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A review by meezcarrie
Fair as a Star by Mimi Matthews
5.0
Mimi Matthews has quickly become one of my very favorite authors! Her stories grab you from the very first page, her words pitch perfect as is her sense of time and place. The characters are readily relatable and engaging, despite the centuries that separate us, and you will easily long to spend more time with them when your reading is complete.
Fair as a Star is no exception, and I’m thrilled that it’s the start of a new series of Victorian romance novellas from Matthews. (I also already have strong opinions on which supporting characters in this 1st novella should get their own stories in future installments of the series, too. haha!)
Though by definition, Fair as a Star may be a novella, it will leave your reader sensibilities just as satisfied as if you’d read a longer novel. Beryl & Mark are smartly drawn and well-layered, their longstanding friendship heartwarming, their romance breathtaking. I loved their shared love of Dickens’ and the way that manifested in some of the more tender moments in their relationship. Mark’s integrity, compassion, faith, and honor make him an excellent clergyman, brother, friend, and romantic hero – in fact, setting him a cut above most depictions of all of the above for that era. (He’s super swoony, too! That first kiss! I still haven’t recovered.) Beryl is a quietly courageous heroine with an inner strong will that many don’t notice but that, in fact, has saved both her life and her own compassionate heart.
Speaking of Beryl’s bravery, the focus on what we now know as clinical depression (‘melancholia’) & the stigma associated with it in Victorian times (and sadly still today, in many ways) hits a spot in my soul that many books do not. Beryl is a character I understand on a personal level, and her fight to overcome the melancholia that seemingly overtakes her without rhyme or reason – and to rise above the pain of others’ lack of understanding & sometimes harmful opinions on the matter – is written with great compassion & insight. Mark’s instinctive decision to not try to ‘fix her’ (“He gave her a brief, lopsided smile. “Of course not,” he said. “You’re not broken.”) but instead educating himself on her condition, supporting her as needed, and loving her no matter what endeared him even further to me. And oh please say that Dr. Black has a story coming up soon!
Bottom Line: Fair as a Star is another winner from author Mimi Matthews! Beautiful writing, vivid & engaging characters, and swoony romance share the pages with wit, compassion, and authenticity. The look at depression, living with it as well as loving someone who suffers from it, is done with great sensitivity and empathy, and yet the book still avoids becoming either too heavy or too trite. You will smile, you will swoon, and you will even probably laugh a little. If you haven’t yet read a Mimi Matthews book, this is the perfect one to start with!
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I purchased for my own collection.)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
Fair as a Star is no exception, and I’m thrilled that it’s the start of a new series of Victorian romance novellas from Matthews. (I also already have strong opinions on which supporting characters in this 1st novella should get their own stories in future installments of the series, too. haha!)
Though by definition, Fair as a Star may be a novella, it will leave your reader sensibilities just as satisfied as if you’d read a longer novel. Beryl & Mark are smartly drawn and well-layered, their longstanding friendship heartwarming, their romance breathtaking. I loved their shared love of Dickens’ and the way that manifested in some of the more tender moments in their relationship. Mark’s integrity, compassion, faith, and honor make him an excellent clergyman, brother, friend, and romantic hero – in fact, setting him a cut above most depictions of all of the above for that era. (He’s super swoony, too! That first kiss! I still haven’t recovered.) Beryl is a quietly courageous heroine with an inner strong will that many don’t notice but that, in fact, has saved both her life and her own compassionate heart.
Speaking of Beryl’s bravery, the focus on what we now know as clinical depression (‘melancholia’) & the stigma associated with it in Victorian times (and sadly still today, in many ways) hits a spot in my soul that many books do not. Beryl is a character I understand on a personal level, and her fight to overcome the melancholia that seemingly overtakes her without rhyme or reason – and to rise above the pain of others’ lack of understanding & sometimes harmful opinions on the matter – is written with great compassion & insight. Mark’s instinctive decision to not try to ‘fix her’ (“He gave her a brief, lopsided smile. “Of course not,” he said. “You’re not broken.”) but instead educating himself on her condition, supporting her as needed, and loving her no matter what endeared him even further to me. And oh please say that Dr. Black has a story coming up soon!
Bottom Line: Fair as a Star is another winner from author Mimi Matthews! Beautiful writing, vivid & engaging characters, and swoony romance share the pages with wit, compassion, and authenticity. The look at depression, living with it as well as loving someone who suffers from it, is done with great sensitivity and empathy, and yet the book still avoids becoming either too heavy or too trite. You will smile, you will swoon, and you will even probably laugh a little. If you haven’t yet read a Mimi Matthews book, this is the perfect one to start with!
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I purchased for my own collection.)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower