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Laurel
Laurel Goodknight had never had a conventional childhood, in spite of her parents being proper members of the Bath ton. The only thing that she does well and brings her any sense of worth is painting. So when her parents discuss sending her back to… that place, well, she cuts her hair, dons men’s clothing and makes a break for London. Accosted on the way by rambunctious young rakes on a lark, she loses the address to the only safe place she knows in London. Contrite for their actions and unaware of her sex the men take Lawrence Godwin under their wing and so begins Laurel’s new life. All looks to be fine, except for Beau.
474 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2018
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13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 11, 2018
Laurel is a very long novel, into which the author has clearly put a great deal of effort, for which she should be commended. The basic notion of the plot, that a young heiress should run away from home and try to make her way as a male painter in 1830s London, is instantly intriguing. In her guise as a man, she is befriended by several male characters and experiences an eventful life in London.
As the plot develops to a very satisfactory conclusion, we do discover more about the principal characters. I do, however, feel that this aspect of the novel could have been improved. By far the greatest part of the writing is in the form of dialogue, which inhibits us gaining deep insights into the minds of the main characters.
It also places a very great burden on the author to produce accuracy of tone and vocabulary. I’m not sure this was always successfully achieved.For example, modern or unEnglish words like gotten, okay or pants figure too frequently, which disturbs our sense of the place and the period.
Indeed, this is my greatest concern with the book – it actually gives the reader hardly any sense of what 1830s London or Bath were like. There is precious little description of any locations, or the sights, smells or sounds of the cities and the people in them. I never got to feel that I was there at all, which is a real pity. I think with carefully edited dialogue and more space devoted to the creation of an authentic sense of time and place, this could have been a very good book. For those who like historical romance fiction with a difference, I’m sure you’d really enjoy it as it is.
As the plot develops to a very satisfactory conclusion, we do discover more about the principal characters. I do, however, feel that this aspect of the novel could have been improved. By far the greatest part of the writing is in the form of dialogue, which inhibits us gaining deep insights into the minds of the main characters.
It also places a very great burden on the author to produce accuracy of tone and vocabulary. I’m not sure this was always successfully achieved.For example, modern or unEnglish words like gotten, okay or pants figure too frequently, which disturbs our sense of the place and the period.
Indeed, this is my greatest concern with the book – it actually gives the reader hardly any sense of what 1830s London or Bath were like. There is precious little description of any locations, or the sights, smells or sounds of the cities and the people in them. I never got to feel that I was there at all, which is a real pity. I think with carefully edited dialogue and more space devoted to the creation of an authentic sense of time and place, this could have been a very good book. For those who like historical romance fiction with a difference, I’m sure you’d really enjoy it as it is.
May 10, 2018
An odd romance in merry old England.
I’m a fan of historical fiction. I love stories set in times and locations that were part of the framework of our modern world. I enjoy it when an author makes me feel as though I’m right there as events unfold. These stories often involve real persons and events of the time.
I found Laurel to be more of a Regency Romance than a work of Historical Fiction.
While I found aspects of the insight into the life of the landed gentry to be entertaining, I felt the premise was a bit thin.
Laurel is a young woman with deep psychological scars, so tortured by her home life she flees to London, pretending to be a young man-a gifted portrait artist. She strikes up friendships with several young men about town who lead lives of self-indulgence. One of them is also a gifted portrait artist.
So, two gifted portrait artists-trained observers-can’t tell that: A. The actual man is falling in love with Larry-who is, B. - Actually a young woman named Laurel. The man is so attracted to Larry/Laurel, he’s afraid he’s becoming homosexual.
Meanwhile, grave robbers and murderers are snatching bodies to sell to medical science, while plague is approaching London. The author handles scenes and descriptions with grace and style, painting imagery of London streets, carriage rides, and Christmas that Charles Dickens would’ve enjoyed, but I found the pace a bit slow for me.
For fans of English life and quirky romance, this might be a fine read.
I’m a fan of historical fiction. I love stories set in times and locations that were part of the framework of our modern world. I enjoy it when an author makes me feel as though I’m right there as events unfold. These stories often involve real persons and events of the time.
I found Laurel to be more of a Regency Romance than a work of Historical Fiction.
While I found aspects of the insight into the life of the landed gentry to be entertaining, I felt the premise was a bit thin.
Laurel is a young woman with deep psychological scars, so tortured by her home life she flees to London, pretending to be a young man-a gifted portrait artist. She strikes up friendships with several young men about town who lead lives of self-indulgence. One of them is also a gifted portrait artist.
So, two gifted portrait artists-trained observers-can’t tell that: A. The actual man is falling in love with Larry-who is, B. - Actually a young woman named Laurel. The man is so attracted to Larry/Laurel, he’s afraid he’s becoming homosexual.
Meanwhile, grave robbers and murderers are snatching bodies to sell to medical science, while plague is approaching London. The author handles scenes and descriptions with grace and style, painting imagery of London streets, carriage rides, and Christmas that Charles Dickens would’ve enjoyed, but I found the pace a bit slow for me.
For fans of English life and quirky romance, this might be a fine read.
