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Strands #1
Strands of Bronze and Gold
The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.
Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2013
About the author
Jane Nickerson
4 books201 followersFor many years Jane Nickerson and her family lived in a big old house in Aberdeen, Mississippi, where she was also the children’s librarian. She has always loved the South, “the olden days,” gothic tales, houses, kids, writing, and interesting villains. After a few years in Ontario, Canada, Jane and her husband have returned to Mississippi where Jane lives in a little old house and writes, mostly about the old days and the never-were days.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 960 reviews
July 24, 2015
4.5 stars
Bluebeard has always been hands-down the creepiest fairy tale to me. I mean, the guy had an entire room chock full of dead wives! And they didn't pass away from old age or disease.
Then there was the new wife...
She's given a key to the room and told not to use it. Well, duh, of course she's gonna look!
And since she broke her promise to him... She must die!!!!
Alright, that's the really condensed version of the original, but you get the gist.
So, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a retelling of that story. And to add to the creepy atmosphere, this one has a Gothic flavor to it. It's set in pre-Civil War Mississippi, and Bernard is a plantation owner, so slavery and the Underground Railroad play a part in the story as well. However, don't go into this expecting an accurate historical portrayal of either. It's just a side note in the plot to keep things interesting. As a retelling of Bluebeard, though, I thought it was a total win, and one of my new favorite retellings!
The complaints I've seen in other reviews seem to drift toward the fact that it's not a fast-paced book, there are too many descriptions of scenery and clothes, and that the heroine is a Mary Sue.
I'll give you my opinion of those three issues, and then you can decide if this is a book you'd like to read.
First off, the pacing was perfect for a book like this. There is a slow-building horror to the situation that Petheram finds herself in, and (I thought) it was done very well. She starts off hearing mild alarm bells, but ignores them until she finally hears the klaxon blaring. Of course, by then it's too late.
To me, that's not a slow story.
As far as the myriad of descriptions go? Eh. Petheram loves all the nice clothes and expensive gifts that Bernard gives her, and she's undeniably impressed with all of he wealth in her surroundings. It's part of the reason she ignores some of those initial early warning signs. However, by the end of the book, she realizes how foolish and easily taken in she was.
I'm not one of those readers who likes a lot of scenery written into the story. Give me enough to get the gist of the surroundings...and then move on. So will you be annoyed by descriptions of dresses? No idea, but I didn't feel that the story was bogged down by overly descriptive writing.
Finally, is Petheram a Mary Sue?
Not within the confines of this kind of story. For the time period, for her age, and for what she was aware of, Pentheram was actually quite brave. There were several times she stood up for herself and others, but part of this story is about exposing the psychology behind abusive relationships. Bertram was in equal parts very charming and very violent. At first, he seems to be a very likable and handsome man, and his eccentricities seem benign. But as the story unfolds, she realizes that everything he does is a form of control designed to keep her submissive. And what can she actually do about it? In reality, how easy would it be for a young woman of that time period to just up and leave her legal guardian's home?
Not very.
Naturally, as the reader, you know from the moment she pulls up in her carriage that she's about to enter the house of a serial killer. And it's also pretty easy to to scream and rant that YOU would have done something differently. However, as evidenced by women in today's society, there is something universal about the minds of abusers and victims. It happens every day, and not just to weak-willed women. I've watched formerly strong independent women get sucked into this kind of psychotic nightmare to varying degrees. The how and why are a lot simpler than people think.
It starts with something like a comment about how maybe 'your jeans don't fit the way they used to', that turns into comments about how 'no one else would ever want you because of the way you've let yourself go'. Or maybe it just starts with an innocent sounding question like, 'who were you just talking to on the phone?', that ends up over time turning into wild accusations like, 'I know you're cheating on me with whoever you were talking to!'. Verbal abuse is bad enough, but these kind of attitudes can quickly escalate into violence. One of the biggest problems with violent abusers is that they didn't just punch their girlfriend or wife in the face on the first date. See, if they had done that, there probably wouldn't have been a second date. Unfortunately, the violence comes after the woman is fully entrenched in the lie that she somehow needs him. And of course, the old standby that he loves her and it will never happen again.
It's easy for those of us in a healthy relationship to think that it couldn't happen to us, but the truth is, given the right circumstances, it could happen to anyone. Now, whether or not you decide to fight back and get the hell outta there if it does? Well, that's entirely up to you.
And that's what Pentheram's story is really about.
Bluebeard has always been hands-down the creepiest fairy tale to me. I mean, the guy had an entire room chock full of dead wives! And they didn't pass away from old age or disease.
Then there was the new wife...
She's given a key to the room and told not to use it. Well, duh, of course she's gonna look!
And since she broke her promise to him... She must die!!!!
Alright, that's the really condensed version of the original, but you get the gist.
So, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a retelling of that story. And to add to the creepy atmosphere, this one has a Gothic flavor to it. It's set in pre-Civil War Mississippi, and Bernard is a plantation owner, so slavery and the Underground Railroad play a part in the story as well. However, don't go into this expecting an accurate historical portrayal of either. It's just a side note in the plot to keep things interesting. As a retelling of Bluebeard, though, I thought it was a total win, and one of my new favorite retellings!
The complaints I've seen in other reviews seem to drift toward the fact that it's not a fast-paced book, there are too many descriptions of scenery and clothes, and that the heroine is a Mary Sue.
I'll give you my opinion of those three issues, and then you can decide if this is a book you'd like to read.
First off, the pacing was perfect for a book like this. There is a slow-building horror to the situation that Petheram finds herself in, and (I thought) it was done very well. She starts off hearing mild alarm bells, but ignores them until she finally hears the klaxon blaring. Of course, by then it's too late.
To me, that's not a slow story.
As far as the myriad of descriptions go? Eh. Petheram loves all the nice clothes and expensive gifts that Bernard gives her, and she's undeniably impressed with all of he wealth in her surroundings. It's part of the reason she ignores some of those initial early warning signs. However, by the end of the book, she realizes how foolish and easily taken in she was.
I'm not one of those readers who likes a lot of scenery written into the story. Give me enough to get the gist of the surroundings...and then move on. So will you be annoyed by descriptions of dresses? No idea, but I didn't feel that the story was bogged down by overly descriptive writing.
Finally, is Petheram a Mary Sue?
Not within the confines of this kind of story. For the time period, for her age, and for what she was aware of, Pentheram was actually quite brave. There were several times she stood up for herself and others, but part of this story is about exposing the psychology behind abusive relationships. Bertram was in equal parts very charming and very violent. At first, he seems to be a very likable and handsome man, and his eccentricities seem benign. But as the story unfolds, she realizes that everything he does is a form of control designed to keep her submissive. And what can she actually do about it? In reality, how easy would it be for a young woman of that time period to just up and leave her legal guardian's home?
Not very.
Naturally, as the reader, you know from the moment she pulls up in her carriage that she's about to enter the house of a serial killer. And it's also pretty easy to to scream and rant that YOU would have done something differently. However, as evidenced by women in today's society, there is something universal about the minds of abusers and victims. It happens every day, and not just to weak-willed women. I've watched formerly strong independent women get sucked into this kind of psychotic nightmare to varying degrees. The how and why are a lot simpler than people think.
It starts with something like a comment about how maybe 'your jeans don't fit the way they used to', that turns into comments about how 'no one else would ever want you because of the way you've let yourself go'. Or maybe it just starts with an innocent sounding question like, 'who were you just talking to on the phone?', that ends up over time turning into wild accusations like, 'I know you're cheating on me with whoever you were talking to!'. Verbal abuse is bad enough, but these kind of attitudes can quickly escalate into violence. One of the biggest problems with violent abusers is that they didn't just punch their girlfriend or wife in the face on the first date. See, if they had done that, there probably wouldn't have been a second date. Unfortunately, the violence comes after the woman is fully entrenched in the lie that she somehow needs him. And of course, the old standby that he loves her and it will never happen again.
It's easy for those of us in a healthy relationship to think that it couldn't happen to us, but the truth is, given the right circumstances, it could happen to anyone. Now, whether or not you decide to fight back and get the hell outta there if it does? Well, that's entirely up to you.
And that's what Pentheram's story is really about.
March 15, 2013
(This was supposed to be a joint review but Thea refused to finish the book. Yes. It is that bad.)
After the death of her father, Northern Sophie Petheram receives an invitation to go live with her godfather, the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, in his plantation in Mississippi. Sophie has always longed for a more comfortable life and for spending more time with her godfather – whom she has always admired in a secretive, furtive way – and is at first, elated at the prospect. And to begin with, all goes well. Her godfather is charming and attentive (as well as extremely attractive), regaling her with his stories of the Exotic Orient and her surroundings are luxurious and decadent.
But soon she starts to realise that this new life is not perfect. Her guardian allows her very little freedom and is prone to dangerous, violent mood swings. She is also not really comfortable with the way he treats his slaves or that he even has slaves at all. Then Sophie learns of his past wives – all of whom have died tragically, all of whom have bronze hair as her own – and realises that something much more horrific is afoot and that her own life might be in danger.
Strands of Bronze and Gold is a gothic retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale transported to a pre- Civil War America. I was really intrigued about this from the get go and for its possibilities. Bluebeard is a fairytale that is extremely misogynist and sexist – one its motifs is the question of the “danger” of female curiosity, a question that fits into victim-blaming. It is also a fairytale with strong European roots.
As such, when reading this, I wanted to be able to see the issue of sexism addressed and to understand the author’s choice of moving this to Mississippi pre- Civil War. This is not a setting that can be taken lightly and above all, I wanted to see how the author dealt with the issue of slavery in this setting.
Unfortunately all of it was hugely disappointing.
Strands of Bronze and Gold has an unhurried developed story that fits not only with the gothic atmosphere of danger and mystery but also with the issue of Sophie’s slow transformation from extremely naïve and trusting to a strong-willed heroine who knows how to deal with her godfather’s mood swings strategically. This is a really interesting transformation in terms of how it addresses how Sophie – in a context of supposed powerlessness – can think strategically and empower herself by doing so. So, in a way, the topic of sexism is somewhat addressed here and I appreciated how Sophie was able to save herself in the end. The topic of female curiously being at fault for the wives’ fate is also removed here: Monsieur Bernard de Cressac is a dangerous psychopath and wholly to blame for the happenings in the book.
That said Sophie’s transformation is not really developed that well. For a story that is so slowly developed, the actual character’s arc happens suddenly and with awkward transitions. That is all the more clear when Sophie falls in love at first sight with another man – one minute they meet, the next they are in love.
Although I appreciated the attempt at portraying Sophie’s story as one of self-empowerment, I wasn’t wholly convinced by how this happened.
My main issue with the book though is the pre Civil-War Mississippi plantation setting and how this was incorporated into the story. This was bad; this was really, REALLY BAD. The book is populated with a series of POC characters, some of them house slaves, some of them cotton field ones and there is one freed slave as well. The problem is, these characters are not characters on their own and are there in relation to the white characters. Sophie for example is the Good Abolitionist, who wants to help the slaves. As such she sympathises, pities them and wants to help them. Which: fair enough. But she is so completely clueless about her privilege it is not even funny. At one point she sees slaves labouring in the cotton fields and pities them for their shabby clothes. She sees a pair of slaves who are in love and cannot get married and pities HERSELF for not having a love of her own. Priorities: she has them (not). And this could have served as an astute observation about Sophie’s naivety, except this is not questioned and only serves to illustrate Sophie’s forward-thinking and goodness. The same way that the ill treatment of the slaves serves only to illustrate the villain’s villainy.
