The Writing Master

by Kitty Burns Florey

In the summer of 1856, Charles Cooper, a young teacher of writing, is struggling to come to terms with the tragic accident that killed his wife and baby son.

Complicating things is Lily Prescott, his sometime student—an unconventional woman with a shady past and an uncertain future that she is trying her calculating best to improve.

When a brutal murder takes place just outside the city of New Haven, CT, Charles—an expert penman—becomes involved in its solution, along with Harold Milgrim, an amateur detective in the mold of Poe's C. Auguste Dupin. The consequences of Charles's involvement are both unexpected and far-reaching.

Strongly influenced by the author's love of 19th century fiction and her immersion in New England history—and inspired by her nonfiction book, Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting—The Writing Master meticulously evokes another age, one of sooty railroad journeys, extravagantly inconvenient clothing, strict social codes, and severe penalties for their transgression—as well as the timeless passions and aspirations of a cast of memorable characters.

Praise for The Writing Master:

"I don't have enough superlatives to describe my delight with The Writing Master. I loved every moment I spent in the 19th-century world of Florey's endearing and complicated characters. I loved their heartbreaking plights, their sparkling dialogue, their fully realized setting, their unexpected destinations. I will read it again while I wait for a sequel." —Monica Wood, author of When We Were the Kennedys

Genres: Historical Fiction

276 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2012

About the author

Kitty Burns Florey is a veteran copyeditor and the author of nine novels and many short stories and essays. Her nonfiction book, Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences, was a National Bestseller that has been called "a wistful, charming, and funny ode to a nearly lost art."

An only child born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Florey attended St. John the Baptist Academy from 1st-12th grades, and this parochial school experience would later inform her nonfiction writing. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Boston University as well as a master's degree from Syracuse University, also in English Literature.

Her most recent nonfiction book, Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting, is an exploration of the history of handwriting and a meditation on its modern function in the digital age. It will be released in paperback in September 2013.

Amy Tan called Script & Scribble "[A] book every writer would love, a curio cabinet on the art and act of writing," and The Wall Street Journal praised it as "witty and readable."

Her most recent work of fiction is The Writing Master, a historical novel set in New Haven,CT in 1856, which was inspired by her interest in handwriting history. Praise for the book includes this endorsement from Susan Cheever, author of Louisa May Alcott : "I tore through THE WRITING MASTER in one night. It's a murder mystery, a father-daughter story, and a detailed slice of 19th-century New England history -- lovely!"

Florey is working on a sequel to The Writing Master , set in Amherst, MA, where she now lives.

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive The Writing Master in a Goodreads giveaway. The book started off slowly for me as I was introduced to many characters and became slightly frustrated trying to remember who was who and how they connected. After reading about one third of the story, I set the book down for a week then returned to it and finished it in two days! The story picked up,the characters developed and the plot expanded. The story ended in a way that I had not expected, which proved to me that Lilly was really the type of person I thought she was at the beginning of the story!

[tiasreads]

I won this book in the Goodreads FirstReads giveaway. It was accompanied by a very charming, hand-written note from the author, written in exquisite hand-writing on a personalised notecard. I was determined to love it. Sadly, I didn't.

I really can't tell you why I couldn't finish this book. I was reading along (rather slowly for me), but had to put it down one day to attend to some laundry. And I just couldn't make myself pick it back up. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't good enough to hold my attention, although for no reason I can put my finger on. I wasn't invested, even though I liked the characters. I will say this, the first few pages were poorly written. The story had begun with no introduction. It was like coming in on the middle of a conversation about people you don't know- very confusing. The writing picked up after a bit, however.

Hopefully one day I can return to this book and connect with it- another time, another place may change my view. But for now, this just doesn't cut it for me.

[Roxana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to see this book listed on the First Reads giveaway program, and even more excited to win. I love historical fiction, and a mystery set in 19th century New England sounded right up my alley. I was disappointed in the mystery part, but as a delightful, easy-read piece of historical fiction, The Writing Master was just what I wanted.

Florey's writing is somewhat inconsistent - her dialogue is awkward, but some of the descriptive passages are really charming, giving the book a comfortable, natural atmosphere which is its strongest aspect.

The murder mystery part is weirdly disconnected from the bulk of the story. If you go in expecting a whodunit, as the synopsis suggests, you won't be satisfied - it's almost tangential. The Writing Master's strength is in its creation of a world, a place and time where these characters, though thinly sketched, seem to thoroughly belong. It's a calm, comfortable, fragrant world where I could happily spend some time, even with characters whose speaking style is sometimes awkward.

The story's reliance on the metaphor of the written word comes out in its semi-epistolary style - Lily Prescott's half of the action is done through her diary entries (in part defined through orthography - for example, she uses an ampersand and shortens names to initials), and the novel concludes with a batch of letters from most of the major characters. It’s this letter-filled conclusion that earns The Writing Master an extra star from me; its left-turn ending utterly delighted me after an otherwise fairly formulaic, stiff story. (I won't spoil it here, but it abruptly goes to the place that is at once the most logical and the least typical, and I loved it.)

