The Alchemist's Daughter

Mar 26, 2008 Katie rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Nobody

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is rare for me to say this about a book, but I did not like this book. It was disappointing and not at all satisfying. I'm not sure what I expected, perhaps for it to be a bit more like the conservative, 19th century England of Austen novels, which it wasn't. It was well-written and seemingly well-researched, but the characters were dull and the plot was dumb. I didn't like the storyline at all. I really thought it would grow on me or even get better as it progressed, but it never did. The sc...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical-fiction, language-dutch-translation, setting-british-isles, time-modern-early, to-re-read

I have read a LOT of negative reviews about this book and I really don't get it. I must have horrible taste then, because I absolutely LOVED it.

Written on Feb 24, 2009 at 09:29PM

Read the Dutch translation.

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Jan 16, 2009 Sadie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alone-time, audio-books, 2-stars-or-less

Katharine McMahon is an excellent example of the problem I have with modern writers. In reading (or listening to, in this case) her book I found I was transported through the ailes of a book store. One moment I was reading something out of historical fiction, then scientific theory, and then a trashy romance novel..and there lies my problem. I wish modern authors had enough imagination as to address sex scenes as they did, in this case, the 1700's. I don't mind sex in a book when I can see the n...more Katharine McMahon is an excellent example of the problem I have with modern writers. In reading (or listening to, in this case) her book I found I was transported through the ailes of a book store. One moment I was reading something out of historical fiction, then scientific theory, and then a trashy romance novel..and there lies my problem. I wish modern authors had enough imagination as to address sex scenes as they did, in this case, the 1700's. I don't mind sex in a book when I can see the necessity of it as it pertains to the story, and it doesn't detract. This was not accomplished in this book. Is she unfamiliar with Jane Austen or even "Tom Jones" by Henry Fielding? Do I need every sordid detail of what Wickham does to Lydia after they run off together? No, I have enough imagination and life expierence to tell me what they are up to and that information does nothing to move the story along. Tom Jones sleeps with every woman he meets and still the reader isn't subjected to pages of description. Though I can see the role sex has in this book, as the main character discovers the world and passions she has never been familiar with, how she is manipulated and controlled by her husband, and eventually realizes she isn't loved, but I do believe Katharine McMahon would be hard pressed to justify all of the details she has put into her book. As I heard the lines "..and that was the last time I slept with my husband"..I thought "finally!!"
**I will now step off my soap box*** The story itself was fairly good, but I did have a hard time believing any of the characters. I didn't find any of them possessed with real emotion and I couldn't feel for them in any way. There was enough mystery, however, that I did want to finish so I could find it all out. I was not dissapointed in the ending eventhough is leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It was a tale of coming full circle. As far as recommending this book, I wouldn't. There are plenty of better written books that explore similar themes and storylines and I would seek those out instead.(less)

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Jan 16, 2011 Bettie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bettie by: pressie from M

Shelves: winter-20102011, published-2006, historical-fiction, sciences

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 30, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just finished The Alchemist's Daughter (large print version) this evening and I really enjoyed it. Katharine McMahon is a fine author; her prose zips along and I thought the story was interesting and thought provoking. Set in Buckinghamshire and London about 1725, McMahon uses her novel to explore the limitations on women's lives during the 18th century. Emilie Selden is unique: she's nineteen years old and has been educated solely by her scientifically minded father since the moment she was bor...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Cheryl A rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Having read two previous books by this author, I was interested in reading this one as well. What promised to be an intriguing premises didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Emilie Seldon has been raised in isolation by her father, natualist/alchemist John Seldon. Emilie is smart, well read and works along side her father in his lab. When two different men intrude on the isolation at the manor, Emilie and her relationship with her father are changed forever.

