For a little background on feminism, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-wave_...
I know very little about that era but perhaps I'll try to dig out some more info.

I was finally able to pick up my copy and get started on this. So far, I'm enjoying it, although I'm surprised by the number of times Gemma refers to her legs, since I thought the Victorians generally considered such specificity was scandalous. Is this intended to be an artifact of Gemma's more casual Indian background? Overall, though, I like the story and feel it flows well.

Ramona, you hit on what i did love best about this book - the historical setting. it never fails to surprise me (surprise as in it's unexpected, not as in it doesn't fit) when an "enlightened" or otherwise "modern" viewpoint crops up in a historical novel. i mean, my rational mind knows that feminism didn't spring fully formed out of the mid-60s, but my kneejerk reactions sure assume it did.

I read the trilogy last year and enjoyed all, though it did feel in places that the author was stretching things out a bit in order to fill three volumes. I did appreciate the setting, the challenges to women of that era, whose lives were so constricted. And I thought the characters were well-formed and their interactions and conflicts kept me interested. So many fantasy novels, especially those written by men--though there are shining exceptions--tend to make women one-dimensional. I liked it that these young women were human, full of contradictions and unpredictable. Hope others liked this one.

I haven't finished yet. However, I'm borderline with the book so far. It is interesting in various parts and oddly boring in others. Michelle you are right about the ideas not being fully fleshed out. Obviously leading us to read the other two books. We will see.

I finally received notice from the library that my IIL is in. I'll be picking the book up sometime this weekend. Maybe I'll even get to start reading before the month is out. :/

i finished it a couple of days ago - ready for anyone elses' opinions. this one felt to me like the orchestra tuning up before the symphony. lots of interesting ideas, few of which are fully fleshed out. i'm absolutely intrigued enough to check out the next entry in the series to see where she goes with this!

is it just me, or does "historical" fiction always come across as a surprise? i mean that modern sensibilities (i.e., the art teacher that takes them to the caves) at first are jarring until i realize that yes, people "back in the day" weren't all simply products of their times, but were every bit as much independent thinkers as some of us today are. my initial kneejerk reaction is always to feel the author has placed her modern values on her characters, but that's a right simplistic view, to assume that everyone did actually buy into victorian repression...

just picked it up from the library yesterday evening...should be an interesting shift from my other book club read this month, 'the poisonwood bible'!

Any thoughts on the book so far?

I read it last year, the trilogy, in fact, so I'll join in the discussion at month's end. It's a terrific read, BTW.

Pamela, i'm in the same boat with the library, though their website assures me i'm #1 in the queue for it.

I'm in. It was just bumped up to the top of the list.

yes, ill be reading this too, michelle.

I've got this on hold at the library. Unless it gets turned in early, the earliest I can hope for is next week. It sure seems to be popular; it's rare I find a book that has every single copy checked out (except for the volume being repaired).

A Great and Terrible Beauty



this was my selection for this month's read, anyone else thinking of picking this one up?