Book review : Vienna Waltz by Teresa Grant | A Ballroom of Deceptions: When Marriage is the Ultimate Spy Game

Vienna Waltz
Malcom and Suzanne Rannoch Historical Mysteries BOOK 2
by Teresa Grant

GENRE: #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalFiction
📍 Setting: Vienna (Austria) | ⏳ Era: November 1814 (The Congress of Vienna)

My rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8 rounded up to 4)

Cinderella? No, this is a dangerous ballroom of political mirrors. 💃🎻🕶️

The start of this book was a bit boring to me, and it took some endurance to push through the initial chapters. However, as the music of Vienna grew darker, after a while I truly got into the intricate story and I really liked it. It turned out to be a surprising historical puzzle.

THE REASONS I WAS BORED IN THE BEGINNING:

1) The prologue was definitely too long and dense. It was filled with unnecessary details that didn't serve the core mystery.
Coming off a fantastic previous reading in the series, wading through a boring prologue made me ill-disposed towards the book. After finishing the very first chapter, I honestly thought this novel wasn't for me and I even contemplated abandoning the series entirely.

2) The first two chapters failed to capture my interest because of the victim. The murder of Princess Tatiana—a despicable, manipulative woman—felt uninspiring at first. I simply didn't care whether her murder was solved or not. While every character in the book seemed inexplicably attracted to her, the truth is that from the very beginning, she displays a selfish personality entirely devoted to power. She was a ruthless blackmailer, showing no mercy even toward those who genuinely loved her.

3) The relationship dynamic felt incredibly cold. The two protagonists are married, but apart from the fact that they have a young son and get along well in bed, they seem like perfect strangers. There is a constant, heavy air of embarrassment and unspoken secrets between them. They felt detached, and I couldn't find a strong reason to root for them.

Despite these initial flaws, I was still under the spell of the first book (which I absolutely loved), so I decided to trust the author and continue. After all, the premise on the back cover promised a grand historical stage:

| 📜 THE PLOT IN A NUTSHELL

November 1814, the glittering Congress of Vienna. The elite of Europe—sovereigns, ambassadors, princes, and even the Tsar himself—have gathered to negotiate and carve up the fate of the Continent after Napoleon Bonaparte's exile to the island of Elba.

But the diplomacy is shattered one night when Princess Tatiana, the most beautiful and scandalous woman in Vienna, is found murdered during an ill-timed rendezvous with three of her most powerful conquests.

Suzanne Rannoch has been trying hard to ignore the persistent rumors that her new husband, Malcolm, was one of Tatiana's lovers. When both Suzanne and Malcolm are summoned to the scene and it turns out he was the one who discovered the bloody body, they have no choice but to launch their own investigation into the high-stakes world of international espionage...

| 🤗 MY THOUGHTS

WHY I CHANGED MY MIND AND APPRECIATED THE BOOK:

As the investigation deepens, the reader uncovers that there are many hidden, layered motives behind this murder—dangerous secrets that husband and wife are desperately keeping from each other.

1) Investigating together, facing constant dangers, and literally saving each other's lives forces the two main characters to slowly drop their guards. Malcolm and Suzanne begin to open up, and we discover that actually they are deeply in love with each other. They simply dare not admit it openly due to the trauma of their pasts and their deep-seated fears.

As the secrets are revealed little by little, the characters finally exude a beautiful warmth that makes the reader's heart melt. This vulnerability gives rise to a newfound trust in the partner and the fragile hope of being truly loved back.

2) The historical realism is outstanding. The characters revolving around Malcolm and Suzanne are numerous, and many of them really existed in history, playing decisive roles in 19th-century European society.

At the beginning of the book, the author provides a full list of characters, marking the real historical figures with an asterisk. This feature was incredibly useful and entertaining for me! As I met these figures in the text, I thoroughly enjoyed looking up their real-life summaries on Wikipedia. It gave me a broader, richer view of the Congress of Vienna and those impressive, larger-than-life historical personalities.

Here's a sneak peek at the real people you'll meet in this gripping mystery:

• Prince Talleyrand, the brilliant and clever French foreign minister who represented Louis XVIII at the Congress of Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815.


• Dorothée de Courlande (Princess Dorothea of Courland, later Duchess of Dino), accompanied her great-uncle by marriage, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, to the Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815, acting as his political confidante and the brilliant hostess of the French delegation at the Kaunitz Palace.
  Her charm and intelligence captivated major figures of the era, helping Talleyrand navigate the social webs of the Austrian court and influence the rival delegations of the Quadruple Alliance.


• Prince Klemens von Metternich, the Austrian foreign minister, chaired and hosted the Congress of Vienna. Metternich hosted lavish parties and balls to keep visiting monarchs entertained and distracted while statesmen handled the real political negotiations behind closed doors.
  He worked with British Foreign Minister Viscount Castlereagh to block excessive territorial expansion by Russia and Prussia.


• Viscount Castlereagh served as the British Foreign Secretary at the Congress of Vienna in 1814, where he shaped a stable European balance of power after the defeat of Napoleon.


• Tsar Alexander I of Russia was one of the most powerful and central figures at the Congress of Vienna in 1814, arriving as the victorious conqueror of Napoleon to help reshape the map and political future of Europe. Alexander directed his own country's delegation, using personal charm, religious idealism, and political stubbornness to push his agenda.


• Wilhelmine, Duchess of Sagan (Dorothée's sister), was a leading social and political figure at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), where she ran a famous salon at the Palais Palm that hosted Europe's most powerful monarchs and diplomats.
  Like her rival Princess Katharina Bagration (also among the characters in the book), the Duchess used her social standing and salons as a hub for political maneuvering, acting as a central node in the social-political web of the Congress.

In addition to these, we find their wives, brothers, sisters, and other delegates, ministers, princes, and sovereigns.
Each character, through their dialogue (even if the latter stems from the author's imagination), perfectly reflects the role they actually played at the congress.
It's not difficult for the reader to imagine intrigues and subterfuges, both political and romantic, in that brazenly lavish and frivolous atmosphere, where appetites revolved around power and lust.

• Speaking of appetite: the book also praises the cuisine of a great real-life chef, Marie-Antoine Carême, who used his position as chef to Talleyrand during the Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815 to charm foreign diplomats and help restore France's political influence through gastrodiplomacy.
  Carême, who originally studied architecture, created massive, intricate edible sculptures out of pastry, sugar, and marzipan. These centerpieces represented classical temples, ruins, and fortresses, captivating the foreign monarchs and leaving them in awe of French genius.

3) Talking about all characters ( both fictional and real ) part of the allure of the mystery lies in the fact that everyone is lying. Although for most of the book I didn't care about the libertine princess's killer, I became utterly fascinated by the secondary mysteries. Throughout the story, EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER has dark secrets to hide. In the end, the resolution of the murder mystery was not obvious at all!

In the final chapters, I was completely convinced I had guessed the culprit, but the reality was much more intricate and grand. The author was truly ingenious, and the ending genuinely surprised me!

4) The Congress of Vienna (1814–1815) was a monumental turning point where hard-nosed geopolitics collided with the height of Romantic-era excess. While statesmen redrew the map of Europe after the fall of Napoleon, they did so against a backdrop of non-stop balls, theatrical fireworks, and scandalous love affairs. This dual nature earned it the famous nickname: "The Congress dances, but it does not march" ( i.e. the leaders at the Congress of Vienna used to spend most of their time partying instead of making political progress).
I firmly believe that this kind of atmosphere has been brilliantly portrayed by the author. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

HISTORICAL NOTES AT THE END OF THE BOOK:

This always increases my appreciation for an author and their novels. Unfortunately, such notes are not a given, as not all authors choose to write them.

At the end of the story, don't forget to read the author's historical notes. They will clarify exactly where she took liberties with date changes and provide a wonderful guide to the true events, should you want to delve deeper into history by searching for specific books (which are also listed) and exploring online.

FINAL VERDICT

Initially, I was going to rate this book a mediocre 3 stars, thinking I would close the chapter on this series. But the complex web of lies, the historical depth, and the emotional growth of Suzanne and Malcolm won me over.
I've grown genuinely fond of them and I really wish to spend more time in their company by reading book #3 in the series (though perhaps not right away). Therefore, I've rated the novel a solid 3.8 stars, happily rounding up to 4 stars.
Wandering through the glittering, deceptive halls of the 1814 Congress of Vienna via Wikipedia while reading was pure magic. Teresa Grant managed to weave fiction and history so tightly that, by the final page, I felt like a spy myself, exhausted by the lies but deeply under the spell of the era.

I hope reading my review has helped you decide whether or not to read this book next. Thank you all for stopping by.

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Giveaway : Enchanting Autumn Desktop Wallpaper

A freebie for you : a cute desktop wallpaper suitable for next Autumn

Hello dear friends ! :-D

Since I started today creating graphic design to print on demand, I want to share here with you, for free, my first creation, named Enchanting Autumn.

I created this design to be printed on breakfast placemats, but in a smaller size (1920 x 1344) I also find it nice to use as a desktop wallpaper on your computer.

If you prefer, you could print it on postcard format to use it between the pages of your books as a bookmark!

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
Enchanting Autumn Desktop Wallpaper
Size 1920 x 1344

Now you may see the blurry image, but if you click on it, the clear image will open.

Of course the image I made for the placemats is much bigger (otherwise the print wouldn't look good), but here I couldn't upload it with those measurements, but it's good enough to print a postcard or to use it on your computer screen.

I hope you will enjoy it. :-)

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice day !


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Book review : A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley | The 6-Star Masterpiece You Can't Miss

A Splendid Defiance
by Stella Riley

GENRE : #HistoricalFiction #AdventureRomance

My rating: ★★★★★ + a SPECIAL 6th GOLDEN STAR! 🌟

5 stars well deserved! I absolutely loved it—this is an incredible historical adventure romance! 🌟⚔️

II finished the book this morning and I am already suffering from a major book hangover. I miss the characters so much, and I desperately want to keep being part of their world!
Without exaggeration, this is definitely the best book I have read in recent years (according to my own parameters, of course).
It completely captivated me from the very first page to the absolute last. There wasn't a single moment where I felt bored; I simply couldn't put it down and even neglected many of my other hobbies because I was so deeply engaged by this story!

To give you some context, this is a historical novel featuring two fictional main characters embedded within a rich cast of secondary characters who actually existed during the English Civil War (1642–1651).

It is a tale that masterfully weaves together war and love. However, contrary to what you might expect, it is not your typical romance novel where everything solely revolves around love or explicit scenes. There are no hot sex scenes here—which, to be honest, really isn't my genre anyway (I'm looking at you, Diana Gabaldon, and similar styles!).

___ **** PLOT IN SHORT **** ___

Justin Ambrose is a dashing Royalist cavalier who is quite bored with garrison life—until he crosses paths with Abby, the sister of a local merchant. Justin is famous for his romantic conquests, but he has never truly let a woman touch his heart before.

But Abby is different. She is not only beautiful but incredibly brave. She is also young and living in constant fear of her brother, a religious fanatic who fiercely hates all Royalists.

When the rebel army launches a massive attack on the castle, Justin fights tirelessly to break the siege, hiding a deep, secret torment even from his closest friends. Meanwhile, Abby is forced to sit at her brother's table surrounded by rebel commanders, daydreaming about the one man she knows she must not love...

___ **** MY THOUGHTS **** ___

| ⏳ THE SLOW-BURN ROMANCE & THE CAST

The love story begins with a beautifully slow-burn pace, developing against a rich backdrop of fierce battles, intense sieges, heroic deeds, political compromises, and the rigid limits of the bigoted world of that era.

|⚠️ A WARNING TO DIE-HARD ROMANCE READERS:

Our two main characters meet only a few times in the first half of the book. This might be disappointing if you are looking for a fast-paced, pure romance novel.
Instead, we actually see the gritty historical events unfold. But I promise you, it is never boring!
The war is described in such an enthralling way that I found myself deeply passionate about those historical moments. (And believe me, battles usually bore me to death, but not in this book!).

| 🎭 THE CHARACTERS:

The cast is incredibly vivid. There are highly likable characters with a brilliant sense of humor who completely cheer up the scene, contrasting sharply with narrow-minded, malicious antagonists who will literally make your skin crawl!

| 💞 MAIN COUPLE:

During the first half of the novel, we get a deep look into the separate lives of the two protagonists. We learn to truly care for them, savoring every fleeting moment they share as they gradually get to know one another and develop a strong, deep bond.

Our hero and heroine are Justin and Abby, and they belong to two opposing sides of this brutal war.
Justin is a Royalist officer holding Banbury Castle under siege, while Abby is the sister of a local shopkeeper—a puritanical, fanatical despot who makes her life an absolute living hell.

• Justin is a fascinating young man, not just in his looks, but in his charming behavior.
  His quick winks, his easy smile, and his raised-eyebrow glances are simply irresistible.
  He is brilliant, constantly sharing ironic, lighthearted jokes with his fellow officers—who are also his close friends—and later with Abby, while saving his sharp, sarcastic wit for despicable people.
  
  Justin is brave and independent, accustomed to fending for himself since the age of sixteen. We don’t learn about his past until three-quarters of the way through the book, but we can easily sense that he carries deep, unhealed wounds. Although he is incredibly successful with women, he is no unprincipled libertine; he is a man of honor who deeply respects others and keeps his promises, earning the love and respect of everyone around him.
  
  
• Abby is only eighteen at the start of the novel. She lives subjugated by her tyrant of a brother, knowing nothing of the outside world and denied even the smallest joy. Her only comfort is her younger brother, her close friend and accomplice, who will also become entangled in the war, though in a very different way.
  
  Given her background, it is only natural that Abby starts as an insecure and fearful girl. Yet, she possesses a fierce desire to truly live.
  Justin will open the doors to a beautiful new world for her—a world where she can sing and dance without feeling blasphemous, where admiring a dress or having lovely hair is not a sin, and where kind gestures exist instead of blows and prayers for forgiveness.
  
  As the story unfolds, a caterpillar transforms into a stunning butterfly. Abby develops a resilient character, becoming fully aware of what she wants and ready to fight until the very end to achieve it.
  
  

From mutual esteem and affection, a great love will blossom, though not without immense difficulties and heartbreak.

