Carol M. Cram (1)

I was looking forward to reading Carol Cram’s newest book, “A Woman of Note.” Unfortunately, the book turned out to be a bit too one note – and off-key at that.

The book’s premise holds promise. Virtuoso pianist Isabette Gruber lives in Vienna in the 1830’s. Not only is she among the most talented performers of her day, she is also a gifted composer. However, no publisher will consider her pieces since she is a woman, so she submits her pieces under a pen name to much critical acclaim. Many of the era’s well-known composers have cameo appearances in this book. I was curious to know if Isabette was a real person, but she is completely fictional (it did get me wondering if any women composers did publish under pen names in this era, though.)

While Isabette’s character is developed almost every other character in the book is a caricature. People are all good, or all bad. When we are introduced to the man who will become Isabette’s husband, he is initially portrayed as a kind man and competent musician. He then turns on a dime. There are backstories with members of Isabette’s family that are never fully fleshed out.

While the story does take place primarily in the 1830’s, a time more formal than today, the dialogue is stiff and unconvincing. (In one piece of dialogue a character describes another’s behavior as “saccharine”. Since saccharine wasn’t invented until 1879, this word most definitely wouldn’t have been used in the early 1830’s. I read a galley copy – not sure if this was caught by the editors and corrected in the final version).

As a person who loves music, I did enjoy reading Cram’s evocative descriptions of music throughout the book, as well as her line that “attending the concert with someone who loves music as much as you do increases the pleasure.”

2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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One of the great joys of reading historical fiction is learning more about historical events and characters. True, you're reading a historical work and not a non-fiction book. But, a well-researched book can make history come alive.

I knew nothing about Old Price riots of 1809 and it was interesting reading about how the people rose up against the rise of the ticket prices when the new theater was finished build after the old one was destroyed in a fire. And they thought the riots would end after a couple of days, but it didn't.

The book, however, starts off before the riots and we are introduced to Ned and Grace, the main characters. Ned finds Grace on the streets after she has run away after being attacked by her drunken father. He takes her home and she learns that he's at the theater, working backstage. This meeting will change her life, as her passion for theater grows and she finds a life away from her father.

There are several things about this book that I liked. Like for instance that the meeting of Ned and Grace isn't the start of a great romance between them. Instead, they become close friends. Grace instead form an attachment with another man. It's more of a way for her to be free from her father and I can understand her predicament. I was, however, a bit confused about why the man in question wanted to marry him since there wasn't much feeling between them in my opinion. Ned instead had his heart set on Olympia an actress that also becomes Grace's friend. I liked Olympia, she's one of those minor characters that swoops in and brightens the plot. Looking back do I wonder if I did not like Olympia better than Grace. Grace never really becomes a character that I rooted for. And, there is a turn in the story that just felt odd when it came to her and her love life. So, Ned and Olympia, those are the people that I felt most for.

I will end this review by saying that I quite enjoyed reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading more from Carol M. Cram.… (altro)

You can't travel because of the pandemic? Read this book. It will take you to a life in Paris with romance, museums, sculptures, gardens and wonderful food. The story is delightful. It's about a woman in her 50's, Genna, who is now feeling independent and ready for a new life and love - separated from her husband, Drew, from Vancouver BC. She wonders if she's doing the right thing by a quick move to Paris where she decides to write her sixth cookbook. This is one of her dreams - a creation of mouth watering French foods paired with noted sites in the city.

At the end, the author says, "are you hungry?" She provides a list of recipes and links to the famous sites. As far as attractive men, you are on your own. It helps to know some French words here and there. For any middle age woman who needs an escape, it may be the dream they wish could come true.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for allowing me to read this copy.
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ofia Barducci is a teenager being brought up in 14th century San Gimignano by her artist father. A young woman with great artistic skill her father trains her to paint. She marries, initially for love, but the marriage itself is ill-fated and after her father dies she flees to Siena, where disguised as a boy she seeks to paint once more.

Thoughts
Overall both the historical and geographical elements of the novel are really very strong. Carol M Cram does an exceptional job of painting a compelling version of the Tuscan cities and countryside of the period.
Having visited San Gimignano which now has only a few of the towers still standing I felt I could perfectly envisage Sofia’s view of the city with work underway building and extending the towers as they headed towards their peak. It was not only the landscape that seemed so well researched and perfectly painted (no pun intended!). The descriptions of producing paints and colours were incredibly detailed and vivid and also the specifics of preparing to paint and the different styles in use really did bring this important part of Renaissance European life to life. Whilst not a political novel I also really enjoyed the implicit and occasionally explicit insight into the alliance building, vendetta ridden reality of the City states that littered Italy at this time alongside the impact and fear of illness.

In the abstract Sofia is exactly the kind of main protagonist I like. She is a strong woman not afraid to push for what she believes in, whether it be the approval to make a love match or to pursue a career where women were very rare. Her tale is one rife with conflict; from seeing the reality of her love match fade as she starts to understand the abusive nature of her husband, the challenges of her dalliance with a wealthier merchant and her drive to paint both for personal satisfaction but also for financial stability. This alongside the rich historical detail should have had me rating this book four / five stars. Unfortunately, I really did not like Sofia. I found her single minded and full of ego. I think this was a conscious decision to present her as a highly strong artistic type but this plus the fact that she was decidedly lacking in empathy for anyone just made her unlikable to me. Throughout the novel she makes a number of bad decisions with seemingly little remorse or personal growth to the extend that I really was not routing for her at all.
A real shame although there was enough her that I’d try the other novel from this author… (altro)