Title: A Mad, Wicked Folly
Author: Sharon Biggs Waller
Published:
Synopsis: Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909,
where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means
everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and
mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who
wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams
This is the second book I have read in the past two months
set in Edwardian England. Maybe I should blame Downton Abbey for that or maybe
I should just credit authors for realizing that this is a pretty compelling
period in history, at least for me it is. It was a time of transition. Queen
Victoria, not quite the feminist icon she is made out to be, was pretty
conservative but when her son Edward takes the throne things start changing. It
was a particularly interesting time for young women. Not only was the country
modernizing, including moving away the tradition class structure, but the fight
for women's suffrage was really taking hold. However, the people in power, were reluctant to give up their control.
Needless to say there is a lot of conflict.
Sharon Biggs Waller does a great job of setting that scene
for the reader. We feel the sense of conflict between the desire to change but
having to fight the establishment that wants to keep things the way they are.
She weaves the fictional characters and situations around real life events and
historical figures within the backdrop of the women's suffrage movement in
England. As the reader I felt completely immersed in this world. The plot
wasn't filled with action and it wasn't really character-driven either. It was
a nice mix between the two as the characters were influenced by what was
happening around them.
This was a particularly interesting book to read with all
the talk in the book blogging community about feminism and what makes a strong
female character. Vicky, our main character, isn't someone you might think is
really a feminist. In the beginning all
she just wants is to be an artist. But the blinders come off when she shames
her family and is forced to return home, give up her art, and marry someone
that her parents pick for her so that she can not only restore her reputation
and theirs. But Vicky isn't satisfied just being a wife and mother. She is
determined to get into the Royal College of Arts. So she continues to draw and
find compelling subjects to draw. This is how she gets connected with the
suffragettes. Throughout the book Vicky has a great character development and I
really identified with her as a protagonist. She knows what she wants and she
is willing to fight for it and do whatever it takes. She comes to the
realization that it's more of a political struggle slowly and she realizes that
she can use her gift for art to fight. As a character she is a little stubborn and reckless but that
adds to her charm. Throughout a lot of the novel I was nervous for her that all
her hiding and secrets were going to come to a head and the proverbial shit was
going to hit the proverbial fan.
But probably the most interesting thing for me was the
romance. I read this book as part of my anti-love month, but I had heard from
other reviews that it is totally shipworthy. There is a pretty interesting
"meet cute" with a police officer named Will, who Vicky is initially
attracted too and really wants to draw. My head however was in a totally
different place in terms of romance and I couldn't really see their
relationship as a good idea. I had just come off a book that turned the
romantic notion of marrying for love and being poor but happy into a bad thing.
When I started this book I felt like I had a very cynical view on love, and the
ship that I was shipping was not the one you would expect. But as the book went
on so did my opinion of the ships and romance in general. It takes a rare book
to restore your faith in love but A Mad, Wicked Folly was that book for me.
Just think how you will feel about the book if you are in the romantic sort of
mood.
A Mad, Wicked Folly is a great piece of young adult
historical fiction. It immerses you in the time period, has compelling
characters you roof for, and the right amount of romance. I give it 8.5 out of
10
If you are looking to try Historical Fiction give this book
a try. If you have read it, what are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and of
course HAPPY READING!