🚨 WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD! (Skip to the next paragraph if you want to stay completely in the dark)

[ I must admit, every now and then, I was terrified that there wouldn't be a happy ending. But even when I finally realized that things were going to turn out well, the author handed me a beautiful, unexpected final surprise that I genuinely did not see coming! ]
🚨 END OF SPOILER

Despite the tragic nature of the war, the overall atmosphere of the novel remains incredibly pleasant. As I mentioned before, the witty dialogues and sharp humor will make you smile several times throughout the journey!

The character development in this novel is absolutely flawless. Even the secondary characters surrounding the two protagonists are so incredibly well-described that you can easily guess their true nature and perfectly imagine their faces and expressions just from the tone of the dialogues.

| 🖊️ WRITING STYLE:

The author is a true master, both in her meticulous historical research and in her ability to completely immerse the reader in the story. I felt as if I were standing in the very same rooms as those people. I could visualize everything as if I were watching a high-budget movie, entirely losing myself inside it, as if I were living right there alongside them.

| ⚔️ THE HISTORICAL HOOK:

Being Italian, I didn't know much about English history; my knowledge was limited to the fact that there was a Civil War and a brief Republic between the reigns of Charles I and Charles II. However, I never felt confused or lost for a single moment. On the contrary, it was an absolute pleasure to learn about historical facts that were completely new to me, which even inspired me to expand my knowledge with some fun web research afterwards!

| 🏆 MY FINAL VERDICT:

The slowness with which the love story develops doesn't take away anything from the beauty of the book; on the contrary, it makes the slow-burn journey infinitely more sensual. And when we finally get a couple of intimate scenes toward the end, everything is written in such an intuitive, delicate way—not vulgar at all.

Every now and then, I stumble upon a book that I thoroughly enjoy, one that I know I will definitely reread and happily award 5 stars. But no book has ever enraptured me quite like this one.
If my favorite books so far have earned 5 stars, I am officially breaking my own rules and awarding this masterpiece my highest honor: MY 6th GOLDEN STAR! 😀🌟👑✨

I highly recommend this masterpiece to all historical fiction and adventure-romance lovers out there!

This was my very first book by Stella Riley, and while I will certainly try more of her work in the future, I won't do it right away—simply because this kind of reading magic rarely repeats itself twice in a row. 😉 The only real problem now? Any forthcoming reads won't hold a candle to it!

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my thoughts! I truly hope they will be useful when choosing your next historical adventure-romance escape! ❤️✨

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BOOK AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH EDITION ONLY

Book review : Secrets on the Cote d'Azur by Neil Richards

Secrets on the Cote d'Azur by Neil Richards
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A nice cozy mystery for those looking for pure entertainment.

The authors are an American and an Englishman, both are used to writing for cinema and TV and we see it here, in fact, both the plot and the dialogues, and the scenes are typical of brilliant detective comedies, where action, humor and great feeling between 2 partners mix in a well balanced way.

Harry and Kat, spouses very much in love and with a past as spies during the First World War, are traveling on the Train Blue that will take them on a mission-holiday on the French Riviera, the renowned Côte d'Azur.
Once they arrive, Harry's aunt asks them to help an old friend of her who is involved in a nasty and indecorous case of blackmail.

We are in the 30s and of course, as in the best Hollywood couple films of those years, here too we have a husband and wife who are handsome, rich highly intelligent, and smarter than any other villain or operative agent. Of course they are madly in love and practically perfect as a couple.

The compliment of a partner in love and the funny joke (classics of the infallible protagonists) are served with regular cadence without being too many and too few.

So if you have ever seen The Thin Man movies ( starring William Powell and Myrna Loy ) and you were a fan ( and the movies were far better than the books ), you'll be not disappointed by this series ( Mydworth Mysteries).
If you are younger and have never seen the old black and white movies, perhaps you might have seen the '80s TV series " Hart to Hart " where the protagonists are equally 2 handsome, rich and very much in love spouses, naturally smart and intelligent ... this is to give you an idea of the protagonists of this book.

The book is not as long as a novel, but not as short as novellas usually are, therefore it is readable in a short time, but it is more enjoyable than a short story.

The writing is smooth, the atmosphere light and fully describes the sparkling air that reigns in the luxurious vacation spots of the 1930s.

If everything is so perfect, then why have I only gave 3.5 ( necessarily rounded to 4 )?

1)__ Because it's "everything too perfect" and if I liked this as a young girl, now in adulthood this bothers me.
I've probably lost my ability to dream of perfection, which clearly doesn't exist.

2)__ Also the book picks up on the usual clichés and while the first 'obvious suspect' was found to be only half guilty, the second 'obvious suspect' was the real villain behind the blackmail.

---> Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries and for those seeking leisure, light reading with pure entertainment, without strong emotions or important historical references.

( Warning : English is not my mother tongue, I hope you have managed to understand the meaning of what I wanted to express, sorry for form or grammatical errors.)

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Book review : The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley | Contemporary Mystery

The Splendour Falls
by Susanna Kearsley

GENRE: #ContemporaryMystery

My rating: ★★★☆☆

This book 'could have been' a truly beautiful novel ...But something went wrong and I still wonder how I managed to read it until the end.

I admit it: I was captured by the cover, and the elements plot also seemed so captivating:

• a castle,
• a story dating back to Queen Isabella and John Lackland (Richard the Lionheart's brother),
• another tragic story back to World War II,
• a kidnapping,
• a love story at present time,
• a group of friends working on investigations

Wow! It sounded like an incredible, engaging premise.
I didn’t rest until I tracked down a copy of the 1992 edition with the original cover (the new edition’s cover is so gloomy and unappealing). After a month of searching, I finally found it, and I was thrilled.

However, the long prologue—which details characters from the past, specifically Queen Isabella locked in the tower at Chinon, hoping for rescue by her husband, King John, is misleading.
It suggests this history will be central to the plot, but that isn't the case.
Chapter by chapter, the author introduces disparate historical episodes and legends that feel entirely unrelated. None of the characters are truly brought to the foreground—not even the protagonist!

The problem is that the author had too many ideas and struggled to focus on developing any of them with passion. It feels as if she started at least ten different subplots , introducing far too many characters, many of whom were insignificant. While reading I felt like she jumped from one idea to another one and then to another one again, and so on...So much confusing !
Kearsley, the author, naturally tried to find a way to connect all the characters to each other, but she did so ineffectively, and the whole thing felt forced and devoid of passion, with flat characters with whom I was unable to empathize.
Such a pity ! In my opinion if she had eliminated at least 4 characters (better still 5) and had developed the others more thoroughly, making them more vivid and impressive, the book could have been a spellbinding novel.

Nothing of importance happens until halfway through the book. Even then, characters who were essential in the beginning are completely ignored later on.
It’s as if the author changed her mind a thousand times while writing, constantly shifting the path of the plot.
I wonder how an editor could have approved a book that feels like a closet stuffed with items that have nothing to do with one another.

😔👉 I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a mystery, nor to anyone seeking a romance.
There is practically no romance at all, save for a few lines at the very end.
The dialogue was flat, especially in the first half, which consisted mostly of silly chitchat. It improved slightly in the second half, but not enough to save the experience.

__ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS ___

I can’t even begin to define them. They weren't well-developed; some were only hinted at (even the romantic interest), while others, like the cousin the protagonist is searching for, were totally absent for almost the entire book.

The only TWO INTERESTING CHARACTERS:

The author makes a very frustrating choice regarding the only two characters I actually found interesting. It felt like a missed opportunity that left me more annoyed than surprised.

