Review: Thomas as talented as usual, even in this glimpse of her writing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2014
Claim the Duchess is short and sweet and the reader is well made aware of that. (No shoddy marketing for Thomas.)Thanks Sherry Thomas for allowing this Prologue to be provided for free. Drat to Amazon for still levying a cost to readers in my part of the woods, although the low cost is still very reasonable.Ditto the sentiments of Old Latin teacher - the space allocated allows for little complex plot or character development. Despite that, there is plenty to allow for four stars. I even agree with why the reviewer, Kristin, provides five stars, but I want to reserve that rating for stellar works, including almost every other Thomas book.In this short story, I particularly enjoyed the offering of a H who finds repartee (and even social chit-chat) difficult, who falls in love intensely at first sight and who finds an honourable way to somewhat alleviate the awfulness of the h's life.I enjoyed the letters. Writing letters was a major preoccupation of many educated people in the 19th century, yet the correspondence mentioned here is amazingly prolific, even for those times - more like an email exchange of today. They are the backbone of the story, becoming a lifeline for the h, who has the misfortune to be married to a contemptuous creep. The few examples of letters provided to the reader are enough to make this prologue worth reading. Clever Thomas - the imagery of the lavender hydrangea cuttings, their successful nurturing and growth, lingers after the story ends.The HEA is satisfying, as well.PS Strange cover. White modern-looking dress for a late 19th century Duchess, aged about 30?  Yellow bouquet of shaggy flowers? Who makes these weird decisions? People who don't read the book?