~ A GREAT ROMANCE WITH TWO VERY DIFFERENT LEADING CHARACTERS, BOTH VIVIDLY WRITTEN AND COMPLEX (+ PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER) (4 stars) ~
[May 1824, Gloucestershire] TO SIR PHILLIP, WITH LOVE is Julia Quinn's fifth Bridgerton book and one of the only ones (besides for WHEN HE WAS WICKED) in the series that I had not yet read. It was a complete delight and after being disappointed (sometimes *severely*) in all of the post-Bridgerton books I have read by Quinn, it was great to once again read something by her that was utterly enjoyable and left me with a silly, cheerful smile on my face. All of the Bridgerton brothers show up and make enough of an appearance to inspire several laugh-out-loud moments - it reminded me why I've always loved this family so much and makes me want to reread the entire series starting at the beginning with THE DUKE AND I.
Instead of a mystery or villain subplot, Quinn usually tries to have some serious overtone or issue that one of the characters has to deal with and although in some of her books this has felt forced to me, I think that she does a very good job of that here. Phillip's sadness and loneliness is almost palpable; he's a very complex and three-dimensional character and is written in such a way that the reader truly understands and sympathizes with his problems and almost feels his emotions along with him - his sense of being lost while not even really realizing it, not knowing what to do or how to find his way, whether it's to feeling happiness again or to bridge the gap in his relationship with his children - we feel all of this and just long for him to finally be at peace and have joy in his and the twins' life.
OUR HERO, Sir Phillip Crane:
Phillip (30) was a different hero than we usually see in this genre - not the womanizing rake bad-boy who needs to be reformed, yet also not the imperious autocratic high-ranking nobleman who rules over a huge domain with an iron fist. He's a quiet man, interested in botany, can have quite a temper, is extremely passionate though he has a strong hold on those feelings (result of his unhappy marriage - see below), very lonely, big and rugged and handsome, honorable and responsible, and although he's a confident man and very secure in who he is, there is also a degree of shyness and a great vulnerability to him that is absolutely 100% endearing.
He had an extremely difficult childhood, with a mother who died at birth and a father who beat him and basically made him feel inadequate in almost every way. This was followed by an extremely difficult marriage: Marina, his wife, suffered from what we would now call depression and in the book they call "melancholy." She existed in a state of perpetual sadness and despair and after giving birth to the twins, Amanda and Oliver, at the beginning of the marriage, she spent the rest of their eight years of wedded non-bliss hardly existing. The story takes place a little over a year after her death - she tried to kill herself in their lake and though Phillip was in time to save her from drowning, she caught a fever as a result and ended up dying three days later.
PHILLIP AND THE CHILDREN, Amanda and Oliver:
Phillip's relationship with his children was really difficult to read and at first you're just cringing at every interaction between them, wanting to jump in and shake some sense into him. He is so scared of being like his father, especially since he knows he has a temper and is a big man easily capable of hurting someone, that he basically avoids them as much as possible, figuring a laissez-faire attitude is better than involving himself and failing them in some way. Since their mother's death, Amanda and Oliver have been increasingly misbehaving - though from what is written Marina never really paid them that much attention while alive - because all they really want is Phillip's attention. However, he feels completely inadequate as a father, doesn't know how to raise them or treat them, and is frustrated by their constant acting out and his inability to control them ... and so continues to avoid them, telling himself that he's doing them a favor.
I read in one Amazon review that the person felt his change in behavior towards them was too quickly done and had no noticeable trigger, however I heartily disagree with this. I think that the change in Phillip's attitude towards his children is completely believable and actually very sensitively written; we know from the beginning that he deeply loves them and that his avoidance and seeming ineptitude stems more from feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy than any neglect or disinterest. Also, it's not like there's a complete 180-degree turn by the end of the book: things start to change in their relationship when Phillip realizes that his lack of involvement is only hurting them, not helping. By the end of the book we know that things are going to turn out absolutely fine and are left with the glimpse of a completely new chapter in Phillip's relationship with Amanda and Oliver and the certain promise of the total 180.
