Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Jane Austen. We love Jane Austen, don't we? What then if she had added a bit of magic into her writing? And no, I don't mean Mr. Darcy in a wet shirt kind of magic (and yes, we already got that with Colin Firth in the 1995 TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice:)), but real magic. In her debute novel Shades of Milk and Honey Mary Robinette Kowal has done just that. She has created a very Austenesque early 19th-century world where magic, or glamour as it is called in the book, is possible and is used to great effect in the arts and also in everyday life to hide imperfections and to enchance paintings, architecture etc. As well as music, painting or sewing also glamour is considered an essential skill for any young woman of good upbringing.

The Ellsworths are a respectable Dorchester family with two unmarried daughters: the beautiful 18-year-old Melody and the plain Jane, a 28-year old old maid. However, Melody's skills in glamour are very average, Jane on the other hand is an extremely talented glamourist which does not go unnoticed by a certain Mr. Vincent, a somewhat mysterious master of the art of glamour. What ensues is a book Jane Austen could very well have written had she been a fan of fantasy novels. :) Some elements of the story make you think of Pride and Prejudice, but this is no retelling à la Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, nor a spin off. Kowal has written an original story. She has used the world of Austen's fiction and added her own mark to it.

Shades of Milk and Honey was a very enjoyable read. It, obviously, makes one think of not only Pride and Prejudice by Austen, but also Johathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. If you liked either or, or better yet both, you will most likely also enjoy Shades of Milk and Honey. Kowal's writing is flowing and in the character. She, for example, writes "shew" instead of "show" and there are one or two other examples of using older spelling of words. This could have felt gimmicky, if used to much, but as she only uses it with 2-3 words it just felt athmospheric and nice. And Kowal's idea of what glamour is, how it is used and how it affects its users is refreshingly original and innovative. 

I really liked this book. Thus, it's good to know that Kowal is writing a sequal, or maybe it will be more like part 2, of the adventures of Jane. Glamour in Glass should be out in winter 2012.