Nell Stevens

The ghost of a teenage girl who died in the 15th century observes George Sand and Frederick Chopin as they live in Spain to try to improve Chopin's health. The concept is really interesting, but I couldn't get into the book. I found the ghost to be a frustrating character: nothing about her felt particularly medieval. A quarter of the way into the book, I could find absolutely no relationship between her life story and the story of the people she was observing. So much has already been written about Sand and Chopin, and I didn't find their stories to be particularly compelling either. Writing historical fiction about real people is always a risky undertaking.… (mehr)

This book was just so satisfying. "The Victorian and the Romantic" covers Stevens' time working on her PhD, her subject Elizabeth Gaskell. A large part of which is consumed by her love life, juxtaposed with Gaskell’s own friendship (romance) that blossomed while in Rome. With a light step Stevens dances between Gaskell’s story and her own. Covering the last decade of Gaskell’s life, speaking to her with familiarity, as in a letter.

Stevens' obsession (romance) with her boyfriend and with Gaskell, weave wonderfully with Gaskell’s own. Stevens' voice is warm, comforting, and engrossing; full of love, loss, and friendship, giving us a story that crosses time and continents.… (mehr)