Lady of Milkweed Manor

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com

Mistakes that seem like a tragic poison bring about healing and new life in Julie Klassen’s debut novel, Lady of Milkweed Manor. In Regency England, the vicar’s daughter, Charlotte Lamb, has been banished from her home and disowned by her family when she discovers she is pregnant out of wedlock. After refusing to name the child’s father, she flees to a manor for unwed mothers and registers under a pseudonym. There, she finds herself in the care of a former suitor, Dr. Daniel Taylor, whom her father deemed unworthy and has some secrets of his own. As they try to protect those they love through incredible sacrifices, they find healing, redemption, and true love.

This novel is remarkably well written. The characters are realistic and easy to sympathize with, and the narration has a poetic gracefulness about it that brings to mind such authors of classics as Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. While it is clear from the first pages of this novel that a vast amount of research was done, the information gathered is worked into the novel seamlessly. The one glaring flaw occurs in the final decision Charlotte’s character makes in regard to her child. Without giving anything away, the phrasing of her explanation seems incredibly cold and clashes with the maternal love she has displayed throughout the novel.

This novel is by no means a cookie-cutter love story. Whereas the ending is a happy one, it doesn’t go for the corny or a quick-fix of the character’s problems. The characters have depth, and the story is both inspiring and true to the pains of life. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good romance, but wants more than a “boy meets girl, boy gets girl” story. -- Shannon Potelicki, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com