I am not kidding, there is EVEN a Magical Negro: a freed slave who lives in the woods and who is happy, wise and helps Sophie in feeling less lonely.
There is also definitely a strand of White-Saviour approach by showing the work of Good White People helping with the Underground Railroad (but without mentioning the important work and support from freed, escaped slaves in the same).
And before anyone says something about how this is a historical novel and that the portrayal of Sophie and of slavery is historically accurate, allow me to reinforce the fact that there is a HUGE difference between writing a historically accurate character (whatever that might mean) and writing a story that does not challenge/question these views in the narrative itself. In that sense, Strands of Bronze and Gold is not doing anyone a service by portraying slavery as a Bad Thing from the point of view White Saviours and by portraying POC characters as offensive stereotypes.
This is all very problematic to say the least and tainted the whole book for me. I can not in good conscience recommend this book at all – in fact, I recommend you to stay far, far away from it.
After the death of her father, Northern Sophie Petheram receives an invitation to go live with her godfather, the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, in his plantation in Mississippi. Sophie has always longed for a more comfortable life and for spending more time with her godfather – whom she has always admired in a secretive, furtive way – and is at first, elated at the prospect. And to begin with, all goes well. Her godfather is charming and attentive (as well as extremely attractive), regaling her with his stories of the Exotic Orient and her surroundings are luxurious and decadent.
But soon she starts to realise that this new life is not perfect. Her guardian allows her very little freedom and is prone to dangerous, violent mood swings. She is also not really comfortable with the way he treats his slaves or that he even has slaves at all. Then Sophie learns of his past wives – all of whom have died tragically, all of whom have bronze hair as her own – and realises that something much more horrific is afoot and that her own life might be in danger.
Strands of Bronze and Gold is a gothic retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale transported to a pre- Civil War America. I was really intrigued about this from the get go and for its possibilities. Bluebeard is a fairytale that is extremely misogynist and sexist – one its motifs is the question of the “danger” of female curiosity, a question that fits into victim-blaming. It is also a fairytale with strong European roots.
As such, when reading this, I wanted to be able to see the issue of sexism addressed and to understand the author’s choice of moving this to Mississippi pre- Civil War. This is not a setting that can be taken lightly and above all, I wanted to see how the author dealt with the issue of slavery in this setting.
Unfortunately all of it was hugely disappointing.
Strands of Bronze and Gold has an unhurried developed story that fits not only with the gothic atmosphere of danger and mystery but also with the issue of Sophie’s slow transformation from extremely naïve and trusting to a strong-willed heroine who knows how to deal with her godfather’s mood swings strategically. This is a really interesting transformation in terms of how it addresses how Sophie – in a context of supposed powerlessness – can think strategically and empower herself by doing so. So, in a way, the topic of sexism is somewhat addressed here and I appreciated how Sophie was able to save herself in the end. The topic of female curiously being at fault for the wives’ fate is also removed here: Monsieur Bernard de Cressac is a dangerous psychopath and wholly to blame for the happenings in the book.
That said Sophie’s transformation is not really developed that well. For a story that is so slowly developed, the actual character’s arc happens suddenly and with awkward transitions. That is all the more clear when Sophie falls in love at first sight with another man – one minute they meet, the next they are in love.
Although I appreciated the attempt at portraying Sophie’s story as one of self-empowerment, I wasn’t wholly convinced by how this happened.
My main issue with the book though is the pre Civil-War Mississippi plantation setting and how this was incorporated into the story. This was bad; this was really, REALLY BAD. The book is populated with a series of POC characters, some of them house slaves, some of them cotton field ones and there is one freed slave as well. The problem is, these characters are not characters on their own and are there in relation to the white characters. Sophie for example is the Good Abolitionist, who wants to help the slaves. As such she sympathises, pities them and wants to help them. Which: fair enough. But she is so completely clueless about her privilege it is not even funny. At one point she sees slaves labouring in the cotton fields and pities them for their shabby clothes. She sees a pair of slaves who are in love and cannot get married and pities HERSELF for not having a love of her own. Priorities: she has them (not). And this could have served as an astute observation about Sophie’s naivety, except this is not questioned and only serves to illustrate Sophie’s forward-thinking and goodness. The same way that the ill treatment of the slaves serves only to illustrate the villain’s villainy.
I am not kidding, there is EVEN a Magical Negro: a freed slave who lives in the woods and who is happy, wise and helps Sophie in feeling less lonely.
There is also definitely a strand of White-Saviour approach by showing the work of Good White People helping with the Underground Railroad (but without mentioning the important work and support from freed, escaped slaves in the same).
And before anyone says something about how this is a historical novel and that the portrayal of Sophie and of slavery is historically accurate, allow me to reinforce the fact that there is a HUGE difference between writing a historically accurate character (whatever that might mean) and writing a story that does not challenge/question these views in the narrative itself. In that sense, Strands of Bronze and Gold is not doing anyone a service by portraying slavery as a Bad Thing from the point of view White Saviours and by portraying POC characters as offensive stereotypes.
This is all very problematic to say the least and tainted the whole book for me. I can not in good conscience recommend this book at all – in fact, I recommend you to stay far, far away from it.
March 5, 2013
I was fully prepared to love this book, but alas, I ended up with more of a mild liking instead. The idea of the Bluebeard fairy tale retold tugged at my imagination, and it's true that the writing is quite lovely in parts, as well as a bit startling in others once the story finally got going in the second half.