March 4, 2018
A fast paced, entertaining read. The tale is far-fetched and the regency slang was a bit over the top but the characters were interesting enough. Lots of skeletons in the closet and dark pasts. I wasn't really clear why Laurel's parents did what they did. It was easy enough to ignore one's child's existence back in those days, such extreme measures were not necessary and were unrealistic. If she was schizophrenic, bipolar or autistic or had any other psychological condition then it would have been more plausible. Or perhaps having her mother send her away to escape her abusive father would've been a good enough reason for me. But just to have the parents both being so horrid and evil... it was just not realistic enough for me.
I liked a couple of twists, and rarely do you have regency author discussing "the curse of our sex" lol!! There was a lot of dialogue and little reflection on how the main character felt or analyzed her feelings. I would've liked to see more of that.
I liked a couple of twists, and rarely do you have regency author discussing "the curse of our sex" lol!! There was a lot of dialogue and little reflection on how the main character felt or analyzed her feelings. I would've liked to see more of that.
April 20, 2018
In order for a work of fiction to succeed, the reader must buy the premise and be able to suspend their disbelief throughout the story. In fantasy and science fiction stories, the audience expects supernatural and/or unnatural behavior and the burden on the author is light. But in historical fiction, the reader expects a high degree of realism and faithfulness to the setting and era. Julius Caesar leading an army to battle in an M-1 tank won't pass muster unless it's a comic parody or time travel fantasy dressed up as historical fiction.
I must also say that this is a highly subjective standard which will vary tremendously from reader to reader. So my difficulty in accepting the premise of "Laurel," the debut novel by Helen Mathey-Horn, may not be a problem for anyone else. Simply put, I found it unbelievable that a girl in the 1830's could fool a group of guys in close and constant proximity for months into believing that she was a man simply by cutting her hair, putting on men's clothes and calling herself "Larry."
If the author was telling this tale purely for laughs, it might have worked for me. Full disclosure: I also found "Some Like It Hot," "Tootsie," and "Mrs. Doubtfire" unbelievable, but they had me laughing hysterically.
SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT
For me, Laurel "jumped the shark " when one of the guys (who is a womanizing rake) believes he has fallen in love with "Larry", kisses him and still can't tell she's a girl. Instead he thinks he has become a homosexual and is willing to risk death by revealing it to "Larry."
Laurel would benefit from a bit more editing. The point of view shifts from time to time in a confusing manner and there are a few missing words and grammatical errors to clean up. None of that was serious enough to put me off.
In conclusion, readers who buy the premise might well enjoy "Laurel." It is quirky, breezy and many of the characters are very entertaining and/or heartwarming.
I must also say that this is a highly subjective standard which will vary tremendously from reader to reader. So my difficulty in accepting the premise of "Laurel," the debut novel by Helen Mathey-Horn, may not be a problem for anyone else. Simply put, I found it unbelievable that a girl in the 1830's could fool a group of guys in close and constant proximity for months into believing that she was a man simply by cutting her hair, putting on men's clothes and calling herself "Larry."
If the author was telling this tale purely for laughs, it might have worked for me. Full disclosure: I also found "Some Like It Hot," "Tootsie," and "Mrs. Doubtfire" unbelievable, but they had me laughing hysterically.
SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT
For me, Laurel "jumped the shark " when one of the guys (who is a womanizing rake) believes he has fallen in love with "Larry", kisses him and still can't tell she's a girl. Instead he thinks he has become a homosexual and is willing to risk death by revealing it to "Larry."
Laurel would benefit from a bit more editing. The point of view shifts from time to time in a confusing manner and there are a few missing words and grammatical errors to clean up. None of that was serious enough to put me off.
In conclusion, readers who buy the premise might well enjoy "Laurel." It is quirky, breezy and many of the characters are very entertaining and/or heartwarming.
February 26, 2018
Laurel is a romance novel about this beautiful girl that loves to paint. The story is set in the 1830’s and is so historically exact to its time that the reader faces slangs from that time as well. When her parents decide to change Laurel’s life, she decides to take action and runs away to London. There she loses the one address that she knew was to be a safe place and so with no other way to go around the problem, Laurel decides to dress like a man and cut her hair in order to blend in with the norm, changing her identity. That is when the story takes an interesting turn.
I enjoyed the fact that the story revolved around the society and social norm alongside focusing on women empowerment and working as an artist. Laurel is strong and has the perfect character for the storyline. I found the pace to be steady and the ongoing dialogue provided enough interest, making the reader wanting more.
The book also reminded me of the Disney Cartoon “Mulan” where she too dressed up as a man in order to fight in the war, taking her ill father’s place. The concept was sweet yet; it brought along many issues that women face due to their sex and things that are expected from them.
I recommend this book to people that enjoy women fiction and romance.
I enjoyed the fact that the story revolved around the society and social norm alongside focusing on women empowerment and working as an artist. Laurel is strong and has the perfect character for the storyline. I found the pace to be steady and the ongoing dialogue provided enough interest, making the reader wanting more.
The book also reminded me of the Disney Cartoon “Mulan” where she too dressed up as a man in order to fight in the war, taking her ill father’s place. The concept was sweet yet; it brought along many issues that women face due to their sex and things that are expected from them.
I recommend this book to people that enjoy women fiction and romance.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews