Product Description
Lillian Haswell, brilliant daughter of the local apothecary, yearns for more adventure and experience than life in her father's shop and their small village provides. She also longs to know the truth behind her mother's disappearance, which villagers whisper about but her father refuses to discuss. Opportunity comes when a distant aunt offers to educate her as a lady in London. Exposed to fashionable society and romance--as well as clues about her mother--Lilly is torn when she is summoned back to her ailing father's bedside. Women are forbidden to work as apothecaries, so to save the family legacy, Lilly will have to make it appear as if her father is still making all the diagnoses and decisions. But the suspicious eyes of a scholarly physician and a competing apothecary are upon her. As they vie for village prominence, three men also vie for Lilly's heart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (171)

Definitely a Keeper!!
I rarely read books more than once, so there's not much need to keep them once I've finished. However, Julie Klassen has definitely reached my keeper list of authors. She keeps you guessing and seems to really take care to throw some interesting twists into her novels, which I love because so often books seem far too predictable. If you're looking for a good Christian read, Julie Klassen will surely provide it.

Unexpected...
First, I am not going to recount the plot...that's what the book description is for.I like to just read people's opinions.

I normally would not pick up a book from a Christian Publishing House.I usually read regular historical fiction, usually those listed as historical romance, but I do read other general historical fiction, especially those set in the regency period. And I will admit that the regencies I usually read are a bit racy, though I don't mind those thin little regencies (i believe they are often called "sweet" regencies because they do not contain any sexual situations).Lately, though, I have been reading books by James Rollins, Matthew Reilly and the lot, which I believe are considered technothrillers, though I much prefer the ones that have an archaeology aspect.

So it was really by chance that I read this novel; my mom gave me kindle for my birthday, and we share one account so that we can both read books the other has downloaded.I believe that she got this one for free.And again, I probably would not have read this book had I known that it was by a Christian publisher, as I normally don't care to be "preached at."

I was wrong.This book is excellent.There is absolutely nothing preachy about it.In fact, I would say the author mentioned religion less than I would expect a real person of the period would have - everyone was religious back then...it was so fully ingrained in society.

This ending had me comparing it to the Witch of Blackbird Pond. I'm not quite sure why.I was in tears for a great deal of the last few chapters.The heroine was strong, but not so strong that she would be an anachronism of the times (that always bothers me). Also, I am a pharmacy technician, so it was interesting to learn how pharmacists evolved, and how our modern ideas of medicine have changed so much...I also liked how the author showed, for instance, how bloodletting was common at the time, and didn't try to have a character disagree with the theory. Often in historical novels you find characters who disagree with such things, even though it would have been very uncommon to go against the ways of the times.

Now I'm going to see how expensive the Witch of Blackbird Pond is on the kindle :) Hopefully it is old enough to be public domain, though I doubt it.

Great read!
First book i attempted reading on the Kindle app for the iphone, great read.Nice love story, kept my attention.

I enjoyed this book
Got it on the Kindle (it was a free d/l) and was surprised at how much I liked it. I usually only go for modern classics and well known authors (like Toni Morrison). This book wasn't THAT good but was a well-written story for the most part and was an engrossing read.

She is a Jane Austen in training...
This is the first of Julie Klassen's books that I have read.I originally planned to read them in the order that they were published, but unfortunately the first book was not available at the library at the say time I borrowed the other two.The reason I wanted to read them in that order is due to when I heard how Klassen seems to improve in her writing through each next novel.I am not sure I agree.

First, I recommend that when reading Klassen's books to always read the prologue.I doubt that anything would be missed in the story if the prologue was skipped, only the little hints andparts of the story in the prologue do add in an extra "piece of the puzzle" to the storyline that can make the story more enjoyable.

Second, I am very fond of how Julie Klassen writes, she is brilliant.Klassen writes in a style that is similar to Jane Austen only with more clarity and easier-to-read-form for today's readers.

Third, Julie Klassen weaves a wonderful tale.She obviously did a lot of research when writing the book, and placed before me a very believable story. (She definitely did her homework!!)I continually wondered how Klassen managed to keep writing, but not in a bored sort of way, I just could not imagine what else there could be to add to the story.Klassen knew what she was doing though and provided an excellent read.


