Giveaway : Free Printable November 2023 Calendar

November 2023, free printable calendar

...One of those days...
Actually is one of those weeks I feel like nothing is really interesting to me.
I started 3 books ( one at the time ) and I've abbandoned them after few chapters, so I don't have any review to post.
But since I needed something to do to kill my frustration, I 've already prepared the free printable calendar for next month.

HERE YOU ARE, click on the preview image and then download it :-). ENJOY !

You can also use it as a bookmark if you print it in a smaller size (for example in postcard format).

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
November 2023 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

In Italy we have only one day of celebration: November 1st.
In other countries November 2nd is also a public holiday and so I put a smaller star to highlight the day.

Wishing you a funny Halloween and a wonderful November.

Book review : Troubled Bones by Jeri Westerson

Troubled Bones
Crispin Guest Book 4
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Superb !! 5 full stars !

( I'm an Italian reader, please be lenient with my English text, it's not my native tongue )

This is the 4th book of "Crispin Guest series" and if on the one hand I was excited to start reading it , on the other hand I didn't know what to expect.
I rated the previous 3 books 5 stars (  but I'm not someone who easily gives 5 stars ) and it's not always easy for an author to maintain the same level and continue to amaze the reader...BUT SHE DID IT, Jeri Westerton amazed me one more time with a gripping mystery of hers ! 

___ THE PLOT ___ This time we have a new scenario, the scene moves from London to the city of Canterbury, where Archbishop Courtney has asked Crispin, a former knight now in disgrace, to carry out a very important task: to protect the relics of England's most famous saint: Thomas Becket.
Crispin, who has been known as the Trucker ( a sort of detective ) for two years,  must also find out some heretics hidden among the monks.
 Crispin will find himself faced with a den of secrets and lying people and the resulting murder is as inexplicable as it is heinous.
Stuck in Canterbury with his protégé Jack and a group of pilgrims, Crispin will also find an old and dear friend: Geoffrey Chaucer ,the poet of King Richard II

__THE GENIALITY OF THE AUTHOR __   Once again holy relics are involved in the plot, so where's the news?
The novelty is not only in the change of city as a background scenario, but also the fact that in this adventure and investigation, in addition to important historical figures, we find also some characters involved as suspects and/or witnesses took  from an important English classical work (Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer )


__HISTORICAL FIGURE  IN THE BOOK ___
_ Geoffrey Chaucer, close friend and spy of the Duke of Lancaster  and  poet of King Richard II.He's best known for The Canterbury Tales and called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry".
  _ William Courtenay archbishop of Canterbury, vigorous leader of the English church and moderating influence in the political disputes of King Richard II of England.
_ Dom Thomas Chillenden,  treasurer in Canterbury cathedral and then prior of Christchurch priory
_  Saint Thomas Becket martyr relics -->   He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his tragic murder in 1170. The book also explain of his conflicts with the crown and how his murder took place and by whom
_ John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, uncle of King Richard II and founder of the House of Lancaster.

____ FICTIONAL CHARACTER from CANTERBURY TALES __ I will not list the characters taken from Chaucer's famous classic work, I will only say that being Italian I had no idea what the "Canterbury Tales" are (I had only heard this title on several occasions) nor who the characters are and I realized the whole thing only later, by searching general info about the poem on web.

In the start of the story, Crispin and Jack meet a group of people on a pilgrimage, during a  dinner in the inn where everyone was staying  for some days (imagine a group trip nowadays, who stay in the same hotel and who obviously have dinner together in the evening... it was very funny and this is also a novelty in the adventures of our former knight).

In the animated conversation, each character's name and profession are told and since some professions no longer exist, it was by looking in the dictionary put by the author at the end of the book that I recognized the same professions that I had read on Wikipedia, looking for info on Canterbury Tales and its characters.

Now, you could also be completely uninterested in Chaucer and his poem, but I assure you that you will enjoy a very good mystery the same, because it is very well thought out and the suspense lasts until the end.
But if you are interested in history and literature, then you will be doubly fascinated by this read!