OUR HEROINE, Miss Eloise Bridgerton:
Eloise is a priceless heroine - she's straight-forward, honest, extremely talkative, caring, friendly, loving, and generous. Her impulsiveness is very endearing, but it is tempered by her maturity and a strong sense of self. She's 28, so older than most heroines we encounter, but I think that her age is perfect for this story because her character is still very youthful, while she is mature and old enough to reasonably be the step-mother of eight-year-old twins and it's believable that they are able to see her and respond to her as a mother figure (it annoys me when we have the heroine whose hero has kids that are only 10 or 15 years younger than her).
She's really the perfect heroine for Phillip, because where he's reserved, moody, and taciturn, she is just a lively, cheerful ball of optimism - though not in an annoyingly Pollyanna way that makes you want to yank her out Neverland and douse her in ice cold water (... or would that just be me? LOL). Eloise is so different from Marina and we feel like Phillip finally gets a chance at the happiness and joy that he so deserves and needs in his life, after having been so miserable in his first marriage - not only because of the situation, but because he tried so hard to change it and to make his wife happy when obviously nothing could be done and the situation never improved, but in fact only got worse.
CRITICISM:
I do have to say that I think their relationship's obstacle-climax-resolution happened a little too late in the book to be fully developed and so I felt like the problem came up (what are their feelings for each other? what will they make of their marriage - was one of necessity / being compromised? what does each need from the other to be satisfied - i.e. more than just passion?) and the settling and hashing it out felt rushed and left me dazed a little. I completely believed what they say when they talk about / realize their love for each other, why, and what parts of each of them compliments and is needed by the other, however I felt like a little chunk of the story was missing between the declaration of the problem / fight over it and the discussion in which they resolve it all.
BOTTOM LINE:
Definitely read; great book and another wonderful story about one of the Bridgerton family members! Whether you're working your way through the whole series or just want to pick up a great historical romance, TO SIR PHILLIP, WITH LOVE does not disappoint.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) MY WICKED FANTASY by Karen Ranney - 4 stars
[May 1824, Gloucestershire] TO SIR PHILLIP, WITH LOVE is Julia Quinn's fifth Bridgerton book and one of the only ones (besides for WHEN HE WAS WICKED) in the series that I had not yet read. It was a complete delight and after being disappointed (sometimes *severely*) in all of the post-Bridgerton books I have read by Quinn, it was great to once again read something by her that was utterly enjoyable and left me with a silly, cheerful smile on my face. All of the Bridgerton brothers show up and make enough of an appearance to inspire several laugh-out-loud moments - it reminded me why I've always loved this family so much and makes me want to reread the entire series starting at the beginning with THE DUKE AND I.
Instead of a mystery or villain subplot, Quinn usually tries to have some serious overtone or issue that one of the characters has to deal with and although in some of her books this has felt forced to me, I think that she does a very good job of that here. Phillip's sadness and loneliness is almost palpable; he's a very complex and three-dimensional character and is written in such a way that the reader truly understands and sympathizes with his problems and almost feels his emotions along with him - his sense of being lost while not even really realizing it, not knowing what to do or how to find his way, whether it's to feeling happiness again or to bridge the gap in his relationship with his children - we feel all of this and just long for him to finally be at peace and have joy in his and the twins' life.
OUR HERO, Sir Phillip Crane:
Phillip (30) was a different hero than we usually see in this genre - not the womanizing rake bad-boy who needs to be reformed, yet also not the imperious autocratic high-ranking nobleman who rules over a huge domain with an iron fist. He's a quiet man, interested in botany, can have quite a temper, is extremely passionate though he has a strong hold on those feelings (result of his unhappy marriage - see below), very lonely, big and rugged and handsome, honorable and responsible, and although he's a confident man and very secure in who he is, there is also a degree of shyness and a great vulnerability to him that is absolutely 100% endearing.