But overall, I was disappointed to find that this ended up being a more gentle fairy tale than I would have liked. The dark story of Bluebeard is full of seductive promise, danger, and horror, and this particular iteration only glanced on more serious, weighty themes before quickly shying away from them. The author's guest post for us makes it clear that she seems to prefer happy endings, and in the end it just comes down to what you enjoy as a reader--and I personally prefer my tales of seduction to be a bit more toothsome. If you'd like to try out a more ravishing and sinister Bluebeard retelling, I'd recommend The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter.
Note: While I like the southern gothic setting, I was a bit troubled by a strange subplot involving the Underground Railroad. The Book Smugglers address that in depth here.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.
But overall, I was disappointed to find that this ended up being a more gentle fairy tale than I would have liked. The dark story of Bluebeard is full of seductive promise, danger, and horror, and this particular iteration only glanced on more serious, weighty themes before quickly shying away from them. The author's guest post for us makes it clear that she seems to prefer happy endings, and in the end it just comes down to what you enjoy as a reader--and I personally prefer my tales of seduction to be a bit more toothsome. If you'd like to try out a more ravishing and sinister Bluebeard retelling, I'd recommend The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter.
Note: While I like the southern gothic setting, I was a bit troubled by a strange subplot involving the Underground Railroad. The Book Smugglers address that in depth here.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.
February 25, 2013
4.5 Stars
I’m not usually drawn to historical romances, but I’m so glad I picked this one up because it was an exciting ride! Strands of Bronze and Gold was filled with mystery and opulence, and oozed suspense. I was on the edge of my seat for much of this read!
Sophie is a girl “genteel, but only in a theoretical way.” As she goes on to explain, theoretically she knows how to live a fancy life but in practice can’t afford it. This is all about to change when her father dies unexpectedly and her godfather, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, collects her to live at Wyndriven Abbey. Although Sophie has not seen M. Bernard since she was a little girl, he’s sent extravagant gifts to her over the years. She assumes he’s old and married but soon finds out he is neither. He’s not more than forty, he’s stunningly handsome and a widower.
Sophie is both shocked and flattered by his treatment. He doesn’t behave like a father figure but she’s captivated by his enigmatic personality and good looks. He lavishes attention and gifts on her and it’s wonderful but also too much. Sophie soon feels the shine of this opulent life wear off, and soon she finds M. Bernard’s demeanor can change in a heartbeat. He’s happy and all charm one minute and the next his temper flares. He wants Sophie only to himself, keeping her isolated from any outsiders and even frowning on her becoming friendly with the servants. Little curiosities start popping up, and Sophie starts to wonder about M. Bernard’s past.
This was dark, romantic, and mysterious. The suspense notched up in intensity chapter by chapter and I was anxious to discover what would happen next. M. Bernard’s character thrilled and attracted me in one moment, only to repel and frighten me in the next!
“I worried you might be huddled in your bed terrified. I tried to come reassure you.”
“Did you?”
“I did, but your door was locked. Do you lock it every night?”
“I do.”
���Do you think someone is plotting against your virtue?” A gleam of amusement twinkled in his honey brown eyes.
“No sir, I simply feel more secure with the big dark house shut out.”
“You know I have all the keys, don’t you? I could enter at any time I wanted.”*
*heart beats wildly*
Sophie, who’s only seventeen, is forced into dealing with things beyond her years. She was just the type of heroine I love: admirable, brave, and resourceful. She wasn’t whiny or frustrating in her choices but you wonder nervously how this will all turn out. I will say there is romance, for those of you like me that need to know. But I won’t elaborate any further.
The descriptions of the lavish surroundings brought this extravagant world to life. You’re impressed but at the same time a little disturbed by it too:
Knowing my past predilection for luxury, I should be in raptures to reside in such surroundings, showered with lovely things. But everything was too much. It was as if the world here were coated with glamour, as in some fairy tales, with nothing really as it seemed.*
I starting reading this knowing it was a re-telling of Bluebeard, but I’ve never been real clear on the story. I knew it involved killing his wives, and you really don’t need to know more than that. It doesn’t make a difference in your enjoyment one way or the other, but if you’re curious the author has the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale on Ms. Nickerson’s blog. There’s also an interesting history of the tale on Wikipedia and I found a few details carried into this story.
As I said before, I don’t gravitate toward historical romance. Usually all the descriptions make me yawn, but not in this case. There was a lot of description, but Ms. Nickerson gave just enough to immerse me in the world without bogging down the plot. It was a thrilling read!
I’m curious to hear what the next book will be about since this wraps up nicely. I think it’s a companion novel set in the same world.
*Quotes taken from uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.
You can find this review and more at The Readers Den.
I’m not usually drawn to historical romances, but I’m so glad I picked this one up because it was an exciting ride! Strands of Bronze and Gold was filled with mystery and opulence, and oozed suspense. I was on the edge of my seat for much of this read!
Sophie is a girl “genteel, but only in a theoretical way.” As she goes on to explain, theoretically she knows how to live a fancy life but in practice can’t afford it. This is all about to change when her father dies unexpectedly and her godfather, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, collects her to live at Wyndriven Abbey. Although Sophie has not seen M. Bernard since she was a little girl, he’s sent extravagant gifts to her over the years. She assumes he’s old and married but soon finds out he is neither. He’s not more than forty, he’s stunningly handsome and a widower.
Sophie is both shocked and flattered by his treatment. He doesn’t behave like a father figure but she’s captivated by his enigmatic personality and good looks. He lavishes attention and gifts on her and it’s wonderful but also too much. Sophie soon feels the shine of this opulent life wear off, and soon she finds M. Bernard’s demeanor can change in a heartbeat. He’s happy and all charm one minute and the next his temper flares. He wants Sophie only to himself, keeping her isolated from any outsiders and even frowning on her becoming friendly with the servants. Little curiosities start popping up, and Sophie starts to wonder about M. Bernard’s past.
This was dark, romantic, and mysterious. The suspense notched up in intensity chapter by chapter and I was anxious to discover what would happen next. M. Bernard’s character thrilled and attracted me in one moment, only to repel and frighten me in the next!
“I worried you might be huddled in your bed terrified. I tried to come reassure you.”
“Did you?”
“I did, but your door was locked. Do you lock it every night?”
“I do.”
���Do you think someone is plotting against your virtue?” A gleam of amusement twinkled in his honey brown eyes.
“No sir, I simply feel more secure with the big dark house shut out.”
“You know I have all the keys, don’t you? I could enter at any time I wanted.”*
*heart beats wildly*
Sophie, who’s only seventeen, is forced into dealing with things beyond her years. She was just the type of heroine I love: admirable, brave, and resourceful. She wasn’t whiny or frustrating in her choices but you wonder nervously how this will all turn out. I will say there is romance, for those of you like me that need to know. But I won’t elaborate any further.
The descriptions of the lavish surroundings brought this extravagant world to life. You’re impressed but at the same time a little disturbed by it too:
Knowing my past predilection for luxury, I should be in raptures to reside in such surroundings, showered with lovely things. But everything was too much. It was as if the world here were coated with glamour, as in some fairy tales, with nothing really as it seemed.*
I starting reading this knowing it was a re-telling of Bluebeard, but I’ve never been real clear on the story. I knew it involved killing his wives, and you really don’t need to know more than that. It doesn’t make a difference in your enjoyment one way or the other, but if you’re curious the author has the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale on Ms. Nickerson’s blog. There’s also an interesting history of the tale on Wikipedia and I found a few details carried into this story.
As I said before, I don’t gravitate toward historical romance. Usually all the descriptions make me yawn, but not in this case. There was a lot of description, but Ms. Nickerson gave just enough to immerse me in the world without bogging down the plot. It was a thrilling read!
I’m curious to hear what the next book will be about since this wraps up nicely. I think it’s a companion novel set in the same world.
*Quotes taken from uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.
You can find this review and more at The Readers Den.
May 5, 2020
I don't know why I've read this.
FULL SPOILERY REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...
FULL SPOILERY REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...
March 25, 2013
What if Bluebeard were a wealthy plantation owner in the Antebellum South? I’ve never pondered that question before reading Strands of Bronze and Gold, but now that I have, it seems to me like Jane Nickerson picked the least interesting way of going about an adaptation. Rather than expanding on or exploring the source material as a good retelling should, hers is a version that does nothing but overembellish the original to the point the result is a book that’s extremely poorly paced.
I suppose some people might call chapter after chapter of ostentatious prose describing architecture, decorations, and *shudders* lots and lots of clothing and jewelry atmospheric, but I’m going to go with tedious, dull, and incredibly boring. A few paragraphs here and there wouldn’t have bother me, and I wasn’t too bored at first, I’m well aware of how to create a haunting atmosphere with just the right details, but Strands of Bronze and Gold just goes on and on and on. By the time a quarter of the book passes and Nickerson’s still creating the mood, setting up the atmosphere with her descriptions of Wyndriven Abbey - yes, yes, it takes place in a creepy English monastery transplanted to the Mississippi countryside, can we please move on? When will Sophia discover the dead wives? Who’ll rescue her? How and why does Bernard become a homicidal maniac? I think knowing this is a Bluebeard adaptation built up a lot of anticipation and expectation that the plot would move quickly, except, even as I’m asking those questions, I’m approaching the halfway point, and I’m still no closer to any answers. In a word, the beginning drags. Hard.
If that wasn’t bad enough, all the characters are pretty much failures for me, even after the story picks up in the second half. Bernard, obviously, is a psychopathic wife killer, but even still I didn’t like the way Nickerson approached his character. The original Bluebeard is sort of an object lesson in idle curiosity (don’t peek in that locked door!), but his descent into homicidal madness actually makes very little sense if you think about it (he couldn’t possibly have killed the first wife for discovering the dead bodies of his previous wives, she is after all, his first wife); Nickerson does include a sort of justification for Bernard’s murderous ways but it just felt really flimsy, like a third rate look at a psychotic creep. And Sophia, Sophia’s reasons for marrying Bernard left a bitter taste in my mouth - after an unbelievable emotional back and forth of feelings towards her guardian, turns out for a person who knows how creepy her godfather is, a person who knows how inappropriate it is for a ward to marry her guardian, the fact she willingly submits to the marriage so she could get money to pay off her brother Harry’s gambling debts just didn’t sit right with me. Especially with the way Harry concealed the extent of his losses the first time she gave him money and then asked for more, forcing her into the wedding - I hate how she puts her own safety behind that of a compulsive gambler who’ll probably burn off whatever extra cash she gets him anyway.
If I’m kind of rambling, it’s because the book is kind of rambling, but there are two other things that pop up in the rambling that I want to point out before the rushed ending. The first is a matter of personal taste, but my favorite part of the original Bluebeard is after the wife is discovered, she’s locked in the tower and trying to buy time before Bluebeard kills her, and she keeps asking her sister whether the sister sees her brothers arriving - I read the Perrault years ago and that was the once scene that still sticks in my memory and I’m sorely disappointed of all things Nickerson had to cut from her adaptation (basically nothing), that was the scene that had to go, and with it, all the suspense. Now, it's just a one and done confrontation. The other is that the plantation setting is completely misused; frankly I would've been satisfied had there been a clearer connection between Bernard's role as a slave owner with the treatment of his wives, but for me it’s as if Nickerson picked the setting for the romanticism of the Antebellum South Gone with the Wind style, then thought better of it because slavery is of course wrong and added some shallow nods to abolitionism to make things right, but of course that for me only makes things worse, like acknowledging a bad situation without really getting why it’s wrong.
Anyway, I don’t think Strand of Bronze and Gold is a very good Bluebeard adaptation - it drags at the beginning and is terribly rushed at the end. I didn’t like the characters and the setting was problematic to put it politely, so I can’t say I liked this.
I suppose some people might call chapter after chapter of ostentatious prose describing architecture, decorations, and *shudders* lots and lots of clothing and jewelry atmospheric, but I’m going to go with tedious, dull, and incredibly boring. A few paragraphs here and there wouldn’t have bother me, and I wasn’t too bored at first, I’m well aware of how to create a haunting atmosphere with just the right details, but Strands of Bronze and Gold just goes on and on and on. By the time a quarter of the book passes and Nickerson’s still creating the mood, setting up the atmosphere with her descriptions of Wyndriven Abbey - yes, yes, it takes place in a creepy English monastery transplanted to the Mississippi countryside, can we please move on? When will Sophia discover the dead wives? Who’ll rescue her? How and why does Bernard become a homicidal maniac? I think knowing this is a Bluebeard adaptation built up a lot of anticipation and expectation that the plot would move quickly, except, even as I’m asking those questions, I’m approaching the halfway point, and I’m still no closer to any answers. In a word, the beginning drags. Hard.
If that wasn’t bad enough, all the characters are pretty much failures for me, even after the story picks up in the second half. Bernard, obviously, is a psychopathic wife killer, but even still I didn’t like the way Nickerson approached his character. The original Bluebeard is sort of an object lesson in idle curiosity (don’t peek in that locked door!), but his descent into homicidal madness actually makes very little sense if you think about it (he couldn’t possibly have killed the first wife for discovering the dead bodies of his previous wives, she is after all, his first wife); Nickerson does include a sort of justification for Bernard’s murderous ways but it just felt really flimsy, like a third rate look at a psychotic creep. And Sophia, Sophia’s reasons for marrying Bernard left a bitter taste in my mouth - after an unbelievable emotional back and forth of feelings towards her guardian, turns out for a person who knows how creepy her godfather is, a person who knows how inappropriate it is for a ward to marry her guardian, the fact she willingly submits to the marriage so she could get money to pay off her brother Harry’s gambling debts just didn’t sit right with me. Especially with the way Harry concealed the extent of his losses the first time she gave him money and then asked for more, forcing her into the wedding - I hate how she puts her own safety behind that of a compulsive gambler who’ll probably burn off whatever extra cash she gets him anyway.
If I’m kind of rambling, it’s because the book is kind of rambling, but there are two other things that pop up in the rambling that I want to point out before the rushed ending. The first is a matter of personal taste, but my favorite part of the original Bluebeard is after the wife is discovered, she’s locked in the tower and trying to buy time before Bluebeard kills her, and she keeps asking her sister whether the sister sees her brothers arriving - I read the Perrault years ago and that was the once scene that still sticks in my memory and I’m sorely disappointed of all things Nickerson had to cut from her adaptation (basically nothing), that was the scene that had to go, and with it, all the suspense. Now, it's just a one and done confrontation. The other is that the plantation setting is completely misused; frankly I would've been satisfied had there been a clearer connection between Bernard's role as a slave owner with the treatment of his wives, but for me it’s as if Nickerson picked the setting for the romanticism of the Antebellum South Gone with the Wind style, then thought better of it because slavery is of course wrong and added some shallow nods to abolitionism to make things right, but of course that for me only makes things worse, like acknowledging a bad situation without really getting why it’s wrong.
Anyway, I don’t think Strand of Bronze and Gold is a very good Bluebeard adaptation - it drags at the beginning and is terribly rushed at the end. I didn’t like the characters and the setting was problematic to put it politely, so I can’t say I liked this.
March 30, 2013
I'm always on the lookout for fairy tale retellings that take on lesser-known and lesser-used tales, so of course when I heard there was a Bluebeard retelling, I was all over that. Fortunately for me, Strands of Bronze and Gold didn't disappoint. Jane Nickerson has placed the "Bluebeard" tale in antebellum South, using a Southern Gothic style to create a retelling that is gorgeously atmospheric and lush.
More on why I loved that, plus a touch of controversy, HERE.
More on why I loved that, plus a touch of controversy, HERE.
March 11, 2013
So, truth: I didn't know anything about the Bluebeard fairy tale when I requested this book from Netgalley. I liked the sounds of a fairy tale retelling, I liked the title and the cover, and I thought it would be a pretty cool historical novel. And it is. But man, this was WAY creepier than I expected.
For me, this book started a little too slowly. It had too much description and not enough plot. The suspense was definitely built up, so much so that I found it hard to get into for the first hundred pages or so. Sophie just kept talking about the grounds and the setting and spent a lot of time listing the zillions of gorgeous things around her. While I understand that the author was trying to build up the scene and the suspense, and that the overkill on the words and lists of things followed the opulence and too-much-ness of the place itself, I was like, "Please, something just HAPPEN."
I only really started to get into this book around page 150, which I feel is too late to be capturing a reader's attention. That said, once I did get into it and the story started to move, I was quite engrossed. Sophie is a little bit too much of a swoony, fainty girl at the beginning, but she ends up being pretty sassy for a girl in the 1850s, and I appreciated that her "feminine curiosity" (M. Bernard's words) kept uncovering cool things about de Cressac's history. I liked that de Cressac was a complex character who really made Sophie question her own ideas of what was right, and that the secondary characters were all questioning that as well.