This is a novel about changes - chan...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Paola (A Novel Idea) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rating: 3/5

Alchemy: to transform what is known, to turn lead into gold, to bottle fire and distill change. This is all that Emilie Selden has ever known, for she has lived on the grounds of Selden Manor since she was born, apprentice to her alchemist father. It is the age of the Enlightenment, when Sir Isaac Newton first orders the world within the constraints of his scientific method, when exploration and experimentation can be tasted on the air itself. Emilie and her father operate like clockw...more Rating: 3/5

Alchemy: to transform what is known, to turn lead into gold, to bottle fire and distill change. This is all that Emilie Selden has ever known, for she has lived on the grounds of Selden Manor since she was born, apprentice to her alchemist father. It is the age of the Enlightenment, when Sir Isaac Newton first orders the world within the constraints of his scientific method, when exploration and experimentation can be tasted on the air itself. Emilie and her father operate like clockwork, their tests methodical, their days measured by the clink of glass and the smell of sulphur. He has brought her up to become an intelligent, inquisitive, altogether unusual child— a natural philosopher, as he is himself. During a time when women were not expected to be overly educated, least of all natural philosophers, Emilie is rare indeed. But mathematics and calibrated science can’t teach the workings of the heart, and it is her heart that leads Emilie from her father and into the greedy arms of a merchant named Aislabie. Eclipsed by the passion of first love, Emilie finds herself with child, married, and subsequently estranged from her father and everything she has ever known and held dear. What transpires then is Emilie’s search for the truth of who she is, for the story buried deep in her father’s secrets. She must become an alchemist, and change her fate.

Overall, this was a good story. The writing is very detailed, bringing you into the library with its ancient books, leading you forward into the laboratory with its vials and numbered instruments. Emilie is a very logical, very reserved narrator; she is unusual both within the setting of the story (17th century England) and in the realm of the fictional female narrator in that her telling of the tale is never stepped in too much emotion. You get the sense of who she is, of what she was raised to do: observe, record, hypothesize. She has both beauty and brains, but you will find her lacking in heart for much of the book. Sometimes I really just wanted her to put her foot down and throw a real raging fit at her womanizing husband and scornful maid, to be the woman with a spine that her father envisioned her to be, to march up and give scientific theory of her own. I didn’t want her to give in and I didn’t want her to be as detached as she was, although it makes sense that she would know nothing about how human beings work outside the confines of the science her father ingrained into her. Because she has no real emotion, I couldn’t find any binding emotion that attached me to this story.

Speaking of her father, it was his love for her that redeemed the book, for me. His love is present in his every action, even in his stern rules, his seemingly emotionless regard for Emilie beyond her studies and the molding of her mind. He held his daughter in his heart. It was the one thing he knew that could not be examined under glass, explained with chemical compounds, latin terms, symmetrical numbers. And it was the one thing that really mattered, in the end.

Originally posted at A Novel Idea Reviews(less)

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May 30, 2012 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book a little while ago, and it's what I class as a 'holiday read'. Enjoyable, but by no means fantastic or life changing. Unless you're hardcore into the 'historical romance/coming of age' stories, I wouldn't spend the full cover price, but well worth a read if your local library/second hand store has it.
Onto the review (may contain spoilers)
The main character, Emilie, has a very sheltered childhood, being thoroughly schooled in science, maths and alchemy and not an awful lot else....more I read this book a little while ago, and it's what I class as a 'holiday read'. Enjoyable, but by no means fantastic or life changing. Unless you're hardcore into the 'historical romance/coming of age' stories, I wouldn't spend the full cover price, but well worth a read if your local library/second hand store has it.
Onto the review (may contain spoilers)
The main character, Emilie, has a very sheltered childhood, being thoroughly schooled in science, maths and alchemy and not an awful lot else. She basically only knows three people, her father and the household servants, an older married couple. So why oh why are so many other people on this page complaining about her 'lack of judgement' and 'bad decisions'? Of course she has bad judgement of people - she has never had much opportunity to exercise it. Therefore, she chooses the handsome-but-obviously-a-bit-of-a-scumbag-to-us-readers-guy Aislabie over the nice-but-kinda-quiet-guy Shales. I totally understand why she does this - if you had no idea people could be two-faced lying scumbags, wouldn't you go for the hot, charming guy you had chemistry with too? Keep in mind she's also pretty young (16 if I remember right - but it's been a while since I read it). Her relationship with Aislabie becomes very passionate, with plenty of pretty graphic sex scenes, and they pretty quickly get married when Emilie inevitably becomes 'with child'. From here they move to London, and other than her Father pretty much disowning her, Emilie's life seems to be on the up-and-up. Of course, the cracks begin to show and gradually her life crashes down around her ears. I won't ruin the end too much, but she does take it back for herself.
I really like the writers style, it really evokes the imagery with plenty of lovely descriptions of the places, smells, colours and clothes. The characters are slightly less well described, but I'm not sure if this is meant to be stylistic, as the book is written from Emilie's POV. Though Emilie can be slightly frustrating through the book, with her slew of bad decisions, you must keep in mind her young age and absolutely sheltered childhood. She also does the whole 'coming of age' thing at the end and sorts her life out, which does repent her slightly. The book is pretty similar to a few others I've read, so the plot was fairly predictable, but there were still a couple of twists I didn't see coming. There is a particularly touching moment when Emilie discovers her introverted Father's journals detailing her entire life, including feelings she never knew he felt.
As I said in the opening, definitely worth a read as long as you don't go into it expecting a life-changing book. Try and borrow it from a friend or library!(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this!