The protagonist is completely overshadowed by the situations and chatter of those around her; she comes across as an apathetic young woman.
I’m sure the author intended to portray her as sensitive and suffering, but what emerged was just an uninteresting character.

😔👉 I would not recommend this to anyone who loves history and legends.
While there are many historical details included, none are explored in depth or in a fascinating way.
The setting itself is charming, but the author was so eager to fit every historical tidbit into the narrative that she failed to let the reader actually enjoy the atmosphere.

Perhaps she should have written a travel guide to Chinon instead! It would have allowed her to share those facts without creating such a disjointed, messy soup of a story.

👉👉 I truly wish another author would take this basic concept and rewrite it, developing it with more emotion and making the characters feel like real, interacting human beings.

The only thing that shines through is how much the author loved the location. She should have either written a guide to the area or perhaps a saga of several novels, giving each mystery its own room to breathe.



I’m sorry to give this 2.5 stars (rounded to 3, only because I have read worse books and there was clearly potential here), but the author did a poor job of balancing her ideas.
The ending was meant to be sensational, but that too was really ill-conceived.

Thank you all for stopping by and reading my opinion. 🤗


-- Italian Edition: NOT available --

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Giveaway : Free Printable August 2023 Calendar

A freebie for you : August 2023 calendar to download and print

Hello everybody ! :-D

As for last month I have prepared my planning to print for next month: August.

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
August 2023 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

I usually print them on sheets of paper to keep on my desk to mark my most important commitments or dates to remember and sometimes I like to print them on cardboard in a smaller format, to use as a postcard-bookmark.

If you like it, you can freely download it and print it in color. Just click on the image to get the bigger one and then download it.

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Book review : The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin

The Winter Queen
Book 1 Erast Fandorin mystery series
by Boris Akunin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked it very much !

I chose this book for its setting.
Most of the mysteries I read are set in England or America, the old Europe of the ancient empires exerts a disruptive fascination on me and when I manage to find a mystery that brings me back to that suggestive atmosphere, I can't resist.

___ THE PLOT___ Moscow, 1876: in a crowded park, a young man shoots himself in front of the eyes of a girl, a stranger to him, to whom he had just asked for a kiss.
An inexplicable suicide that leads to other equally inexplicable deaths.
Is there perhaps an international intrigue hatched outside of mother Russia behind those absurd gestures?
Investigating the case is Erast Fandorin, a novice investigator, but full of enthusiasm and keen intelligence.
Although he is only a rookie, from the beginning he decides to investigate further on his own and the clues will lead him to a series of daring adventures through a journey to the capitals of Europe up to England and then back to St. Petersburg.
The truth that will emerge will be shocking and full of always unpredictable events and characters.

The mystery is well thought out and both the protagonist and the characters that revolve around him are captivating, described so well in their ways that I could imagine the scenes as in a movie.

I didn't expect a "cozy mystery" from a Russian author, I approached this reading thinking about a dramatic crime, instead the whole plot and the dialogues are expertly enriched with irony and lightness, without ever being out of place.
The reading was really smooth, I read the book in its English edition and at each chapter I reread it in its Italian edition, to better understand if the feelings given to me by the 2 translations were different or the same (the original book is in Russian and sometimes the translations change the perception of the reader).

Despite the tangled mystery, some villains ( yep ! "some" not "all" ) are known from the beginning, however, each chapter reserves the reader an unexpected surprise and the action and twists follow one another without respite keeping the reader's curiosity alive.

Maybe I was expecting something more in the setting, I would have liked more descriptions of Russian scenarios in the tsarist period, descriptions of the city, palaces and ballrooms, snow and horse-drawn carriages and bells... all that part that makes you dream.
This actually didn't exist and it's for this reason that I don't recommend the book to that part of the female audience that instead seeks dances, palaces and passionate loves.
There is no background romance as is often found in cozy mysteries written by women.
I liked it a lot anyway, because adventure and fast pace are that extra something I look for in an investigative story.

There's only point I hated in the book : ___WARNING SPOILER[the twists really follow one another up to the last page and I would have much preferred that the author would spare me the last unexpected event ...
the book could have ended really well and given the lightness of the mystery, it was what I expected. The author instead preferred to play a dirty trick on both the protagonist and the reader and this disturbed me a lot! ]_SPOILER END__

As I always write in my reviews: please be understanding of my bad English, it's not my native language.

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** ------------- **
____________ LIBRO DISPONIBILE ANCHE IN ITALIANO !

Titolo: LA REGINA D'INVERNO. recensione in italiano:

La regina d'inverno
I misteri di Erast Fandorin Libro 1
di Boris Akunin

Mi è piaciuto davvero molto !

Ho scelto questo libro per la sua ambientazione.
La maggior parte dei mystery che leggo sono ambientati in Inghilterra o in America, la vecchia Europa degli antichi imperi esercita su di me un fascino dirompente e quando riesco a trovare un mystery che mi riporta a quell'atmosfera così suggestiva, non posso resistere.

___ LA TRAMA ___ Mosca, 1876: in un parco affollato, un giovane si spara davanti agli occhi di una ragazza, a lui estranea, alla quale poco prima aveva chiesto un bacio.
Un suicidio inspiegabile che porta ad altre morti altrettanto inspiegabili.
Dietro quei gesti tanto assurdi si nasconde forse un intrigo internazionale, ordito al di fuori della madre Russia?
A indagare sul caso è Erast Fandorin, un investigatore alle prime armi, ma pieno di entusiasmo e acuta intelligenza.
Sebbene sia solo un novellino, sin dall'inizio decide di investigare più a fondo da solo e gli indizi lo porteranno ad una serie di avventure rocambolesche attraverso un viaggio nelle capitali d'Europa fino in Inghilterra e poi nuovamente a San Pietroburgo.
La verità che soprirà sarà sconvolgente e ricca di avvenimenti e personaggi sempre imprevedibili.

Il mistero è ben congeniato e sia il protagonista che i personaggi che si avvicendano attorno a lui sono accattivanti, descritti così bene nei loro modi di essere ceh riuscivo ad immaginare le scene come in un film.
Non mi sarei aspettata un "cozy mystery" da un autore russo, mi sono approcciata a questa lettura pensando ad in crime drammatico, invece tutta la trama e i dialoghi sono sapientemente arricchiti di ironia e leggerezza, senza mai risultare fuori luogo.
La lettura è stata davvero scorrevole, ho letto il libro nella sua edizione inglese e ad ogni capitolo lo rileggevo in italiano, per capire se le sensazioni date dalle 2 traduzioni erano diverse o le stesse ( il libro originale è in russo e talvolta le traduzioni cambiano la percezione del lettore ).
Mi sono piaciute entrambe le traduzioni, anche se ho trovato quella italiano con un linguaggio più obsoleto, ma forse è dovuto al fatto che è una vecchia edizione, mentre di quella inglese ne avevo una più recente.

Nonostante il mistero intricato, alcuni cattivi li conosciamo già dall'inizio, tuttavia, ogni capitolo riserva al lettore una sorpresa inaspettata e l'azione e i colpi di scena si susseguono senza tregua tenendo viva la curiosità di chi legge.

