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A review by kamreadsandrecs
The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’ll admit: I was rather excited to get to this book because I remember this being one of my favorites in the Pink Carnation Series. Prior to this reread my memories of it were fond, mostly because I remember adoring Geoff and Letty’s romance.
And I’m glad to say that part of the story held up pretty well! While Letty and Geoff didn’t start off on the right foot, the progression of their romance was still pretty squeeworthy. I liked how Geoff’s gradual realization regarding his assumptions about Letty and Mary was paced across the story, as well as how he made it up to Letty later. And I still adore Letty as much as I did when I first read about her. Part of it is because I can relate to her concerns about worthiness in comparison to her sister, but mostly because I like how practical and level-headed she is. Given her background she had no choice BUT to be level-headed and practical, but when put up against Geoff’s own quieter, steadier qualities as the novel’s plot progresses, well... It’s pretty clear they’re a very good match for each other, and it made me really happy to read Letty get her happily-ever-after.
Speaking of romances, the Eloise and Colin romance also held up about as well as I expected it to when I first read this novel - which is to say, not very well at all. I found myself zipping through their portions to get back to Letty and Geoff, because while their romance DOES move a bit forward in this novel, it doesn’t move forward by very much. So yeah: I just skimmed their parts, and then spent more time on the parts involving Letty and Geoff.
One thing that DIDN’T hold up about this novel, though, was the background for this novel. In The Masque of the Black Tulip there is a scene where Jane discovers that the French spy known as the Black Tulip plans to go to Ireland and cause trouble by encouraging Irish revolutionaries to rise up against England, offering French assistance in the endeavor and thus giving Bonaparte a “back door”, as it were, into England, increasing his chances for a successful invasion. There’s also references to a “Rising in ‘98″ that some minor characters mention in the first third of the novel.
Back when I first read this book, none of that really rang any bells to me. I’d known in a vague sort of way that Ireland had always had a contentious relationship with England, but I was more invested in seeing Geoff and Letty smooch than really understanding what all of that meant. But now, more than ten years later, I know EXACTLY what they’re referring to here: the Rising of 1798. It wasn’t the first time Ireland tried to free itself of English colonization, but this one’s important because its failure, and the social, economic, and political changes England instituted to suppress further revolutionary actions, would eventually lead to the Great Famine (or the Irish Potato Famine) of 1845-1852. So knowing all of that, it was kind of hard to get behind the English characters in this novel, who are intent on suppressing the Irish revolutionaries.
Speaking of, there was a moment in this novel where my eyebrow disappeared into my hairline. It’s in Eloise’s timeline, where she’s talking to someone she’s on a date with (not Colin), and she’s trying to explain to this guy why she’s on the side of the English even though her surname (Kelly) implies she might have Irish ancestry. And this is what she says:
And I’m glad to say that part of the story held up pretty well! While Letty and Geoff didn’t start off on the right foot, the progression of their romance was still pretty squeeworthy. I liked how Geoff’s gradual realization regarding his assumptions about Letty and Mary was paced across the story, as well as how he made it up to Letty later. And I still adore Letty as much as I did when I first read about her. Part of it is because I can relate to her concerns about worthiness in comparison to her sister, but mostly because I like how practical and level-headed she is. Given her background she had no choice BUT to be level-headed and practical, but when put up against Geoff’s own quieter, steadier qualities as the novel’s plot progresses, well... It’s pretty clear they’re a very good match for each other, and it made me really happy to read Letty get her happily-ever-after.
Speaking of romances, the Eloise and Colin romance also held up about as well as I expected it to when I first read this novel - which is to say, not very well at all. I found myself zipping through their portions to get back to Letty and Geoff, because while their romance DOES move a bit forward in this novel, it doesn’t move forward by very much. So yeah: I just skimmed their parts, and then spent more time on the parts involving Letty and Geoff.
One thing that DIDN’T hold up about this novel, though, was the background for this novel. In The Masque of the Black Tulip there is a scene where Jane discovers that the French spy known as the Black Tulip plans to go to Ireland and cause trouble by encouraging Irish revolutionaries to rise up against England, offering French assistance in the endeavor and thus giving Bonaparte a “back door”, as it were, into England, increasing his chances for a successful invasion. There’s also references to a “Rising in ‘98″ that some minor characters mention in the first third of the novel.
Back when I first read this book, none of that really rang any bells to me. I’d known in a vague sort of way that Ireland had always had a contentious relationship with England, but I was more invested in seeing Geoff and Letty smooch than really understanding what all of that meant. But now, more than ten years later, I know EXACTLY what they’re referring to here: the Rising of 1798. It wasn’t the first time Ireland tried to free itself of English colonization, but this one’s important because its failure, and the social, economic, and political changes England instituted to suppress further revolutionary actions, would eventually lead to the Great Famine (or the Irish Potato Famine) of 1845-1852. So knowing all of that, it was kind of hard to get behind the English characters in this novel, who are intent on suppressing the Irish revolutionaries.
Speaking of, there was a moment in this novel where my eyebrow disappeared into my hairline. It’s in Eloise’s timeline, where she’s talking to someone she’s on a date with (not Colin), and she’s trying to explain to this guy why she’s on the side of the English even though her surname (Kelly) implies she might have Irish ancestry. And this is what she says:
“The English behaved horribly in Ireland, but they had their reasons for what they were doing at the time, even if they weren’t what we would consider good reasons. It’s like reading Gone with the Wind,” I tried to explain. “You know that slavery is morally wrong, but while you’re reading it, you can’t help empathizing with the South anyway.”
BIG OOF, especially with that bit about Gone with the Wind and slavery. So...yeah, this part and the bit about the Rising and the Great Famine really put a dampener on my enthusiasm for this novel. Maybe the next one will hold up a bit better?