Shona McMonagle is a librarian and a proud graduate of Miss Blaine's School for Girls. When she is recruited to go on a mission for Miss Blaine, she is thrilled at the chance. Time travel. 19th century Russia. She has mastered the language, studied the history and social customs...what could go wrong? As she scopes out the scene, she is convinced that she must help young Lidia meet up with the handsome Sasha and find true love. But mysterious deaths keep occurring around them, and Lidia seems more interested in her woodworking than the dashing young man. Can Shona help Lidia find happiness and figure out who the murderer is before tragedy strikes too close to home?
Despite the deaths and the pressure of limited time to complete her mission, Shona also manages to share her views on the ownership of serfs, feminism, and other more modern social concepts with those she meets. The horror of her carriage driver when she offers to emancipate him is comical to modern readers, and that is just one instance of the humor woven into the story.
This is the first book by Olga Wojtas, but I hope another is coming soon because I love the character of Shona and the writing style of the book.
No comments:
Post a Comment