Abandoned by Booklikes

I am familiar with Nancy Horan's last novel, Loving Frank: A Nove and got swept up with her tale of Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress then companion Mamah Borthwick Cheney. I remember reading and then re-reading that novel since I got so caught up with the story of these two people and wished for them a different ending. Now with her follow-up historical fiction novel she focuses on the relationship between Robert Louis Stevenson and his American wife Fanny van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson.

I am familiar with Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but can honestly say besides reading those two books never looked into Mr. Stevenson's life. Ms. Horan manages to imbue such life into Mr. Stevenson as well as Fanny that for me many times I felt as if I was intruding on private conversations made more real by the description of people, smells, and places.

At first readers are immersed in Fanny's story before it moves forward to the day when she meets Stevenson. Fanny at the time she met Stevenson was estranged from her husband and went to live abroad with her three children in order to study art. I quickly found myself identifying with Fanny just because in that time and place to actually leave one's husband and divorce him was simply not done.

I loved how Horan paints Fanny and Stevenson's marriage and showing readers when one married at that time all you were to hope for as a woman was to be some man's wife. Fanny having different dreams for herself and though she loved Stevenson was often upset (rightfully in my opinion) that she was made to feel as an outsider by his close literary friends.

When we eventually get to the ending I felt similar to how I felt when I finished "Loving Frank" a wish that things had ended differently.

I really do recommend this novel and cannot wait to see what Nancy Horan tackles next in historical fiction.

Please note I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program.