the carriage house and discovers they are carrying linen and contraband French brandy. Their interaction made me laugh out loud. It's a misunderstanding of epic proportions.
There were just two things that annoyed me. Why did Darcie lean against the carriage house wall and sink against the doorsill every time she was overwhelmed by Damien's presence? This seems to me like an overreaction.
Reading Dark Desires reminded me of gothic romances popular in the 1800s, which led Jane Austen to make references to it in Northanger Abbey. Except in Dark Desires, the heroine is not a gently-bred country girl. There's a good reason why she is so fearful of the outside world and finds it hard to trust others. With incomplete information from people warning her against Damien and having lived on the streets where every movement is to be feared, is it any wonder why her imagination runs amok?