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As a heads up, although I do intend to keep this free of spoilers that are not tagged, this is a re-read (for possibly the third time), so if you want to remain completely and totally even hint-free on what happens in this book (though, given this is Austen, there are a few things you can probably guess just from the existence of popular culture...), read at your own risk.
This is my least favorite Austen novel.
That's not an uncommon statement, it seems, especially given what it is up against, and I do like the book, but I can never, despite reading (and this time listening!) to it several times, do much more than "like" it.
Here's where I differ from the more common opinion: it's not Fanny's fault.
I don't dislike Fanny. I even feel sorry for her, and I don't think that she is as weak a character as many people seem to paint her. She has strength of convictions, even when those convictions are no longer the mode, and she holds to them despite the ramifications forced upon her by her friends and family. What is that if not strength? She is quiet and meek, certainly, but it is the kind of quiet and meek that hides an inner core that is rather shocking.
My problem with the book actually is due to the hero and the entirety of the romance.
Fanny is clearly in love throughout, and, like most Austen heroines, she suffers for this love to some extent, often from social embarrassment and awkwardness, and occasionally because the one she loves appears to have eyes for another. All of this is de rigeur for an Austen novel, and not something I complain about. The problem is that I don't think she settles on someone actually worthy of her.
Complaints can be made about a few of Austen's heroes, probably, but I've never felt that the romance was unsatisfying. The problem is that the hero spends pretty much the whole book in love with someone else.
All of this is extremely frustrating for someone who wants an ending that doesn't feel tacked on, and I hate even thinking that, let alone saying it, but that is what it feels like. That sours the whole book for me, on some level: I don't feel like Fanny got her just desserts for everything that happened to her, and I just don't associate Austen (or any kind of regency romance, really) with that feeling, especially when I get the odd feeling that it wasn't really intended. This isn't supposed to be a bittersweet ending, it is supposed to be lovely and happy.
That is more than enough whining for a book that I did enjoy, even on a third reading, and that has a lot to recommend it. The side characters, as in all Austen novels, are charming (or not, as the case may be) almost-but-not-quite caricatures of people most of us probably know, even today. They come alive on the page, and have the ability to cause you to hold your breath when they are up to something they shouldn't be, gasp when things are discovered, be ashamed for them when they ought to be but aren't, and be angry when they are cruel. Or I'm crazy empathetic and get way too attached to characters--it's probably a coin toss on that front.
The Crawfords are very vivid and interesting, and I was significantly more impressed with the Bertrams this time around than previously. The first time I read the book, Fanny's uncle read to me the way he read to her--as a moderately terrifying figure of authority. This time around I had the space to appreciate his character quite a bit better.
The audio was quite well-read, as well--Juliet Stevenson is definitely my favorite narrator of Austen's works, and she absolutely did not disappoint here.
"Look, fear's not always rational, okay? Anyway, there's a difference between being afraid and being a coward. At least there was one thing I could take comfort in: if you're afraid, you must still be a little bit human."
I put off reading this for too long--I forgot how much fun these books are.
Spoilers for the previous book will follow.
Amy remains spunky (sometimes to the point of stupidity, admittedly, but I allow a certain amount of that in sarcastic heroines, honestly) and interesting. She gets to see some new places and meet some new people and get into an awful lot of trouble. In her defense, most of the trouble was pretty unavoidable. I also continue to enjoy how aware of how ridiculous her preoccupation with Nox is:
"How stupid am I?" I asked myself aloud as I changed. I was still thinking about Nox. "How is it possible that I'm here in the middle of a magical war, supposedly saving the world--or the kingdom or whatever I'm supposedly saving--and all I can think about is some dumb boy? Tracking him down should be the last thing on my mind."
I will admit to not being the biggest Nox fan (I just don't...get it, I guess. Why does she like him again?), so the fact that this was kind of the romance was not my favorite thing, but at least she's aware she's being stupid about it, so I can forgive her for it. Awareness of her flaws (real flaws, at least) is something I like in a character.
I was not expecting that ending, or honestly large chunks of the plot twists. It got a little weird there with Pete for a bit, though things ended up cleared up. I was not expecting him to
though I guess that makes a level of sense and also cleared up what was likely to end up being a super strange and awkward situation. Also, bonus points for
I'm not sure where his character is going to end up going from this point forward, however.
I liked Ozma's presence and how integral to the story she was. She's always been one of my favorite Oz characters, and I loved seeing this take on her.
This continues to be a rough ride for Oz characters and new ones alike, and the death toll continues to mount. I like that it doesn't pull any punches, and I honestly find this Oz to be fascinating largely because of that. You worry about these characters because they may genuinely die, and there was at least one quite unexpected death in this novel.
The worldbuilding (for lack of another word--I suppose it is more "re-imagined" than "built") is pretty amazing. I am fascinated and disgusted and intrigued every time we end up someplace new, and I love finding all the little references to Oz canon twisted into something still recognizable, but now gone from whimsical to terrifying. It's a dark and beautiful place.
I don't quite know what to expect of the next one, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll leave you with a quote that I think sums up the outlook of the book rather well and also explains how you can root for Amy even when what she is doing seems moderately questionable:
"You can't just cover your eyes and pretend like terrible things aren't happening simply because you can't see them."
