This week I'm featuring A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell. This is such a fun story!
Miss Clara Marie Stanton's family may be eccentric, but they certainly aren't insane.
London, England, 1860
When Clara's ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it's all she can do to protect them from his desperate schemes, society's prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara's Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.
Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond haunted by the war, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara's dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer's trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself--at any cost.
London, England, 1860
When Clara's ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it's all she can do to protect them from his desperate schemes, society's prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara's Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.
Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond haunted by the war, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara's dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer's trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself--at any cost.
Book Beginnings / First Line Friday
February 1860
London, England
For Miss Clara Marie Stanton, the task of preventing her family from being committed to an asylum had become as commonplace as it was exhausting.
Friday 56
Dreaming beneath the roof of the Canopy of Stars Hotel was a notion Clara could fathom, but total dependence on another - even the Maker of the heavens - was a thought her mind struggled to comprehend.
What have you been reading lately?
This sounds like one I'd love. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Lisa! :)
DeleteThis does sound like a very fun read! I definitely want to check this one out. :D
ReplyDeleteIt had me laughing out loud several times, but it also has a lot of heart too. :D
DeleteI think commitment to insane asylums was much more common in the past. Without cause, sometimes. Or women were committed for menopause. Egads.
ReplyDeleteHow about a little fun with our 2024 end of year book lists? Join me for the My Year in Reading , which is little like Mad Libs but with book titles. Check it out: My Year in Reading
DeleteIt's so sad that used to happen!
DeleteThat sounds like fun! If I have the time, I'm definitely going to do participate! :)
I have heard wonderful things about this book and even heard the author speak (it was fun!). I just haven't tried it because I am not sure I would enjoy it. I hope you do!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun! Hope you have a great week, Cindy! :)
DeleteThis sounds like a fun read!
ReplyDeleteIt was! Thanks for coming by! :)
DeleteI am in love with that title. LOL I definitely want to read this one! I hope you have a great weekend, Ashley!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's such a fun title, isn't it? :D
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