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The Soprano's Daring Duke by Susanne Dunlap #Review

  Susanne Dunlap's Regency novel, The Soprano's Daring Duke is her second double dilemma story. You can read my review of the first here:  The Dressmaker's Secret Earl A princess with a scandalous secret. A duke desperate for a wealthy bride. A debutante torn between duty and passion. Newly widowed Princess Adelheid Kinsky thought she was free—until she learns of her abusive late husband’s final betrayal. The son she believed dead, the illegitimate child of a forbidden love, still lives. To secure his future, she must marry within a month—without revealing the truth. Her best prospect? The Duke of Hartland, a notorious rake drowning in debt. Meanwhile, Hartland sets his sights on Olivia Fontenoy, an heiress whose fortune could solve all his problems. But innocent Olivia dreams of music, not marriage, and seizes the chance to perform in disguise at the King’s Theatre—unwittingly ensnaring everyone she knows in scandal. As deception and desire collide, Olivia finds...

Yuki Chan in Brontë Country by Mick Jackson

If I'm honest, the main reason for reading this book lay in the title and its mention of Brontë Country. As I read on, I realised that that in fact  is a bit of a red herring, as it is for Yuki herself. Yuki, a young Japanese girl with limited english, is touring the Brontë sights in search of the truth about her mother, who she believed visited the area ten years previously. Her mother has died and Yuki is desperate to know the truth behind her death. She meets Denny, a local girl and they set about unravelling what her mother was doing in that area, led by some old photographs which Yuki has brought.

     As a character, Yuki is a bit of an enigma. The loss of her mother dominates and she has an underlying loneliness, emphasised at first with her lack of connection with any of the other women who are on her tour bus. If I really tried to stretch  it, I could see in the isolation of the motherless Brontë sisters a similar element of living a little apart and, especially with Emily, an interest in spirituality and other worldly experiences. These elements are there with Yuki's story. 

    This is a surprising book which tends to wrong foot the reader as the plot unravels. I liked the humour and quirkiness of Yuki. She is a stranger in a foreign land who looks at her surroundings with a detached and quizzical air. She is no fan of the Brontë's and can't really empathise with the Brontë enthusiasts she sees. Her friendship with Denny could have been further developed but it is Yuki herself, so independent and irreverent, who steals the show.

In short: quirky, eccentric on a mission to uncover a mystery- Yuki leads us on an entertaining, if slightly odd, quest.

 Thanks to Faber & Faber who sent me a copy of the book via NetGalley for an honest review.

Comments

  1. It's interesting how the Japanese are so keen on the Brontës, so I can see the motivation for this book. Sounds suitably quirky.

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    1. Part of the enjoyment is seeing how Yuki is on a totally different wavelength to all the Bronte fans but I think there are parallels to be drawn between the sisters and Yuki, all observers of life. Yuki's relationship with her father and sister could be spelled out deeper, you get the impression there is a whole second book lurking there.

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