Each character has a personal background and we find both Crispin's allies and villains who will hinder him and the plot written by the author is gripping!

__ MAIN CHARACTERS __ some other innovations from the author:
 Jack is growing and changing not only in his body but also in his emotions.
At almost 13 years old, like all teenagers he needs to feel appreciated and reassured. He also  has his first crush.

The relationship between the Tracker and his protégé is further consolidated here and Crispin finds himself in the same questions as all inexperienced parents.
There also comes greater responsibilities at work for Jack, who will find himself facing a new challenge, just like what happens in all of our lives.

The emotional growth of the characters and the progression of their personal stories, amidst many daily difficulties, makes all almost real and tangible.

The characters are not perfect and each time , over the course of the books, they mature new important decisions and new concepts of life, through their own mistakes and the vicissitudes of those around them.Each of us, for one reason or another, could recognize ourselves in Crispin or Jack and that's what makes us love them even more!

___ WHY DO I LOVE THIS SERIES? __ it offers much more than a simple investigation, it has everything I'm looking for:
1__ Mysteries that are difficult to solve and which involve the reader through continuous clues, twists, theories and testimonies. There is never a dull moment.

2__ There is a lot of history and it is always told through ongoing events, in a tantalizing way, which will make you want to know even more.

3__ The characters are human in every sense, they have strengths and weaknesses and even when things end well, there is never an extremely perfect ending (and you might ask yourself: oh no! Why?? ...but I assure you that some seconds after you will realize: it was the right thing!)

4__ Each Guest adventure addresses a theme and there is always a moral lesson that you can learn or stop and consider for a few minutes.

5__ The atmosphere of every place and every conversation is conveyed so well by the writer through her words that every time I feel like I am exactly on the scene together with the characters.

6__ There is no romance involved in a love story, but Crispin is 31 years old and obviously not immune to female charm. His casual adventures (i.e. sexual encounters) are never too explicit and never vulgar.

7__ The 6 points above are packed with great entertainment and sense of humor.
In fact, the reading is smooth and the funny jokes (never too many and never too few) not only make me smile while I read, but make me feel Crispin and Jack like my dear friends, who I can't wait to see again and spend more time together.

------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about BOOK#1 - BOOK#2 and BOOK#3, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns" :

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment" :


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Giveaway : Romantic Ballerina Bookmark

A freebie for you : a cute Romantic "Ballerina" Card and Bookmark

Hello everybody ! :-D

This is a romantic graphic design scene I created for my print on demand shop ( for now I've had it printed on cushions, but soon I'll also make mugs and sweatshirts) and here I want to share it with you, to print a card and a bookmark for free.

CLICK ON THE PREVIEW IMAGE and then DOWLOAD IT FOR FREE

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
Romantic Ballerina Card
Size 700 x 700

The scene shows a classical dancer reading what looks like a love letter. Next to the drawing are some romantic verses by the poet Robert Creeley.

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
Romantic Ballerina Bookmark
Size 300 x 700

I konw it's almost Halloween and perhaps it would have been more appropriate to publish bookmarks with Halloween images (which I already prepared a month ago because I printed them on breakfast mugs), but Halloween is not a holiday that I like too much and I prefer romantic or cute drawings... but who knows ...maybe next days I'll change my mind.

I hope you will enjoy it. :-)

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice day !


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Book review : Mysterious Lover by Mary Lancaster

Mysterious Lover
Crime and Passion Book 1
by Mary Lancaster
My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars

It has been a very enjoyable mystery-romance read !
I would re-read it in my future and that I would recommend it to a friend with my same book genre's tastes.

I was undecided whether to read a mystery with a gothic flavor or a beautiful love story that would involve me and make me dream, when I saw the series title: "Crime and Passion" I thought it was the right mix I was looking for and the cherries on the cake was a character different from the usual duke or bow street runner: a Hungarian soldier and doctor, political refugee, after the Hungarian revolution of 1848 (and the cover with him wearing his uniform also charmed me)... intriguing !! :-D

It turned out to be the right choice.

