Tatiana Roldan Roldan itibaren Baruwala, Punjab 140115, Hindistan itibaren Baruwala, Punjab 140115, Hindistan

A beautiful book about a great painter.

I read the third book of this trilogy a few months ago and liked it, so when I saw this at the library I picked it up. Reading the third book first wasn’t an issue in this case, because these stories are much more in the companion-book line than a straight trilogy. Anyway, I really liked this one, even more than the third book. It was a sweet story and beautifully written. Unfortunately, there was a comparison to Spindle’s End on the jacket copy, which made me catch on to the twist sooner than I otherwise would have. Still, I don’t mind spoilers in general, so I wasn’t particularly bothered. [Mar. 2011]

This was my one and only foray into Jane Austen fan fiction. Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel and probably my favourite novel full stop. I decided to read this book in order to extend the joy of having recently re-read it. However, that was not to be. From my perspective, it consisted of slabs of Persuasion, interspersed with writing infinitely inferior to that of Austen's. I accept that this will appeal to many Austen fans: just not to me. I won't be reading any more such novels. In future I'll stick to re-reading Austen. Nothing compares to it.