!!!SPOILERS!!!:
(This may contain some spoilers so be careful, I tried not to give any of the story away...)
Last, I have two more things to say. The only "problem" (though really not a problem) with Julie Klassen's novel "The Apothecary's Daughter" is that there are several main male characters that could be "the one" for Lillian Haswell.Klassen allows the reader to form their own idea of each possible suitor in the first 3/4 book by showing their good and bad side.The last fourth of the book Klassen wraps up the story and decides which of the suitors Lillian will end up with.The trouble with doing that is that I hoped she would end up with a different character than the one she did, so it might cause a bit of a let down if she does not end up with the one you want.Though Lillian obviously was with the one that was God's perfect match for her, I wanted (okay, I have to say it) her to marry Roderick Marlow. :P
(Definite spoilers below.)
The other is, there is mention to the fact that Lillian's father and Mary's Mother (Mrs. Mimpurse) slept together a long time ago and caused Mrs. Mimpurse to be with child even though they were both separately married.This just is so that the reader knows why Mary is Lillian's half-sister, and is almost an important part of the story.Mrs. Mimpurse's husband, as she tells the girls herself, had been with other women when he was married to her.And Lillian's Mother with other men possibly as well.There are no descriptions, only Mrs. Mimpurse coming out with the truth at the near very end of the book.There is suggestion that Lillian's Mother might have slept with other men, but they really don't know.Lillian's Mother died with her secrets.
There is nothing inappropriate I feel, when Klassen is giving these bits of information.She just sticks to the facts.Mrs. Mimpurse just says that when her husband had been away for a while, more than likely with another woman, and when Lillian's Mother was away doing who knows what, that they had slept together, but never since.And Mrs. Mimpurse regretted the act, though she does not regret having Mary and loves her daughter very much.
Klassen is merely giving the reason as to why Lillian is half-sister to Mary, though she doesn't know so until the end of the book.Like I said, no descriptions or anything like that, just the facts.Such information might not be wanted to be read by younger audiences, but really it is a matter of preference. ... Read more

Product Description
A New York Times Bestselling Author

Orphaned and besieged, Princess Alesandra knew that only a hasty marriage to an Englishman could protect her from the turmoil in her own land. To the amusement of her makeshift guardian, Colin, the bold, raven-haired beauty instantly captivated London society. But when Alesandra was nearly abducted by her unscrupulous countrymen, the fighting instincts that won Colin a knighthood for valor were rekindled. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (89)

Horrible writing - skip this one!
For a novel presumably set in 1820, Garwood sure uses a lot of phrases that weren't used until 1920 - like "yeah" and "sexy." Regency gentlemen don't think someone is "sexy." Reading that just jars me entirely out of the story. Also, how about how he has her sit on his lap in front of visitors? Please, they would barely touch in company. Garwood obviously knows nothing about the period - and it shows. This is just terribly written. Skip and read something by Joanna Bourne or Loretta Chase!

One of the two best of the 4 part series
I purchased Castles a couple years ago and have read it at least 2 more times since.Its a great story, funny, intriguing and romantic, and I like the hero especially.The heroine is a tad too naive for my taste, but still, she is smart and often flippant and clever when dealing with her husband (which is when I liked her best) and I liked their chemistry.While not one of the very best books I've ever read, it certainly is in the very top tier of outstanding historical romances.If Amazon allowed it, I would give this story 4.5 stars . . .

What's compelling me to write this review, however, is that finally a few weeks ago I found a copy of the Lyon's Lady at the library, read it and then went on to read the rest of the series in order, including, once again, Castles.Of the four, the Lyon's Lady is tied with Castles as the best of the series -- they each deserve 4.5 stars.The weakest is probably The Gift (3 stars). Guardian Angel (4 stars) was good, but was similar enough to Lyon's Lady in terms of the dynamics between the leads and the temperaments of the hero and heroine, that it got a bit boring. Overall, the series comes in at 4 stars.

I somewhat disagree with those who say you need to read the other books first in order to best enjoy Castles. This is my 4th reading but first time with some knowledge of prior characters, and that didn't really change anything for me.Furthermore, the leads of Lyon's Lady are mentioned but once in this book, in a very ancillary and irrelevant way.The leads of the other two stories (Caine & Jade and Nathan & Sara) were mentioned quite a bit, especially Caine & Jade, and I suppose the Castles story was a bit richer reading this time around already knowing something about Caine and Colin's relationship and family.However, don't worry too much if you haven't read the other three when deciding whether to pick this one up or not.Its definitely worth reading all on its own.

excellent
This is a very good book with humor, romance and mystery.One of the reasons I love Julie Garwood.

Wonderfully warm story
The fourth book in the series tells the wonderfully warm story of Caine's brother Colin and Princess Alesandra. Although not my favorite book in the series (Lion's Lady is my favorite followed by The Gift) I still couldn't put it down.

Though this book CAN be read on it's own, I do recommend that you read the other three before you delve into this one as characters mentioned in Castles are revisted from the previous books.

