Reviews for The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Willig's imaginative debut is the story of Eloise Kelly, who is trying to uncover the identity of the Pink Carnation, a British spy a la the Scarlet Pimpernel who infiltrated Napoleonic France, for her Ph.D. dissertation. But it is also the story of Amy Balcourt, a young woman of French descent raised in England, whom Eloise learns about when she gains access to the papers kept by Arabella Selwick-Alderly, the descendant of another dashing spy, the Purple Gentian. Amy sets off to join her brother, Edouard, in France, with the hope of joining the league of the Purple Gentian. On her journey over she meets Lord Richard Selwick, the Purple Gentian himself, and though sparks fly between the two, he feels he can't reveal his secret identity to her. Eloise is engrossed in Amy's story, even as Arabella's infuriating but handsome nephew, Colin Selwick, tries to bar her access to the papers. Readers should expect more of the swashbuckling past than the scholarly present, but Willig's story is a decidedly delightful romp. --Kristine Huntley Copyright 2004 Booklist
Publishers Weekly
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The French eventually unmasked the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, famed spies in the Napoleonic wars, but as Harvard graduate student Eloise Kelly discovers at the start of this breezy historical romance, the identity of the Pink Carnation remains a mystery. Working in London on her history dissertation, Eloise gets access to a trunk of papers and documents from the early 19th century. She dives into this treasure trove, and suddenly the reader is plunged into a novel within a novel, told from the viewpoint of Amy Balcourt. Amy, exiled to rural England with her mother, now wants to avenge, with the help of her cousin Jane, her father's death at the hands of the French. She hopes to be in league with the Scarlet Pimpernel, who heroically tried to save her father. Willig, a Harvard graduate student herself, does a good job painting a picture of the tumultuous era. She also makes the sparks fly between Amy and the Purple Gentian, a dashing English nobleman in charge of Egyptian antiquities for Bonaparte. But when the Pink Carnation's identity is finally revealed after many obvious clues, the reader wonders why it took Eloise so long to get it. More critically, Eloise's appearances come to seem like awkward intrusions into Amy's-and the Pink Carnation's-more intriguing story. Agent, Joe Veltre. (Feb. 7) Forecast: Misleading chick lit-style packaging doesn't do Willig's debut-essentially a conventional historical romance-any favors. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Eloise Kelly is an American graduate student in London working on a dissertation about two legendary English spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. When she is invited to view some private papers of an old noble family, she never guesses she will find a story beyond what she had hoped for or a rude but handsome man bent on keeping his family's history private. As Eloise reads the letters and diaries, she is swept back to 1803. Longing for adventure, half-English, half-French Amy Balcourt is thrilled when her brother invites her to stay in Paris. She is determined to join the League of the Purple Gentian in order to help topple Napoleon and avenge her father's demise at the guillotine. On the Channel crossing, Amy meets handsome and scholarly Lord Richard Selwick, Napoloeon's director of Egyptian antiquities. Little does she guess that this man, whom she despises, has another, more alluring identity. Willig, a history Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, has an ear for quick wit and an eye for detail. Her fiction debut is chock-full of romance, sexual tension, espionage, adventure, and humor. Strongly recommended for popular fiction and romance collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/04; see also the Q&A with Willig, p. 52.-Ed.]-Anna M. Nelson, Seabrook Lib., NH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A sexy, smirking, determined-to-charm historical-romance debut takes on English-French espionage in Napoleonic Paris. Newcomer Willig makes good use of an Ivy League education heavy on Shakespeare and Hugo as she follows young American Eloise Kelly to London to concoct a juicy graduate dissertation: a thesis created out of the escapades of a famously obscure English spy at the turn of the 19th century, the Pink Carnation. An offshoot of the Scarlet Pimpernel and his cohort the so-called Purple Gentian, who aided French aristocrats to elude the guillotine, the Pink Carnation may be related to the Selwick family, whose descendants Eloise seeks out on a rainy day in London. Much to her astonishment—though not the reader's—the current owner of Selwick Hall, Mrs. Arabella Selwick-Alderly, not only invites poised, well-spoken Eloise into her home, but allows her access