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Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and Honey (Glamourist Histories) Paperback – June 7, 2011

by Mary Robinette Kowal (Author)

235 ratings

Book 1 of 5 in the Glamourist Histories Series

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Shades of Milk and Honey is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. But despite the prevalence of magic in everyday life, other aspects of Dorchester's society are not that different: Jane and her sister Melody's lives still revolve around vying for the attentions of eligible men.

Jane resists this fate, and rightly so: while her skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face, and therefore wins the lion's share of the attention. At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Jane has resigned herself to being invisible forever. But when her family's honor is threatened, she finds that she must push her skills to the limit in order to set things right--and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

This debut novel from an award-winning talent scratches a literary itch you never knew you had. Like wandering onto a secret picnic attended by Pride and Prejudice and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Shades of Milk and Honey is precisely the sort of tale we would expect from Jane Austen...if only she had been a fantasy writer.

Editorial Reviews

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“If Jane Austen had written a fantasy novel, Shades of Milk and Honey would have been the result. Written with painstaking attention to detail, Kowal's prose is serenely evocative of the time period, and the fantastic elements are a seamless fit. The characterization is extremely well done and Jane is a sympathetic, strong and intelligent heroine whose devotion to her family trumps nearly every other concern. Give this one a try!” ―RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ stars, Top Pick!

“Readers will be disappointed only when they finish this enchanting story, which is suffused with genteel charm… With the grace of Sense and Sensibility, a touch of classic fairy tale magic, and an action-packed ending, this debut novel by an award-winning fantasy short story writer will appeal to fans of Jane Austen, Jane Yolen, Patricia Wrede, Susannah Clarke, and even Jasper Fforde.” ―Library Journal

“Cliché as it might sound, if Jane Austen had sat down to pen a fantasy, this is the book she would have written. The tone, the cadence, the sweep, every bow and curtsey of the language is woven into Shades of Milk and Honey… Kowal’s mastery is the art of the Austenite nuance… When I reached the last page I just wanted to start it all over again. It left me craving nothing but a cup of Constant Comment...and the sequel.” ―Intergalactic Medicine Show

“A beautiful, lyrical, tightly-woven meld of Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, and Beauty and the Beast--I couldn't put it down!” ―Lilith Saintcrow

“Simply enchanting, and another great advance in an already impressive literary career. You're going to love this.” ―John Scalzi

“Shades of Milk and Honey is a lovely, smart, strange novel with everything on earth (and elsewhere) to recommend it. Smoothly crafted with a flair for romance and mystery, this story is one part meticulous manners and one part wild magic -- composing a whole that's utterly irresistible.” ―Cherie Priest

“Kowal's first novel is a beautifully told story of being true: true to love, true to family, and true to art, even when it seems that one of them must give. It's a marvelous and promising debut, and hints at more wonders to come.” ―Cory Doctorow

About the Author

Mary Robinette Kowal was the 2008 recipient of the Campbell Award for Best New Writer and a Hugo nominee for her story "Evil Robot Monkey." Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Asimov's, and several Year's Best anthologies. Mary is an active member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and currently serves on the Board of Directors.

A professional puppeteer and voice actor, she grew up in North Carolina and spent five years touring nationally with puppet theaters. She wrote Shades of Milk and Honey while living in Iceland and performing on the hit television show Lazytown. Mary currently lives in Portland, OR with her husband Rob and nine manual typewriters.

Series: Glamourist Histories (Book 1)
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; First edition (June 7, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765325608
ISBN-13: 978-0765325600
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 233 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3463 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
- #9827 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)
- #10726 in Epic Fantasy (Books)

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How Roode

Weak Introduction to a Steadily-Improving Series

May 20, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

When I first read Shades of Milk and Honey, I found it underwhelming. However, since the magic premise was interesting, I decided to continue with the series in the hope that it would improve. Thankfully, that gamble paid off, because each successive book is leaps and bounds better than the last. However, the stronger books make this one seem even weaker by comparison.

