The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

by Lauren Willig | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 045121742x Global Overview for this book
Registered by bookreadera of Pottstown, Pennsylvania USA on 3/5/2006
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6 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by bookreadera from Pottstown, Pennsylvania USA on Sunday, March 5, 2006
More for Mt. TBR

Another example of the dangers of "buy 3 for the price of 2" sales.

Will be sent as a ring when completed.

from Penguin-Putnam:

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, an intelligent American who always manages to wear her Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it rains,leaves Harvard’s Widener Library bound for England to finish her dissertation on the dashing pair of spies the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: a secret history that begins with a letter dated 1803. Eloise has found the secret history of the Pink Carnation—the most elusive spy of all time, the spy who single-handedly saved England from Napoleon’s invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a wildly imaginative and highly adventurous debut, opens with the story of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a book within a book. Eloise Kelly settles in to read the secret history hoping to unmask the Pink Carnation’s identity, but before she can make this discovery, she uncovers a passionate romance within the pages of the secret history that almost threw off the course of world events. How did the Pink Carnation save England? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly find a hero of her own?

I enjoyed this book much more than I had anticipated. While I did find Eloise's story to be a bit extraneous to the 'Pink Carnation' story, I still liked her character & storyline. I expect that I'll pick up the next book when it comes out in pb.

Journal Entry 2 by bookreadera from Pottstown, Pennsylvania USA on Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Ring Guidelines Please:

Please journal book when received.

Please PM the next person on the list for their address before you’re finished. This should move the book along in a more timely fashion.

Please read and pass on in a timely fashion (I understand that we all have other commitments & financial responsibilities. However, if you cannot pass the book along within 4-6 weeks, at least send me a PM that you still have the book. I worry.)

Please add another journal entry and journal the book as “traveling” when you send it to the next person on the list.

Finally, if you wish to be moved down the list for any reason-let me know. I’d rather rearrange the list than see the book stall. Any other problems or concerns, feel free to pm me.

I hope that you enjoy the book and thanks for allowing me to share it with you : )

List Order:
jnpert KY
ladilee24 PA
blaisezabini Romania
KarenAlyssa CAN
RalieghDog AZ
any new additions
Back to me

sent out to start on 3/29

Journal Entry 3 by jnpert from Ridgefield, Connecticut USA on Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Returned home from work to find this in my mailbox. Just started another book, but this will be the next one up.

Thank you!

Journal Entry 4 by jnpert from Ridgefield, Connecticut USA on Monday, May 8, 2006
This was a book I had on my wishlist and was looking forward to very much.

I have to tell you I was a bit disappointed- most likely because I felt the book had genre schizophrenia. I thought there would be a bit of chick lit mixed with historical fiction, but it was more a romance novel than anything else. Cute, but not what I expected. It felt like Nancy Drew had stepped into a Kathleen Woodiwiss novel.(And I felt like the alleged narrator Eloise wasn’t really even necessary at all- she actually distracted me from the storyline!)

My issues with the book were also compounded because right before reading this story I finished Life Mask by Emma Donoghue. Life Mask was an excellently researched and detailed book about the same time period (maybe 5 years earlier), but set in the theatre world in England. It was funny because the Pink Carnation mentioned Drury Lane and Lord Derby and several other items from the time. But the writing was like night and day- I know Lauren Willig is not a full time author and it felt like that reading her book.

Knowing how the author writes I might or might not read the Masque of the Black Tulip, but at least I’ll be in the right state of mind for it. I so wanted this book to be better than I thought it was after reading it!

Thanks bookreadera for letting me read it. I will mail off in the next day or so to the next reader. (And by the way, the Derby was great this year! Bluegrass Cat was very good to me!)

Journal Entry 5 by jnpert from Ridgefield, Connecticut USA on Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Mailed out today via media mail.

Journal Entry 6 by ladilee24 from Newark, Delaware USA on Friday, May 12, 2006
Just arrived today. I will start on this soon, thank you!

Journal Entry 7 by ladilee24 from Newark, Delaware USA on Sunday, May 21, 2006
Just finished this one and it was a enjoyable read. I hadn't known much about this book before joining the ring, just haveing seen it in bookstores and thinking it had a great cover. I thought it was a straight historical romance, and didn't even realize it was within the "Chick-lit" category (which I usually don't care for). There was lots of romance here, and some fun characters, who really carried me along in the plot.

I like my historical characters to have some historical feel, however, and everyone behaved in a very modern way really (for example - Amy's language and thoughts seemed very 21st century woman, and she had NONE of the concerns about a woman's modesty or reputation that women then WOULD have had). Also, the plot was rather predictable, and it took Eloise ages to get the point of the pink carnation, making me wonder how she could be missing the point. Wasn't she doing this for a dissertation, at least originally?

In any case, it made for light and quick train reading, and while not my favorite recent read,
I'm glad I read this novel. I do wonder if it might make a better movie. Thanks for including me in the ring.

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Will mail to KarenAlyssa, as blaisezabini wishes to be skipped due to traveling, by tomorrow (05/22/06).


Journal Entry 8 by KarinAlyssa on Monday, June 5, 2006
Received today, I just finished a ring, so only have one before that one. Thanks BookReadera for sharing that book and to Ladilee24 for mailing it to me !

June 8th - Starting the book today !

Journal Entry 9 by KarinAlyssa on Monday, June 19, 2006
I loved that book ! I am one to love genre schizophrenia because it's just normal. I love the "non-genre" for that since they are more representative of real life. I love chick lit, historical novel and the odd mystery, so it was almost perfect except that Eloise seemed slightly dumb at times, but who isn't sometimes ! I can't wait to read about the Black Tulip.

Thanks Bokreadera for sharing it ! It will be mailed around June 26/27 to the next reader.

Journal Entry 10 by RalieghDog from Scottsdale, Arizona USA on Monday, July 10, 2006
Received in the mail today. Am leaving on short vacation Wed. 07-12 and will begin when I return the next week. Thanks all for getting it to me safely.

Journal Entry 11 by RalieghDog from Scottsdale, Arizona USA on Monday, July 31, 2006
I felt a bit schizo myself reading this book. Some days I found it perfectly delightful and other times I picked it up it was a bit of a struggle to get through. Don't know if the writing style was inconsistent of perhaps it's just my personality. I really enjoyed the parts with Amy and the masked Purple G. I personally thought his idenity was unvieled way to soon leaving me feeling much less intrigued. I agree with most previous readers that the Eloise storyline seemed extraneous and somewhat distracting but could have been quite clever if more fully developed. Seems Willig has somes kinks to work out which may make Black Tulip worth checking out. Thanks again for sharing bookreader and all those good bcers before me who passed it along in such fine shape.

Journal Entry 12 by bookreadera from Pottstown, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, August 22, 2006
arrived safe back at home for a rest before starting ring # 2.

Thanks to everyone who was in the ring for taking such good care of the book! It's always nice when a ring makes it home : )

Journal Entry 13 by ameebe on Wednesday, October 3, 2007
I ordered the book from paperbackswap.com for a friend so I'll be sending it to her soon.

CAUGHT IN ODESSA MO UNITED STATES

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