to a large trunk of letters for an all-night read. Thus the account of feisty English schoolgirl Amy Balcourt comes to view as Amy relates her decisive trip to Paris in 1803 to regain her rightful place next to her brother Edouard after the murder of their French aristocrat father 15 years earlier. Setting off across the Channel with her trusty cousin Jane and their grim chaperone, Miss Gwen, Amy meets the witty rake Richard Selwick (a.k.a. the Purple Gentian) on his shadowy dual errand to organize the Egyptian antiquities collection for Bonaparte. The repartee sparkles from then on, as the Hepburn-Tracy pair engage wits and try to outspy each other. Both are loyally committed to foiling the Emperor's plans to invade England and to keeping the Gentian's identity hidden from villainous Assistant Minister of Police, Gaston Delaroche. The plot, while intentionally contrived (naturally, Eloise also finds a suitable opponent in attractive Selwick scion Colin), still manages to compel, and romance conventions like Amy's "kissable indentations over the collarbones" are well observed, all in relentlessly effervescent prose. Masked men and low bodices in a corny, playful romp—with a sequel in the works. Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Eloise Kelly is in England chasing down leads for her dissertation and fleeing from the end of a disastrous relationship. While looking for information on the espionage of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, she discovers a third less-well-known spy, the Pink Carnation. Eloise decides to do additional research and stumbles on a cache of papers owned by the Selwick family that may shed light on the Carnation's identity. She also stumbles on Colin Selwick, who wants to keep her in the dark. Eloise's tale serves as the backdrop to the story of half-English, half-French Amy Balcourt, who returns to France to avenge her father, executed during the Revolution. Amy's goal is to connect with the Gentian and bring the monarchy back to power. Kate Reading is an excellent narrator; she makes the story come alive and is especially good with dialects. Despite some historical missteps that may cause frustration, this is recommended for romance collections.-Danna Bell-Russel, Library of Congress (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
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It's difficult to narrate one book, much less a story within a story that spans two different time periods, but Reading meets this challenge with a bravado befitting Willig's swashbuckling tale. American academic Eloise Kelly has come to London to uncover the identity of the Pink Carnation, a British spy who infiltrated Napoleonic France. Eloise, who's given an appropriately flat American inflection, hits a vein of gold when she uncovers letters describing a love affair between the Purple Gentian, another famous spy, and Amy Balcourt, who may be the Pink Carnation. Much of the novel focuses on the far-fetched love story between Amy and Richard Selwick (aka the Purple Gentian), and here Reading truly demonstrates her vocal prowess. Amy's accent smacks strongly of her British roots but also proves as impish as her character, and Richard possesses a deep voice that actually sounds sexy. As the adventure progresses, evil French spies and formidable dowagers roll off of Reading's agile tongue, making this a fun, dynamic listen. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Forecasts, Jan. 24). (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Eloise Kelly is in England chasing down leads for her dissertation and fleeing from the end of a disastrous relationship. While looking for information on the espionage of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian, she discovers a third less-well-known spy, the Pink Carnation. Eloise decides to do additional research and stumbles on a cache of papers owned by the Selwick family that may shed light on the Carnation's identity. She also stumbles on Colin Selwick, who wants to keep her in the dark. Eloise's tale serves as the backdrop to the story of half-English, half-French Amy Balcourt, who returns to France to avenge her father, executed during the Revolution. Amy's goal is to connect with the Gentian and bring the monarchy back to power. Kate Reading is an excellent narrator; she makes the story come alive and is especially good with dialects. Despite some historical missteps that may cause frustration, this is recommended for romance collections.-Danna Bell-Russel, Library of Congress Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Law student, Harvard Ph.D. candidate, and now author, Willig crafts the tale of an American woman named Eloise Kelly, who's trying to complete her own dissertation on those daring spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. To her surprise, Eloise uncovers yet another, even sneakier spy: the Pink Carnation. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