Forse mi aspettavo qualcosa di più nell'ambientazione, avrei voluto maggiori descrizioni degli scenari russi nel periodo zarista, descrizioni della città, palazzi e sale da balli, neve e carrozze trainate da cavalli e campanellini... tutta quella parte che fa sognare.
Questo a dire il vero non c'è stato ed è per questo motivo che non consiglio il libro a quella parte di pubblico femminile che invece cerca balli , palazzi e amori appassionati.
Non esiste una storia d'amore di sottofondo come spesso si trova nei cozy mystery scritti da donne.

A me è piaciuto molto ugualmente, perchè avventura e ritmo veloce son quel quid in più che io cerco in una storia investigativa.

Unico punto che ho detestato nel libro ___ ATTENZIONE SPOILER
i colpi di scena si susseguono davvero fino all'ultima pagina e avrei tanto preferito che l'autore mi risparmiasse l'ultimo evento inatteso ...
il libro avrebbe potuto terminare davvero bene e data la leggerezza del mystery, era ciò che mi aspettavo. L'autore invece ha preferito giocare un tiro mancino sia al protagonista che al lettore e questo mi ha disturbato tantissimo !
FINE SPOILER

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Book review : Kurt Seyt and Shura by Nermin Bezmen

Kurt Seyt 'n' Shura
by Nermin Bezmen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I have to give it 2!

I read also, at the same time, the 3rd sequel SHURA (the third book completes the scenes of the first, while I avoided reading the 2nd book because it is about Seyit and his life with his wife Murvet and I want to avoid it ) , so I'll write the same review in the 2 books, indeed it'all concerning the same story and characters.

I start by saying that I fell in love with this love story and its protagonists by watching the 2014 TV series, which I have seen several times in the original language with English subtitles and which I am currently watching with Italian dubbing.

(view spoiler)[ The ending isn't at all a happy ending and I won't deny that I was hurt in the past and that I suffer even now for how it ended badly, (hide spoiler)] but while the writers presented a truly romantic, passionate and sincere love story, staged by actors very good, as well as beautiful, the book, from which I expected something even bigger and more profound, completely ruined my pleasure from the TV series.

They say that books are better than movies or TV series, but I have learned never to read books whose characters I love from the series, because everything is different and they have often disappointed me .
This only applies if you first read the book and love it, if instead you first watch stories on the screen and love what you see, the book in 70% of cases will disappoint you because of the many differences about characters and scenes.

Yet this time I was so obsessed with this romance that I longed for more, to know more.
I wanted to have even more descriptions of this beautiful and pure love.... SPOILER:
This is where the disappointment comes in!
(view spoiler)[ I loved the characters on the screen and suffered with them for their misunderstandings (due to characters plotting against them) and their consequent mistakes, but in the book I find myself a very selfish Seyit, the grandfather of the writer from whom she inspired the book), taken by physical attraction to Shura and sex. A boy dedicated to women before Shura, but also during the story with Shura (any occasion is good) and after Shura (even during his marriage to Murvet, grandmother of the author), who expects to be able to betray but that his woman don't look at anyone else, who has never even vaguely thought of marrying Shura and not because his father wanted a Turkish bride, but because he really didn't think about marriage!!

Throughout the book the scenes between Shura and Seyit are great physical attraction and hunger for each other in terms of sex, which is never vulgarly described, but there is nothing else.

If there is devotion, this is from Shura, who truly believed in this love, but was disappointed across the board.
After the discovery of the betrayal, Shura's mistake is to do the same, after which the story that is remembered in the book on Shura is made up of clandestine meetings between the 2 protagonists and continuous betrayals to each other. (hide spoiler)]
It really disgusted me. This is not love.

I'd like to make a more complete review, I've tried, but there's too much to write, and I can't... but I want to say 2 things:
1) I didn't have a book in English or in my own language, I did a Google translation, from Turkish to Italian, but it's neither this nor the author that disappointed me, it was the characters as they are behave meanly in reality.
I have not seen a strong big love, but only physical passion without anything else from Seyit and the first crush and first experience of Shura that turn into dedication, hope and love for a man who will always disappoint her and which then lead to other wrong relationships.

2) I desperately wanted to believe that it had really been a great and true love despite everything and Seyit's letter to Shura (view spoiler)[before committing suicide (never sent but left to a third person_ you'll find the letter in Shura's book ) (hide spoiler)], for an instant made me believe that deep down he too had always regretted her and regretted having sent her away... but after reading so many interviews with the author and finding many contradictions... I wonder if this letter is not just a mere invention.

Forgive my English, I'm Italian and besides the difficulty in writing in a foreign language, I'm too negatively shocked by what I've read... so I probably wrote worse than usual.

Book review : Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J.Farmer

Death of a Bookseller:
The 100th British Library Crime Classic
by Bernard J. Farmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It wasn't bad, I liked it enough to get to the end, but I wouldn't suggest it to a friend and for certain it will not be among the books I will read a second time.

Sergeant Wigan, escorts a drunk man home one night to keep him out of trouble and the man introduces himself as Michael Fisk and explains that he deals in rare books. He has been out celebrating his last discovery : a John Keats’ personal inscribed copy of Endymion.

The two become friends and the book collector teaches Wigan all the tricks to discovering and collecting rare editions.
But one day Mike Fisk, the collector, is found dead and despite the arrest of a person, Sergeant Wigan wants to find out who, according to him, is the real killer.

The first half of the book flowed well, but it wasn't totally engaging for me, I didn't feel the unbridled desire to resume reading every time I had to interrupt.

In the second half of the book the mystery thickens and becomes more engaging, however I must admit that there are some rather absurd contradictions :
________ WARNING : SPOILER ! __
1) a good and nice man who however wants to summon the devil... well, for me it is a contradiction that is not acceptable.
2) a psychopathic person who often tries to kill his brother and who hides sadomasochistic books, but then in the end after having hosted an old lady, she burns all those horrendous books.. has she suddenly become normal and sane? Come on !
3) a villain who confesses to a murder because if he doesn't confess the devil will be summoned and the devil will turn his mother into a rat ... hey come on ! The book is set in the 50's and not in the middle ages, who can believe such threats?
4) a collaborator of the detective, suddenly disappears and Wigan doesn't care too much about what might have happened to him ... not seeing him, he thinks he will wait a few more days to look for him, even though he knows that the situation could be dangerous ... and then in reality he doesn't even look for the man!
Wigan learns of the collaborator's death only when in the end the killer confesses to the second crime (which he does spontaneously, in fact Wigan only investigates the first murder), inconceivable!
________ END OF THE SPOILER __

Also, though it is nice that the detective in question finds external collaborators...well, there are some chapters where the protagonist does nothing or almost nothing and it is the others who carry out the real detective work.
Even in the finale, the most decisive work is done by another character.

In any case, the reading is smooth and the book can be read in two or three days.

I gave 3 stars because Wigan is a pleasant main role character and the mystery, overall, is interesting since there are several suspicious characters and until the end you can't guess who really could be the murderer.

I apologize for my English, it's not my native language :-)

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____________ LIBRO ORA DISPONIBILE ANCHE IN ITALIANO !

Ecco la mia opinione:
Non è stato male, mi è piaciuto abbastanza per arrivare alla fine, ma NON lo consiglierei ad un amico e di certo non sarà tra i libri che rileggerò una seconda volta.