Cute. Enjoyable Read
This is not the same old Regencies with so much of the story being... The ton... Duke... Earl... Duchess... Marquess... It's something a bit different and I LOVED it.While I do love those stories, here is one that takes an average guy and makes him a Hero.Okay, Maybe Colin's not average, but very likeable.Alessandra is just as likeable.I especially like that she was so intelligent.I laughed outloud and loved this little tale. ... Read more

Product Description
Ever thought about all the people who lived in your house before you? Julie Myerson did, and set out to learn as much as she could about their fascinating lives. This is the biography of a house, the history of a home. It's an ordinary house, an ordinary home, and ordinary people have lived there for over a century. But start to explore who they were, what they believed in, what they desired and they soon become as remarkable, as complicated and as fascinating as anyone. That is exactly what Julie Myerson set out to do. She lives in a typical Victorian terraced family house, of average size, in a typical Victorian suburb (Clapham) and she loves it. She wanted to find out how much those who preceded her loved living there, so she spent hours and hours in the archives at the Family Record Office, the Public Record Office at Kew, local council archives and libraries across the country. Like an archaeologist, she found herself blowing the dust off files that no-one had touched since the last sheet of paper in them was typed.As she scraped the years away, underneath she found herself embroiled in a detective hunt as, bit by bit, she started to piece together the story of her house, built in 1877, as told by its former occupants in their own words and deeds. And so she met the bigamist, the Tottenham Hotspur fanatic, the Royal servant, the Jamaican family and all the rest of the eccentric and entertaining former occupants of 34 Lillieshall Road. The book uncovers a lost 130-year history of happiness and grief, change and prudence, poverty and affluence, social upheaval and technological advance. Most of us are dimly aware that we are not the first person to turn a key in our front door lock, yet we rarely confront the shadows that inhabit our homes. But once you do -- and Julie Myerson shows you how -- you will never bear to part from their company again. This is your home's story too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

History of a house
This is especially fascinating reading for anyone who has dabbled in genealogy, as we've all gone through the frustration of trying to link generations of families without more than the barest clues. This is the story of a house in a London suburb,Clapham.Built in the latter part of the 19th century, it's been a family home, rooming house and home to a cast of characters as diverse as the decades they occupied.Author Julie Myerson and her family all became interested in locating the descendants of the original occupiers and scour phone books, parish records and council documents in an attempt to flesh out the names and to make them real. What they found were ordinary people, living ordinary lives and some villians, family black sheep and con men. In the final wind up of the story, the author has included real letters from some of the hundreds of descendants of these folk, all adding their individual memories, which adds sauce to the pot! The only note of discontent that I had with the book was the typeface, Minion, in which it was printed...mean, squinty little print which made for uncomfortable reading. ... Read more

Product Description
The lives of three professional Londoners--lovely but physically ailing Donna, her capable sister Gayle, and her remote live-in lover Will--are forever altered as they are drawn into the web of Frank Chapman, a charismatic, fanatical evangelist, who forces them to reexamine their world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a bungle
Although there are outstanding qualities of style and characterization and quite interesting situations and relationships, I disliked the novel, because of an unusually unpleasant atmosphere, created mainly by the character of Frank Chapman, the evangelist fanatic.Also, I could notempathize with any of the characters. ... Read more

Product Description
It begins with a shocking act of violence.On a humid, thundery afternoon, Laura Blundy murders the man who saved her life. He is her husband, but she has a lover.

Fifteen years her junior, already the father of five, Billy is a laborer-one of thousands of faceless men installing the sewers in the city.He is the only passion Laura has ever known, and so she pursues her obsessive dream of their life together to its dire extremes.

In Laura Blundy, Julie Myerson has conjured a nineteenth-century London that is tender, murky, and unsettling.As Laura's story unravels in a dizzying, elliptical narrative, the reader falls helpless prey to the seduction of this bracingly original character.A tale of the unspeakable and tragic exigencies of loss and need, Laura Blundy is an eerily unforgettable love story.

"Myerson knows precisely what she wants to do, and it makes your hair stand up on end."-Mail On Sunday (London)Amazon.com Review
On a sultry afternoon in Victorian London, the eponymous narrator ofLaura Blundy beats her husband to death. "In the end I use mycrutches as well," she recounts. "I don't stop till he's down andtwitching, till he's stopped shouting and screaming, till he's down." Then,scarcely able to believe her crime, Julie Myerson's heroine flees to herlover, Billy. As this star-crossed pair contemplates the future, Laurapieces together her past, which is a rough business indeed. Destitute onLondon's mean streets at age 14, she served time in jail and suffered acrippling accident. At this point she was taken up by a young surgeon, EwanLockhart, but this putative savior quickly became her tyrannicalhusband--and, eventually, murder victim. Only Billy, a poor ditch-diggerand married man, seems to offer Laura the love and respect she craves. Asher tale unfolds, though, they discover that it was not chance alone thatbrought them together.

