Review of Hattie Vavaseur
-
Umar Siddiqui
- Minimum Wage Millionaire Reader
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 16 Oct 2021, 19:08
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 7
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-umar-siddiqui.html
- Latest Review: Hattie Vavaseur by M. Rebecca Wildsmith
Review of Hattie Vavaseur
[Following is a volunteer review of "Hattie Vavaseur" by M. Rebecca Wildsmith.]
Hattie Vavaseur, by M. Rebecca Wildsmith, is a story set in the 1920s, in rural England. The tale can best be described as a murder mystery, with elements of romance, comedy, fantasy, and adventure.
I have deliberately kept my description of this story to a summary, not least because to divulge any more would spoil the reader’s enjoyment of what is a very original and inventive tale.
I would like to start by praising the author for writing an exceptionally well-crafted story. The language, the characterizations, the descriptions of events, and the plot were all superb. The dialogue, which was written in the style common to stories set in this period, was impeccable. It would be quite easy for a modern writer, wishing to recreate this period, to overuse certain words or phrases, thereby rendering a narrative clumsy, trite, or cliched, but this was not the case with Hattie Vavaseur. As a result, I was left with the impression that this story could have been written during a time when this type of language was commonplace in fiction.
The story itself was immersive, exciting, and moved along at just the right pace. The author very capably used certain literary devices; for example, the protagonist’s amnesia, to slowly reveal a genuinely unique plot. There was also a good deal of humor from the secondary characters, which was very welcome, and indeed essential, in keeping the story from becoming overly sentimental. The author cleverly utilized other methods of keeping the narrative fresh and interesting; for example, using snippets from letters and newspapers.
The author dealt with a number of themes in Hattie Vavaseur- greed, love, grief, friendship, jealousy, and self-discovery, to name a few, and it is a testament to how good the writing was that none of these themes seem to be labored or ponderous. Once again, I put this down to the inclusion of humor, and well-written, likable, and believable characters.
The setting for the story was somewhat glossed over and this could have been an issue. But in the case of Hattie Vavaseur, I felt that the characters and plot more than made up for any deficiencies in describing the locale.
In my opinion, this story was a pleasure to read and I could not find any significant flaws in this literary gem. I am not sure by whom the author was influenced, but I could definitely detect some P.G. Wodehouse, Noel Coward, and also a bit of Agatha Christie. With that being said, the author infused the writing with enough of her own style- resulting in a story that was more of a homage rather than a facsimile.
In conclusion, I rate Hattie Vavaseur 4 out of 4 stars. I loved every aspect of this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys works of historical fiction set in the 1920s- or is a fan of the aforementioned writers. In addition to this, I feel the story also has a broader appeal, extending to anyone who likes an intelligent, witty, and well-crafted tale. Finally, the text was exceedingly well edited and that increased my overall enjoyment of this brilliant story.
******
Hattie Vavaseur
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Hattie Vavaseur, by M. Rebecca Wildsmith, is a story set in the 1920s, in rural England. The tale can best be described as a murder mystery, with elements of romance, comedy, fantasy, and adventure.
I have deliberately kept my description of this story to a summary, not least because to divulge any more would spoil the reader’s enjoyment of what is a very original and inventive tale.
I would like to start by praising the author for writing an exceptionally well-crafted story. The language, the characterizations, the descriptions of events, and the plot were all superb. The dialogue, which was written in the style common to stories set in this period, was impeccable. It would be quite easy for a modern writer, wishing to recreate this period, to overuse certain words or phrases, thereby rendering a narrative clumsy, trite, or cliched, but this was not the case with Hattie Vavaseur. As a result, I was left with the impression that this story could have been written during a time when this type of language was commonplace in fiction.
The story itself was immersive, exciting, and moved along at just the right pace. The author very capably used certain literary devices; for example, the protagonist’s amnesia, to slowly reveal a genuinely unique plot. There was also a good deal of humor from the secondary characters, which was very welcome, and indeed essential, in keeping the story from becoming overly sentimental. The author cleverly utilized other methods of keeping the narrative fresh and interesting; for example, using snippets from letters and newspapers.
The author dealt with a number of themes in Hattie Vavaseur- greed, love, grief, friendship, jealousy, and self-discovery, to name a few, and it is a testament to how good the writing was that none of these themes seem to be labored or ponderous. Once again, I put this down to the inclusion of humor, and well-written, likable, and believable characters.
The setting for the story was somewhat glossed over and this could have been an issue. But in the case of Hattie Vavaseur, I felt that the characters and plot more than made up for any deficiencies in describing the locale.
In my opinion, this story was a pleasure to read and I could not find any significant flaws in this literary gem. I am not sure by whom the author was influenced, but I could definitely detect some P.G. Wodehouse, Noel Coward, and also a bit of Agatha Christie. With that being said, the author infused the writing with enough of her own style- resulting in a story that was more of a homage rather than a facsimile.
In conclusion, I rate Hattie Vavaseur 4 out of 4 stars. I loved every aspect of this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys works of historical fiction set in the 1920s- or is a fan of the aforementioned writers. In addition to this, I feel the story also has a broader appeal, extending to anyone who likes an intelligent, witty, and well-crafted tale. Finally, the text was exceedingly well edited and that increased my overall enjoyment of this brilliant story.
******
Hattie Vavaseur
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Hattie Vavaseur by M. Rebecca Wildsmith
