Growing up in the small seaside town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, free-spirited Eveline Stanhope feels trapped by the weight of expectation from her well-to-do family. Her mother and two elder sisters would rather she focus her attention on marrying well, preferably to the wealthy Charles Sandham, but Eveline wants more for herself, and the arrival of the railway provides just the cause she¿s … cause she¿s been searching for. Driven by the cherished memories of her late father, Eveline is keen to preserve the landscape he loved so much and becomes closely involved with the project. She forms a growing attachment to engineer Thomas Armitage. But when the railway is complete and Thomas moves on, will Eveline wish to return to the way things were?
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I had a little bit of a difficult time getting started with this story but once I was about 50% through it, my interest increased and I enjoyed the story much more.
Eveline is a youngest daughter from a well-to-do family whose father has passed and whose two older sisters have married well and are out in society. Eveline is 19 years old and is feeling trapped by her mother and older sisters who want to see her marry well. She is interested in so many more things than being married and just living the socialite life that her sisters and mother live. She develops a love for photography when photography was first really being introduced. The railroad has come to her small town in England.
I did enjoy the fact that Eveline did not wish to conform to society in a time where that was expected. She was her own woman and while she tried to please her mother, she also found ways to assert her independence. In the end, that independence made her a happier person.
There is one very brief sexual encounter and one almost violent attempted sexual assault. In both cases, Eveline stands her ground and demands what she wants.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Stealing Roses by Heather Cooper is a wonderful historical fiction piece that is set in 1862 in Cowes, Isle of Wight. This story focusses on 19 (21 by the end of the novel) year old Eveline Stanhope, a fiery, youngest daughter of a fairly well-off home and family (well not as well off as in the past, but still well off). This book describes many things. It is part coming of age, part descriptive novel on the inner workings of a Victorian family and estate and their imperfections and relationships with themselves and each other, part romance, and part of a story discussing the monumental addition of the railway to their far and away area. This addition rocks the community in positive (almost all positive) ways as well as a few negatives.
I love the descriptions and images that the author gives the reader, not only of what seeing and experiencing a first railway, but also in how each character exhibits their emotions and thoughts, and how we literally feel as if we are there with Eveline and her inner and outer struggles.
I love that she is fiery and feisty, yet apprehensive and still loyal and concerned about how her actions will affect her family. She is a good soul, yet she is not without error in her judgement once in a while. I love that she knows she needs others, yet is independent and wants her own identity and passions in life.
I truly enjoyed the ending and that it feels just right. I laughed, I felt sorrow and empathy, and I felt tension and stress at wanting a positive ending and the other characters their “come-uppings”. I also enjoyed learning a bit more about the railways and their advancements as well as early photography. Fascinating.
Maybe a second installment for America?
Excellent read.
5/5 stars