__THE PLOT ___ We are in London in 1851. The story opens almost immediately with an inexplicable murder: the maid of a rich family, murdered near the opera house, while she should have been at home doing her job. Next to her is a precious dagger and the 2 main characters of the story meet themselves, for the first time, at the crime scene:
Lady Grizelda, daughter of the maid's employer and the first to discover the body and Dragan Tizsa, a soldier in the Hungarian revolution, now a political refugee in England, employed as an assistant doctor.
The first thought of both is that the other is the culprit, but logic says otherwise. Unfortunately in the past (and perhaps even nowadays) the less well-off classes are those immediately accused by the law, while the rich... you know how it is!
Now each of the 2 characters has a personal reason to find the culprit.

___ THE CHARACTERS and WHY I LOVED THEM TWO __
I liked the characters straight away due to the fact that neither of them is the usual "winner" in society, but neither of them isolates themselves from the world or gives up, both do their best to live with dignity and to give dignity to the less fortunate.

It is true that Lady Grizelda is the rich daughter of a very important duke in the high society circle, but despite her privileged situation, she is a girl who usually remains in the shadow of her more charming sisters and brothers.
Griz, 24 years old, does not stand out for her beauty and wears glasses, which was considered a disadvantage in frivolous aristocratic society, especially during the events of the season, in finding a husband. However, this does not affect her vitality and her spirit, in fact she doesn't feel like an outcast at all, on the contrary she is dynamic, intelligent and really enterprising.
She doesn't cry over the fact of remaining a spinster, she decide to be a spinster for the rest of her life by embracing its advantages: independence (of course thanks also to the allowance of a rich family), dedicating herself to reading and knowledge and above all giving herself the opportunity to look at the world with different eyes from those of her former society: without social class barriers and helping those who were less fortunate than her.

Dragan on the contrary, possesses the beauty that everyone notices at first glance, but he is a political refugee, he has lost everything: homeland, family, friends and the possibility of completing his studies at university and creating a future for himself.
He has never been rich, although belonging to a noble family of lesser rank, but he does not use his beauty to take rich women into his bed, on the contrary he works as a doctor's assistant and has no illusions about a love life and wedding, because he does not earn enough to create and support a family.
However, he fights for his ideals, for freedom of thought, for everyone's right to vote and to help other refugees.

---> The attraction that immediately arises between them is not just an aesthetic fact, it is an affinity that they feel as together they ask questions around, look for clues, get into dangerous situations and get each other out of trouble during the adventure of an escape at breakneck speed.

___ A GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN MYSTERY AND ROMANCE__ the mystery is well thought and if at the beginning it took me a few chapters to feel taken by the investigations and the romance, after the first 20% of the book, I was completely immersed in reading and I savored any new discovery about the circumstances that led to the murder and the alleged perpetrators.

The possible hypotheses are numerous and all plausible. Suspicions fall on different people from time to time, which always left me in suspense while reading and wanting to guess myself who the murderer was and why.

The real culprit will truly be a surprise, a twist that I would never have imagined and which gave a touch of originality to the story !

As for the love story, it grows slowly but steadily and although there are no hot scenes, the agitation of the soul, the thought focused on the desire for the other and on the desire to spend more time together, the acceleration of the heartbeat, the excitement that comes from the birth of a feeling that brings new life into the lives of both , the sudden kisses that defy the rules of social classes, managed to excite me and make me feel the butterflies in the hero and heroine's stomachs.

The only one small and not too explicit sex scene is in the final part of the book, so even if the series is called "crime and passion" I would define it as a cozy mystery-clean romance ( well cozy and clean except that very short sex scene ), so nothing bloody or shocking and no hot sex scenes between lovers.
That is my favorite genre and I really liked it, but of course those who are seeking for stronger emotions will have to look elsewhere.