The Writing Master is charming and fun despite its flaws, and I recommend it to those interested in 19th century fiction or who want an easy fast read.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to have won a book from goodreads and to have received it directly from the author who included a very nice note. So, of course, I began reading The Writing Master right away.

Not a page of this book is without historic information. I am amazed and envious at the author's great expanse of knowledge.

With a mystery at the root of the story, the main characters emerge within the first pages of the book. From there, the reader watches as each develops, overcoming the conflict that has impeded their own personal growth.

Charles Cooper is a master of writing, creating beautiful documents or simply penning notes for those who are unable to write. Lillian and her companion Elena witness his talent and Lillian asks for lessons. The author describes penmanship in the beautiful terms that do, indeed, express the very essence of cursive writing before the introduction of the typowriter.

Much happens in the lives of the characters of this book. Murder, kidnapping, lost love, found love, banishment, impropriety, indecision, and life changing decisions are just a few of the many developments that are found in The Writing Master.

The conclusion of this book was surprising, not only in the outcome, but in the perfect form the author chose to complete the novel. What a good idea! I would, very much like to read more about these characters, especially Charles Cooper, of whom I have become particularly fond!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable piece of historical fiction from 1850's New England. A "writing master" (i.e. calligraphy/penmanship teacher) encounters a beautiful young woman and a dirty old insane man one day on the town green. Both people lead him into life-changing experiences: one romantic and one involving a murder mystery that he becomes involved with. Both people are also connected to his work as a writing master.

The story continues on this twofold path; the murder mystery and the love story. Unexpected results ensue (hard not to give anything away!). The characters were well-written and the plot, especially the love plot, is thought-provoking and is pleasantly unpredictable. The historical fiction part is well-done. I particularly enjoyed one aspect of the book, where characters would postulate about the future and "can you imagine a work in which X, Y, or Z were true?" and of course they are describing our modern world, which we find unremarkable and they find unimaginable.

One complaint I have is that it took awhile for the plot to get rolling, and there were some tedious bits.

[Joyce Ziebell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Writing Master is an historical novel, both a period piece set in New England in the 1850s and an old-fashioned story of manners.

The story tracks a half a year in the lives of two main characters: Charles Cooper, a penman who makes his living by creating documents for other people using elaborate, artistic script, and Lily Prescott, an impulsive and beautiful young woman with a complicated past. The plot includes a local murder mystery and a few too many different plot threads, all revolving around the complexity and difficulty of being a woman in this era. To the author’s credit, she does manage to tie the many odd and separate stories into a cohesive and very satisfying end that is not the predictable 'happily-ever-after' the reader expects.

A pleasant read that is well-written and researched.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a scrivener in the 1800s who lost his wife and baby in a fire. He solves a mystery and falls in love with a " fallen woman" (she had been living in Rome with her father and had a fling and a baby). The book alternates between her diary and his story told in the third person. So you know she's seeing someone else who she is very attracted to but it doesn't seem too promising--he's from a prominent family. She is too, mind you, but of course, fallen. Not all loose ends are tied up but you're able to imagine (hope) who ends up with whom...

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Writing Master is an unexpectedly (at least to me) good story written in a very Jane Eyre type style. Set in the 1850s in New Haven, it is the story of Charles, a writing master who creates documents, birth certificates, and the like and teaches those same skills to others. Charles, who is a widower, meets and is attracted to Lily, a young, unwed mother (oh, shock!). At the same time, Charles becomes involved in a murder investigation. Although the plot isn't particularly complicated or surprising, the author pulls it all together with a somewhat unexpected ending.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from GoodReads.
This book was a love story set in a different era from long ago. I really felt for the main characters and hoped it would end differently. I was so absorbed in the book I read it pretty quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would read other books by Kitty Burns Florey.

[Randal · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are things here--a tragedy, a mystery, a possible romance, an unusual profession. But they are all a bit too easily resolved or dismissed or don't quite get around to adding up to anything. The atmosphere of the era might be the book's strength, but it's not enough strength to go anywhere.

[Dindc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richly drawn characters but w/o much of a plot

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential but fell a little short to me. The characters were interesting and there was a bit of plot twist but not a lot. Just a pleasant fairly quick read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as advertised. I thought it would be historical fiction with some mystery according to the Washington Post but it was more a love story in the 1800's with all its class and bias against women.

[Catherine Garrity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story.

[Aubree Bowling · Rating 3 out of 5]

meandering, but interesting and kept my curiosity piqued enough to keep turning pages

[Cybrarian717]

a lesson in the trauma of coincidence,

Seems to be unfinished. Would like to see another book . Kept thinking these people were in the early 1900's.

[Ladory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and delightful. This story was told by two different people in alternating chapters in the year 1856. The woman wrote in her journal to tell her story in first person. The man's story was told in third person. There was a bit of romantic intrigue, some humor, a bit of murder mystery, some happiness and some sadness.

I recommend this book for an entertaining, somewhat light read. I will read more of this author.