Non-Laughter Reviews & Giveaway : ISLAND OF THE SWANS

ISLAND OF THE SWANS
Ciji Ware
Fictionalized Biography
Sourcebooks, 2010 (reissue)

Premise: Remarkable life of a woman caught in a love triangle who rises to social and political prominence during turbulent times.

Cover: Title - Excellent. Short, unusual, relevant to the story geographically and symbollically. Art - Excellent. The portrait is a true likeness rather than a period stand-in; the swans add a wonderful touch. Overall, one of the best covers this reader has seen in a long time.

What Works: This story is well-deserving of the word 'sweeping'. It follows the heroine's development over several decades as her path interweaves those of the many people whose lives she touched. Doing this justice would a challenging enough task for any biographer, but Lady Jane lived during a time of many historically significant events. Through chapters set during and sometimes embedded in events of the American and French revolutions, power struggles between Parliament and British monarchy, the rise of poet Robbie Burns, efforts of Scottish nobility to rise from the ashes of the Battle of Culloden aftermath, and repeated recruitment drives to raise Scottish regiments for British war efforts, history came alive for this reader.

But even more than these largescale events, it was the small details of everyday life that enriched the story; the food eaten, the poor tenements in childhood, the descriptions of streets, livelihoods , transportation, and the pervasively unjust treatment of women which Lady Jane spent a lifetime resisting. All made for an engrossing story and winning heroine - personal flaws and all. When the titular swan island shows up, it becomes the heart of the story, a place of retreat and restfullness where thoughts and feelings and actions impossible anywhere else can come to life. The reader longs for a return to this place right along with Lady Jane.

Where to end a biography of a historical figure is a ticklish question. AW liked the author's choice to end the story in a hopeful spot, with the heroine still living rather than with her death.

What Doesn't: This is always a difficult question in biography because it can be impossible to tease apart authorly writing style and constraints imposed by subject matter. If someone was a hothead in life, the author can't magically write in increasing wisdom with age for the sake of nicely readable character arc. This reader had some moments of frustration with the repeated similarity of how the two main male characters behaved during chance encounters, much as Lady Jane herself must have felt. Is this a weakness of the story? Only if the reader thinks real people don't behave immaturely when feelings are involved - which obviously, is all too often the case in real life. It is perhaps too much to expect for historical people to be beyond such human weaknesses.


Overall: AW had never heard of Jane Maxwell Gordon prior to reading her story and finds this inexplicable. Why in the world has no-one made a movie about this extraordinary woman, equivalent to the recent film about her rival, 'The Duchess"?

Interested in reading this biography for yourself? The publisher has offered two books to AW's readers! Comment today for your chance to win, and double your chances by commenting on tomorrow's interview with the author.

The Fine Print:
1. Open to readers with American and Canadian addresses. Sorry, no P.O. boxes.
2. If your name does not link to a site, please leave a way to get in touch.
3. Contest closes 15 February 2010.

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