___ IS THERE ALSO A HISTORICAL PART? __ As I have already said, we are in 1851 and the book mentions the Hungarian revolution. Apart from this, there are no historical notions included in the novel, which I usually appreciate a lot.

However, the author manages to make the reader feel the atmosphere of the time.
The mean alleys, the flower sellers in Covent Garden, the prostitutes and their brazen and derisive way of speaking, the well-furnished living rooms and the parade of guests with bows and smiles, the false flattery of the world of the rich, the dedication of the servants and the desire to be able to rise in rank by moving from the class that serves to the one that is served... these are all well-described details that help the reader to enter perfectly into the setting of that time.

The series offers, so far, 3 other books and a Christmas novella.
Each book finds Dragan and Griz as detectives ( ___WARNING : SPOILER__[ who became husband and wife ]___SPOILER END, but focuses the romantic story on another couple (friends or relatives of Dragan and Griz).

I will DEFINITELY read the other books in the series and I really hope that the writer continues this saga by adding new adventures and refocusing the love interest on the couple Griz and Dragan. :-)

__ A FINAL NOTE ABOUT MY REVIEW : I'm from Italy and English is not my mother tongue, I tried my best but please forgive me for any grammar or form errors in my text )

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Book review : Murder on the Occident Express by Alex Wagner

Murder on the Occident Express
by Alex Wagner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice, but I was expecting it a little bit more engaging, I have to admit it.

The reference to Agatha Christie, the train, the snow in the surrounding landscape... made me imagine a fascinating scenario and if the author was good at inventing a mystery completely different from that by our great Agatha, however she was unable to make it 100% captivating and engaging.

___ THE PLOT __ Penny Küfer, aspiring private detective, has just completed her first week of detective training.
After being disinherited by her mother and abandoned by her boyfriend, she has only one consolation left: the much-dreamed-of trip on the Occident Express, the most luxurious train that has ever traveled the European rails.
On the train we find also the owner of the train itself, Mrs. Madeleine and her family. It's clear right from the start that the rich members of the family hate each other, but when the first to die, does it so right before Penny's eyes... she takes the opportunity to investigate.

___ THE MAIN CHARACTERS___ Well, I liked Penny.
Very young, around 20 years old, she's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and live her life without her mother's money and pursuing her dreams. She is nice and enterprising, but she doesn't pretend to be the bravest or smartest, she simply tries to do her best and puts passion into what she does.

The male counterpart for half the book is the good doctor who together with her ascertains the cause of the deaths and formulates the first hypotheses, in the second part of the book we have the charming inspector, also in his early twenties and new to the profession.
I also liked the inspector, who is not the classic policeman who thinks he knows everything and doesn't want detectives around. He lets Penny help him.

___ WHY ONLY 3 STARS ___
As I was saying the inspector lets Penny help him, BUT HERE I have to blame the author: Penny practically does everything and the author could have left some of the interrogations and intelligent deductions to the detective.

1) It is neither credible that Penny, without any experience, discovers the whole truth on her own and acts with self-confidence, nor that the inspector doesn't even ask a question, leaving Penny to do it.

2) I myself had got from the beginning how (through what) the first two murders had occurred.

3) halfway through the book I had already rightly hypothesized who the culprit could be (only 3 suspects remained and 2 were too obvious to be, they would have immediately been investigated by the police).

4) In the last chapters Penny explains "how and why" the crime was committed, but it was already clear from all the author's explanations and from all Penny's explanations to the inspector, so it is a useless repetition.

5) I expected Penny and the young inspector she feels attracted to, to have at least a small romantic exchange.

___ CONCLUSION ___ The book entertained me for a couple of days, it wasn't a bad introduction to Penny's character, but I would have preferred to have a little more suspense.
Speaking of Penny's next adventures, already available in English up to number 7, I hope for more intricate mysteries and also in a love development with the young and charming inspector.

