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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: An Improbable Season Author: Rosayn Eves Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 10-12 Genre/Type of Book: Historical Fiction/Romance
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Kissing, some talk of "marital duties" but very YA Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Fan of Regency stories, looking for a quick audiobook while waiting for holds If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: When three country girls head to London for the season, things might just get tricky!
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Review:
Thalia, Kalliope, and Charis are headed to London for their first ever season in high society. Thalia is looking forward to the intelligencia of London to match wits with and write poetry for. Kallie wants to see the beautiful parties, and enjoy her time "out" before settling down at home. Charis wants to meet the scientific minds of London and expand her study of the natural world. All three have different dreams, but they will get to experience the London season together. Will scandal, pride, and heartbreak rule the season or will the girls manage to pull a happily ever after out of the mess?
I thought this was a cute book, with all of the Regency appropriate high drama. I found myself adding in little side quips here and there, and definitely cursing some of the characters for fools, but it is a YA novel after all! The clothes were described in delightful detail, and there were many ballrooms, gardens, carriage rides, fancy houses, and more to occupy my historical romance side. The characters fell flat here and there, but overall they were lively and generally charming. It was perfectly appropriate for teen readers, featuring only kissing and the girls thinking/wondering about marital relations (usually in those kind of terms. Not mentioning anything more "modern.") There weren't any "closed door" scenes, or anything more than kissing. It was a quick listen, and sits well in the historical fiction category. I did find myself wondering what would happen to the character who didn't get the happily ever after, and found out there is a sequel that I might pick up. This book was definitely capitalizing on the Bridgerton craze but is appropriate for teen readers. I glanced over some reviews that had some complaints about the writing or the religious overtones, but I really didn't notice any such thing. There was a heavy emphasis on marriage and such, but that was precisely what the season and the marriage market were for.
There was also a brief touch on the subject of racism/discrimination since one of the love interests is described as "Anglo-Indian," which would have been somewhat common in the 18-teens, but it isn't really explored more than a brief accusation at the beginning of his and Charis' acquaintanceship to set them at odds. Then, it is only mentioned in passing a few other times, but not discussed in much depth. I would have liked to hear more about this. There was also an attempt at the "buck society and its rules, we should be more free!" theme, but it never came of anything. All of the girls still stayed and played within society's rules. I understand that in the actual bounds of Regency era England, you could NOT just go off and do what you wanted, but in fiction you have a lot more give. The author was aiming to make a stand about it
The cover features most of a young woman in a voluminous blue dress and the title, and doesn't catch the eye much. It also looks like it is going for a sketchy, watercolor look but ends up looking somewhat childish or cartoonish. I think you'd need to sell this as for "fans of Bridgerton" or for those who already like historical fiction. It was a nice addition to the Regency world, but it wasn't a revelation.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
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