The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Vol. 1) by Beth Brower
Fiction
2019
Finished on August 27, 2026
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
“I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.”
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian's. But Emma's plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian's. Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
All my blogging friends have been raving about this series, so I purchased the first volume for my mom last Christmas. She loved it (no surprise there!) and went on to buy the next seven volumes in the collection. She's very impatient, as I'm sure many readers are, to read the ninth volume, which is due out before the end of the year.
I had extremely high hopes for this epistolary work, but it wasn't until the final entries that I felt compelled to move on to the second volume. What should have taken me no more than a day or two to complete took well over a week! I checked in with a couple of friends who echoed my frustration with this book, but assured me that the series does get better. Much better. I hope so, as I have all the remaining volumes stacked and ready to go!
It wasn't until I finished the book that I discovered that the author also wrote The Queen's Gambit. We loved the miniseries and look forward to watching it a second time later this fall.
I've had a lot of blogging/reading friends who have tried this series too. Most seem to love it. A couple not so much. Not sure it's one I would want to start right now, but one never knows. Say 'hi' to your Mom for me!
ReplyDeleteKay, I've started the second volume and I'm really enjoying it! Great humor, which has me chuckling as I read. I'll pass your greetings along to Mom!
DeleteYou're so good that you kept going. It must have felt overwhelming to know you had 8 other volumes waiting for you. I'll be interested to see how far in the series you get.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I'm glad I stuck with it since the second volume is very good!
DeleteSo timely! I recently finished Vol 8. I listened to all of them, and the narrator is excellent - I especially love Archibald Flat and her cousin Arabella on audio. Delightful! But, I decided to go back and read the first volume, since it is so short. And the main jist of the books later is barely there! We only really met young Hawkes the vicar, and barely met the Renter or Jack. Now I have to keep re-reading the books to remember how everything develops. Having the first few books be so short helps you get into them quickly.
ReplyDeleteraidergirl, I've downloaded the first volume and plan to listen to it once I finish my current audiobook. I think it will be good/fun to revisit the book as I move forward with the series. I started Volume 2 a couple of nights ago and I'm enjoying it much better than Volume 1! The subtle humor is marvelous.
DeleteI guess I didn't realize she's the author of Queen's Gambit -- so thx for that. We enjoyed the TV series too. Though i'm not sure I'm drawn to these journals ... though they seem popular.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I only discovered that she wrote The Queen's Gambit when I read her author note at the end of this book. Now that I'm on Volume 2, I'm hooked! I can see why so many readers are enjoying them. But, I'm sure they're not for everyone. Maybe a little too "twee."
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