Title: The Vespertine
Author: Saundra Mitchell [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher (via Net Galley)
Parental Advisory: murder, suicide, criminal activity, alcohol
Teachable Moments: individuality, social obligation, class structure, mental instability, love, friendship, propriety

“Revelation sizzled on my shoulders — it was the truth.  I’d foreseen the truth!  Though I’d done nothing but see, I felt wonderfully responsible.  As if this moment hd come to pass because of me, and I was proud!  They were so beautiful together.  My fingers fluttered against my throat, and I turned to find someplace quiet.  And I wasn’t surprised at all when I raised my eyes and looked right into Nathaniel’s.”

Summary (from the publisher):
It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer.  But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset — visions that offer glimpses of the future.  Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies.  However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore.  This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own — still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos.  And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

Opinion:
The Vespertine is probably one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read.  Mitchell’s attention to detail is astounding and doesn’t scrimp on being poetic.  From the landscape to the fashion I could see vividly in my mind every scene that was set.  Heck, I could even smell the horse manure in the streets as the ladies took their constitutionals.  That’s sayin’ something isn’t it?

Leisurely plotted, this was a slow read for me.  Partly because I’m a slow reader to begin with and partly because there was such attention to detail.  Every scene was meticulously set to show much more than tell.  This obviously isn’t a weakness but for a reader like me (one who tends to need quick pacing to stay interested) it was a departure from the books I normally tend to gravitate towards.  Thankfully, there was some eventual action to the plot that allowed for the story to pick up the pace.  Sadly, the bulk of it didn’t appear until well past the halfway mark.

The first part of the book was spent delving into the characters, their relationships, and Amelia’s paranormal ability. I got to know Amelia, her cousin Zora and their group of friends quite well.  I also gained an understanding for the area in which they lived and the expectations society set for young girls their age.  The stifling propriety of the time period was prevalent in this story.  From calling and dance cards to associating with the appropriate members of the same class level the characters were buttoned up and corseted in every way physical and emotional.  I did enjoy, and appreciate, that Mitchell still allowed Amelia and Zora their moments to be teenaged girls.  They hid their secrets, they gossiped about boys and sometimes defied (though limitedly) the rules imposed on them.

The bulk of the plot centered around Amelia’s ability to have visions of the future.  Initially a secret, as time and events progress she makes her skill known to her close friends which in turn opens up a host of other developments.  The plot was interesting enough but really this story was about the characters and the setting in time for me.  This is in part due to the paranormal twist.  More times than not I struggle with a story containing paranormal elements that doesn’t provide an explanation as to how or why a character has some sort of ability.  I fell in the middle on this issue here.  Mainly because I feel as though lengthy explanation would have made the book feel off kilter.  It would have disrupted the flow and beauty of the story.  Still, I wanted to know why Amelia was able to see her visions and how she came into it.

There was several romantic elements to the story but I admit Amelia and Nathaniel’s star-crossed story took a back seat to Zora and Thomas for me.  The latter had a smaller scope of focus overall but it just felt like the kind of romance that fit into this time period more than the former.  I suspect some of that comes from the paranormal elements between Amelia and Nathaniel but overall I didn’t feel the magnetism I suspect I was supposed to.  I admit, though, that this was a small part of the story for me anyway so it didn’t detract.

I haven’t been a huge reader of historical fiction in the past mainly because I tend to shy away from books that start spewing facts out as a way to tie in history.  The Vespertine was perfect for me in this way as it allowed me to experience the particular time period without giving me a grand sweeping history lesson.  It felt like an accurate representation of what it was like for teen girls in those days.  Again, I attribute this to Mitchell’s undeniable skill as a writer.  She clearly knew how and what to tie into this story from that time period to best provide the reader value.

All in all I will say that reading The Vespertine was a positive experience.  For the reader who likes gorgeous and descriptive writing, serious ambiance, and excellent historical perspective it will be right up your alley.  For those of you who are interested in experimenting with historical fiction this hits the mark too.