This was a gorgeously written, captivating, and heart-wrenching book. I sped through it and would have loved it to be longer. The author is deft at capturing Sarah's life and thoughts, and brings so much realism to her life and the times. It's an excellent way to learn about a historical figure in a fun way.
A stunning portrait of an African princess raised in Queen Victoria's court and adapting to life in Victorian England-based on the real-life story of a recently rediscovered historical figure, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
With a brilliant mind and a fierce will to survive, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a "gift." To the Queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria's magnanimity. Sarah charms most of the people she meets, even those…
A fascinating book, very emotional and real! It was brought to life by the characters and the author's amazing penmanship. I loved learning about the history of the dictionary and women's suffrage movement as well, and was pleased to learn that many of the characters and events were true to history.
'An enchanting story about love, loss and the power of language' Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory
Sometimes you have to start with what's lost to truly find yourself...
Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood at her father's feet as he and his team gather words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.
One day, she sees a slip of paper containing a forgotten word flutter to the floor unclaimed.
And so Esme begins to collect words for another dictionary in secret: The Dictionary of Lost Words. But to do so she must journey into a world…
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a fun, whimsical, and exciting adventure into Faerie with a touch of romance that keeps the readers on their seats! Emily and Wendell are charming characters with lively banter, and the lands they explore are vivid, drawing in the reader. I could really see and hear everything as the story progressed, in particular the characters. The portrayal of Faerie is unique and has a touch of madness to it, so the characters aren’t quite in their right minds when they stay there for too long. Part of me wanted explanations and more rigor in this, but another part just accepted it and fell into the story to see where it went. It might not be satisfying to all readers when characters stumble through solving their problems in Faerie, but it does bring a sense of realism to the notion that being in such a world changes you and alters your perceptions of reality.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby.
Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an…
ZACHARIAS SWANWICK, twenty-one years old and living in 19th century Bristol, England, has discovered a young man named Wyndor from another world. In this world of Erala, starlit beings called Velans dwell. Drawn to the mystery, Zacharias decides to help Wyndor find a Velan object that can return him to Erala. Without it, Wyndor is slowly dying. This object belongs to a group of Chinese spiritual adepts called the Lung Hsieh, who have come to Bristol to retrieve it. The presence of this object has also drawn Dragon Kings to Bristol. Although these misty spirits are invisible, they emanate a chilling presence in their wake and have been gaining strength. Throughout his adventures with Wyndor, Zacharias learns about the powers inherent in other worlds and dreams, and he comes to make a decision that will change his life forever.
