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A review by marci_travels
Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is my favorite of the Glamourist Histories, so far. I don't know if it is because I binge read them and have a solid understanding of Kowal's London and the tiny tiny worlds her characters are forced to live in or if the books are getting wider in scope. Probably both.
The weather is an all-encompassing topic in the summer of 1816 and the Coldmongers are blamed. No one takes the time to understand the science behind the glamourists and it is so much easier to blame other people rather than accepting responsibility for or taking the time to learn how external forces impact present behavior. The story paints a broad brush over the historical events of the early 1800's and skimming along the top, it's a light regency read with dashing heroes, delicate ladies, and women searching for husbands. The cringe worthy race, religion, and class faux pas committed in the book only added to the topics for a book club discussion.
Beyond the surface, I felt as if the book was a clarion call describing the political mess of the United States over the past few years. That a woman would be allowed to testify against her husband is not a construct I believed, but yet another reminder of how far women have come and yet how far we have to go.
The weather is an all-encompassing topic in the summer of 1816 and the Coldmongers are blamed. No one takes the time to understand the science behind the glamourists and it is so much easier to blame other people rather than accepting responsibility for or taking the time to learn how external forces impact present behavior. The story paints a broad brush over the historical events of the early 1800's and skimming along the top, it's a light regency read with dashing heroes, delicate ladies, and women searching for husbands. The cringe worthy race, religion, and class faux pas committed in the book only added to the topics for a book club discussion.
Beyond the surface, I felt as if the book was a clarion call describing the political mess of the United States over the past few years. That a woman would be allowed to testify against her husband is not a construct I believed, but yet another reminder of how far women have come and yet how far we have to go.