Stephanie S. (skywriter319) - , reviewed on 6/11/2011 + 784 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

THE MAGICIANS AND MRS. QUENT sure sounds like something I would love. Historical fantasy, particularly with a Regency feel (although the story is set in a different world) Im all over it, right?

This book was of that strange breed for which I know there were deep flaws with its premise, execution, and more, and yet found myself reading all the way through.

First off, I dont think I have ever read a book before which so blatantly copied from famous authors works. Beckett was clearly influenced by Austen and Bronte, not simply in terms of writing style, but in the storys actual content. Parts 1 and 3 of THE MAGICIANS AND MRS. QUENT consist of the social pettiness and satire of an Austen novel, while Part 2 is blatantly reminiscent of Charlotte Brontes gothic, mystery atmosphere. The influence of these two authors on this book goes so far as to manifest itself in the books point of view: Parts 1 and 3 are told in third-person omniscient, whereas Part 2 switches to first-person from Ivys point of view. What, Beckett, you couldnt even integrate it so that Ivys time at Quents place could be told in third person? As a reader, I simply did not see the logic in dividing these parts so. Ivys first-person narration in Part 2 seemed to have no significant influence on the story whatsoever, except that it makes it easier to borrow from the likes of Jane Eyre. Blergh.

Similarly, the disjuncture of Part 2 from Parts 1 and 3 made it feel like two different stories were being told. Even in Part 3 the happenings of Parts 1 and 2 didnt fit together in any believable way, leaving me no choice but to conclude that Part 2 seemed like an authorial indulgence in Victorian gothic storytelling with little to no bearing on what readers are led to believe should be the primary plot of the bookthat is, the goings-on of Parts 1 and 3.

So obviously the characters and their predicaments were pretty much completely jacked from Austen and Bronte (go on, read a few pages and tell me if any of Altanias characters have never appeared in an Austen or Bronte work before). This led me to have a different reading experience with THE MAGICIANS AND MRS. QUENT than I usually have with a booknamely, that I knew the story was flawed and not very original, but continued to read out of my enjoyment of the, shall we say, smallness of the story. The story elements were poorly integrated, but it possesses the addictiveness of reading about petty peoples petty problems (from Austen) and the melodrama of an innocent girl exploring the haunted grounds of a tortured man (from Bronte). In short, what I liked about in book lay in its completely unoriginal elements. This makes me feel a little like a sellout.

So THE MAGICIANS AND MRS. QUENT is not going to win any prizes, but if you cant get enough of Austen and Bronte and dont mind when some rather illogical magickal elements are thrown in, you might consider checking this book out. It serves, at the very least, as great entertainment as you count how many phrases come right out of the two famous womens works.

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