Ok, it had its faults. The bits about the alchemy process and scientific research were boring and way too detailed and I had to skim through them a bit. No I do not care how many times the dittany and saltpeter had to be ground with an infusion of... yeah whatever. Emilie really annoyed me at times, the way she was so clueless about the obvious wastrel Aislabie and powerless to resist to his wiles, and generally unable to read people. It frustrated me that she couldn't tell...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Majanka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, drama

Read my review on my website.

Emilie Selden is the sheltered, mysterious daughter of John Selden, natural philosopher and student of none other than the great Isaac Newton himself. Although Emilie is a girl, John decided to enlighten his daughter about the mysteries and wonders of natural philosophy, mathematics and alchemy anyway. But whereas John definately succeeded to give Emilie the necessary knowledge about the sciences to get through life, he failed to provide her with all the rest, rangi...more Read my review on my website.

Emilie Selden is the sheltered, mysterious daughter of John Selden, natural philosopher and student of none other than the great Isaac Newton himself. Although Emilie is a girl, John decided to enlighten his daughter about the mysteries and wonders of natural philosophy, mathematics and alchemy anyway. But whereas John definately succeeded to give Emilie the necessary knowledge about the sciences to get through life, he failed to provide her with all the rest, ranging from social insight to the way relationships and love work. Her incapability to live and function in the real world makes her ill-prepared for the lies and half-truths Aislabie, the first man who ever showed her any interest and breaches the solitude of her home, told her. She marries him in a whim, and makes the gravest mistake of her life. Because Aislabie is about to take everything away from her, everything she ever loved. Her father, alchemy, and maybe even her own home.

The Alchemist’s Daughter gave me plenty of mixed feelings. The setting is wonderful, 18th century England with The Enlightenment on its way and Isaac Newton and other famous scientists changing the way everyone looked upon the world. The author describes this world most beautifully, in vivid, lifelike colors and sounds, like you just stumbled upon a portrait or even in the middle of a genuine scene from the 18th century. These descriptions happen in a most humble, natural-sounding way and made me fall in love with this book from the first few lines. They’re what really made the book, and they really made it come alive in my opinion. But it has to be said that all the rest wasn’t all that good.

Emilie started out as a very promising character. She was an intelligent young woman, practically brilliant for her era, and although she never challenged her father in terms of upbringing and personal choices, she did challenge him on an intellectual level. I genuinely thought that this was the beginning of her own rebellion, her own dive into alchemy and Emilie actually taking a stand against her father. Reverend Shales, the first man who appears in Emilie’s life, is a natural philosopher as well, and seemed like a very good companion for her. I was hoping that she would eventually build up enough courage to confront her father about her feeilngs for Shales, and then maybe even get the ol’ man’s permission to marry the reverend. Emilie and Shales would have been a good team of natural philosophers, each with their own distinct area of interest, but capable of working together as well. The premise certainly did sound promising.

In comes Aislabie. He offers nothing really to Emilie, because he is a bit of a con-artist and hardly knows anything about real natural philosophy, let alone alchemy. He’s more interested in Selden estate than he is in the Selden daughter, in my opinion. Although he fails to challenge her intellectually, or even meet her half-way, Emilie is immediately swept away by Aislabie’s appearance. He’s very good-looking and he manages to act like he’s a smart duck – which he isn’t. I have to grant him the fact that he knows his way in the world, and he knows how to persuade people how to do his bidding, but that’s it. Against all reason, Emilie falls madly in love with Aislabie. One day, in the garden, the fellow practically rapes her. Yet she still loves him! And when he asks her father for her hand, she is happy, releived and glad to marry Aislabie. How sheltered can one be to go marry a guy who just raped you? Although I felt more than enough anger towards both Aislabie – for doing it – and Emilie – for allowing it – for these actions, I felt that maybe I couldn’t really blame Emilie for anything. After all, she was pretty sheltered, so I gave her the shadow of the doubt. But it got only worse.