Available in German or English Edition only

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Book review : A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

A Fatal Waltz
Lady Emily Mysteries #3
by Tasha Alexander
My rating: ★★★★★
Actually 4.5 of 5 stars

Another great mystery in this lovely Victorian setting series !

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander starts a little slow but after two chapters it will involve you completely.

Indeed after the characters introduction and the arrival in Vienna, the glittering capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it gets straight to the heart of the intrigue.
I found myself totally immersed in the the nineteenth century's Vienna, thanks to the amazing descriptions of places, fabulous buildings, joyful and at the same time problematic events of that era.

This book made me want to listen to the Strauss waltz, making research on the web about period pictures and lithographs and to read even more about the different historical facts about Vienna happened at that time .

_____ THE PLOT _____ This is the 3rd installment in the series "Lady Emily Mysteries" , but well readable as a standalone.
This time Emily reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of Lord Fortescue, a man she finds as odious as he is powerful.

In an already unbearable context, Emily finds among the guests Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess who was once linked romantically with Emily's fiancé, the debonair Colin Hargreaves.
What Emily believes will be an awful evening turns worse when Fortescue is found murdered and Robert Brandon, the husband of Emily's best friend Ivy, is arrested for the crime.

Determined to right this terrible wrong and clear Robert's name, Emily begins to dig for answers, a quest that will lead her from London's glittering ballrooms to the salons of the court of Vienna and also to the capital's sordid backstreets. Not until she engages a notorious anarchist in a game of wits does the shocking truth begin to emerge.

____ INTRICATE MYSTERY WELL DESIGNAD BY THE AUTHOR ____
This was an easy, fun read with glimpses of deeper stuff below the surface.
The mystery is compelling as it is not a simple murder but as often happens in this series, politics and espionage are expertly mixed with events that touch Emily's personal life and affections.

In my opinion, this is also the charm of the detective stories in this series: while we are entertained by the mystery, the author manages to introduce in a captivating way historical and political facts that actually happened and which entice us to find out even more.

Following the investigations, it comes naturally to me to formulate my suppositions, but I can never guess the killer's motivations and therefore the killer himself until the very end. So if you are a puzzle lover you will find your entertainment here.

___ A LITTLE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE ___ There is nothing better than an ex-love to make things more complicated even in the most beautiful and supportive relationship.
As a woman, while reading I couldn't help but detest Countess Von Lange, who like all ex-great loves, tortured Emily by reminding her how much power she had over Colin's emotional side and threatening her every time to take her beloved back. I felt close to Emily and I was jealous with her, I suffered with her and I felt a great satisfaction when... oops, no... you have to read the book!

______ THE CHARM OF THE HISTORICAL PART ____ In this book Sissi's lovers will be delighted by the appearance on the scene of the famous historical character, represented at a moment in life when beauty had already faded, partly due to time, partly due to personal pains, but her elegance and charm were always present.

Another historical figure present in the book is the famous Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, whose painting "The Kiss" is known throughout the world, even to those who know nothing about painting.

As it is written at the back of the book, in the author's notes, Vienna at that time was a city ahead of its time, a sophisticated place, the scene of great cultural, political and intellectual ferment. The city of Strauss' waltzes, with its austere and glittering beauty, was an obligatory stop on the Grand Tour, the journey that most of the young European aristocrats made.

Sisi, young empress and after the mourning for her son
The famous painting by G. Klimt "The Kiss"

At those times the ballrooms held up to two thousand people, who drank almond milk, lemonade and hundreds of bottles of champagne.
The Ringstrasse, with its dreamlike atmosphere, enchanted all who traveled it.

However, in all this splendor and innovation (like the facade of the Court Theater illuminated by four thousand electric lights), Vienna, like any great capital, also had a dark side:

_ anti-Semitism and poverty were rampant and the suicide rate was the highest in the entire continent. and often, in the morning, the city's many night owls started the day with the impressive account of yet another suicide.

