The Rose of Sebastopol

This is going to be another breathless, sputtering review as I literally finished this book minutes ago. I'm teary, all caught up in the emotion of the story and my love for the characters, which is the sign of a fantastic book.

I knew absolutely nothing about this book when I got it which meant I had no idea even of the plot, so it was a real delight to try to guess where the story was going. McMahon is a talented writer: she conveys the sense of the Crimean War without bogging the reader down in too much exposition or narrative about the war, and I found all the characters gripping. Her technique of flashing between the present to Mariella and Rosa's childhood years was lovely -- I found myself as in love with Mariella and Rosa as they show more were with each other.

The ending of the book was pitch perfect, even though I would have loved an Epilogue that neatly wrapped up the story for the characters (especially Mariella and Max). This is the kind of historical novel I adore and I can't rave about it enough. show less

I've had to back-burner this book so many times that I'm not sure I can see it clearly anymore. At least I'm left feeling confused, because a lot of what I liked is also what I found problematic.

The first half of the book reads relatively slowly. Mariella is a pampered, sheltered girl who is a perfectly proper example of a lady in her time. She's a bit naive, she lacks a sense of adventure, and she's consumed with maintaining propriety. Although she's not a girl I'd like to hang with, she fits in her world and is sharply contrasted with her cousin, Rosa, who is strong-willed and impetuous and strains at the bonds of a proper life. The first half of the book, Mariella fits and it's Rosa who's jarring. Despite my belief, as a modern show more woman, that her impulses to career and education and travel were her absolute right, and despite the fact that I know that I would appreciate Rosa much more were we actually to meet, she comes across as grating and heedless. She doesn't fit this London life, while Mariella does.

Then the second half begins, and the tables are sharply turned. Rosa, who has gone to the Crimea as a nurse, disappears and Mariella goes to find her while also visiting her wounded fiancé. All of the sudden we are on the front in the Crimean War, where Rosa's independence and spirit are not only valuable, but downright necessary. And it's Mariella's focus on propriety and social position, her weakness in every respect, that's jarring. The second half of the book is not only much faster-paced, but is also the point where we get some serious character development from everyone concerned. It's sometimes uncomfortable and can be embarrassing or frustrating to read, but I also found it really satisfying.

This book, even though it exclusively follows Mariella's thoughts and movements, is about Rosa. Rosa is the lens through which we understand everything. Her family, the role of women, the horror of war. And so when she re-enters the story after her disappearance, the story ends. This is kind of a quest novel, and once we learn where Rosa went, the quest is finished. It feels abrupt, and I know a lot of people here didn't like it, but I found it strangely appropriate, and even satisfying. It fulfilled, for me, the Rosa of the first half, who always drew the attention of everyone around her, whether for good or bad. It also fulfills the Mariella of the second half, who for better or worse finally has a complete picture of her cousin. Once that's done, the rest is just details.

So, the slow first half made this book rough going for me, but I also think it's essential to the telling of the story. And the ending feels abrupt, but again... same thing. The very things that feel so unfulfilling also seem perfectly right. show less

August's book club.
One of those books that a bit of a slow burner - took me several chapters of ploughing through to start to get into it. Jumps backwards & forwards between the present, 10 years ago and the recent past (if that makes sense). Tells of Mariella, a young girl who is very much a product of her upbringing in early 19C London. Father an engineer (of some description) while mother is involved in worthy causes - mainly a home for retired governesses. Mariella stitches. Lots. In the house is a second cousin type young man (Henry) it is telegraphed from early on that they are going to be an item. not necessarily due to any great passion (in fact he's a bit of a damp dishrag, if I'm honest)but because it's easy and sort of show more expected by both of them. And life is all very ordered (and frankly rather dull). However, Mariella has a cousin, Rose. And I can't say I like Rose any more than Mariella, as Rose is one of those people who are always full of ideas and enthusiasms that consume them. (I think I know a Rose - a conversation ends up being a bit like going 10 rounds with Frank Bruno)They're of an age and the flash backs to 10 years ago revolve around a visit to the home of Rose, her mother & step father & 2 step brothers. Rose is full of how she's going to change the world and how that means Mariella (and everyone else who gets in her way) has to bend over backwards to accommodate her. She strikes me as somewhat blinkered and selfish.
Rose's step father dies and Rose plus hypochondriac mother are turned out the house - turn up at Mariella's parent's house, expecting to stay. At the same time, Henry is making a name for himself as a surgeon while Rose conceives a desire to be a nurse. Then the Crimean war breaks out - and breaks into the ordered house in London. Henry goes off to solve the Cholera issue (single handedly, he's got such an inflated idea of himself) while Rose takes the first opportunity to head out as a Nurse. then silence. Rose vanishes, Henry falls ill & Mariella is dragged so far out of her comfort zone that she thinks she'll die as she heads out to find Henry, then Rose. As usual, you have no idea what you can do until pushed, and Mariella is pushed further than she ever expects, and has all sorts of squeamish fits over some of the things she has to do, but she does them, and her character becomes formed in this journey. She ends the book a very different person and in a very different situation than she starts it, or, indeed, from how she would have ended up, had the war not intervened.
Oddly, for a book where I spent a lot of it wanting to slap the lead characters, I actually quite enjoyed it! Mariella is a product of her age but comes on leaps and bounds as the book progresses. There is a completely believable cast of supporting characters to bolster the sometime quite claustrophobic relationship between Mariella and both Henry & Rose. Some nice touches of putting the fiction into a historical framework - although I suspect it is entirely a work of fiction in its details. I may well venture another of her books, based on this one. show less