By the time Aislabie turns out to be a cheating bastard – sorry for the word choice, but he really is – and has destroyed half of Selden Manor, Emilie still can’t figure out the fact that he’s an absolute idiot, a joker, and that she should get rid of him as soon as possible. Now I know Emilie hardly ever rebelled against her father either, and took everything with a nod and a half-hearted smile, but that’s no longer an excuse. If my husband went to tear down my house, especially my labatory and the room my own mother died in, I would shout, scream, hit, bite, fight…in other words, do whatever I possibly could to stop him from doing it. Emilie just stands there, like a rag doll, and although she complains about it towards Aislabie, she is totally not convincing, and she doesn’t even treaten him. For god’s sake. She’s the daughter of an alchemist, a man who studies not only the natural philosophy, but also the “forbidden” science, a man whose ideas are very modern for the era, revolutionary even. And there she stands, like a statue, letting herself getting bullied by her own husband. I was constantly urging Emilie to get up and do something. And with that I don’t mind trying to kill herself and burn her own god-damned legs. I meant actually doing something against the monster that is Aislabie. Hit him, slap him, kill him for all I care. Make a poisonous drink and feed it to him while he sleeps. Lock him up in a room and make something go boom. Make him stumble down the stairs and claim that it’s an accident. Anything. But don’t let him get away with it!

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Emilie does. Her failure to react very emotionally towards anything, except than the emotion of self-destruction and self-pity, makes her distant and cold as a character. I lost every ability to relate to her. I know that women were supposed to be weak little lambs in that era, but I don’t buy it that a person as rational and intelligent as Emilie would just shrug it off if a fellow as stupid and ignorant as Aislabie were to tear down her entire home, simply because he sleeps with her at night or kisses her passionately. If my husband were to come to me after tearing half my house down, he would certainly NOT be getting any sex, and he wouldn’t get kisses either. That she disregards her own feeilngs simply because he sleeps with her, is unimaginable and sounds just plain stupid. Either Aislabie gives the most amazing sex ever – which still wouldn’t explain things – or Katharine McMahon’s characters’ credibility really takes a turn for the worst here. I’m putting my money on the latter.

Emilie starts out as a promising character, but fails to deliver. Her own history, her love for alchemy and natural philosophy and her initial ambitions make her appear interesting at first. Her interests in the young men who walk into her life, first Shales and then Aislabie, are understandable, and I would let McMahon get away with marrying Emilie off to Aislabie as well. But then, when the latter starts with Selden Manor Demolition Day, all Emilie’s credibility as a genuine person melts away. She reacts in a shallow, emotionless, and just plain stupid way. Aislabie is a more realistic character – that’s not to say I like him, I’ve probably haven’t felt as enraged towards a character as I feel towards him in a long time – with his lies, half-truths and incredibly ambitious and greedy personality. He is portrayed as a villain, and he plays that role well, because I actually hate him. Shales is the good choice, the choice Emilie should have made from the start, and I instantly liked him. I would have liked it if I had gotten to know him better, because he is so much more interesting than Aislabie could ever be.

I was really impressed with Katharine McMahon’s research in the world of natural philosophy and alchemy. She describes the experiments of John and Emilie Selden to the utmost detail, the language she uses feels genuine for the era and the profession, and the experiments sound real enough. That alone was enough to keep me reading. I would have liked it if Emilie managed some interesting, life-changing break-through in either natural philosophy or alchemy, and was deeply dissapointed that this didn’t happen. I fail to see the point of adding in any science at all if it’s not plot-altering or at least very appropriate. The way the story works now, they could have easily called it The Hermit’s Daughter and just focused on the daughter of a guy whose only particular personality traits is that he enjoys seclusion from society.

When Selden was demolished by Aislabie and his crew of airheads, I was practically crying. I felt more attachment towards the beautiful hallways of Selden Manor, the secret passageways, the laboratory, the library and the several sitting rooms, than I felt towards the characters. I felt like wringing Aislabie’s neck when he tore down what seemed like one of the most beautiful houses ever.