In that wonderfully complicated city, Lady Emily for the first time in her life, has the opportunity to meet and make friends with people who do not belong to her social class and are not members of her servants.
In Victorian era rich people and aristocrats lived in their own gilded world and did not see the poverty and disease of the lower classes with their own eyes, they only knew those terrible living conditions of the poorer only through reading.
When Emily arrives in this beautiful snow-covered city, she can't help but fall in love with its beauties: the Ringstrasse, the balls, the museums, the opera, the cafés... However, facing the difficulties of some people who lived in extremely disadvantaged conditions, she cannot remain insensitive and begins to develop a social conscience and this is another theme that I really liked, i.e. opening our eyes to realities different from ours (also valid for today's society).

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** ------------- **
LIBRO disponibile anche in EDIZIONE LINGUA ITALIANA, leggi la mia recensione !

Un valzer fatale by Tasha Alexander

Un altro grande mistero in questa adorabile serie di ambientazione vittoriana!

A Fatal Waltz di Tasha Alexander inizia un po' lentamente ma dopo i primi due capitoli vi coinvolgerà completamente.

Infatti, dopo l'introduzione dei personaggi e l'arrivo a Vienna, la scintillante capitale dell'Impero austro-ungarico, si arriva dritti al cuore dell'intrigo.
Mi sono trovata totalmente immerso nella Vienna dell'Ottocento, grazie alle straordinarie descrizioni di luoghi, favolosi edifici, eventi gioiosi e allo stesso tempo problematici di quell'epoca.

Questo libro mi ha fatto venire voglia di ascoltare il valzer di Strauss, di fare ricerche sul web per leggere ancora di più riguardo ai diversi fatti storici accaduti a Vienna in quel periodo e poter vedere foto, quadri e litografie dei personaggi dell'epoca e di com'era la città allora.

_____ LA TRAMA _____ Questo è il terzo capitolo della serie "Lady Emily Mysteries", ma è ben leggibile come libro autonomo.
Questa volta Emily accetta con riluttanza di partecipare a una festa nella vasta tenuta di campagna inglese di Lord Fortescue, un uomo tanto odioso quanto potente e che non perde mai occasione di punzecchiare Emily ( l'antipatia è infatti reciproca ).

In un contesto già insopportabile, Emily trova tra gli ospiti Kristiana von Lange, una contessa austriaca un tempo legata sentimentalmente al suo fidanzato, l'affascinante spia Colin Hargreaves.
Quella che Emily crede sarà una serata terribilmente noiosa, peggiora quando Fortescue viene trovato assassinato e Robert Brandon, il marito della migliore amica di Emily, Ivy, viene arrestato per il crimine.

Determinata a correggere questo terribile torto e a riabilitare il nome di Robert, Emily inizia a cercare risposte, una ricerca che la porterà dalle scintillanti sale da ballo di Londra ai salotti della corte di Vienna e alle sordide stradine secondarie dei quartieri malfamati. Solo quando ingaggia un noto anarchico in un gioco d'ingegno la scioccante verità comincia a emergere.

______ UN MISTERO INTRICATO BEN PROGETTATO DALL'AUTRICE _____ Questa è stata una lettura facile e divertente con scorci di "qualcosa di più profondo" sotto la superficie.
Il mistero è avvincente in quanto non si tratta di un semplice omicidio ma come spesso accade in questa serie, politica e spionaggio sono sapientemente mescolati con eventi che toccano la vita personale e gli affetti di Emily. Questo a mio avviso è anche il fascino dei gialli di questa serie: mentre veniamo intrattenuti dal mistero, l'autrice riesce ad introdurre in maniera accattivante fatti storici e politici realmente accaduti e che ci invogliano a saperne ancora di più.

Ogni volta che leggo un giallo, seguendo le indagini, mi viene spontaneo formulare delle supposizioni, ma nei libri di Tasha Alexander non riesco mai a intuire fino all'ultimo le motivazioni dell'assassino e quindi l'assassino stesso, perciò ti dico: se sei un amante dei puzzle, questo ti piacerà!

