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Wild Talent: : A Novel of the Supernatural

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While Wild Talent is very different from Eileen Kernaghan's 2000 novel, The Snow Queen, there are two major themes that the two novels have in common. Both feature young girls striking out precipitously on their own into an unsafe world. Both also address the frustrations of intelligent women up against the repressive mores of Victorian society. The result, in both cases, is a gently feminist coming-of-age tale with a strong sense of place and time.

Wild Talent tells the story of Jeannie Guthrie, a young Scottish farm girl who flees her home suddenly, fearing charges of witchcraft and murder after a telekinetic talent helps her fight off a would-be rapist. She reaches London, where she befriends Alexandra David and finds employment with Helena Blavatsky. The historical characters are fascinating, and Jeannie herself is delightfully complex -- unusually courageous in some ways and so very unsure in others.

The greatest strength of Wild Talent is its vivid portrayal of the tumultuous times in which Jeannie lives. The drudgery of rural poverty, the decadence of absinthe-soaked artists, the glamour of the Paris world's fair, and the spiritual debates among London's occult circles are all handled with skill. When I finished Wild Talent I felt that I'd paid a visit to the late 19th century, that I'd been right there with Jeannie all along.

Also well-handled were the questions of what is "real" and what is not. The book is teeming with the supernatural -- some of it real, some of it staged by charlatans, some of it in that gray area of uncertainty where the reader isn't sure whether it's real or a dream.

There's a spot toward the middle of the book that was rough going in a way, and ironically, it's because of something Kernaghan did very, very well. As the reader, I was feeling a little adrift and not sure whether the story was moving, and then a little light bulb went on over my head and I realized it was because Jeannie felt adrift and wasn't sure whether she was getting anywhere. Alone in London, with her fondest dream postponed for the sake of day-to-day survival, Jeannie is understandably depressed. Kernaghan's portrayal of Jeannie's depression is true to life and really made me feel for the character.

Spoiler Alert:
The ending leaves open the question of whether Jeannie achieves her goal of becoming a writer -- but as I remembered her musings at the beginning of the book about the power of words, I realized that the novel's text itself was meant to be the answer. Well played.

This absorbing novel wends its way through the fascinating occult worlds of late nineteenth century London and Paris. Rich in period detail, it chronicles the struggles of a young Scottish girl, Jeannie Guthrie, who fears she has run afoul of the law. Her character and her supernatural abilities are deftly explored against the backdrop of the London of that era. Counterbalanced with this are her association with the famous Victorian Theosophist Madame Helena Blavatsky, and her developing friendship with the charming and capricious Alexandra David. That Jeannie ends up in fin de siècle Paris, and must confront both her unhappy past and her dangerous talent, provides an exciting and satisfying climax.

When she is accosted in a barn by a young man named George who attempts to rape her, Jeannie Guthrie lets loose a whirlwind of telekinetic power which sends a pitchfork into George's flesh. Believing she has killed him, Jeannie flees her Scottish home and farm. Fearing she will be labelled a witch, and punished for a murder she had not intended to commit, she heads to London. There, she encounters a kind young woman named Alexandra David who helps her get settled and find work with Helen Blavatsky, a woman known for her psychic medium abilities. From that moment on, Jeannie finds herself immersed in the world of the supernatural where she must navigate its treachery while she learns to understand and control her own powers. Ever-present is her fear of repercussion for her crime, which motivates her actions throughout the story. Frightened by her wild talent, Jeannie Guthrie, speaks to the reader in first person narrative as she writes in her journal.

In this coming of age, young adult novel that takes place during the fascinating Victorian era, Eileen Kernaghan has written an endearing tale of a young woman alone in a harsh world. It is clear right from the start that the author has done a great deal of research into the times, portraying the Victorian interest in the occult magnificently. The novel touches on the plight of a young woman alone, with no means of support, who is forced to make a living in difficult circumstances. The novel sweeps the reader from countryside of Scotland, to high society London, and then to the opulence of Paris during the time of the world's fair. Aspects of the supernatural is well-explored including real occurrences and tricks common during the time.

Although this novel is listed as a young adult novel, it transcends this limitation easily into adult or women's fiction. It is richly written with a high regard for historical detail, making this novel a true and accurate journey into the richness of the Victorian world.

Wild Talent is another tour de force by Kernaghan.

Although it is listed as young adult, this novel should not be passed over by any adult interested in the spiritual goings-on in late-1800 London and Paris. There is no doubt that Kernaghan has written it for both age groups.

She wrote the book in the form of a journal belonging to a Scottish lassie who runs away to London and is drawn into the occult world of Madame Blavatsky and befriended by Alexandra David. Kernaghan's skill in drawing the character using just the right voice is a joy to read. So are her word pictures of the strange world of London's and Paris's spiritualism circles. Her attention to detail of the period and places, as well as her word choices, bring the story to life.

Highly recommended for both adults and teens who love to read. Buy it for your own bookshelf or as a gift for someone close.