What an embarrassing read for the most part. How any of the characters could be in love with each other is a mystery, and spending so much time with Mariella, the narrator, is hard-going, she's such a sop, until the Irish nurse Nora giver her the verbal 'fecking' slap she needed and she bucks up. I picked it up because of the embroidery element, but this was no fabulous Penelope or Arachne story which I was hoping for, and the speed at which Mariella sews and embroiders is frustratingly not remotely credible. Still, once she's had her 'fecking' slap,the narrative improves and it's a fair old romp to the end - albeit a soppy one. Crimea wasn't badly depicted throughout, both at the scene and at home through the Times, which was a relief! show more But all in all, time spent with some hopefully forgettable characters. show less

Title: The Rose of Sebastopol
Author: Katharine McMahon

Genre: Historical Fiction

Love/Hate?: Love, ohmygod, love.
Rating: 5/5
Did you finish?: Yes. I couldn't stop reading!

One-sentence summary: Proper English woman, Mariella, goes to Crimea in search of her missing cousin Rosa.

Why did you get this book?: Frankly, because it was available in e-book form from the library at a moment when I was between books.

Do you like the cover?: Yes, the cover just grabs me.

First line from book: We arrived in Narni late on a Sunday evening.

Review: This is going to be another breathless, sputtering review as I literally finished this book minutes ago. I'm teary, all caught up in the emotion of the story and my love for the characters, which is the sign of a show more fantastic book.

I knew absolutely nothing about this book when I got it which meant I had no idea even of the plot, so it was a real delight to try to guess where the story was going. McMahon is a talented writer: she conveys the sense of the Crimean War without bogging the reader down in too much exposition or narrative about the war, and I found all the characters gripping. Her technique of flashing between the present to Mariella and Rosa's childhood years was lovely -- I found myself as in love with Mariella and Rosa as they were with each other.

The ending of the book was pitch perfect, even though I would have loved an Epilogue that neatly wrapped up the story for the characters (especially Mariella and Max). This is the kind of historical novel I adore and I can't rave about it enough.

Tropes?: Beautiful reckless girl that everyone is obsessed with, scoundrel soldiers show less

I enjoyed the story that is woven through The Rose of Sebastopol. We get a sense of what people at home heard and thought of the war, but also what it was like living and working in the war zone. It is told in dual narrative, with the primary narrative told during the Crimean War, and the secondary narrative consists of Mariella's memories of past events. If you have trouble following multiple timelines, this book may give you difficulty. Part of Mariella's tale of past events can be of her life just before she heads to Italy, from when she meets Henry, and later when she meets Rosa. Eventually the "present" timeline, and the rememberances of life just before she leaves for Italy catch up together, so there is one less time frame to show more keep track of. Since I had an audiobook, I missed having a printed copy that I could flip back and check at times.

One biggest problem with this audiobook how the chapters end. I would be sitting, listening happily along, and expect the chapter to continue, except it goes launching into a new one. I am not sure if the author wrote it that way, or if the narrator read it in a way where the phrasing sounded like the chapter should continue instead of stopping. This might not have bothered me much, except that I would say at least half of the chapters in the novel ended that way. The other major problem I had with the book is Mariella's voice. When she would get to thinking about how Henry is, or where Rosa was or some decision she has to make, she starts to sound whiny, weak and spoiled. I simply can't stand whiny, weak female lead characters, and this began to get to me. It may have been exaggerated, since I was listening to the book, but not seeing it in print, its hard to say how much. It may also be done to exaggerate the difference between Rosa and Mariella, since Rosa is decisive and fearless, but if this is the case, it could have been done so Mariella didn't sound so weak.

Some of the events covered in the last disk or two seemed hurried, and thrown in almost like an afterthought when compared to the long period in getting to the Crimea and looking for Rosa there. Some of these events would have made the story more interesting, in terms of the characters and their relationships with each other, but being hurried in near the end, they felt more contrived. show less

Hmmm.

I mostly liked this, but I had some problems with it.
Firstly the ending was almost completely unsatisfying for me. I didn't wade my way through this book just for Rosa to be dead.
Secondly, Rosa's sexuality. Does it really need to be danced around like that? It becomes pretty clear that Rosa is in love with Mariella, but it's never actually explicitly confirmed. I like to have my non-straight characters actively confirmed rather than hinted at. Oh, and of COURSE the woman with same-sex attraction dies, because they always fucking do.

But the writing was excellent and the story compelling. I'm just a little disappointed, because I loved Rosa, and thought she could be treated a little better by the narrative.