Read the rest of this review (including my George-Clooney'd-Bluebeard photoshop)at Mostly YA Lit
For me, this book started a little too slowly. It had too much description and not enough plot. The suspense was definitely built up, so much so that I found it hard to get into for the first hundred pages or so. Sophie just kept talking about the grounds and the setting and spent a lot of time listing the zillions of gorgeous things around her. While I understand that the author was trying to build up the scene and the suspense, and that the overkill on the words and lists of things followed the opulence and too-much-ness of the place itself, I was like, "Please, something just HAPPEN."
I only really started to get into this book around page 150, which I feel is too late to be capturing a reader's attention. That said, once I did get into it and the story started to move, I was quite engrossed. Sophie is a little bit too much of a swoony, fainty girl at the beginning, but she ends up being pretty sassy for a girl in the 1850s, and I appreciated that her "feminine curiosity" (M. Bernard's words) kept uncovering cool things about de Cressac's history. I liked that de Cressac was a complex character who really made Sophie question her own ideas of what was right, and that the secondary characters were all questioning that as well.
Read the rest of this review (including my George-Clooney'd-Bluebeard photoshop)at Mostly YA Lit
July 25, 2015
Oh man. This fucking book. This thing. Uh. It was supposed to be so awesome. How do you fuck this up? How? A gothic fairy tale set in antebellum Mississippi? Oh my god. This concept could have made for my favorite book of the year. But no. I just got this.
The most intense feeling this book inspired was disappointment. This should have been so awesome.
So this is based on a very short and vague fairy tale with the biggest Mary Sue ending ever. I read it before because I thought, oh, it’s going to be this really rich tale that’s going to add to the experience of reading this book. Nope. It’s kind of boring actually. And short and stupid. No real moral. Just kinda weird. So it was based on what was already not a strong work.
A major problem in this book what the setting, because clearly the author could not decide which one she wanted. This book takes place in an English abbey in Mississippi run by a French tenant, with his Bostonian goddaughter/child bride. So you have the Frenchmen, the English architecture, and slavery. Oh man. This decision was so confused and convoluted, and you offer up potential source material that could have been amazing, yet the author un-wrote it out of the book. None of the characters are southern other than the slaves, who get little presence other than this huge abolitionist subplot that kinda has to be there to make our protagonist likeable. It doesn’t even succeed at that though. We will get that that little bitch later.
The setting should have been consistent. Just make the bastard southern. It’s not too much of a suspension of disbelief to write a cultured, charismatic, adventurous, handsome gentlemanly character who just happened to be southern (I know right? Shocker). It’s not as though the south housed any kind of social hierarchy, chivalry code, local legends and bitchin’ old mansions that would make this setting logical. No way. We gotta outsource that shit. Rebuild an English Abbey in Mississippi, brick by brick. We couldn’t even manage one southern belle bride of de Cressac; they were all European except for Sophie-Sophia.
And so much of this book was description of the setting. Setting that had nothing to do with location. Except slaves. That was the only thing that made Mississippi relevant. Ugh. Why was this set in the south? The south played no role here. But chapter after chapter was dedicated to describing the house, the gowns, the furniture… and none of it fit the tone or setting. Italian frescoes everywhere. It wasn't charming or artistic, it was jarring. Stick to the look of the setting you choose. Hang some creepy portraits. Give it a big-ass wraparound porch. Make Bernard southern. I’m sorry, I wanted a charming southern gentleman and I got a very creepy Frenchman.
Speaking of creepy Frenchman, the fact Sophie did not high-tail it out of there within the first week speaks volumes of her intelligence. Oh my god, he stopped being redeemably charming immediately. A character like that needs to at least be tempting, you can’t have him get that unbelievably awful that fast without something to reel you back in. I knew within the first hundred pages, even without being familiar with the source material, that he was a disgusting person. I stopped liking him nearly immediately after he started getting pushy. So yeah, he definitely spirals downward, but he sucked to begin with. And four wives? Seriously? Of course he murdered them! Why does this surprise anyone?
Sophie, or Sophia- the author was indecisive on this one- is a flat, boring, stupid teenage girl who does not get the gravity and danger of her situation. She’s delusional in how she can change Bernard with her love (actually gag me) and plays up this sense of martyrdom. She had plenty of time to leave before it reached the point of no return. I could not sympathize with her, she was just too thickheaded and the author was trying so hard to make her be this strong heroine. No. absolutely not.
Her love interest is boring. Notice how I can’t even remember his name? He’s sweet, and his scenes (all four of them) did soften the absolute shit storm going on around Sophie-Sophia; but he is indeed boring. And I get it, his innocence and eternal goodness and noble heart is a much needed juxtaposition to de Cressac’s rape-y behavior, I get it. You need someone who poses no sexual threat when you have de Cressac licking wine off of your cleavage. However… he’s so, so flaccid. I know the author was going for not your typical love interest, and maybe he had something more to him, but he is present in about five scenes of this book, and very little of it is discussing his true feelings.
And her family. Her fucking family. They were never rich, but what they couldn’t buy they made up for in love! I was gagging. Not because I hated this choice but Sophie-Sophia just beats you over the head with how happy and wonderful it was to be poor. Then her family shows up and you wonder; how on earth was she happy with these complete selfish assholes?
“Sophie, Harry owes a great deal of debt. Could you ask your guardian to cover his ass?”
“Actually Sophie, I owe twice that amount of money. Can you ask him again?”
“Sophie, do you think your guardian can set me up with some business connections? No, don’t ask later, ask him now. Sophie. Ask him.”
“Sophie, did you ask him yet?”
And Harry is a terrible, terrible person who deserves to suffer for his idiocy, but no, his little sister is responsible for covering his tracks.
Awful, awful people. And then her sister blatantly ignores the fact Sophie/Sophia is being ABUSED by this guy. Because he has money. So you could do a lot worse Sophie, suck it up bitch. Then Anne starts picking fights with him once she realizes his controlling behavior is dangerous, and her sister winds up in even more trouble for it. And they abandon her on the other side of the country, still asking for money over their shoulders as Bernard forces them out of the house, leaving her alone with this threat.