[MILD SPOILER WARNING] To isolate my primary complaint with Shades, it would have to be the decoy love interest. It was obvious from the first few pages that this guy (he made so little impression that I can't even remember his name) was not the man for Jane, so it made the bulk of the novel incredibly tedious, as the reader has to sit through scene after scene of empty flirtation and angsty internal monologues to get to the horribly-cliched conclusion. Worst of all, this obsession with a vapid man and the constant "woe is me, I'm so ugly" reflections made me really dislike Jane.

Fortunately, Glamour in Glass is slightly better, Without a Summer is better still, and I just finished Valour and Vanity, which was AWESOME. Read this quick little novel for an introduction to the magic system, but keep your expectations low, for starters. The real fun comes in the sequels!

23 people found this helpful

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Judi Easley for Blue Cat Review

Jane Austen with Magic! Yes!

August 7, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

My Disclaimer:
I was provided a free copy of this book by the author’s representative. I am providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

My Review: ✰✰✰✰✰
Yes, yes, yes! You must read this book if you like Jane Austen style stories and magic. This was wonderful. The added touch of magic to the JA style was really marvelous. I really wanted to say magical, but…well, it was!

We meet Jane Ellsworth, who is plain with a large nose and mousy brown hair. That’s her personal description of her appearance. Her sister, Melody, is gorgeous with lovely golden hair and is a happy flirt. Why would Melody be jealous of Jane? Melody took the same lessons with the same instructor when they were old enough to learn glamour. She simply doesn’t have the same talent with it. And it seems to be making a difference.

While Melody can swish in the draperies for the party, it’s Jane who has to add all the details and perfect the elements that go into what’s there so that the draperies hang just so and the tasseled tie backs are all tied at the same length. She makes the fruit arrangement in the epergne for the table setting as well since she can perfect the blush on a peach until it looks as if you should be able to bite it and the juice would run down your chin. You see, women are supposed to use their glamour for household things to enrich the home. While for men, glamour is an art.

That’s where we meet Mr. Vincent. The very mysterious Mr. Vincent. Who is he really? What makes him so rude to Jane? She was admiring his glamour and trying to see how he created it. She tried to do something similar and added a little something to it. She felt she could learn so much from an artist as great as he.

The book was paced much like a tea party. Everyone arrived and was admired for this or that. Soon, they are all settled into their places and exchange a bit of gossip. Then for the big moment, the tea and goodies are served. A cup is tipped over and tea is spilled. Someone chokes on crumbs from a tea cake. A lace hankie has been misplaced. Please, pass the glamour and gossip. Then everyone is set straight and all lost items returned to their rightful owners and people are on their way. But did they all go home with the ones they came with?

Yes, you really do need to read this book!

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Marvi

Read in one sitting, great story

December 5, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I found my way to this series through George RR Martin's blog and bookstore, and am so glad I read it. The premise is great: magic in a Jane Austen world. I recognize many of the themes and characteristics that made Jane Austen's work enjoyable. The story line itself has some wonderful twists and turns, some of which were predictable, a couple of which were surprising. The main two sisters are not dissimilar to the two in Sense and Sensibility though the story itself seems more like Pride and Prejudice. A bit of amalgamation happens here. The other thing is that the linguistics are as close as I've seen to a proper simulation of the period. Many Jane Austen "fanfiction" overly modernizes the language or info-bombs setting explanations. In this the setting is well executed without being forced on you, which feels more authentic, and the language has some occasional modernization and simplification, which I think keeps it within the realm of authenticity and still readable. I read this through in one morning, so I found the story gripping and fun to read.

The only things I found could use improvement are matters of personal preference, minor quibbles. A couple events were not so much foreshadowed as they were blatantly obvious, the occasional slips of language (it is tough to keep momentum when writing in an older dialect), and what seemed to be a bit of a contrived ending (I was disappointed in Vincent's real identity) but none of that seriously overshadowed what, to me, was Well written and enjoyable novel. I look forward to reading the sequels.

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Pages with related products. See and discover other items: tor books, best epic novels, Narrative Writing Plans

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