The Secret of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

The Secret of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig (Find this book in our catalog)

I was intrigued with an author interview I was reading the other day - I think it was with Tasha Alexander. Asked if she had ever bought a book just for the cover, she said The Secret of the Pink Carnation. She ended up loving the book so much that she tried to emulate it in her own historical fiction. Anyway, I went right out to my local HCPL branch, scanned the shelves, and, finding the book with the lucious pink dress on the cover, I checked it out right away! I couldn't resist! (Incidentally, since I did my blog on historical novels a couple of days ago, I now know why the publisher cut off half the Pink Carnation's head in the cover picture.)

Once I had opened the covers of The Secret of the Pink Carnation I too could not put the book down. In the book are two stories. First is the story of American scholar Eloise who is in London to do research on the identity of an English Napoleonic wars spy called The Purple Gentian. Eloise outwits the irascible Colin Selwick to obtain access to a diary and letters among his aristocratic family's papers. As she reads them, the parallel story of Amy Balcourt and Lord Richard Selwick (aka The Purple Gentian) is revealed, along with the never-before suspected identity of another spy, The Pink Carnation. Colin resents Eloise delving into his family's secrets. Just as Amy Balcourt did in her quest to find and join forces with the Purple Gentian, Eloise falls prey to many misunderstandings in her relationship with Colin. But in this merry romp all is sorted out in both endings to the satisfaction of all parties. Just what those endings are you will have to read the book to find out!

Be warned that if you are an historical purist you will not find a lot to sink your teeth into in this romantic mystery in historical costume. If you are a fan of chick lit, however, you will find a lot to love in the feisty yet misguided, self-doubting yet determined heroines. If you were ever a fan of Georgette Heyer you will love the comedy of misunderstandings between the two pairs of lovers.

In Memoriam Kathleen Woodiwiss

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, called by Publisher's Weekly a, "Trailblazing romance author," died Saturday, July 7. She was 68.

Kathleen is widely credited with inventing the modern historical romance novel. She broke onto the scene in 1972 with The Flame and the Flower, which featured an historical backdrop and (again from PW) "flashy sex scenes." This was a departure from the traditional historical novel which featured fictional characters on the periphery of actual of recorded history and were stories of either adventure or intrigue.

Kathleen Woodiwiss' new take on the genre struck a chord with the reading public and was wildly successful. She went on to write 13 novels and to influence many other romance authors. She was, as bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips put it, a towering figure in the genre. "We all owe our careers to her. She opened the world of romance to us as readers." There are currently more than 26.7 million copies of Woodiwiss’s novels in print; her last novel, Everlasting, will be released in October.

Other writers of sensual historical fiction are:

Shirlee Busbee; Johanna Lindsey; Fern Michaels; Rosemary Rogers; Bertrice Small

While I have enjoyed a book by one of these authors on more than one occasion, I really prefer the more old-style historical novel that has more history than romance. I like feisty female main characters and I think it is a shame that a lot of current historical fiction is written mainly for men.

My all-time historical novel is Katherine by Anya Seton. I once devoured all the historical novels of Jean Plaidy chronologically, and I liked most of her books written as Norah Lofts too.

A book I used to recommend all the time to people is A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. I know that's not a "pure" historical novel, and the time travel element might put people off, but it's a terrific read, especially for a rainy day or a day on the beach. Fans of Diane Gabaldon might like that one.

Why not leave a comment on your favorite historical novel or join the debate on what's an historical novel and what's not.