As Mulheres De Summerset Abbey (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
A relatively easy read. I wanted to like it, and there were parts that I found very interesting. Prudence's part of the story, from the mysteries surrounding her conception and birth to her suddenly being thrust into a kind of middleground between the upstairs and downstairs world while not being fully accepted in either, was perhaps the most entertaining part of the book. I felt for her, watching her flounder a bit in this taste of early nineteenth century upper class reality after spending her whole life sheltered by the bubble created by the late Sir Philip. I found the growing resentment between Prudence and Rowena quite interesting too, particularly the final blow up in the last chapters. It's something I definitely want to see explored futher and hope to see it in the subsequent books. A decent 3-star story with a promising premise sunk by lamentable inaccuracies and blatant grammatical errors. By the time I finished, the most entertaining thing about this book were the gushing publishers' statements that were so far from my own assessments as to be laughable.When I read the blurb saying the author was making her "historical fiction debut," I assumed this was a blatant attempt to take advantage of Downton Abbey-mania. As I am as afflicted as anyone with DA-mania, I told myself, well, that doesn't mean it can't be good.And the jacket copy was promising. "1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society and the distant rumblings of war . . ."Yes, that would have been a rollicking good story. But that's not the story here. First, there's absolutely nothing to establish this as taking place in 1913. About the limit of the historical detail is a mention of electricity and an obsession with aeroplanes as a new technology. The Earl of Summerset makes a jab about labor unions at the annual Christmas ball, another character makes a snarky reference to 'the New Woman,' and that's as far as it goes. Fine for those who like the history in their fiction to be atmospheric rather than integral. There is also nothing to establish Summerset Abbey as being anywhere near London. Once they arrive, the characters never travel off the estate. The only things contributing to the 'Edwardian' ambiance are the large sprawling estate and the clothes.The clothes are wonderful; reading about them is a deliciously sensual experience. There is however no authorial effort made to understand either the complicated modes of address of the English peerage or the equally complicated servant hierarchies below-stairs. The Earl's father was, in one mention, a Duke. The woman Lady Summerset Ambrosia Huxley Buxton is suddenly Aunt Charlotte. And Rowena is variously and inaccurately addressed as Lady Summerset, Lady Rowena, and the Honorable Rowena Buxton, by characters who should have known that the eldest daughter of a knight is addressed as Miss Buxton. Upon her arrival, Prudence, supposed to be the ladies' maid, is sent to the scullery. The scullery maid later makes her way upstairs to wait on the sisters when Prudence doesn't feel like it. And Aunt Lady Summerset Charlotte calls her maid Hortense, when even the most casual watcher of Downton Abbey knows that Hortense, as ladies' maid, would have been addressed by her last name, a ladies' maid no matter how hated would never have been sent to the scullery, and a scullery maid was not to be seen upstairs.The errors are all the more puzzling considering that most of the setting and characters are only lightly adapted from the world of DA. Nothing about Summerset Abbey distinguishes it from the recognizable interiors of Highclere Castle. Carson has become Mr. Cairns, and is bald; Mrs. Hughes is now Mrs. Harper, without an accent; and the eldest daughter, Rowena-Mary, is dark-haired, beautiful, snobbish, and said to be impulsive, though we see no evidence of that.None of these errors would be real detractions from a ripping good story. But those young ladies seeking to fulfill their destinies . . . where did they go? All three characters spend most of the book feeling lost, listless, crippled by the grief of recently losing their father (in Prudence's case, father-figure), and musing upon why they just can't seem to rouse themselves to do anything besides change their clothes and occasionally bemoan their static fate. Doesn't make for a gripping plot. The rules of this society are, by the way, not unspoken. Prudence gets a list of rules upon her entrance through the servants' door. It's a moment of rare and welcome levity. Also, there is not a hint of rumblings of war, distant or otherwise. The characters are blissfully unaware of anything going on outside of their stately rooms.They are also not remotely aware of what's going on within. Despite the crashingly obvious hints that THERE IS SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS ABOUT PRUDENCE'S PAST, it is not until around page 230, when the ruthless and arctic Lady Summerset finally gets put into action, that this secret becomes at all interesting. While smarter readers will detect the truth around obvious hint #2, I wasn't sure until the very end, when, finally, the truth gets revealed, feelings are hurt, scandal boils, and difficult choices have to be made. Too bad it took until page 260 for things to get interesting. Immediately the book ends, save for a quick epilogue that dispenses of Prudence's "fate," clearly leaving #2 and #3 of the projected trilogy to deal with the other two daughters.I would likely have been far less mean-spirited about this review if my expectations hadn't been so glaringly raised by the publishers' copy. That I finished the book at all is a testament to, first, how terrible I am about figuring out mysteries, second how helplessly fascinated I am with historical fiction set in English great houses, and third, how desperate I am for Season 5 of Downton to premiere. But to be fair, there is something readable about this book, in the way that formula fiction (or movies) is often readable; it makes absolutely no demands on the readers' intelligence, and there is after all a time and a place for that sort of thing.
What do You think about As Mulheres De Summerset Abbey (2013)?
Sorry. No time for a review. I'm too busy downloading the next book in the series.
—maya
I am in shock. I can't believe how that ended. I have to know what happens next.
—dylan3737
Loved it. Guilty pleasure. Reminded me so much of Downton Abbey, the show.
—anikanik
Não consegui pousá-lo... amantes de downton abbey, é um must!
—RIG
If you love Downton Abbey... You'll love this book and series.
—Eden
