Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWitty Genre Mash-Up
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2015
I want to admit upfront my total bias regarding this book. I didn't really study with B. personally (except for some illuminating conversations during Senior Seminar) while at Bryn Mawr (due to my total lack of interest in 19th C. American literature--however, after reading this novel, I think she might have been able to change my mind.), but I had the great fortune to take several courses with her partner, and both of them have a well-deserved reputation for being brilliant, hilarious, and generally made of awesome. I feel this novel is a fine representation of the diversity, erudition, and humor of the English Department and the spirit it naturally instills in its majors, of which I am so proud to be one. The premise of the novel is pure camp: time travel saga meets Regency Romance meets spy thriller, but its genre mash-up is deft, and the level of historical detail as well as subtle political philosophizing made it a treat for me to read. While some may be disappointed by the speedy denouement and conclusion, I think it perfectly sets the stage for a sequel, which she is in the midst of writing. I, for one, cannot wait!