Myerson has crafted a haunting love story that's rich in period detail. LikePatrick Suskind's Perfume, the text pulsateswith the sights, sounds, and (last but not least) reeking odors of thecity:

You are well acquainted with how the moisture clings to your face and hairregardless of the season, how the buildings lean so close in together thatthey coax the alley below into permanent shadow. How in winter there isflooding and in summer there is the big stink and then of course thecholera that floats into your chest, borne on the wind from all that filthyair.

Customer Reviews (5)

3 years later, this story still haunts me
I feel obliged to write a review of this book, 3 years after reading it, because it made such a strong impression on me.Laura Blundy is a mysterious Victorian-era London woman in this novel that is part period piece, part psychological thriller.The language is beautiful, reminiscent of Virginia Woolf, and the narrator unreliable yet fascinating, both to her acquaintances and to me as the reader. As a period piece, the novel shows a city with extremes of wealth and poverty, and everyone does whatever they need to get by, trading what they can offer for what they need.

But the lasting strength of the novel lies in its masterful depiction of a narrator whom the reader comes to understand with much more clarity than Laura has toward herself.For a gripping read, this one can't be beat.I probably would have given it only four stars when I first finished it, but now I consider it a five-star novel due to the lingering reverberations and the many times I've thought of it since reading it.

Crime of Passion in Dickensian London
After reading Thomas Mann's 'The Magic Mountain' it was a relief to get back to a book with a little action and pace to it. The book is about a woman in Victorian London (here's a bit of backstory: Laura is born into a well-off family, L's father has debts, L's father dies, L is on the streets looking after children while the mothers work, L falls under a carriage, L has her leg amputated, L marries her surgeon -- so far, so like most kinked romance novels). Unfortunately, L then falls for a navvie building the new sewer system in London and decides that the best course of action is to kill her surgeon husband by battering him about the head with a poker. This is where we come into the book. The tale is told well -- Myerson has a gift for the grotesque and the sense of squalor and misery abut to finery and wealth. The plot unfolds in a cut-up series of flashbacks where we can be put down in a new section anywhere in the last ten years of Laura's life. An older woman's lust for a young man is touchingly portrayed, as are Billy's feelings to Laura (although L's point of view is used throughout). On the whole, a good read, although not one for the squeamish.

none
Laura Blundy is an engrossing and engaging excursion into the dark side of total and haunting love; complete with gritty and an atmosphere that Dickens and Jack the Ripper comfortable in. A terrific and compelling, shocking and unforgettable. Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.

MYERSON IN TOP FORM WEAVES A HAUNTING SPELL
Set amidst the gritty poverty of Victorian LondonLaura Blundy is the mesmerizing exploration of a lost soul, a journal of obsessive love, and a harrowing tale that haunts.

The author of three critically acclaimed novels, most notably Me and the Fat Man (1998), Ms. Myerson has now created an otherworldly protagonist, an enigmaticwoman capable of both nefarious acts and abiding devotion.It is appropriate that Laura Blundy's life, which is related in flashbacks,unfolds at a time when illness pervades; cholera takes its toll. London's city sewers are being built so that the city "will have a proper sewerage system and lives will be saved."Yet now the "normal stink of Thames," the dank sewer tunnels and the debris ridden river banks anchored by the Baptist Chapel with its forlorn, broken windows mirror Laura's murky thoughts, which are disseminated by Ms. Meyerson with candor and clarity.

Dickensian woes pale beside the travails of Laura Blundy; Dickensian villains are pussycats compared to her.

Once an educated daughter of privilege, her father's death and financial reversals have forced Laura onto the streets.She sleeps among the crawlers and dowsers on the steps of the workhouse with only a stained tarpaulin for shelter from the rain.

We learn that while imprisoned in Tatum Fieldsshe was made to wear a thick foul smelling veil.When she protested that she could not see, the reply was, "There's nothing to see...This is it.This is the punishment - darkness and solitude - the best way to contemplate the errors of the soul."

She is 38 when we first meet her, "but my hair," she discloses is "mostly black and the teeth I had left still had their whiteness and though my waist measured a little more now than the curved gap of two men's hands, I still had a lot of my young girl's punch."

