Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I almost read Laura Amy Schlitz’s Splendors and Glooms right after it was designated a Newbery Honor book; my random “I’m actually in the mood for this” passed too quickly, however, and I’ve been putting it off ever since. (That was January of 2013.) Since accepting audio as a Newbery medium, however, I’ve been looking to see what’s available, and lo and behold! there Splendors and Glooms was. Audio is especially attractive for a long book, and so I checked the hard copy AND the audio out of the library. Bam! I quite enjoyed the audio–the narrator was a good one–and I just finished reading speedily through the physical copy, which the narrator’s British accent did more or less necessitate (there were words I missed).

I’m honestly surprised at how spellbound I was.

Okay, so I do love historical fiction; on the other hand, mysteries where someone is missing for much of the novel are not my favorite, and for some reason I was thinking that Splendors and Glooms was medieval (also not my favorite). As soon as I actually picked it up, of course, I realized my mistake–it’s Victorian, which is much more my scene. Schlitz is almost as good as Daphne du Maurier at creating atmosphere, and her details of the time–of the dinginess caused by London’s infamous fogs, of the types of foods, of the make-up of the London streets–both ring true and contribute to that atmosphere. At the end of the day, however, it was Clara and Lizzie Rose and Parsefall that held me–as well as Cassandra and Clara’s parents. Clara’s sad household, her disappearance, and Lizzie Rose and Parsefall’s subsequent decisions and actions make for a compelling tale, and the ending was surprisingly satisfying. If you’re looking for a gothic Victorian tale with atmosphere, pathos, and a magical element, Splendors and Glooms is definitely for you.