Corina Bomann

The spark to investigate this novel was the lion on the gate that caught my eyes as my mother loved lions and tigers and had multiple pairs of earrings of lions and one pair in particular looked like the illustration. Then I read the synopsis and became even more enthusiastic about selecting this title. I love reading novels about unconventional women that defied the rules of her time. These are the women that for many generations were rarely mentioned in history classes. If it weren't for show more each of these women the quality of life for all who followed them would be very different. I am forever grateful to all of them.

The novel is beautifully written by Corina Bomann and similarly eloquently translated from the original language of Swedish by Michael Meigs. Ms. Bomann and Mr. Meigs have fascinating backgrounds and I'm so happy that they met on their life journey as their work together is enchanting. The descriptive language allows the story to be truly visualized. One scene of picturesque example is "The fields lay before us like carpets of gold tinged with shades ranging from bright yellow to yellow-green, sparkling like brilliantly lit gems."

I am not familiar with the nobility history of Sweden nor am I familiar with horse-breeding so it was with keen interest that the story held my attention and at times was riveting due to moments of history as the story began in 1913.

This is a stand-alone novel but I could easily immerse myself in meeting these characters again if it were a series. As the time with Agneta Lejongård and family has come to a close I will investigate other titles by this author with sincere hopes that they are also translated by Mr. Meigs. show less

Il libro è ben scritto come stile, ma ho trovato la trama un po' forzata, gli indizi sono dati con il contagocce e soprattutto il ritmo non li supporta. Insomma, in un giallo o un thriller, gli indizi ci sono e il ritmo non ti fa staccare dal libro, qui invece la storia accelera e rallenta continuamente e in certi punti mi è venuto il nervoso per le frenate impresse dall'autrice, quasi il racconto dovesse per forza durare di più. Psicologia dei personaggi un po' tagliata con l'accetta. show more Particolari scabrosi trattati con termini da feuilleton. Merita invece la descrizione dello Sri Lanka coloniale e post coloniale, veramente bello. show less

The Moonlit Garden I listened to this one, narrated by  Justine Eyre. It was about 12 hours long, but it passed by quickly with this fun read. It's not particularly deep or magical and it doesn't call life as we know it into question.
It's a nice read/listen, light and intriguing for anyone in the mood for a little escape from the disappointments that have been abounding.
Funny enough, the only problems with the book are also reasons why I liked it. Lily Kaiser's journey is a little too show more convenient throughout the book but that can be just perfect sometimes. It can be exactly what I need to read or listen in order to balance out the pressure of the world.
So, yes, the book is a little too neat. The story a little too beautiful and coincidental and works a little too well, but I didn't mind it at all. Mostly because it was also written incredibly well. It moves between times, giving insight into Rose Gallway's life that Lily doesn't readily have and let's the reader piece some of it together on our own. I do enjoy that. And then the author lays it all out and it's just perfect. A little too perfect, like in one of those rom-coms that we watch to feel good but that we all know aren't the way the world works.
I really loved that about it. It's going to be one of my comfort books, to peruse when I'm down, maybe listen to when I wanna revel in new beginnings, like the mood I re-watch Stardust in. If you've read a few too many mysteries lately, or too many books that ripped your heart out (like I have recently), than this is the perfect book to recover with. It's comforting and sweet and romantic and doesn't take itself too seriously. But it's not the book for that serious deep read. Don't expect it to be. show less

This story begins in 1913 and tells the tale of Agneta Lejongard, a young woman of noble birth, living in Stockholm, in a state of estrangement from her wealthy family. Gradually we learn about Agneta, her brother Hendrik, (who is the heir to the family estate) and her troubled relationship with her parents. Rich with historical context, the author paints a well-layered picture of rural as well as urban life in Sweden at the turn of the 20th century, focusing on the plight of women in their show more efforts to earn the right to own property, attend university, and free themselves from the domestic enslavement marriage and child-birth represented as the only culturally-accepted option available at that time for young women, and especially those of noble birth.

A free-thinker and a suffragette, Agneta struggles to find her way, independently of the life her parents have chosen for her. Without revealing too much of the plot, forces conspire against her: placing Agneta on a winding path fraught with looming and burdensome family responsibilities, difficult life choices, love affairs, and omnipresent parental conflict. Her biggest adversary, her mother Stella, the “Ice Queen”, notwithstanding, Agneta eventually learns that all is not as it appears, and that love can take many surprising and unexpected forms.

I found this story interesting; the historical setting is very well drawn and there are some good twists and turns to keep the plot moving. A stumbling block for me, however, in my overall enjoyment of this book was that I found Agneta as a character very difficult to engage with. In fact, there were really no characters in the book that I found I could get close to.

I expect that readers of historical fiction, and in particular those interested in the class structure of 1900’s Sweden, the suffragette struggles, and the everyday plight of women in this timeframe will find this book interesting.

A big thank you to NetGalley; the publisher, Amazon Crossing; and the author, Corina Bomann for an advance review copy of this book. All thoughts presented are my own. show less