More than punch is needed when she is run down by an errant carriage, and "her woman's bones are crushed like eggshell" beneath the iron wheels. Ginger haired Dr. Ewan Lockhart anages to save her life, but not her leg which he amputates.

Eventually, Laura marries the surgeon, a "carrot-nob" as she calls him and goes to live in the home that he shares with his mother, Eve.The older woman is a harridan who makes no secret of her distaste for Laura, and demands attention from her top floor room by rattling "a tin of barley sugar."

But Laura pays no heed for her mind is consumed with thoughts of the child she bore when she was 15, earning a penny an hour making party streamers "whenever the work happened to come along."Unable to feed the baby she had taken him to an orphanage to which she returned each week, asking to see Child Z as he was known,until the day she was told he was no longer there.She pined, she yearned, she ached to find her lost boy.

"......the truth is you carry a child in you and it seeps into your bones," she says, "and infects you for ever and you spend the rest of your life trying to get it back...." She feels a similar addictive emotion for her lover, Billy, a married sewer worker some 17 years her junior.And, Billy, for reasons he cannot fathom is inexorably drawn to her.

Determined to be with Billy Laura commits a crime of unspeakable horror, which Ms. Myerson describes in grisly detail.However, this act is only prelude to an even more shocking denouement.

Laura Blundy is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is an unforgettable story propelled by currents of foreboding, anddelivered with sinister, stunning panache.Ms. Myerson knows how to weave a spell and she weaves it mightily well.

A great book that is more than it seems
In Victorian London, LAURA BLUNDY's merchant father owned a successful store that allowed Laura to live in a beautiful house, wear expensive clothing, and have a decent education. When Laura was fifteen, her father died. She quickly found out that he owed more than owned. When her aunt passed away, the Church inherited everything and Laura was unceremoniously dumped on the street. She became a nanny to the children of many hard working mothers.

While walking, a carriage runs over Laura's leg, leading to her hospitalization. Her surgeon Evan comes to care for his patient. However, in spite of his efforts to save her leg, Evan amputates the extremity. After the hospital discharges Laura, Evan begins taking her out and shows her a good time. They marry, but Laura fails to provide what Evan wants from her. She meets a street person and decides to leave Evan for him, but her spouse refuses to free her. Tragedy appears the only possible outcome.

LAURA BLUNDY is a surreal atmospheric historical story told in a non-sequential manner that adds to the foreboding feel of doom that haunts the plot. Readers have a rare opportunity to glimpse at the residents of the London slums during the reign of Victoria. In some ways, that look appears more dreadful than the frightening main story line because most novels have ignored the abject conditions preferring the aristocracy or rising middle class. Though nightmarish in many ways due to the lead character's ability to manipulate events and people, Julie Myerson has written a period piece that will please historical fiction fans with a dark Dickens twist.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Simply beautiful writing
Parsons writes with the true lyrical manner of the Irish, her metaphors and similes and detailed descriptions are written so smoothly that you barely notice them. Usually descriptive writing bores me, I mean, come on, get back to the action and dialogue. But not in this case, I enjoyed the images Mrs. Parson created.

On the whole, I very much enjoyed the book, especially the ending. But I do feel the need to agree with some of the other reviewers on the following minor problems:

1. Though the flashbacks were necessary, they were often so sudden I would have to go back and re-read paragraphs to figure out who's flashback they were, and whether I was in real time or flashback time.

2. McLoughlin seemed to be the only character I could identify with, (Margaret was often so cold, abrupt and self-absorbed, though often understandably, and she was rude to anyone who wanted to comfort her--like McLoughlin, that I just couldnt identify with her, and I barely liked her--though I did feel sorry and pity for her and I was glad that she got her revenge.) Mcloughlin seemed real and I felt disappointed with how it ended with him, though I guess he made his bed so he had to lie in it.

3. The story was relentlessly dark, the only light came from flashbacks that were bittersweet. Most dark books use humor or bits of joy here or there to help relieve the darkness and to make the dark bits darker and the story easier to stick with. There was no humor or joy in this story except perhaps the dark humor and sick joy of Jimmy.

Still, I have to say, this was one of the better books I have read lately. I enjoyed it and plan to read more of Julie Parson's books.This was an amazing work, and I was shocked to see it was only her first book, she sounds like a well seasoned writer. Parsons has a great gift, and I hope she continues to share it with the world by writing her lovely books.