___ UN PO' DI SUSPENSE ROMANTICA ___ Non c'è niente di meglio di un ex amore per rendere le cose più complicate anche nella relazione più bella e solidale.
Come donna, durante la lettura non potevo fare a meno di detestare la contessa Von Lange, che come molti gli ex-grandi amori, si divertiva a torturare Emily ricordandole quanto potere avesse ancora sulla parte emotiva di Colin e minacciandola ogni volta di riprendersi il suo amato.
Mi sentivo vicino ad Emily e soffrivo con lei, provavo quel pizzico di gelosia normale per tutti insieme a lei e ho provato una grande soddisfazione quando... ops, no... devi leggere il libro! :-)

Il rapporto d'amore, tra Emily e Colin si sviluppa in maniera abbastanza moderno per l'epoca vittoriana, ma rimane comunque coerente con quell'epoca sotto molti aspetti, dunque non c'è nulla che stoni con l'intera lettura, anche se non è il rigido cliché di coppia a cui siamo abituati nella lettura di libri calssici.

______ IL FASCINO DELLA PARTE STORICA ____ In questo libro gli amanti di Sissi rimarranno deliziati dall'apparizione sulla scena del celebre personaggio storico, rappresentato in un momento della vita in cui la bellezza era già sbiadita, in parte a causa del tempo, in parte a causa di dolori personali , ma non la sua eleganza, presente in ogni momento.

Un'altra figura storica presente nel libro è il famoso pittore austriaco Gustav Klimt, il cui dipinto "Il bacio" è noto in tutto il mondo, anche a chi non sa nulla di pittura.

Sissi giovane e dopo il lutto _ Il quadro di G. Klimt "Il bacio"

Come scrive l'auttrice nell'epilogo, Vienna a quel tempo era una città in anticipo sui tempi.
La capitale austriaca, la città dei valzer di Strauss, con la sua bellezza austera e scintillante, era un luogo sofisticato, teatro di grande fermento culturale, politico e intellettuale ed era una tappa obbligata del "Grand Tou"r, il viaggio che compiva la maggior parte dei giovani aristocratici europei.

A quei tempi le sale da ballo contenevano fino a duemila persone, che bevevano latte di mandorla, limonata e centinaia di bottiglie di champagne.
La Ringstrasse, con la sua atmosfera da sogno, incantava tutti coloro che la percorrevano.

Tuttavia, nonostante questo splendore e la grande modernità (come la facciata del Teatro di Corte illuminata da quattromila luci elettriche), Vienna, come ogni grande capitale, aveva anche un lato oscuro: l'antisemitismo e la povertà erano dilaganti e il tasso di suicidi era il più alto in tutto il continente, tanto che spesso, al mattino, i tanti nottambuli di turno iniziavano la giornata con il resoconto impressionante di un eennesimo suicidio

In quella città meravigliosamente complicata, Lady Emily, per la prima volta nella sua vita, ha l'opportunità di incontrare e fare amicizia con persone che non appartengono alla sua classe sociale e non fanno parte della sua servitù.

In epoca vittoriana i ricchi e gli aristocratici vivevano in un loro mondo dorato e non vedevano povertà e malattia delle classi meno abbienti con i proprio occhi, essi conoscevano le terribili condizioni di vita delle classi più basse solo attraverso la lettura.
Quando Emily arriva in questa bellissima città innevata, non può fare a meno di innamorarsi delle sue bellezze: la Ringstrasse, i balli, i musei, l'opera, i caffè.

Tuttavia, di fronte alle difficoltà di alcune persone che vivevano in condizioni di estremo svantaggio, non riesce a restare insensibile e comincia a sviluppare una coscienza sociale e questo è un altro tema che mi è piaciuto molto : aprire gli occhi sulle realtà diverse dalla nostra ( vale anche per la società odierna ).

