Frances Osgood is trying to support
her two daughters with her poetry in mid-19th Century New York while
her husband, a semi-famous portraitist, is off who-knows-where with some pretty
young rich thing. While at a literary
soiree she is formally introduced to Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. Sparks fly for both Frances and Mr. Poe but
there are two major problems: Mr. Osgood and Mrs. Poe. It would be scandalous for Frances to pursue
a relationship with Mr. Poe even though her husband is absent and Mrs. Poe is
extremely ill; maybe even more so for the later reason. Can these two find any happiness?
It was nice to see Poe in a
not-so-dreary light. He is a character,
but when you read about his home life (his wife is a very interesting person) you
understand him more. You can see what
Poe sees in Frances and her in him. You
also learn about the double standards of the time – what is good for the gander
is most certainly not good for the goose!
This is a nice choice for those
looking for historical fiction from a modern thinking woman’s point of view as
well as those interested in New York in times gone by. The book opens with The Raven which is great to reacquaint yourself with before
starting this book.
