Rating: 
Summary: Romance with a Different Twist
Review: I picked up this romance because of the nice cover. I started reading and did not put it down because it was so different from other romances. It had all the usual elements of romance...the beautiful heroine, the tough, rugged, charming hero. What was different is that Emma, the heroine, had a family with real problems and issues. Her mother was bitter, father left the family, sister cripped, brother commited suicide. That part of the book was starly realistic. Emma had artistic talents her cruel mother refused to recognize...even going so far as to smash her creations and have her commited to an asylum when Emma does not step into line with society's rules. And the images in the asylum are fairly graphically handled. The problems Emma & Shay must face to get to happiness are not sugar coated.The hero, Shay, is unique because he is a dirt poor Irish immigrant with a wife. How does a romance novel get around those sort of obstacles? Emma even becomes best friends with Bri, Shay's wife. Now those are very realistic and interesting circumtstances set up in this book to get around. Ms Williamson did a beautiful job. She handled some difficult issues very thoughtfully. I would like to see Emma's sister have another chance in a book. That would be a great set of obstacles to center a book around-a disabled heroine. This is a great historical romance with a different twist. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
Rating: 
Summary: This should be LITERARY FICTION.
Review: I read everything from Thomas Hardy to Thoreau to the current crop of writers whose work will become classics, but I also enjoy a good historical romance novel for pure escape and relaxation. I don't want to "insult" romance writers, but this book is far too well written and too well researched to sit on the shelves with the stereotypical romance genre. There aren't any throbbing manroots, pulsing woman centers, or wet/slick unfolding petals. Thank God. The mention of sexuality occurs twice, I think, is not explicit and really unnecessary. The book is extremely well researched. It is a contemporary Edith Wharton/Jane Austen, poking subtle "fun" at the mores of the wealthy Victorians and their rigid rules for living. The point of this book is so much more than heterosexual love. It's about unconditional love, a mature awareness of the meaningless world a wealthy young woman lives in and her efforts to make her life count for something. This is serious reading. I cried my way through a box of tissue and be prepared to be shocked by the way the poor were treated during our Industrial Revolution as well as by the way people were treated in mental institutions (even the wealthy). I worked in 2 old "state hospitals" in the '70s and saw the "treatment rooms" where the atrocities Emma experiences were given. Ms. Williamson deserves a sort of recognition "romance writers" are rarely given. This book is sadly overlooked by people who think they are "too good" to read a romance novel. This belongs on the shelves where the "snobs" will go. It's better than any Anne Tyler or Anita Shreve book I've ever read. I'm going to buy some more of her work and pray this isn't an anomaly. I'm trying to write a novel and I'd give all my teeth to string words together as she did. The memory of the way her words moved me will linger for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: It was almost TOO real...it broke my heart!
Review: I read this book in one day...it was too intense to put down. Emma and Shay share the type of love that happens in the real world..not always easy and not always noble. Emma isn't your typical romance heroine and Shay isn't the standard hero, that only makes me love them more. The passion is so strong that you become addicted...man this woman CAN WRITE!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A wrenching love story, a grand historical drama
Review: I saved this book for a long weekend, and just loved every page. Penelope Williamson is one of my favorite writers, and this story, with all of its layers and textures, captivated me. BRAVA!
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I've read this book twice, it's wonderful!!! Penelope Williamson is one of my most favorite writer's and I've read all her books. I just wish she'd write more because she is very talented and has much to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Love can wear many different faces
Review: In this delightful story, Ms. Williamson deftly shows how love continues to "make the world go around". Historically rich, this tale transports us back into the late 1800's and vividly depicts the colorful but conscienceless rich against the black and white goodness of the Irish poor. If readers step outside the "romance" for a minute of reflection, they might wonder that things haven't changed enough in the last 100 years. Although we love to hate them, some readers will be uncomfortably familiar with the characters who control the story with their selfish brand of love. Though they are capable of unforgivable acts, their pathetic emotional limitations make us feel a little sorry for them. On the other hand, Bria's saintly, unselfish love puts us all to shame. Then there is Emma with her ability to experience both kinds of love that makes us just a little envious. Thanks Ms. Williamson for another successful combination of historical accuracy and damn good story telling.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good one!!!
Review: It is one of my favorites, too! It's different read and PW is one of my favorite authors. The year is the late 1890's and the place is Rhode Island during victorian times. It is during an annual fox hunt that Emma Tremayne, a high-society beauty that is engaged to be married to her childhood friend, meets Shay McKenna, an impoverished Irish revolutionist. He is at first the mystery man without a name who works for her fiance, to Emma. Emma has been born into a luxurious, social world that requires her to separate herself from the common people. But Emma's heart wants to reach out to those less fortunate that her. She starts visiting local mill-factory (of which her fiance owns) families, becoming best-friends with married pregnant millworker with 2 girls- Bria McKenna. During visits Bria opens Emma's eyes up to unconditional love and friendship. It is during her visits that she meets Shay McKenna again- Bria's husband. She observes the strong love, passion, and devotion Bria and Shay have for one another, realizing that is what she wants. She loves her fiance- they have always been best friends and there is a love for one another, but not a passionate love. It is revealed that Bria is dying of consumption but no one wants to speak of it or admit to it until Bria forces Shay and Emma to accept that she will not be with them much longer and that she wants them to lean on each other to fill the void. Emma has never told Bria that she feels a desire for Shay. It is definitely a complex story of devotion to each other and strong passionate love. Emma's mother feels threatened and severely punishes her for the bond Emma has developed with the lower class. It is heart breaking. The chemistry is strong all the way through the book between Bria, Shay, and Emma- definitely a triangle! I highly recommend the book- it is definitely a keeper for me!
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking but full of hope!
Review: It's been about three or so year since I read this book, but I will never forget it, and count it among my most loved books. It is also one of the few books that made me weep openly when Bria dies. In a way I was upset at the author for making me care so much for her, all the while knowing she is going to .... The love between Emma and Shay is so intense and deep, I actually felt like I was living through them at times, feeling the emotions as their bodies and hearts felt it. I loved that in the end Emma turned her back on high society, and all the unimportant trapings to be with the man she loved. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best
Review: Ms. Williamson is amonst the cream-of-the-crop of Romance Writers. This book is compelling and unforgetable, with the sort of complex characterizations that make a good plot into a great story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: This is classic literature
Review: No, not your typical historical romance and not for the emotionally timid but the kind of novel that will steal a bit of your heart forever. The love between Shay and his wife is so tangible that it is difficult, for quite a bit of the book, to even imagine he and Emma finding love together. And yet, for that reason alone, it is a real story about learning to go on after trajedy, learning to open your heart again. It is about finding what matters in life and grabbing onto it and knowing the cost is worth it. Penelope has such a gift for making us feel and know real love and passion with just a look or word or touch. With so little she can twist your heart into a knot that makes you gasp. Her characters are real, their hurdles are gut-wrenchingly believable, and their love is breathtaking. I could not give this less than 5 stars. It deserves more. My only complaint is that I think this book deserved another 20 pages at least. I wish, with all my aching heart, that we could have been given just a wee bit more of a peek into the start of their life together. Heck, I would like to see a sequel. But that is not so much a complaint as a testimony to just how wonderful a story this is.
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