Having said all that, I would like to recommend one of my all time favorite books that Mary Mary made me think of, even though they are very different in most ways, except for having a very stong woman in a detective thriller: The Butcher's Boy by Thomas Perry.The Butcher's Boy is not as beautifully written, it gets straight to the point, it is not lyrical, but it is dark but lightened with sarcastic humor, and it is an intense, page turning thriller: a Female detective desperate to catch the killer, and a killer so well defined that you keep finding yourself rooting for him too. This book has a very satisfying ending no matter which you were rooting for.

Not enough story
I was expecting this to be a can't put down thriller.However, I found it boring and too long.It's really two stories, Mary's murder and the unexciting investigation leading to the killer's capture, and then the trial and its aftermath.I never came to care for the main character, Mary's mother, and found much of her behavior in the first half unbelievable.The ending is not a surprise and neither of the stories is exciting.And there's way too much reminiscing (much of it repetitive) and lyrical description.

Twisting and Turning
This is the first book I have read by Julie Parsons. I immediately got "involved" in the characters and wanted to really get into their psyches. I found the flashbacks a bit confusing in parts, but all in all I really enjoyed the book. Especially the ending, sweet revenge. I was disappointed by where Pasrons took McLoughlin's character though, I had higher hopes for him.

WOW!
I almost did not buy this book (only because I had several others in hand already) but I am very glad I did!I have not been so riveted to a book in a long time!This book is full of surprises and Julie Parsons does an excellent job of bringing her characters to life.I read another reviewer's lament that there was too much reminiscing by Margaret about her dead daughter, Mary, but to me that was another part of bringing the characters to life.

If you have not already bought this book I would say RUN, do not walk to purchase it

As for me, I'm about to order Julie Parson's other book(s)...

Ms. Parsons, Ms. Parsons...not your best effort
After reading "Eager to Please" by Ms. Parsons, which I loved, I decided to read another of her books."Mary, Mary" sounded interesting and on the basis of my appreciation of"Eager to Please," I was really looking forward to reading Ms. Parsons' debut novel.

The story begins with the torture, rape and murder of Mary, a 20-year old woman temporarily living in Dublin.We even know who the murderer is early in the book.This brutal crime is merely a catalyst for the story of Margaret, Mary's single mother, and her reaction to the murder of her only child.During the course of the book, we learn everything there is to know about Margaret from the time of her birth up to the present day.Ms. Parsons explores every relationship Margaret has had during her 40-plus years.One would think that with all this probing into Margaret's life, we would get to know this woman in a very personal way.However, with all this information, Margaret comes off as a one-dimensional character whose only reason for being is to revenge her daughter's death.

Inspector Michael McLaughlin, the police officer assigned to this case, is the one character I felt Ms. Parsons brought to life. I found his personal story touching and overshadowed his involvement in the investigation of the crime. He is the one person in the book that I was drawn to and actually cared about. What I found interesting is that in all his interactions with Margaret we always know what Michael is feeling while Margaret and only contributes dialogue.If it were not for Michael, I would probably give this book a two star rating.

The problem I had with this book, other than the fact that is relentlessly dark, is the shift in time periods and characters.The book covers a 40-year time frame and Ms. Parsons shifts back and forth to any time and place within these 40 years.This, in itself, would not be a problem.In fact, I usually like this literary device.However, Ms. Parsons will start out a scene with two people in a certain time and place and quite abruptly, you will find there is a new cast of characters in another time and place only to find you are back again with the original two characters a few paragraphs later.Have I confused you?Well, imagine how I felt reading this.I was constantly having to go back a paragraph or two to get my bearings.

I will say that the last 30 pages were real page turners. What a shame to have to plow through a very long not so great book to get to there.

Although I didn't like this book very much, I would recommend that you pick up a copy of "Eager to Please" if you want to read
Mr. Parsons at her best.

Boy, this was a hard review to write.Forgive me if I have rambled on but I think I am only reacting the rambling and rather disjointed style of the book. ... Read more

Product Description

Julie Parsons exploded onto the literary suspense scene with her debut novel, Mary, Mary, and continued to gain critical acclaim and readers with her follow-up, The Courtship Gift. Now, in this haunting tale of seduction and revenge, Parsons introduces another strong and resourceful heroine. Eager to Please again proves why Jeffery Deaver called Parsons "one of those rare authors who can successfully combine psychological insight, literary style, and heart-stopping suspense."

After spending twelve years of a life sentence in prison for the murder of her husband -- a murder she swears she didn't commit -- Rachel Beckett has been released on parole. In addition to the grief she feels from the loss of her husband, she has been denied the love of her only daughter, Amy, forced to stand by as another woman raised her child and enjoyed her affections. Amy, now seventeen, insists she never wants to see her real mother again. Rachel's attempts to reach out to her are rejected.