Il sergente Wigan, una notte accompagna a casa un uomo ubriaco per tenerlo fuori dai guai e l'uomo si presenta come Michael Fisk e spiega che si occupa di libri rari. È uscito per celebrare la sua ultima scoperta: una copia personale di John Keats del suo Endymion ( poema del 1817) con tanto di iscrizione dell'autore.

I due diventano amici e il collezionista di libri insegna a Wigan tutti i trucchi per scoprire e collezionare edizioni rare. Ma un giorno Mike Fisk, l'esattore, viene trovato morto e nonostante l'arresto di una persona, il sergente Wigan vuole scoprire chi, secondo lui, sia il vero assassino.

La prima metà del libro scorre bene, ma per me non è stato molto coinvolgente, non sentivo la voglia sfrenata di riprendere la lettura del libro ogni volta che dovevo interrompere...mentre quando un libro ti prende, non vedi l'ora di rituffarti nella lettura.

Nella seconda metà del libro il mistero si infittisce e si fa più avvincente, tuttavia devo ammettere che ci sono delle CONTRADDIZIONI piuttosto ASSURDE:
________ ATTENZIONE : SPOILER ! __
1) la vittima viene descritta come un uomo buono e simpatico, che però vuole evocare il diavolo... beh, scusate, ma per me è una contraddizione INACCETTABILE. Ma quale persona buona d'animo vorrebbe evocare il diavolo?
Se come il protagonista, facessi amicizia con una persona che "sembra" buona, ma che mi dice che adora i libri dell'occulto e di magia nera e sta cercando di evocare il diavolo, quella persona non mi vedrebbe più.
2) uno dei personaggi è una psicopatica, che spesso cerca di uccidere il fratello e che nasconde libri sado-masochisti, ma poi alla fine dopo aver ospitato un'anziana brava signora, brucia finalmente tutti quei libri orrendi.. è improvvisamente diventata normale e sana di mente? Ma dai !
3) il cattivo che confessa un omicidio perché sotto minaccia...si ma la minaccia è :se non confessa verrà convocato il diavolo e il diavolo trasformerà sua madre in un topo... ehi andiamo! Il libro è ambientato negli anni '50 e non nel Medioevo, quale assassino avrebbe confessato sotto tali minacce?
4) un collaboratore del detective, improvvisamente scompare e a Wigan non importa molto di quello che gli può essere successo... non vedendolo, pensa che aspetterà ancora qualche giorno per cercarlo, anche se sa benissimo che la situazione è pericolosa per chi sta indagando... e poi in realtà non cerca nemmeno l'uomo!
Wigan viene a sapere della morte del collaboratore solo quando alla fine l'assassino confessa il secondo delitto (cosa che fa spontaneamente, Wigan infatti indaga solo sul primo omicidio e della scomparsa del suo collaboratore non gliene importa poi tanto, nessuna preoccupazione in proposito) e dopo aver saputo della morte del collaboratore, il Sergente Wigan non fa una piega... inconcepibile!

________ FINE DELLO SPOILER __

Inoltre, per quanto sia piacevole che il l'investigazione sia svolta non da un solo personaggio, il detective in questione, ma altri personaggi da lui coinvolti nelal caccia al vero assasino... beh, ci sono dei capitoli in cui il protagonista, che fa parte delal polizia, non fa assolutamente nulla o quasi nulla e sono gli altri personaggi a svolgere il vero lavoro investigativo.

Anche nel finale, il lavoro decisivo ( scoprire e far confessare il colpevole ) viene svolto da un altro personaggio...ma che senso ha ? In ogni caso la lettura è scorrevole e il libro si legge in due o tre giorni.

Ho dato 3 stelle perché Wigan, tutto sommato, è un personaggio principale piacevole e il mistero, nel complesso, è interessante poiché ci sono diversi personaggi sospetti e fino alla fine non puoi davvero indovinare chi potrebbe essere davvero l'assassino.

Per quanto mi riguarda , comunque, Bernard J. Farmer è un autore che non leggerò più.

Giveaway : Free Printable July 2023 Calendar

A cutie things to download and print: next month calendar planning

Hello everybody ! :-D

Since graphic design is one of my passions and hobbies ( and I also was a graphic designer and web designer for 10 years ), I thought it would be nice to give you some little gift from time to time.

Here is a free printable July 2023 calendar to help you keep track of the days passing by and your deadlines, appointments, your family and friends birthdays, projects and more!

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
July 2023 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

You see it here in a medium/little size but the original jpg size ( in pixels ) is 1634 x 1264, so you can click on the image to enlarge and then download it.
You can save it on your computer and upload it as you screen desktop or print it and keep it on your work desk or hang it on the wall.

I wish you can enjoy it and if you have some suggestion about size, please tell me.

I'm asking you only a little favore : before downloading it, please leave me a little greeting in the comments, saying your name and which country do you come from :-)
If I see that at least 5 people have downloaded the freebie, I will gladly prepare another one for the month of August and for the next few months.

Thanks for stopping by, wishing you a good day and a Happy July!!!

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Book review : City of Silence by Kim Wright

City of Silence
by Kim Wright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

NOTE : _ I'm Italian, I hope I managed to explain everything clearly even if not in correct English _

4 stars, it means that I liked it, it caught my attention, but it's not among those I would read again in the future (as often happens with those I adore and I rate 5 stars).

WHAT I LIKED:

1_) I liked that although there were many characters on the line ( not only the detective group but many others ) that develop their own story, it's very easy to get involved in each character's life and events.

Some of those characters are pure invention, some other are real existed characters ( such as Queen Victoria, her granddaughters Ella and Alix, the oldest Tsar's son Nicky ( future Nicholas II ), a young revolutionary that will be known as Lenin ).
All stories and character's thoughts alternate from chapter to chapter, but I repeat:
it's very easy to follow everything, indeed the writing is flowing the events are reported in an orderly manner and with a certain suspense that makes you want to know more.

I also had a lot of fun searching Pinterest for photos of the Romanovs, lots of personal photos of their family, taken by themselves, since they loved photography and had their own cameras.
This took me longer to read the book, but also shows that the subject was captivating.

Queen Victoria with Alix of Hesse, i.e. Alexandra Feodorovna, last Russian Tsarina, when she was a child

Young Alix as a teen-ager

2_) Of course, in addition to the mystery of a double homicide, initially cataloged as a double suicide, plus a third homicide later on, we find ourselves in a novel full of historical notions and it pleased me a lot, while I was reading the novel, to investigate the pages of Wikipedia and between newspaper articles on the true facts told in the book ( and of course discover also what wasn't at all true )

3_) The whole story takes place in St. Petersburg, when the young Alix goes to visit her sister Elizabeth (married to a Russian Grand Duke, the brother of the tzar Alexander III _ true facts) accompanied by her grandmother Queen Victoria (false).
Although there are no striking descriptions of the city in the book, you can breathe the imperial air of those times and the ferment of the revolution that was already peeping out.

Young Alexandra and Nicholas already married

Nowadays Winter Palace reflecting on Neva

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

1_) As I told before some facts are true and some others not. Of course, after all it's a fiction, but I find that the author perhaps exaggerated a little with author's license ( Queen Victoria in Russia ??? It never happened, she disliked them, as it also is said in the book. I just can't even imagine her
at Romanovs court, bowing to the Tsar ).