I know that my review is a very mixed one. On the one hand, I’ve gone on and on about why the character of Emilie lacks credibility, and why Aislabie is my new number one enemy, but on the other hand, I do enjoy the alchemy-aspect of the novel, the beautiful setting of Selden Manor and London, the descriptive and era-appropriate narrator’s voice that really sketched the scenes and era for me in a most intriguing way and the over-all storyline. The story wasn’t really unpredictable, but there were some surprises along the way. If you enjoy historical fiction, this book really is a nice choice. It offers genuine scientific research and a well-defined and realistic setting. Just don’t hit me when you are as furious with the characters as I am, or when you find yourself plotting schemes to murder Aislabie by the end of this novel. The Alchemist’s Daughter has a promising premise, but it fails to deliver completely. It is interesting and entertaining and an emotional rollercoaster, but it is neither outstanding nor brilliant.(less)

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Oct 03, 2011 Kasha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Haha... OK this was a book club pick that I think belongs in someone elses book club :) This was a very sensual story and I cringed through a lot of what I read. In retrospect I think it maybe would have been better to just set the book down and not finish it especially now that I know the story in its entirety. It was interesting to read and I wanted to know what happened next. I liked that the book was such a page turner (unfortunately it was one of the only things I liked about it). The main...more Haha... OK this was a book club pick that I think belongs in someone elses book club :) This was a very sensual story and I cringed through a lot of what I read. In retrospect I think it maybe would have been better to just set the book down and not finish it especially now that I know the story in its entirety. It was interesting to read and I wanted to know what happened next. I liked that the book was such a page turner (unfortunately it was one of the only things I liked about it). The main character offers very accurate descriptions as she is courted for the first time, and although she is very scientific about it (thanks to the complete education in mathematics and the sciences she received at the hand of her father) the descriptions are still a bit too much, you know? This main character lady was SO frustrating to me. She seemed like she was so weak in affairs of the heart despite her intellectual achievements. I am going to have to resort to spoilers below to review the book the way I want to...

******SPOILERS*******************

Emilie makes bad choice after bad choice. It just doesn't seem possible that a person who was brought up as well as she was could possibly be so idiotic about who/what people really are!!!!

Late in the book she tries to explain that she approached the whole world (including people) from a scientific standpoint because that was all that she had been taught. I'm just not sure I buy it.

Once Emilie learns about her mother, she finally seems to be able to make some good choices that may begin to mend the horrific situation she finds herself in (you know... maybe in 30 years time). Why would she at that point find the inner strength to reverse some of her bad decisions? I don't understand.

The idea of the book is interesting, and the language is beautiful (I thought it was very well written) but I think Emilie could be a whole lot more likeable if she could have begun making better choices or shown more strength a little earlier in the book. And I don't like that she was never really reconciled to her father before his death, either. It was just to tragic for me in general (and too descriptive, as I said before).

It may have been worth reading if Emilie could have been stronger and capable of better decisions and taking more control. As it stands, I'd say maybe skip to the next book on your to-read list.

(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Barb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favs-of-2011, hf-1700s, read-in-2011, secrets, women

I know I'm not doing this book justice with this review. Sometimes it's difficult to say exactly what you liked about a book without talking about the specific events within the story itself. Not wanting to spoil the story for potential readers I'm going to stick to a rather vague review, my apologies.