As Rachel starts to become accustomed to life outside of prison, she suffers another loss. Her dearest friend from jail, Judith, is brutally murdered. Detective Jack Donnelly, one of the policemen who arrived at Rachel's house the night of her husband's murder, is assigned this new case. Once again their lives are intertwined as Jack starts keeping tabs on Rachel, as she plots vengeance on Daniel Beckett -- her past lover, her husband's brother, the man who should have gone to prison for his murder. Rachel cleverly insinuates herself into Daniel's life by making friends with his wife and children. Then she seduces him and sets the stage for the nail-biting climax.

Who will survive? Daniel, Rachel, or neither? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Fails to please
"Brilliant" claims Minette Waters on the fly leaf (?!) Well she also said "Deja Dead" by Kath Reichs was "Unputdownable" so I guess we should all have learned to take her recommendations with a pinch of salt by now!

"Laughable" might be more appropriate. Except that this book is so bad it is not funny. An implausable plot that turns only on the poor choices of cardboard characters. The daily dirge of dreary Rachel et al is described in minute detail and to no advantage that I can see - beyond padding a threadbare plot.

"Preposterous" if we are expected to believe, for example, that the once beautiful but now aged beyond her years and socially inadequate Rachel transforms overnight into a femme fatal capable of seducing a muscular, young stud. The book lost me right there and then.

"Forgetable". Eager To Please? Oh, please!

Enjoyable, but...
"Eagar to Please" was my first book by Julie Parson. While I was not entirely disappointed, I would probably not look into any of her other novels. Rachel Beckett has been falsely imprisoned for the murder of her husband. She was sentenced to life, but after twelve years, she is released on a strict probation. She is not even permitted to see her daughter. After years of prison, Rachel has learned a thing or two about committing real crimes and she is determined to seek revenge on her husband's real murderer.

I found the basic plot of "Eager to Please" okay. It was fast paced, with a couple of good characters, including the main character of Rachel. However, it was slow to start, with what I felt was far too much background information. Another complaint I have is there seem to be several stories mixed in. I found that the more I read, the more confused I became. And the main plot had no real twists. Overall, I would say it is a basic mystery of sorts, and there are a great many authors out there who can do so much better. Skip this one.

Implausible, disappointing
I loved MARY, MARY, Julie Parsons's first novel, so much that I read it twice. Her second book, THE COURTSHIP GIFT, was a letdown. And EAGER TO PLEASE is a disappointment on almost every level -- except that of writing style, which is excellent. This book takes forever to get started; for more than 100 pages virtually no forward movement takes place. Instead, the reader is served the same backstory in several different forms, and forced to watch as Rachel, the central character, moves with little purpose through her first days after release from prison. Rachel, convicted of a murder she didn't commit, is sympathetic at first, but once she sets her revenge plot in motion -- and makes use of innocent children and their innocent mother in the process -- she becomes repugnant. Her brother-in-law Daniel, the object of her vengeful scheming, rarely does anything that makes sense. I was constantly asking, "Why on earth is the man doing that?" and was never provided with answers. And Rachel's revenge is based on such a threadbare, B-movie concept that I was disappointed by the writer's lack of imagination. MARY, MARY is also a story of revenge, but written with much more imagination and flare. Julie Parsons writes beautifully, but this is probably the last of her books I will bother to read.

I Was Pleased
This story takes place in Dublin where Rachel Beckett has just been released after twelve years in prison for the murder of her husband. Although innocent,she was framed by her brother-in-law and lover, Daniel Beckett,who actually killed him. Upon her release she has become a timid,frightened woman.Her anger and sadness have increased due to the estrangement of her only daughter,Amy. There are several subplots in the book, one involving her probation officer,Andrew Bowen,and his wife Claire.When her dearest prison friend,Judith Hill,is found brutally murdered,Jack Donnelly heads the investigation andanother subplot develops. Jack was also the investigative officer in the murder of Rachel's husband. The story moves rapidly forward with everything coming together. Rachel's revenge upon Daniel Beckett is masterful,involving much complicated planning on her part. You will greatlyadmire her for her accomplishment. "Revenge is sweet",and she succeeded wonderfully in giving Daniel his just deserves.The characters were,for most part,one dimensional,but it did not detract from the story. This is a well written book with a surprising climax guaranteed to satisfy you.

'Please' Is A Pleasure
Rachel Beckett has served 12 years of a life sentence for the murder of her husband.She did not commit the murder, and has been meticulously planning her revenge for these twelve miserable years when she finally receives a conditional parole.