There are two or three things that in my opinion are too exaggerated inventions, one of which I don't mention because it would be a spoiler, which even remains unexplained at the end, a fact that the true story tells us didn't happen, but which in the book, concerning one of the main characters, it should be clarified and should ended differently, instead it has an epilogue contrary to the true story and that I didn't like.

2_) I liked the whole book except two chapter ( the second one and one towards the end ) in which the group of detectives discuss the old cases and the boss comes up with all his theories about how to investigate ( not THIS CASE, but in general )... HEY ! HOW BORING ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, I can accept a couple of pages about that, but a WHOLE ? ( 2 whole chapters )
If it doesn't concern the case of the book I'm reading: WHO CARES ?! )
Of course all opinions are subjective.
____

To conclude, I can say that I liked it quite enough. I was happy to have read a mystery with a different scenario than the usual, set during a fascinating and also so profoundly unfair and therefore dangerous at the same, time historical time.
I recommend it ( even if from other reviews I saw that people preferred the first and the second one in the series ).

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Book review : The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer | A Measured Look at a Wartime Tale

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer

GENRE: #HistoricalFiction #EpistolaryNovel
My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3.5 of 5 stars

I recently finished reading this epistolary novel, which is set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
The story follows a young writer who begins a correspondence with the residents of Guernsey Island, eventually collecting a series of testimonies regarding their experiences during the German occupation.

It is a collection of unique, colorful voices, and reading it felt a bit like being invited over for tea, listening to a group of friends share their anecdotes.

Some of these stories were genuinely funny, while others were deeply moving.
However, I must admit there were moments when the descriptions leaned a little too far into the visceral. From details about scabby heads to the grim realities of wartime hunger—like the roasted pig or the unfortunate fate of a neighborhood cat—there were passages that frankly made me a bit squeamish.

While I fully appreciate that these horrors were the reality of the era, I can’t help but feel the author could have spared us some of those grittier, stomach-turning details.

The heart of the book is undoubtedly the figure of Elizabeth McKenna.
Although she is not a living presence in the narrative, she looms large over every conversation. Through the letters, we learn of her exuberance, her vitality, and her fierce, unwavering intolerance for injustice. She is a character who leaves an indelible mark on those around her, for better or for worse.

I have decided to round my rating up to four stars. The reason is simple: you can tell that behind this fiction lies a tremendous amount of research. It is clear the author spent years diving into archives and truly listening to historical accounts, and I consider the time spent learning about the island’s history an enrichment.

However, I have to be honest—there was a significant "but" for me.

Something was missing that kept me from feeling truly tethered to the pages.
I found that I only kept reading because I had a stubborn desire to finish it, always hoping that I would eventually stumble upon that one spark that would make the story truly shine. Yet, every time I put the book down to attend to daily life, I never felt a sense of longing to get back to it. In fact, during my downtime, I often found myself daydreaming about which book I would pick up next instead. For me, that is the ultimate litmus test for a story: it was a PLEASENT READ, but it simply WASN'T ADDICTIVE!

Within the novel, the protagonist—the writer—struggles to find a common thread for her book until her publisher suggests centering the story around Elizabeth.
I couldn't help but wonder if the author herself faced a similar challenge. She found a clever way to weave these testimonies together, but the narrative tension that keeps a reader in suspense felt absent.
The author seems to attempt to build that momentum through a romantic subplot, but for me, there was a lack of pathos. I didn't feel the weight of that romance, nor did I feel the emotional gravity regarding the fate of the central character that the rest of the cast seemed to feel.

By the time I hit the halfway mark, I was genuinely tempted to abandon the book entirely. After looking at other reviews online, I’ve seen everything from glowing praise to harsh, biting criticism. My take sits firmly in the middle. I find the truly contemptuous reviews to be quite unfair and disrespectful to the research involved, but at the same time, I can't quite bring myself to label this a "hidden gem."

Ultimately, it is a lovely, well-researched project that offers a window into a fascinating time in history, even if it didn't quite capture my heart the way I’d hoped.

Thank you for reading my thoughts, I hope they can be useful to you in choosing your next reading.

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Il LIBRO è disponibile anche in EDIZIONE ITALIANA, leggi la mia recensione !

Il club del libro e della torta di bucce di patata di Guernsey
di Mary Ann Shaffer

GENRE: #FictionStorica #RomanzoEpistolare
Il mio punteggio: ★★★★☆
In realtà 3.5 of 5 stelle

Si tratta di un romanzo epistolare, ambientato subito dopo la fine della guerra e la protagonista raccoglie una serie di testimonianze riguardanti l'occupazione dell'isola di Guernsey e la vita dei suoi abitanti. Sono tutti personaggi molto singolari, tra i quali emerge, in particolare, la personalità di Elizabeth McKenna.

Elisabeth non è presente come personaggio, ma tutti, o quasi, raccontano di lei, della sua esuberanza, della sua vitalità, del suo coraggio, della sua insofferenza verso i soprusi e le ingiustizie e di tutto ciò che, bello e brutto, ne deriva.

Le storie degli abitanti sono molto particolari ed è piacevole leggerle, mi è sembrato di avere ospiti per il tè e di sentirli raccontare i loro aneddoti, alcuni divertenti, altri tristi, altri ancora che mi hanno disgustata e sinceramente avrei preferito non avere dettagli in merito (maialino arrosto, gatto ucciso e scuoiato, scabbia sulla testa e qualche altra schifezza... sappiamo che durante la guerra era così, ma l'autrice poteva risparmiarsi questi dettagli che mi facevano venir da vomitare).

La vera protagonista del libro è una giovane autrice che viene contattata da uno degli isolani, il che porta a una fitta corrispondenza tra lei e tutti loro.

Il romanzo, come ho già detto, è stato piacevole e l'ho arrotondato a 4 stelle perché nonostante sia tutta una pura invenzione, dietro a tutto questo ci sono anni di ricerche e testimonianze vere raccolte negli archivi, quindi considero questa lettura un arricchimento.
MA ... c'è un grande "ma" per me:
__________ mancava qualcosa, qualcosa che mi teneva legata al libro.

Ho letto questo libro fino alla fine solo perché "volevo finire di leggere, sperando di trovare qualcosa che lo facesse brillare", ma in realtà ogni volta che dovevo interropmpere la lettura, perché avevo altro da fare... NONB MI TROVAVO DISPIACIUTA ( come accade con un libro che adori ) e ogni volta che avevo tempo libero per riprendere il romanzo, mi ritrovavo a pensare a cosa avrei potuto scegliere come lettura successiva, qualcosa che fosse più coinvolgente. QUESTO DICE MOLTO.CIOè : CARINO, MA NON AVVINCENTE.

Nel romanzo, la protagonista, scrittrice, dopo aver raccolto tante testimonianze, non sa come scrivere un libro che abbia un filo conduttore e il suo editore le consiglia di scriverlo facendo ruotare la storia attorno ad Elizabeth.

Forse nella realtà l'autrice ( non la protagonista del libro, ma la vera autrice ) ha avuto lo stesso problema, ha trovato un buon modo per riportare tanti eventi, ma manca quel "qualcosa" che tiene col fiato sospeso. Forse lei ha pensato di averlo inserito con una storia d'amore, ma in realtà non c'è pathos ne riguardo a questo ne riguardo alla sorte del personaggio di cui tutti parlano.

