Through A Glass Darkly: Part 1 Of 3

by Karleen Koen

Part One Of Two Parts

Set in the upper-class families of 18th century England and France, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY tells the story of Barbara Alderley, a beautiful and passionate heroine; the grandmother she adores; the mother she despises...and the man she loves.

At 15, Barbara finds herself betrothed to a man 27 years her senior. Marriage propels her into a glittering, cynical society: the casual adulteries and violent politics of the age of Richelieu, Pope and Swift; of buildings by Christopher Wren; of greed, elegance, excess and cruelty. Barbara navigates these dangers with great skill; her beauty takes on polish and sophistication.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Audio Cassette

Published September 1, 1987

About the author

My childhood was filled with glorious books, Little Women, Lad A Dog, Black Beauty, Little House on the Prairie, Caddie Woodlawn. They were as real to me as the life around me, a lower middle class one in a small oil refinery town in Texas. My grandfather, an invalid, was a huge fan of the writers Frank Slaughter, Frank Yerby, and Zane Grey. By the time I learned to read, I was sneaking his square, cheap (a dime, I think) paperbacks off and reading them. Pirates. Passion. History. It has never occurred to me to write anything but historicals, a kind of time travel into other minds, other lands, other eras, other cultures, other worlds. That's what I wish for my readers, that my books take them far away into another place and time and that they enjoy themselves there and maybe even learn an interesting fact or two.

My blog: http://www.karleenkoen.wordpress.com
My website: http://www.karleenkoen.net

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love the time period and how real the characters are. It's as if they were really a part of the time period. Barbara is such a strong woman before her time, yet it's believable due to the circumstances that she finds herself in. This is one of those books that I will definitely re-read when I just want a great escape.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so captivating need to read the next one as I need to know what has happened to Barbra

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took awile to get through this book but not for lavk of interest. It was a great work of historical fiction. I am looking forward to the second in the series so I can find out what happens to Barbara. Need to get it on my Nook though. The small print of this book was a killer on my old eyes!

[Alejandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

me gusto mucho, en especial la sorpresa del triangulo amoroso que aparece, jamas me lo hubiera imaginado!!!!!!!11

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, but the author sometimes takes too long to describe locations. This is something I don't like,but I know everyone doesn't feel that way.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was enjoyable. Koen is very descriptive throughout the book. It seemed to take a while to really get the story moving. On the whole, it is well written and an good story.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book 20yrs ago and I don't recall the details of the story but have fond memories reading this book. A friend helped me recall the title and I'm excited to read the 2nd and prequel.