He had an extremely difficult childhood, with a mother who died at birth and a father who beat him and basically made him feel inadequate in almost every way. This was followed by an extremely difficult marriage: Marina, his wife, suffered from what we would now call depression and in the book they call "melancholy." She existed in a state of perpetual sadness and despair and after giving birth to the twins, Amanda and Oliver, at the beginning of the marriage, she spent the rest of their eight years of wedded non-bliss hardly existing. The story takes place a little over a year after her death - she tried to kill herself in their lake and though Phillip was in time to save her from drowning, she caught a fever as a result and ended up dying three days later.
PHILLIP AND THE CHILDREN, Amanda and Oliver:
Phillip's relationship with his children was really difficult to read and at first you're just cringing at every interaction between them, wanting to jump in and shake some sense into him. He is so scared of being like his father, especially since he knows he has a temper and is a big man easily capable of hurting someone, that he basically avoids them as much as possible, figuring a laissez-faire attitude is better than involving himself and failing them in some way. Since their mother's death, Amanda and Oliver have been increasingly misbehaving - though from what is written Marina never really paid them that much attention while alive - because all they really want is Phillip's attention. However, he feels completely inadequate as a father, doesn't know how to raise them or treat them, and is frustrated by their constant acting out and his inability to control them ... and so continues to avoid them, telling himself that he's doing them a favor.
I read in one Amazon review that the person felt his change in behavior towards them was too quickly done and had no noticeable trigger, however I heartily disagree with this. I think that the change in Phillip's attitude towards his children is completely believable and actually very sensitively written; we know from the beginning that he deeply loves them and that his avoidance and seeming ineptitude stems more from feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy than any neglect or disinterest. Also, it's not like there's a complete 180-degree turn by the end of the book: things start to change in their relationship when Phillip realizes that his lack of involvement is only hurting them, not helping. By the end of the book we know that things are going to turn out absolutely fine and are left with the glimpse of a completely new chapter in Phillip's relationship with Amanda and Oliver and the certain promise of the total 180.
OUR HEROINE, Miss Eloise Bridgerton:
Eloise is a priceless heroine - she's straight-forward, honest, extremely talkative, caring, friendly, loving, and generous. Her impulsiveness is very endearing, but it is tempered by her maturity and a strong sense of self. She's 28, so older than most heroines we encounter, but I think that her age is perfect for this story because her character is still very youthful, while she is mature and old enough to reasonably be the step-mother of eight-year-old twins and it's believable that they are able to see her and respond to her as a mother figure (it annoys me when we have the heroine whose hero has kids that are only 10 or 15 years younger than her).
She's really the perfect heroine for Phillip, because where he's reserved, moody, and taciturn, she is just a lively, cheerful ball of optimism - though not in an annoyingly Pollyanna way that makes you want to yank her out Neverland and douse her in ice cold water (... or would that just be me? LOL). Eloise is so different from Marina and we feel like Phillip finally gets a chance at the happiness and joy that he so deserves and needs in his life, after having been so miserable in his first marriage - not only because of the situation, but because he tried so hard to change it and to make his wife happy when obviously nothing could be done and the situation never improved, but in fact only got worse.
CRITICISM:
I do have to say that I think their relationship's obstacle-climax-resolution happened a little too late in the book to be fully developed and so I felt like the problem came up (what are their feelings for each other? what will they make of their marriage - was one of necessity / being compromised? what does each need from the other to be satisfied - i.e. more than just passion?) and the settling and hashing it out felt rushed and left me dazed a little. I completely believed what they say when they talk about / realize their love for each other, why, and what parts of each of them compliments and is needed by the other, however I felt like a little chunk of the story was missing between the declaration of the problem / fight over it and the discussion in which they resolve it all.
BOTTOM LINE:
Definitely read; great book and another wonderful story about one of the Bridgerton family members! Whether you're working your way through the whole series or just want to pick up a great historical romance, TO SIR PHILLIP, WITH LOVE does not disappoint.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) MY WICKED FANTASY by Karen Ranney - 4 stars
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