Quando sono arrivata a metà libro, ho avuto il pensiero di abbandonarlo.
Ho letto qualche recensione : alcune entusiastiche, altre veramente sprezzanti... Ecco ora è arrivata la mia recensione che si trova a metà strada.
Trovo veramente cattive ed irrispettose le recensioni sprezzanti su questo libro, ma non mi sento neppure di inserirlo tra i piccolo gioielli della lettura di quel periodo.

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Book review : The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap | Music, Murder & Mystery

The Musician's Daughter
by Susanne Dunlap

GENRE: #HistoricalMystery
My rating: 3.8 rounded up to ★★★★☆

This review is a bit of a tough one to write!
I gave it a 3.8-star rating, though honestly, it could’ve been 4.5 or even a full 5 stars, if it hadn't been for some reasons that I will explain later.

The plot is solid and really gripping, probably one of the most original stories I’ve come across in years. It hooked me right from the back cover. However, I have to admit I struggled to get into it during the first half, but I'll share why in a moment.

First, here’s a little about the plot:

___THE PLOT__

Late 18th-century imperial Vienna. The story kicks off with a gut punch: fifteen-year-old Theresa Maria wakes up on Christmas Eve to the devastating news that her father, a talented violinist in Prince Nicholas Esterhazy’s court, has been murdered.
The mystery is immediate and gripping: his priceless violin is missing, and the only clue left behind is a strange gold pendant hanging around his neck.
When his body is discovered in a Hungarian gypsy camp and brought home by his fellow orchestra members, his daughter, Theresa, is determined to uncover the truth.

Theresa is taken in by the celebrated composer Franz Joseph Haydn, who serves as both her father’s former mentor and her new benefactor.
Employed as his copyist, she gains unprecedented access to her father's clandestine life. What starts as a quest for justice quickly spirals into a dark trail of secrets, and deep-seated corruption, so the young girl soon finds herself tracking a dangerous trail of blackmail and deceit, while simultaneously discovering her own integrity and a budding new love.

****** MY OPINION ******

THE SETTING - A PLUNGE INTO THE HEART OF IMPERIAL VIENNA

I’ve always had a soft spot for 18th-century Austrian or Prussian settings, but they are notoriously hard to find in English or Italian translations.
It’s even rarer to find a novel written by a non-Austrian author that feels truly authentic, where you can actually feel the atmosphere of the era.

Susanne Dunlap absolutely nails it. You aren't just reading about 18th-century Vienna; you are breathing its air.
You can hear the scratch of violin bows against gut strings, smell the damp, cold cobblestones as Theresa maneuvers through the dark streets, and feel the stifling, powdered-wig formality of the Esterhazy court.
The author brings 18th-century Vienna to life with vivid detail, from court intrigue and professional jealousy among musicians (including the legendary Joseph Haydn, who is Theresa’s godfather) to the complicated racial tensions between the Viennese, the Hungarians, and the Romany people.
It is rare to find a non-Austrian author who captures the friction between the social classes so authentically. She perfectly portrays that strange, high-stakes balance where art is the only thing that keeps the courtly elite and the struggling musicians tethered together.

Plus, there’s plenty of action and drama to keep you hooked. It’s a captivating tale set against a charming backdrop, sprinkled with music and a touch of romance.

THE HISTORICAL TAPESTRY

Beyond the historical backdrop and the brief mentions of real people from the past, the historical research shines through in the gritty details of the time.

Dunlap doesn’t shy away from the darker realities of the 18th century, the brutal justice system, the rampant poverty, and the horrifying reach of those in power. Indeed, the book explores some of the rougher sides of that society, such as crime, prostitution, and the brutal punishments handed out through torture that were so common back then.
Showing us the reality behind the wigs and the powdered faces makes the stakes feel incredibly high for a fifteen-year-old girl.
It’s thought-provoking, dark, and utterly compelling.

Thankfully, the world has evolved since those times, at least in democratic countries, but these topics still provide a lot of interesting perspective for anyone reading it today, no matter their age.

THE CHARACTERS

I liked them all, starting with Theresa, the protagonist, a sensible 15-year-old devoted to her father and mother.
At fifteen, she is at that crucial turning point where childhood innocence is stripped away by tragedy. Her transformation from a sheltered musician’s daughter into a determined, intelligent sleuth is so satisfying to watch.

And then there are the people pulling her in different directions:

• Zoltan, the Hungarian musician, offers such a beautiful, grounded contrast to court life. Their connection is pure, tentative, and utterly charming.


• Mirela, a character who keeps you on your toes. She represents that wild, rebellious, and unpredictable side one would expect from gypsy. Unfortunately, she isn't always reliable friend to Theresa, which is why I occasionally felt a real dislike for her.
  I found myself questioning her motives just as much as our protagonist did, which is exactly why she makes the narrative so compelling.


• There are, of course, many other minor characters, such as the younger brother, the widowed mother, an exceptional gypsy violinist, and the famous composer Haydn.
  Although they aren't explored in deep detail, the author brilliantly captures their essence; each of them plays a vital role in shaping the story Theresa shares with us.

Susanne Dunlap doesn't give us "types", she gives us people, each carrying their own prejudices and their own burdens.

THE MUSIC AS A CHARACTER

The music is the heartbeat of this book. The author doesn’t treat the music as a mere backdrop; she treats it like a living, breathing language.
Whether it’s the formal symphonies in the palace or the raw, untamed melodies of the gypsy camp, the writing makes you hear the story. It adds a layer of emotional resonance that makes the murder mystery feel not just like a crime, but like a desecration of something sacred.

SUITABLE FOR ?

This reading is recommended for 12 years old and up, but I would say it is best suited for readers aged 15 and older. Indeed, the language is clean, but the story tackles heavy themes such as pedophilia, exploitation, and the truly gruesome realities of capital punishment.
Of course, the author treats these subjects with the gravity they deserve, making this a much more "adult" YA novel than you might expect.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER?

Initially, I struggled to get into the story and adapt to the author's narrative style.

Everything is told in the first person by Theresa, which I really like, but her narration, especially in the first part of the book, offers very little dialogue. This prevented me from immediately connecting with her and the other characters.

Reading other reviews, I've noticed that some readers were disappointed with Haydn's character, wishing he had been explored more deeply. Perhaps it would have been interesting to see him more involved in the overall mystery, but I personally didn't mind. I would, however, have preferred the author to delve deeper into Zoltan's character, since he's the one who makes Theresa's heart race throughout the story.

When it comes to the love story, it is certainly not a sweeping, epic romance that fills every page, and I must admit I was a little disappointed by that at first.
Despite being a YA novel, it could have perhaps offered a real kiss and a few more heart-pounding moments.
However, I must warn you that it is instead a portrayal of a first love blossoming amidst chaos.
It is subtle, discreet, and precious, and it feels completely authentic for a fifteen-year-old of that era.

If you approach this book expecting a passionate or sappy romance, you’ll miss the point. But if you are looking for a tender, realistic connection that offers a glimmer of hope in a very dark story, you'll find it incredibly moving.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

If you’re drawn to this era, have the patience to push through a slightly slow start, and love mystery, music, and a brilliantly evoked 18th-century Vienna, give it a go!
If you’re looking for a heavy romance, you might want to look elsewhere!


Thank you all for stopping by and reading my review! 😊

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