Patience & Esther: An Edwardian Romance

CA: illustrations of nudity and sex

This graphic novel is subtitled "An Edwardian Romance," and it does what it says on the tin. We follow Patience and Esther, two women in service, as they fall in love and navigate how to build a life together. There's a lot of realism on the page here about life in Edwardian England (suffragists and suffragettes, racism, colonialism), but while there are some references to the fact that Patience and Esther's relationship would not be accepted and the cannot get married legally, mostly the realism keeps its hands off their love. We don't have to see them deal with homophobia, for instance, and I am here for that. I always love a romance that is hopeful and aspirational when it gets the tone right, and show more this one absolutely does. Patience and Esther and both wonderful characters, and I loved following their story. It was also a delight to see a fat woman portrayed not only as lovable *as* she is but *for* exactly what she is. Recommended. Do mind my content advisory and be aware that this graphic novel is meant for adults only. show less

A fairy-tale early-1900s LGBTQ+ love story that is erotic, sweet, and moving. Thick and dense, the slow build as we get to know the characters intimately pays off well in the end.

I've never watched Downton Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs, but this reminds me of one of my favorite manga series, Emma by Kaoru Mori, but with the addition of a whole hell of a lot of very explicit sex scenes.

What a terrific read for Valentine's Day (and entirely random since I just take whatever is on the left side of my shelf of library books).

I read this graphic novel because it came up as a prompt in a reading challenge. I did not know what to expect of this book but I loved it. I love the short stories at the end of the book and that we got to see Patience & Esther in a present timeline and how different their story would look. The illustrations were also great in this novel, I thought the color palette really suited the time era.

Sweet period romance with satisfyingly erotic (explicit) moments throughout. I like that the author took pains to present a realistic relationship, and to celebrate that connection rather than taking on large conflicts. I am hoping for a continuation of the story, when we see Esther's family come to town. Lovely.

advanced readers copy provided by edelweiss

Sweet (and erotic) tale of love between two maids in Edwardian England.

This was okay. I didn't hate nor did I love it. I just wasn't a fan of the unclear. time jumps. That was my biggest frustration with the book.

Cute 'n fluffy 'n hot.