Eileen Kernaghan's Wild Talent is a wonderfully engrossing read, combining a charming love story with a darkly dramatic tale of the supernatural. The prose is elegant and evocative, and the period detail of the late-Victorian era is depicted so vividly that the heroine's journey from the mists of Scotland to the streets of London, and from Bohemian Paris to the terrifying country of The Beyond, becomes a marvellous voyage of discovery for the reader too. Buy this one. It's a unique story and a fascinating read.

Desperate to ward off the unwanted advances of her cousin George, Jeannie Guthrie stabs him with a pitch fork. Believing she killed George, Jeannie flees Scotland and winds up in London, alone and frightened. The year is 1888 and there are few opportunities for sixteen-year-old farm girls. But Jeannie's soon befriended by an exuberant young woman named Alexandra David. Alexandra's interest in the occult leads Jeannie to employment with Madame Helena Blavatsky, a well-known psychic with a reputation for making strange things happen. It isn't long before Jeannie discovers that she too has a psychic gift, though rather than embrace it, Jeannie's frightened of her talent. She's also terrified that her ability might have caused George's death and that her past will catch up with her.

Eileen Kernaghan's Wild Talent is a beautifully written tale that doesn't overdo the paranormal elements. If anything, Jeannie's talent is almost understated. Adding to the intrigue is the author's use of historical figures such as adventurer Alexandra David and Madame Blavatsky who was head of the British Theosophist movement at the time. The author's note offers interesting glimpses into their lives and even provides a reading list where you can learn more about these colorful women. Reading lists are rare in a work of fiction, but very much appreciated in this case. Happily, you'll appreciate the novel too.

In 1888, sixteen years old Scottish farm hand Jeannie Guthrie fears her "gift". She believes she has good reason to do so because she thinks she used her talent to accidentally kill her wastrel cousin George who was pestering her constantly for a kiss since the dance. If anyone finds out Jeannie knows she will be burned at the stake as a witch; just like George vehemently called her as he was bleeding from the pitchfork wound she gave him.

Thus without a look back, the teen flees to London where she assumes she can hide amidst the masses. In town Jeannie and daring Alexandra David meet and the latter takes the former to the salon of renowned Madame Helena Blavatsky. There Jeannie hopes to learn more about her power especially controlling it when she is angry or threatened.

This late Victorian historical is a vivid exciting tale that takes readers into a strange dominion filled with artists, spiritualists and ethnologists; the irony is that this weird world is London and Paris (as well as the land Beyond). Jeannie is terific as a rustic innocent who under the guide of her urbane friend turns from scared country bumpkin to still frightened sophisticate. Based on the real 1888 London journal of Alexandra who mentions a jeune fille, Eileen Kernaghan provides her bewitched fans with a great late nineteenth century tale.

Harriet Klausner

Readers who are familiar with Eileen Kernaghan's work know the skill with which she can weave the particulars of historical settings into the storyline of her fiction. In her last novel, The Alchemist's Daughter, the historical setting is the England of Elizabeth I. Now, in this latest book, Wild Talent, the scene is Victorian London and Paris of La Belle Epoque. The time period is specific as the story starts in March of 1888 and ends in September 15th of 1889. It is told in the first person through the diaries of a sixteen-year old Scottish farm worker, Jeannie Guthrie. As with the previous novel, where a thread of the occult runs through it, this novel incorporates the author's knowledge of spiritualism and theosophy. The heroine Jeannie is introduced into the famous salon of Madame Helena Blavatsky, (founder of the Theosophical Society), whose reputed psychic powers included levitation, clairvoyance, telepathy and clairaudience. Today, it may be easy for some to dismiss the Theosophists as crackpots, but in its heyday there was tremendous interest in it, and many people were later influenced by Blavatsky's writings, including Mahatma Gandhi, James Joyce and Wassily Kandinsky. Even Arthur Conan Doyle, who makes a brief appearance in this book, devoted his later years to its study. Indeed, many luminaries grace the book, for the years 1888/ 1889 were especially rich with personalities, events and associations. Of special interest is the role played by the other main real personage in the book, Alexandra David Neel, who could only be described as an adventuress and far traveler, and who befriends Jeannie. Kernaghan refers to Neel's London journal of 1888 as a reference source for this book.

It is within this rich structure that Kernaghan weaves her story, seamlessly inserting the fiction of Jeannie Guthrie into the historical facts. Real people populate the book and real events, such as the horrific murders of prostitutes in London and the construction of the iron tower by Eiffel, are worked into the story. This material is handled without pedantry by the author and does not impede the story, which is told in a light and economical way. As well, the author is very careful to ensure that the little telling details, so important to any historical fiction, ring true. So when the heroine refers to her "rough tweed leggings and tackety lace-up boots", or describes that "she took a card out of her reticule", it sounds right. The reader is left with the impression that, like an iceberg where only the tip is showing, the author has done a lot of background work in researching these details and laying these little gems to sparkle here and there in the book.

This book will especially appeal to those with an interest in this particular locus in time and place, and also to those with a curiosity for seances, spiritualism, symbolist art and poetry, esoteric cults and the Beyond. The book is written as a Young Adult Novel, and many teenagers will get an especially big kick out of the chapter where Jeannie works for a phony clairvoyant as some of her tricks are dissected, but the material is certainly rich enough to provide adult readers with an enjoyable read as well.

Wild Talent: : A Novel of the Supernatural