The Uzanne - She has to be my favorite character so far. She is known for being the master of the language of the fan and has every intention of using this to her full advantage. She has an eye towards politics and has no love for King Gustav. Her mystique is established by the fact of simply calling her "The Uzanne" doing away with any Christian names. | I have concluded with Part I in The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann and have to say job well done. This historical fiction novel is set in Stockholm and opens during the start of the French Revolution. We are welcomed into the underbelly by Emil Larsson, narrator extraordinaire, with cringe worthy imagery. The stench of raw sewage, spoiled food, and unwashed bodies tainted the air. Mr. Larsson is a sekretaire for the customs office and spends his life blending into society as to not draw attention to himself, he wishes to gain the ultimate in social status. He is an accomplished card player and has caught the attention of Mrs. Sparrow; she runs a selective gaming house and has the ear of King Gustav. Besides her gaming Mrs. Sparrow quietly shares futures with the aide of cards. The most intricate and dangerous future cards she uses form a special connection of 8. The Octavo, a unique layout of special cards, requires the recipient to puzzle out the people represented by the cards. Emil's Octavo seems innocent enough, love, but when intertwined with an Octavo of Mrs. Sparrows love can become a dangerous game. Mrs. Sparrow's Octavo has higher stakes, the nations and her King. Part I has been spent following Emil around trying to piece together the players of his Octavo. Has he figured them out and in the right position? The success of his Octavo depends on his finding of the correct players and his guidance to his end goal, a wrong move can be disastrous. |
I have been sticking yellow post-it notes through-out my book as I have been reading to easily refer back to parts. So many sayings and thoughts have come up that I can see almost no white on the side of my book now.
"I only intended to secure a beneficial alliance, not engage in political treachery." [Emil to Mrs.Sparrow]
"Aren't those one and the same?" [Mrs. Sparrow to Emil]
Links to a few additional quotes I posted earlier: Entanglements; Women and Their Fans; Chilling Foretelling
[Notice: Original posting 2014-01-24 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: General, Updates