An ambitious and multifaceted novel that cunningly challenges patriarchy and its consequences.
In Giordano’s debut historical novel, a young aristocrat is whisked away to her new husband’s Caribbean residence, where she discovers that all is not as it seems.
The novel opens in Somerset, England, in 1791. Eliza Hastings is the last unmarried daughter in her wealthy family, as she’s less interested in finding a potential mate than she is in spending time in the library. Her impatient parents arrange a function to which they invite numerous potential suitors, but rather than socialize, Eliza decides to pursue a beautiful moth through the garden. As she does so, she encounters a strange man with “wary green eyes”: Lord Charles Sharpe, a baron and lieutenant colonel of the British Legion. Soon after their first meeting, Sharpe requests Eliza’s hand in marriage, which she uncertainly accepts to get away from her family; they leave for his father’s house in the Bahamas shortly after the wedding ceremony, where Charles plans to put down roots. Even during their passage, something feels wrong. Charles is dismissive of Eliza, and they sleep in separate chambers (although the latter was not uncommon for the aristocracy of the period). Then, after their arrival at their destination, Charles forces himself upon her, finally revealing his violent, domineering character. Eliza is horrified by the presence of slavery on the plantation, and she finds herself a prisoner on the island. Her only pleasure, swimming, is forbidden by Charles, although she regularly disobeys him. Then Eliza’s life changes again when she meets an enigmatic, well-dressed gentleman named Jean Charles de Longchamp, who charms her with his knowledge of literature. In Jean, Eliza finds the possibility of new love and also, perhaps, an opportunity to break free.
This is a compelling series starter with a fascinatingly complex main character. Her driving ambition to escape her patriarchal society’s sexist expectations and experience the world on her own terms proves to be inspiring. Giordano communicates Eliza’s predicament with clarity and elegance: “He represented reason right now when she only wanted to chase after her hazy surroundings, comfortable in wantonness, and her newfound freedom.” Eliza and Charles’ heated conversations about slavery are particularly engaging, as when Eliza says, “I believe that men enjoy dominating others. Whether it is women or their fellow man. There is no moral justification for the trade, and there never shall be.” Charles, however, holds the vile assumptions of his time, gender, and class: “It is the natural order of things, my dear….Do not the strongest animals dominate the weaker ones?” In many respects, Eliza is a woman before her time: a 21st-century progressive feminist who refuses to tolerate Charles’ tiresome 18th-century condescension. This makes for thought-provoking reading; through Eliza’s perspective, readers witness the stark injustices and inequalities of colonial society with clarity. Meanwhile, Giordano produces formal yet amusing descriptive passages that may remind readers of Charlotte Brontë’s work: “An unimpressive corpulent man with red hair stepped forward, possessing ruddy flushed cheeks.” An ambitious and multifaceted novel that cunningly challenges patriarchy and its consequences.Pub Date: Dec. 13, 2022
ISBN: 9798986983400
Page Count: 536
Publisher: Käferhaus Press
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
A boarding-school fantasia, with Hilderbrand’s signature upgrades to the cuisine and decor. Sign us up for next term.
A year in the life of the No. 2 boarding school in America—up from No. 19 last year!
Rumors of Hilderbrand’s retirement were greatly exaggerated, it turns out, since not only has she not gone out to pasture, she’s started over in high school, with her daughter Shelby Cunningham as co-author. As their delicious new book opens, it’s Move-In Day at Tiffin Academy, and Head of School Audre Robinson is warmly welcoming the returning and new students to the New England campus, the latter group including a rare midstream addition to the junior class. Brainiac Charley Hicks is transferring from public school in Maryland to a spot that opened up when one of the school’s most beloved students died by suicide the preceding year. She will be joining a large, diverse cast of adult and teenage characters—queen bees, jealous second-stringers, boozehounds young and old, secret lesbians, people chasing the wrong people chasing other wrong people—all of them royally screwed when an app called Zip Zap appears and starts blasting everyone’s secrets all over campus. How the heck…? Meanwhile, it seems so unlikely that Tiffin has jumped up to the No. 2 spot in the boarding-school rankings that a high-profile magazine launches an investigation, and even the head is worried that there may have been payola involved. The school has a reputation for being more social than academic, and this quality gets an exciting new exclamation point when the resident millionaire bad boy opens a high-style secret speakeasy for select juniors in a forgotten basement. It’s called Priorities. Exactly. One problem: Cinnamon Peters’ mysterious suicide hangs over the book in an odd way, especially since the note she left for her closest male friend is not to be opened for another year—and isn’t. This is surely a setup for a sequel, but it’s a bit frustrating here, and bobs sort of shallowly along amid the general high spirits.
A boarding-school fantasia, with Hilderbrand’s signature upgrades to the cuisine and decor. Sign us up for next term.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316567855
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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