Everything about this tale is very Irish, including the judicial system.American readers will be surprised to find Rachel was convicted by a "majority" vote of the jury, 10-2.Rachel was totally convinced she would be acquitted and made no mental preparations for a prison sentence.Her descent into the life of a penitentiary is harrowing.It was so profoundly shocking to her, I could not see her living a month.We gradually realize Rachel has an inner toughness and determination that permits her to make use of her time in prison.We know she has a well-formulated "plan," but we don't know what it is.

As Rachel's character unfolds, our admiration and apprehension increase in equal measure.We revise our picture of Rachel as a downtrodden drudge to something like Medea or La Belle Dame Sans Merci.Yet we have pity for her when she tries to re-establish a bond with her highly troubled daughter.All of the personalities are carefully drawn in depth.Not one is a stereotype, and each has a compelling part to play.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tightly plotted psychological thriller and look forward to future books by Julia Parsons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Classism and sexism combined
How can this be a great "modern" playwright when
the views and themes of this major play have a better part
for the 17th century than the 20th?
I thought about it and if it was produced inSan Francisco
even with it's respect for the arts, on merits
the play would be jeered.
Woody Allen thought that Strindberg hated women,
but I think he just lacked any understanding of them.

"When gentry try to act common they become common."


While keeping faith with August Strindberg's original intent, French's take on this classic repartee emphasizes the arguments used by the main characters in a subtle twisting of gender vs. class. There are three main characters: Miss Julie, daughter of a count; Jean, the count's manservant; and Kristin, the cook, who provides a dispassionate social commentary to the exchanges between Miss Julie and Jean, her rigid morality and sense of place indisputable.

From the start, Miss Julie, although from a superior class to the servants, is described by them as "emotionally unstable", her actions on Midsummer's Eve "inappropriate". Although she enjoys the distinction of her position, Miss Julie's power is tempered by the fact that she is female and given to behavior that simply is not perceived the same way as a male in a patriarchal society. In that sense, Miss Julie is destined to be the loser in any confrontation, regardless of the fact that Jean, her seducer, is a servant.

In a class-based world, the servants live strictly proscribed lives, their own hierarchy governed by acceptable and unacceptable mores. Jean is acutely aware of this state of affairs; although he is the culprit, giving into his male nature and taking advantage of Miss Julie's confusion and inexperience, it is she who suffers, she who is akin to a baby bird fallen from the nest with no instinct for survival.

Running the gamut of emotions, from desire to jealousy to dominance, Jean's behavior is all the more shocking for his blasé manipulation of the situation. Having had his satisfaction, he toys with his victim before falling back into the more comfortable role of manservant. It is Miss Julie who will be harshly judged by society, including the servant class who observes her activities with relish. This shocking social commentary exposes the fallacies of class and gender, acted out between two people who can bridge neither, their very humanity rendered irrelevant. Luan Gaines/2006.

Julia Gulia
This play was pretty entertaining all the way through. There's a bit of anti-woman propaganda in there, but everyone knows August Strindberg wasn't a big fan of women. Looking past that, the dialogue is great and the story is pretty interesting. These characters are actually three-dimensional and have a depth of feelings that would be great to see on stage. A good actor could really create an awesome piece with this play. Definitely recommend it as a quick read and there's a few monologues in there. A 20-25 year old woman could do a Miss Julie monologue, and a 25-35 year old man could do a Jean monologue. Check it out.

Spiral
Strindberg's classic play follows the downward spiral of an aristocratic young woman whose break-up with her fiancé is quite the talk of the estate. Miss Julie pursues her father's valet, and seduces him, without thought for the repercussions. Unfortunately for Julie, these consequences must be faced. Controversial at its debut, "Miss Julie" also was highly original in form and structure, and while its subject matter isn't as shocking today, the palpable drama does resonate.

Mistress and servant
"Miss Julie," by August Strindberg, is a play with three speaking parts: Miss Julie, a nobleman's daughter; Jean, a young valet; and Christine, a cook in the household. The Dover Thrift Edition version is translated by Edwin Bjorkman. A brief introductory note states that the play first appeared as a printed text in 1888, a year before its first staging.

The play's title character is bold and flirtatious; her behavior, unsurprisingly, leads to controversy. "Miss Julie" is a fascinating glimpse at a society that is rigidly ordered around class stratification, gender roles, and sexual conduct; the play looks at the consequences when people resist this rigid order. The play has some really startling, thought-provoking dialogue.

Recommended companion texts: "Hands Around," by Arthur Schnitzler; "Daisy Miler," by Henry James; and "Cuckoos," by Giuseppe Manfridi. Each of these three literary works shares at least one significant theme or motif in common with "Miss Julie." ... Read more