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Summary: Thanks for the reprint!
Review: One of the wonderful things about the success of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, aside from those wonderful books themselves, is that it has publishers rushing to their backlogs and slush piles for more magical children's books. That's why this novel, originally published over ten years ago, finally has been reprinted, along with a sequel called The Grand Tour. I had long heard about this novel, having had it recommended to me by the automatic recommendation service at Alexandria Digital Library, and having that recommendation seconded by a number of AlexLit's patrons. Every time I was in a used book store, I would check the shelves for this book and never finding it, so I was overjoyed when I discovered this reprint on a table at a local science fiction convention.
As the longer title indicates, the format of this book is epistolary (i.e., a series of letters between the two main characters). That format can be difficult for readers, as it tends to put a distance between the reader and the action by adding a time-delay, but the two authors (in their major character guises) are excellent at drawing you into each letter and the story. It turns out, from an afterword here, that the two authors wrote this originally as a game, each writing actual letters to the other which the recipient had to use when writing their own. Because these two women were excellent authors to begin with (having previously published books individually), their game turned into a highly enjoyable novel.
The setting is an England in the post-Napoleanic era, made famous in literature by Jane Austen. And Austen is who first comes to mind when you read this, as much of the feel of the book has that comedy of manners and social slights that Austen excelled at. Then you throw in the fact that magic works, from lowly "charm bags" that require excellent needlework to full-scale necromancy that can claim lives. London parties, country dances, and the machinations of mothers and aunts combine with this magic to create a novel where you simply need to read the next letter to find out what happened. I read this in a single day while on vacation, unable to put it down. I then gave it to a twelve-year-old girl at the resort I was at who proceeded to devour it the next day and immediately ask if I had the sequel, which is about the highest recommendation for a book I can make.
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Summary: Talking with... Letters
Review: Patricia C. Wrede has written so many good books (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Marileon the Magician, the Raven Ring, the Lyra Novels, and more), so I picked this book up a few days after having listened to a long lecture from my sister on how great it was. I looked at the cover, said, 'Nice cover,' and set it down to start later - which I did. I had hopes it would be good, I didn't doubt Patricia C. Wrede, but I didn't want my hopes to get to high and be disappointed. Well, it turns out I needn't have worried. This book is seriously the best book I've read all year (except perhaps the Harry Potter's, and the Witches of Eileanan's, both series are fantastic), and that's saying a lot.
It's about these two (women) cousins, Cecelia and Kate, and the story takes place many years ago in Britain. Kate goes to London to be introduced to Society, but Cecelia is in disgrace because of a goat incident (which it never fully explains). The whole story is in letters from one cousin to the other, and they discuss social events, politics, fashions, family, and... wizards.
One very interesting thing about this book is the way it was written. The two authors, Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, played the 'Letter Game' - they sent real letters to each other, pretending to be their character. They never discussed the plot (well, once, a tiny), though they did discuss the characters, and then at the end of (I think) 6 months, they looked at the letters together and decided to make a book.
It's a very hilarious book, with a great plot and wonderful characters, and anyone who likes fantasy - or even Jane Austen - will enjoy this book; unless you like battles with guns or swords, because this book doesn't have that. Otherwise, it is certainly worth it to get this book.
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Summary: An Absolutely Charming Regency Fantasy!
Review: Sorcery & Cecilia centers around two friends, Kate & Cecy, in Regency England. Kate was lucky enough to be sent off with her Aunt Charlotte and cousin Georgina for her first London Season. Well, her best friend Cecy thought she was lucky. Cecy was stuck in the country with her domineering Aunt Elizabeth and her brother Oliver. But Kate would like nothing more than to be at home rather than have to endure her London season as a wallflower. But when Kate accidentally triggers a trap set for the mysterious Marquis of Schofield, she becomes quite popular. Unfortunately the odious Marquis refuses to answer Kate's questions about who the witch was who tried to poison her and why she hates the Marquis so intensely.Meanwhile, back in the country, Cecy is hot on the trail of the intolerable James Tarleton, who seems determined to spy out her beautiful new neighbor & friend at every opportunity. She is sure that James is up to no good and also suspects him of planting the magical herb bag under her brother Oliver's bed. James fobbs her off with some haphazard excuse and keeps on following her neighbor. But Cecy is not one to give up so easily and sneaks into Sir Hilary Bedrick's estate and "borrows" a book on magical bags. Surprisingly enough, Cecy turns out to have a marked talent for creating the bags and quickly makes bags of protection for Kate and Oliver. But what the two girls don't realize is that their innocent actions have brought them to the attention of both Sir Hilary and Miranda Thomas, the witch who tried to trap Kate. Neither one of them knows what is going on, but they recognize villains when they see them. Despite James & Thomas' best efforts, they cannot keep Cecy and Kate from rushing headlong into danger and solving their problems, even if they didn't ask for their assistance! This is a fast paced, fun fantasy to read, especially if you are familiar with Regency England. I have always enjoyed alternate history books and this was an intriguing look at what England would be like if magic was commonplace. They even have a Royal College of Wizards in London! Kate and Cecy were both charming heroines and it was very amusing to watch them run circles around Thomas and James and get everything figured out and solved almost before the men knew what was happening. The authors chose a very interesting format for the book - it is all written in letter form. Kate writes to Cecy and tells her everything that is going on in London and vice versa. This was a very interesting approach and I enjoyed the very different personalities of the heroines, so ably portrayed by two different authors. If you enjoy fantasy or Regency books, you should love this one!
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Summary: England, Chocolate, Sorcery, and a *Mysterious* Marquis...
Review: Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede was a funny, light-hearted, and a bit of a romantic read. The novel, set in the early nineteenth century, is about two cousins ' Cecelia Rushton, who lives in Rushton Manor in the English countryside, and Katherine Talgarth, who is having her first Season in London ' and their various exploits with magic. Interestingly, instead of being written in a traditional format, Sorcery and Cecelia is written as the correspondence between Kate and Cecy. The story includes many memorable characters, such as Thomas (aka the Mysterious Marquis), Miranda, Sir Hilary, the nagging aunts, and numerous others. Although a bit slow in the beginning, the story soon picks up the pace as the cousins begin to write more and more frequently, and become further involved in sorcery. The ending was kind of soppy, but readers catch hints of what's coming earlier in the book. All-in-all, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to teenage girls, especially those who enjoyed the Harry Potter series.
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Summary: I Love This Book!
Review: This book is great. It takes a little while to get started, but once it does you're hooked until the last page. It is really interesting and suspenseful. The authors work really well together, this book is pure magic!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: Well worth the search!
Review: This book is really hard to find but well worth the find (or the additional price). It takes place during regency England (think Jane Austen) but magic is something that is quite normal. The two main characters - Kate and Cecelia - write letters back and forth to one another (Kate is in London while Cecelia is back home). They discover something sinister going on and through their combined efforts find themselves involved right in the middle of things. After reading the book (which was absolutely wonderful - I read it in one evening!), I read the authors' note at the back. The two authors actually never intended for this to be published as a book. They were just playing the "Letter Game" where they each have a character and write letters back and forth as those characters. The plot is never discussed and it is only through the letter just received that the other person discovers how it is moving forward. When they finished their "Game" they realized that they actually did have a book. They tidied up a few things and sent it off to their publisher, who delightfully published it. What a wonderful way to write a book - and especially such a good book.
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Summary: Great fun! I can't wait for the next book
Review: This book was a blast, it does start out a little slow but once you get into it you're hooked. I picked this up because I'm a Patricia Wrede fan and now I'm going to have to read Caroline Stevermer's books. There is a spirit of fun about this book that you don't find it too many books. Pick this up dig in and enjoy.
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Summary: Mystery, Fantasy, and Romance!
Review: This book was a great read! I was engrossed by the third or fourth page. Kate and Cecelia were the main characters, and their tempers added comedy to the book. The novel would satisfy fantasy and mystery readers alike. Overall, it was a wonderful read.
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Summary: Highly Recommended!!
Review: This book was absolutely wonderful. The characters are lively and engaging and the plot is both hillarious and clever. For anyone familliar with Ms. Wrede's other works, most noteably The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, the humour of this book is much in the same vein and it is equally, if not even more, enjoyable than that quartet. Being both a Jane Austen fan and an avid fantasy reader, this book is about as close to perfect as books can get for me. Everything is just so involving- when one of the couples who are supposed to fall in love finally do I swear I jumped up and down laughing. DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!!
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Summary: Hurrayyy! It's BACK!
Review: This is a delightful and ejoyable exchange of letters between two cousins, one at home in the country, and one in London for her first Season. The usual mix of gossip, family news, parties, and clothes included in these letters are spiced with magic.
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