I liked the protagonist Emilie Selden; I was curious about her relationship with her father and was eager to follow along as she recounted the events of her life and how she learned about her famil...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I would have given this a 4, but there were many long stretches of scientific information, that for me, were not interesting. However, the story of Emilie was very interesting and at the end, where Emilie gets the explanation of her mother was surprising -- I didn't see it coming. Emilie was raised by her father -- her mother having died at her birth. Her father raises her as a scientist (alchemist) looking at the world through those eyes. Mrs. Gill and her husband are the servants. This takes p...more I would have given this a 4, but there were many long stretches of scientific information, that for me, were not interesting. However, the story of Emilie was very interesting and at the end, where Emilie gets the explanation of her mother was surprising -- I didn't see it coming. Emilie was raised by her father -- her mother having died at her birth. Her father raises her as a scientist (alchemist) looking at the world through those eyes. Mrs. Gill and her husband are the servants. This takes place in England in 1725. They live on the manor and oversee the livelihood of the small village. Emilie and her father, John Selden, meet the new Reverend Shales and she is attracted to him so John won't let him visit. And then another young man, Robert Aislabie comes to visit and Emilie is smitten -- totally. When John leaves for his yearly month-long trip to London, Robert comes to Seldon Manor and more or less seduces Emilie. She become pregnant and when John returns announces that he and Aislabie are to be married. OKay so I'm wondering where are the Gills during all of this???? John cuts her out of his life and she has no choice but to leave with Aislabie and life in London. As a reader we can see the Aislabie is vain and is probably only after her money. It's very difficult for her, but she is totally in love with Aislabie so she tries. He gives her a maid, Sarah. She loses the baby. She eventually returns to see her father who hasn't answered any of her letters and finds he has died. Rev. Shales has been keeping him company during his last days and she blames him for not telling her -- but we can see that she is more than a little intrigued with Rev. Shales. Aislabie comes out to Selden with a landscaper and architect and they set about tearing down Seldon & it's gardens -- wrecking it and in the meantime the villagers are ignored and come to hate her and her husband. Oh and Sarah turns out to be Aislabie's mistress. Poor Sarah. The final straw is when Sarah finds out Aislabie's wonderful ship Flora is actually a slave ship and that Sarah is carrying Aislabie's baby. So the story itself was compelling and interesting especially at how the time treated intelligent women like Emilie. There were times of total frustration at Emilie and how she seemed just in a daze and not really acting on what she knew, but then -- women didn't have choices. Great characters.(less)

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Apr 23, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those Fascinated by the Period

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, ultimate-reading-list, fiction, novels

I liked this story, it was a fast read, but somehow it missed being something special. It's the story of Emilie Seldon, who was raised during the time of Isaac Newton in the spirit of scientific inquiry, and, despite her sex, to be a natural philosopher--a scientist. But her father forgot to include the social--and hormonal--in his calculations. Motherless, home-schooled, without other family or friends beyond the housekeeper and never allowed beyond the bounds of the estate, Emilie is so isolat...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Emilie Seldon has been brought up by her father, John. John is a scientist and alchemist and has taught Emilile the scientific procedures and a lot about alchemy. In 1725 in the middle of an alchemy experiment to bring dead roses back to life, Emilie meets two men.

Thomas Shales is a widowed clergyman who has alienated John by his disregard of alchemy. He likes to conduct his own natural flora experiments.

Robert Aislabie is a merchant and adventurer who has come to Seldon manor to inquire about f...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Zed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Most people enjoy stories about alchemy - I gather "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" sells quite well - and I'm one of them. I picked up this book with some trepidation, since the back cover suggests that the main character just happens to be the daughter of an alchemist and this is more a tale of "the innocent abroad". This might not be a bad thing, if skilfully handled, but I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed. I wouldn't mind: the book was on a charity stall for 25p.

But it's the b...more Most people enjoy stories about alchemy - I gather "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" sells quite well - and I'm one of them. I picked up this book with some trepidation, since the back cover suggests that the main character just happens to be the daughter of an alchemist and this is more a tale of "the innocent abroad". This might not be a bad thing, if skilfully handled, but I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed. I wouldn't mind: the book was on a charity stall for 25p.

But it's the best 25p I've ever spent. Firstly, the book is about alchemy from beginning to end. Not only is there plenty of scientific experimentation throughout (laced with outmoded scientific equipment and beliefs, and words like "retort", "flask" and "volume", which constitute porn to people like me), but alchemy - in a metaphorical and literal sense - occurs in events outside the laboratory too. Secondly, love is a major theme, as in many books, but this one deals with the romantic sort, the family sort and other kinds, which is always a potent topic, especially when accompanied and constrated by that of scholarship. Thirdly, thanks to the masterful writing, the heroine's early eighteenth century world is a sensory feast. It's described in lavish detail, but this is never overwhelming and is always present for a purpose: to convey the heroine's feelings about the places themselves (which is relevant to the plot) or to reflect her feelings towards people. I felt the need to listen to some of my favourite music, which is redolent of rural ancient places, to accompany my reading.

