Book Review
Jan. 23rd, 2025 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Muse of Maiden Lane
by Mimi Matthews
This slow burn historical romance was very lovely. Stella Hobhouse is a vicar's sister and avid rider who remains unmarried because her hair went fully gray when she was 15, marking her as unattractively different. She is facing a bleak future as a spinster in her prudish and repressive brother's household. When visiting the British Museum with friends, she encounters Teddy Hayes, an artist partially paralyzed by scarlet fever. He is immediately taken with her. They later meet again at a house party, where he convinces her to sit for him and a relationship between them slowly develops.
I liked the slow reveal of how perfect Stella and Teddy were for each other. They are both seeking independence from stifling circumstances: Stella's repressively proper and moralistic brother wishes to confine her into a narrow life in the background; Teddy's sister, while genuinely loving, is having a hard time acknowledging his independence. Stella and Teddy are able to offer each other the autonomy and freedom they seek while also forming a deep love and strong partnership. Even if it takes them quite a while to see it. Matthews handles disability quite well, in that it's a part of who Teddy is, but it's not entirely central to his character or the story. His art is much more important to the plot and the relationship.
by Mimi Matthews
This slow burn historical romance was very lovely. Stella Hobhouse is a vicar's sister and avid rider who remains unmarried because her hair went fully gray when she was 15, marking her as unattractively different. She is facing a bleak future as a spinster in her prudish and repressive brother's household. When visiting the British Museum with friends, she encounters Teddy Hayes, an artist partially paralyzed by scarlet fever. He is immediately taken with her. They later meet again at a house party, where he convinces her to sit for him and a relationship between them slowly develops.
I liked the slow reveal of how perfect Stella and Teddy were for each other. They are both seeking independence from stifling circumstances: Stella's repressively proper and moralistic brother wishes to confine her into a narrow life in the background; Teddy's sister, while genuinely loving, is having a hard time acknowledging his independence. Stella and Teddy are able to offer each other the autonomy and freedom they seek while also forming a deep love and strong partnership. Even if it takes them quite a while to see it. Matthews handles disability quite well, in that it's a part of who Teddy is, but it's not entirely central to his character or the story. His art is much more important to the plot and the relationship.
