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  5 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0) See all 5 customer reviews...

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Review
American graduate student Billie Armstrong’s dissertation research on Restoration-era playwright Aphra Behn is the premise for this tour de force on literary evolutions, women’s and men’s roles (not excluding sexuality) through history, American versus British culture, and the culture of academe. Preoccupied by the task of defending Behn’s literary and historical significance, Billie finds herself transported to a Restoration playhouse rehearsal of a Behn play, where she lives as both "Will" and "Clarinda." She exerts her own modern influence on the seventeenth-century writer, exploring sexuality in the age of syphilis (versus the age of AIDS), reliving through Behn’s experience life on a Barbadian plantation that served as inspiration for the writing, and learning how to be a successful woman in a man’s world. The question of whether the author means that Billie Armstrong actually lives physically in another century, or simply so immerses herself intellectually and emotionally that she is able to frame important questions in the historical context of a very different time is a testament to writing that creates a vibrant bridge across centuries. This is an intelligent and enjoyable historical novel. -- manuscript review by Publishers Weekly, an independent organization

There is nothing special about this project. The characters are flat, the conflict introduced is dull. The writing is passable. I wasn't drawn into the story, so I have no desire to invest any significant amount of time in this book. -- Amazon Top Reviewer

Product Description
A time travel based on literary history -- Diana Gabaldon's Outlander meets A.S. Byatt's Possession -- Chameleon in a Mirror is set in the colorful and turbulent times of the English Restoration. The protagonist, Billie Armstrong, has long wanted to rewrite literary history to give Aphra Behn, the first professional woman writer in England, the prominance she deserves. But when Billie accidentally activates the magical properties of a baroque mirror, she gets more than she bargained for. What develops is an unwilling masquerade in a tale of license, love and literature, a high-spirited Restoration romp, as Billie does her best to survive in a strange era and ensure Aphra's literary survival in the future.

5 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (5 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: It's an academic argument--or is it???, February 24, 2008 By  R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews          Aphra Behn is Billie's inspiration and she's prepared to stake her future on the woman's literary influence. The problem is her dissertation adviser isn't buying Billie's theories and she's going to have to work hard to convince him--if it's possible to do so. Her advisor leaves her and Billie stumbles onto a restoration era mirror that transports her back to a theatre where Behn's putting on a play. The writing's well done. Billie has my sympathy in many ways. She passionately believes in her heroine and wants others to do so as well. Meeting her in person's going to be an enlivening shock, I suspect. Congratulations to Ruth Nestvold on creating a story about a little-discussed time in English history. Best of luck to her with the ABNA and her writing future.  Comments (2) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?