But, more than anything, it's involving. People say, "The writer should make you feel like you're right there, in the character's shoes", but I never normally feel anything of the sort. But, from the first four paragraph chapterette, where the narrator, as an infant, accompanies her shabby but imposing father into "the furnace shed", I was able to smell the chemicals and feel the heat and fear and admiration and longing. And for the next three hundred pages, I was with her, through her disappointment, embarrassment, lust, terror, loneliness, peace, feeling of power and so on. My own experiences may have made this easy for me, but I think everyone can relate to having to wear clothes in which they feel ridiculous (whether they've done this or not), having to be civil to someone they feel they'll never understand, and so on.

It's an almost-unrelentingly dark tale and it doesn't hide the dirty aspects of this world, but these are only mentioned when they have relevance to the story, and although the heroine is no doubt used to hearing her father using a chamber pot, for example, she finds it as embarrassing as I would. Although I sometimes felt like the book's misery would never lift - as the heroine no doubt feels is true of her life - I was eventually very glad I'd worked through it. Like the heroine.(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Wendell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alchemy

This book was an interesting change from a lot of the fictional books on alchemy that I have read. And although it was a nice change to see real alchemists and physical alchemy being referenced instead of spiritual alchemy, I have issues with this book.
Maybe it was the lack of care which I had for all of the characters, including those ones that we are suppose to be feeling sorry for (who ever they may have been, I really do not know). Or maybe it was the unfortunate lack of surprise in the st...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wish we could give half stars...my rating would then be 3 1/2 stars instead of four. The premise of the book is intriguing but it just made me mad...mad that most of Emilie's troubles stemmed from the fact that she was female. At the beginning of the book it seems as though Emilie has had an education -- in natural sciences and alchemy -- that was not afforded to women of that time...unfortunately her father, friend and colleague of Sir Isaac Newton, doesn't bother teaching her about ho...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audiobooks

I initially feared that this novel would turn out to be a vehicle for an over-abundance of gratuitous sex, but as I progressed, I found that the explicitly erotic scenes at the start contributed to the understanding of Emily Seldon, a 19 year-old raised by her alchemist father as both a bit of an experiment and as his apprentice. Having been raised in almost complete isolation in rural 1700s England, it is no surprise that her accomplishments in alchemy and natural philosophy, and her meticulous...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Lushbug rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Caged Butterfly, 23 Jan 2010

This is a great story-the main character Emilie grows up in seclusion with just her genius alchemist father for company. She never mixes with people her own age and has no one for company or guidance but her father. One day a handsome man turns up on their doorstep and she gets swept her of her feet. Suddenly the possibilities for her future seem endless- theres a whole new world to explore with her handsome new beau. She makes the fateful decision to marry this...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Dolors rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-before-2011

It's strange the way some stories don't get to you. This one had everything I should love in a novel: an evocative setting, a smart heroine, an exploration of a father-daughter relationship, a touch of mystery, and of course, some romance.
But there's something that didn't click. Maybe the lack of elegance in the prose, maybe the intented-to-be well researched long descriptions of scientific experiments; but I found I didn't care a bit about Emily's fate or about the outcome of the story.
The ch...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Jade rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was recommended this book by a friend, who told me she viewed it as 'a holiday read'...which is not always a bad thing. Whilst I love his work, I for one would not want to be reading Shakespeare for the rest of my life. So I went into this book with a pretty good idea of what to expect.
I'll start by saying I did skim through most of the bits revolving around alchemy. Whilst the idea and notion is quite exciting, actually reading about it, in such a scientific language, was off putting, and fr...more I was recommended this book by a friend, who told me she viewed it as 'a holiday read'...which is not always a bad thing. Whilst I love his work, I for one would not want to be reading Shakespeare for the rest of my life. So I went into this book with a pretty good idea of what to expect.
I'll start by saying I did skim through most of the bits revolving around alchemy. Whilst the idea and notion is quite exciting, actually reading about it, in such a scientific language, was off putting, and frankly bored me. Which is a shame, because the rest of the book was nicely written, with a good amount of emotive descriptions, and some rather nice imagrey.
Parts of the book were very predictable ( I knew Sarahs purpose the minute she walked through the door) whilst some parts did shock me. There was a great chance here for the author to use relationships with Emilie, which she failed to do. Obviously she has Aislabie, but there was so much she could have done, revolving around the other characters, especially when she was in London. Emilie has barely had any contact with the outside world and people, apart from her father and Mrs. Gill, and whilst there is some referance to her shock at the world of London, her reaction to people and their ways is generally skipped over.
Reading this book, I did remember how much I loved historical fiction as a genre. The author (McMahons') descriptions of the clothes and architecture of the 1700s was wonderful and very engrossing, creating vivid imagery. I believed in the time period, and felt dragged back into the past, witnessing this world of Selden.
I've read alot of reviews saying she made so many mistakes and criticising Emilies character... but really she only made one big mistake, which spiralled into more. Once married, she had no power...and whilst even the characters in the book expected her to stand up to her husband, realistically for a 1700s woman, there was nothing she could do. Aislabie said 'jump', she said 'how high?' - that's simply the way it was. She is basically raped by him, when she tries to refuse him, men held the power, it was a patriarchal society, which some people seem to have forgotten.
So, a good read, but nothing outstanding. If you are an avid reader of historical fiction, you'll be more than likely dissapointed. But you may find some goodness here if you ever come across the book in you library or something. (less)