Book review : The Highwayman's Letter by Martha Keyes

The Highwayman's Letter
by Martha Keyes
My rating: 4.9 of 5 stars

Such a nice surprise this reading was! I loved it !

Clean romance with a light plot, but the author manages to capture the reader's attention by describing so well the magic of a sweet love emerging between 2 young people belonging to 2 different social classes in the Regency era.
I was skeptical about this story by when I read the first 2 chapters but then I felt totally engaged in this story and I was no longer able to put down the book.

The historical part is also very interesting, I've learned something new, I'll explain better after the plot here below.

___THE PLOT__  Regency era , about 1816.
Reginald Sinclair works at the post office during the day, while at night he transforms into a gallant bandit who robs the carriages of aristocrats. He wears a mask and old-fashioned 18th century clothes, but what made him famous in society is the kiss he use to give to women in the robbed carriage.
Joanna is the most sensible daughter of an aristocratic family who has just arrived in Bath to meet the man who should become her future fiancé (or so her father hopes).

All this takes place against the backdrop of great social injustice, such as postal franking and the inability of the poor to pay and the privileges of the nobility who obviously not only use the postal service for free, but also take advantage of it for trivial reasons worsening the situation of poor people.

Inevitably the paths of the 2 young people cross and from that moment on, something is born: only a game at the beginning and something deeper later.
Challenges and courtship follow up to the point where things become dangerous, both due to the fact that they belong to different social classes, and due to other serious facts that emerge throughout the story.

___ MY IMPRESSIONS__ As I said after reading the first chapter I thought it was a bit silly and that the plot was copied from some old Hollywood costume film: a bandit with a mask, who robs carriages, poses as a gentleman and kisses women .

Reading the second chapter I thought that the protagonist was a bit too naive and the plot absurd, since he spoke to a little mouse (...like Snow White with the birds and other animals), BUT THEN LUCKILY the author got on the right track and with a little humor and the usual brilliant comedy squabbles a beautiful story began with a nice touch of romance.
Don't give up after the first few chapters.

It's a clean romance, so there are no sex scenes or overly racy thoughts, but I assure you that all the time it took to get to the first kiss was truly a suspense of desire and emotion.
The fun due to the protagonists' joking jokes and the pathos due to the tension created thanks to the attraction the two young feel for each other, the desire to spend time together, the shiver on the skin due to a touch of the hand , with lips so close that they tremble with desire but waiting for the right moment, the stomach in turmoil and the dizziness that one feels in the emotion of a first kiss... it is described so well that despite my 52 years and my experiences , I went back in time and relived every emotion I felt when I was young, when a new love was born and I couldn't think of anything else.

Once again I can see that it is not the type of scene reported in a book that makes it interesting, but the emotions that the author manages to unleash within you.

__ THE HISTORICAL PART I didn't expected __
A historical romance doesn't always offer historical notions and when it happens, I think it's an added value: entertainment + new knowledge.

---> One of the central themes of the novel is the gap between social classes and how the privileges of the nobles reflected negatively on the already difficult lives of the poor and workers.

---> In particular it talks about the postal system of that time.
During the Regency period, post was expensive. MPs were the only ones who had a "free" ride for mail delivery and until 1840, they could "frank" (free postage) their letters, but while this privilege should have been limited to Crown business, they took advantage of it also using it for private and superficial communications and giving letterheads to friends.

This weighed on the poor who instead had to pay to receive their letters. Yes ! At that time it was the recipient who paid, if one didn't have the money that person couldn't receive the letters, often important matters or messages from distant family members. In the book you will read why this is so serious and in the epilogue at the end the author explains many more things than I am anticipating and also the systems of closing the letters (the envelope was not used and also Reggie and Joanna, in the novel, are using particular systems to block their letters without using sealing wax).

The author tells also about the the subsequent birth of the private Penny post and the codes used by people to write their letters but saving on paper. It's really very interesting!

I hope I was able to convey my enthusiasm to you even in my incorrect English, I am Italian, so please be indulgent with my text.

Not available in Italian language.

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