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witchpoetdreamerI finished the book. I was right in thinking that the SA was useless narratively and just for shock value, but once past it, the book proved to be interesting once again, and surprising!
Early on, there was something I noticed about the book that made me think it might turn out unexpectedly queer. Something in the description of touches between women, a lingering look on them that couldn't be heterosexual in any way, how they notice the warmth, and how long it's been since they've been touched at all. I suspected the book to be about an asexual romance. I might have been right for that, but it turned out to be a lesbian romance! And the main male character, Fabian Carr, ended up not with April McVey but with her boss Mrs. Hart herself!
The story takes turn being from Mrs. Hart's, April and Fabian, points of views, so it was really interesting to see the story evolve from there. It did feel like the coupling between Mrs. Hart and Fabian happened a little bit out of nowhere, but it still made sense overall. The last hundred pages or so read differently than the rest of the book, taking less time to show and more to tell what was happening, so it all felt kinda rushed, but I wasn't entirely disappointed to reach the end, especially since it was better in comparison to the SA scene.
I still maintain that the inclusion of the SA scene was absolutely useless. Not only did it change nothing long term for April, but also she only got reassured by one (1) woman that she didn't do anything wrong, and that's Fabian's sister Felicity with whom she ends up with. And on top of that, Mrs. Hart got real mad at her because what happened supposedly would affect the reputation of her Marriage Bureau? She felt bad about her reaction afterwards but she also never apologized to April either. And then nobody ever spoke of it ever again (besides like, one mention that didn't even do anything to April at all). So yes, absolutely useless, it should have been entirely edited out of the book IMO, because later on, April does feel depressed because she has to move out of the room she rented at Felicity's house and hates where she lives afterwards and that is more than enough to show her being gloomy and not quite herself. Not only would I have removed the SA scene altogether, I would've used the extra pages to add an epilogue that would actually finish the novel rather than end it on somewhat of... not quite a cliffhanger. You just arrive at the end and think "that's it?".
Now, I know the book has a sequel. It's not something I would've known had I not researched the author to know more about her. And, if you've read a previous post of mine about it, you already know I don't like surprise sequels when I read a book expecting it to be a standalone. In this case, it's not that I dislike that it has a sequel (I won't read it regardless), it's that the story of the book is left incomplete because it is assumed that I already know a sequel is coming and that I will seek it out regardless. And that's not true. Not for every books at the very least.
Now, I have an addendum to make: I do dislike sequels, especially surprise sequels. But if there is going to be a surprise sequel, at the very least finish the first book as if there wouldn't be! Complete the narrative! Give it an epilogue!
As a reader and a writer, I not only value good endings, I value if there is an ending at all! What do you mean you get them together and stopped writing? What do you mean you just served the main entree and forbid me from eating it?! What do you mean?!
It just feels so cheap! Cheap and greedy at the same time! "I will trade you barely-an-ending for buy-the-next-book". I refuse to play that game!
(Also, speaking of the ending of the book, this is not a romance novel. It was 100% in the romance novels section, but it should be women's fiction instead (ugh, I hate that term, it's just normal ass literary fiction that doesn't fit in otherwise genre fiction, but it has to be women's fiction becauuuuse?). It fits right in with the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (liked it, the movie was better) and The Paris Library (hated it) and all those other historical novels that have love stories in them. I should let the library know, because if someone were to go into this novel thinking it would be a romance, it certainly doesn't follow any of the romance genre conventions at all. Great for people who don't necessarily like the romance genre conventions, but then, they don't browse the romance section to begin with. When I worked in bookstores, it was one of the things I enjoyed doing: reading books, discovering they do not belong in a certain section, then going through the system to make those changes. Always left me with a feeling that I accomplished something important, making sure that people would find the kind of books they enjoyed in the section they enjoyed browsing the most.)
Tirade over, I started a new book called The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, I'll report about it later!
Early on, there was something I noticed about the book that made me think it might turn out unexpectedly queer. Something in the description of touches between women, a lingering look on them that couldn't be heterosexual in any way, how they notice the warmth, and how long it's been since they've been touched at all. I suspected the book to be about an asexual romance. I might have been right for that, but it turned out to be a lesbian romance! And the main male character, Fabian Carr, ended up not with April McVey but with her boss Mrs. Hart herself!
The story takes turn being from Mrs. Hart's, April and Fabian, points of views, so it was really interesting to see the story evolve from there. It did feel like the coupling between Mrs. Hart and Fabian happened a little bit out of nowhere, but it still made sense overall. The last hundred pages or so read differently than the rest of the book, taking less time to show and more to tell what was happening, so it all felt kinda rushed, but I wasn't entirely disappointed to reach the end, especially since it was better in comparison to the SA scene.
I still maintain that the inclusion of the SA scene was absolutely useless. Not only did it change nothing long term for April, but also she only got reassured by one (1) woman that she didn't do anything wrong, and that's Fabian's sister Felicity with whom she ends up with. And on top of that, Mrs. Hart got real mad at her because what happened supposedly would affect the reputation of her Marriage Bureau? She felt bad about her reaction afterwards but she also never apologized to April either. And then nobody ever spoke of it ever again (besides like, one mention that didn't even do anything to April at all). So yes, absolutely useless, it should have been entirely edited out of the book IMO, because later on, April does feel depressed because she has to move out of the room she rented at Felicity's house and hates where she lives afterwards and that is more than enough to show her being gloomy and not quite herself. Not only would I have removed the SA scene altogether, I would've used the extra pages to add an epilogue that would actually finish the novel rather than end it on somewhat of... not quite a cliffhanger. You just arrive at the end and think "that's it?".
Now, I know the book has a sequel. It's not something I would've known had I not researched the author to know more about her. And, if you've read a previous post of mine about it, you already know I don't like surprise sequels when I read a book expecting it to be a standalone. In this case, it's not that I dislike that it has a sequel (I won't read it regardless), it's that the story of the book is left incomplete because it is assumed that I already know a sequel is coming and that I will seek it out regardless. And that's not true. Not for every books at the very least.
Now, I have an addendum to make: I do dislike sequels, especially surprise sequels. But if there is going to be a surprise sequel, at the very least finish the first book as if there wouldn't be! Complete the narrative! Give it an epilogue!
As a reader and a writer, I not only value good endings, I value if there is an ending at all! What do you mean you get them together and stopped writing? What do you mean you just served the main entree and forbid me from eating it?! What do you mean?!
It just feels so cheap! Cheap and greedy at the same time! "I will trade you barely-an-ending for buy-the-next-book". I refuse to play that game!
(Also, speaking of the ending of the book, this is not a romance novel. It was 100% in the romance novels section, but it should be women's fiction instead (ugh, I hate that term, it's just normal ass literary fiction that doesn't fit in otherwise genre fiction, but it has to be women's fiction becauuuuse?). It fits right in with the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (liked it, the movie was better) and The Paris Library (hated it) and all those other historical novels that have love stories in them. I should let the library know, because if someone were to go into this novel thinking it would be a romance, it certainly doesn't follow any of the romance genre conventions at all. Great for people who don't necessarily like the romance genre conventions, but then, they don't browse the romance section to begin with. When I worked in bookstores, it was one of the things I enjoyed doing: reading books, discovering they do not belong in a certain section, then going through the system to make those changes. Always left me with a feeling that I accomplished something important, making sure that people would find the kind of books they enjoyed in the section they enjoyed browsing the most.)
Tirade over, I started a new book called The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, I'll report about it later!