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Apr 04, 2010 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Entertaining book with lots of historical/scientific detail, which I really enjoy in historical fiction. Emilie, the protagonist, is raised as an experiment in nature vs nurture by her father, a widowed natural philosopher/alchemist outside London in the 1700s. Told from Emilie's point of view, the story follows her carefully controlled upbringing focused on complete immersion in an atmosphere of learning, science and the experimental method. The main subject of the father/daughter reasearch tea...more

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May 25, 2011 Architeuthis rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature, 2000s

Those of you who are Old School know about the original Legend of Zelda. The first game in the Zelda franchise was epic. It was badass. In my personal opinion, few games have been as awesome since.

This book is a lot like the original Legend of Zelda. Unfortunately, it is like all the crappy and stupid aspects of that game, and none of the cool ones. Witness as I extrapolate.

description

The main character in this book lacks personality. All of the things that sound kind of cool about her--like she knows ab...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Annie McCall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fiction

A few thoughts:
--Emily makes some really bad mistakes, mostly the kind that are based on the part of her character that acquiesces to pretty much everything: 1) she always does what her father tells her, and the only "challenging" she does is when it comes to their scientific observations, and those are more like curious questions instead of rebuttals of his ideas of their experiments; 2) she says no in the beginning of her first sexual experience but lacks the conviction to actually "stand firm...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was sitting out in the library's display area, so I though "ooh - great, they've recommended some historical fiction for me!" It looked promising - a girl is raised as a scientist/alchemist in her father's laboratory with the expectation that she will follow his footsteps in the field. And at first, the descriptions of their experiments and of the period were quite good. But then, this seemingly intelligent girl falls for whatever adult male falls into her path. She spends the rest of...more

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May 15, 2011 Essie Fox rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was entranced by this book's early chapters - it's one of those stories that really draws you in.I would recommend to any readers who enjoy fiction based in the eighteenth century - or who simply love a good plot driven romance. The writing style is vivid and filmic and Katherine McMahon has clearly done an enormous amount of research into the scientific methods described - the materials, the tools, the experiments.

There are many twists and turns of plot which revolves around a passionate love...more

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May 05, 2011 Kinga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: england, 18th-century, family-secrets

This book was a cross between literary fiction and bodice-ripper romance. Katharine McMahon seems to be sitting over the fence, not quite sure what kind of book she wanted to write. She put her heroine in a similar position - Emilie is not quite sure if she prefers to sit in the lab and peform physical and chemical experiments or if she would rather have that dashing young man grab her and take her, take her like there is no tomorrow. This weird combination worked surprisingly well but must have...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reads-in-7th-grade-mp-4

This book is about, obviously, an ALCHEMIST'S DAUGHTER. The Alchemist's daughter is named Emilie Selden. She falls in love with a man named Aislabie while in the middle of an experiment with her father, which is to bring back life. She also seems to fall in love with her town Reverend, Reverend Shales. However, that was towards the end of the book. In the beginning of the book, Emilie got pregnant with Aislabie's baby and had a miscarriage. She was sick for weeks and as a gift, Aislabie gets her...more

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Mar 09, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book on whim and actually really enjoyed it. It is historical fiction—England in the early 18th century. The story is about an alchemist who raises his daughter to follow in his philosophical footsteps. They lead a very secluded life but eventually she grows older and more curious about the world. When she finds love, she abandons her studies and travels to England to become schooled in the ways of the world. I thought it was well written with an interesting, unique story. I liked...more

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