The only, only tension was caused by just how crazy de Cressac was. Because there were no holds barred there. You knew Sophie was safe, but everyone else? Doomed. And I liked that threat. That was the only thing that kept me interested. I had to force my way through this book.
This book is a failed idea. It is not numbingly awful, but there is little to compel or entice, flat characters, messy world-building, ghosts that appear in the third act for no reason or justification- suddenly there’s just ghosts. And of course the setting is a nightmare of lost potential.
Fun fact, I pictured Christoph Waltz as de Cressac (shut up I know I have a serious problem). I could not shake that image so then I had a German Frenchman stuck in my head which further confused everything. I blame Django Unchained for the head-canon of misplaced German in the south. I cared so little about the character I had to amuse myself somehow.
The most intense feeling this book inspired was disappointment. This should have been so awesome.
So this is based on a very short and vague fairy tale with the biggest Mary Sue ending ever. I read it before because I thought, oh, it’s going to be this really rich tale that’s going to add to the experience of reading this book. Nope. It’s kind of boring actually. And short and stupid. No real moral. Just kinda weird. So it was based on what was already not a strong work.
A major problem in this book what the setting, because clearly the author could not decide which one she wanted. This book takes place in an English abbey in Mississippi run by a French tenant, with his Bostonian goddaughter/child bride. So you have the Frenchmen, the English architecture, and slavery. Oh man. This decision was so confused and convoluted, and you offer up potential source material that could have been amazing, yet the author un-wrote it out of the book. None of the characters are southern other than the slaves, who get little presence other than this huge abolitionist subplot that kinda has to be there to make our protagonist likeable. It doesn’t even succeed at that though. We will get that that little bitch later.
The setting should have been consistent. Just make the bastard southern. It’s not too much of a suspension of disbelief to write a cultured, charismatic, adventurous, handsome gentlemanly character who just happened to be southern (I know right? Shocker). It’s not as though the south housed any kind of social hierarchy, chivalry code, local legends and bitchin’ old mansions that would make this setting logical. No way. We gotta outsource that shit. Rebuild an English Abbey in Mississippi, brick by brick. We couldn’t even manage one southern belle bride of de Cressac; they were all European except for Sophie-Sophia.
And so much of this book was description of the setting. Setting that had nothing to do with location. Except slaves. That was the only thing that made Mississippi relevant. Ugh. Why was this set in the south? The south played no role here. But chapter after chapter was dedicated to describing the house, the gowns, the furniture… and none of it fit the tone or setting. Italian frescoes everywhere. It wasn't charming or artistic, it was jarring. Stick to the look of the setting you choose. Hang some creepy portraits. Give it a big-ass wraparound porch. Make Bernard southern. I’m sorry, I wanted a charming southern gentleman and I got a very creepy Frenchman.
Speaking of creepy Frenchman, the fact Sophie did not high-tail it out of there within the first week speaks volumes of her intelligence. Oh my god, he stopped being redeemably charming immediately. A character like that needs to at least be tempting, you can’t have him get that unbelievably awful that fast without something to reel you back in. I knew within the first hundred pages, even without being familiar with the source material, that he was a disgusting person. I stopped liking him nearly immediately after he started getting pushy. So yeah, he definitely spirals downward, but he sucked to begin with. And four wives? Seriously? Of course he murdered them! Why does this surprise anyone?
Sophie, or Sophia- the author was indecisive on this one- is a flat, boring, stupid teenage girl who does not get the gravity and danger of her situation. She’s delusional in how she can change Bernard with her love (actually gag me) and plays up this sense of martyrdom. She had plenty of time to leave before it reached the point of no return. I could not sympathize with her, she was just too thickheaded and the author was trying so hard to make her be this strong heroine. No. absolutely not.
Her love interest is boring. Notice how I can’t even remember his name? He’s sweet, and his scenes (all four of them) did soften the absolute shit storm going on around Sophie-Sophia; but he is indeed boring. And I get it, his innocence and eternal goodness and noble heart is a much needed juxtaposition to de Cressac’s rape-y behavior, I get it. You need someone who poses no sexual threat when you have de Cressac licking wine off of your cleavage. However… he’s so, so flaccid. I know the author was going for not your typical love interest, and maybe he had something more to him, but he is present in about five scenes of this book, and very little of it is discussing his true feelings.
And her family. Her fucking family. They were never rich, but what they couldn’t buy they made up for in love! I was gagging. Not because I hated this choice but Sophie-Sophia just beats you over the head with how happy and wonderful it was to be poor. Then her family shows up and you wonder; how on earth was she happy with these complete selfish assholes?
“Sophie, Harry owes a great deal of debt. Could you ask your guardian to cover his ass?”
“Actually Sophie, I owe twice that amount of money. Can you ask him again?”
“Sophie, do you think your guardian can set me up with some business connections? No, don’t ask later, ask him now. Sophie. Ask him.”
“Sophie, did you ask him yet?”
And Harry is a terrible, terrible person who deserves to suffer for his idiocy, but no, his little sister is responsible for covering his tracks.
Awful, awful people. And then her sister blatantly ignores the fact Sophie/Sophia is being ABUSED by this guy. Because he has money. So you could do a lot worse Sophie, suck it up bitch. Then Anne starts picking fights with him once she realizes his controlling behavior is dangerous, and her sister winds up in even more trouble for it. And they abandon her on the other side of the country, still asking for money over their shoulders as Bernard forces them out of the house, leaving her alone with this threat.
The only, only tension was caused by just how crazy de Cressac was. Because there were no holds barred there. You knew Sophie was safe, but everyone else? Doomed. And I liked that threat. That was the only thing that kept me interested. I had to force my way through this book.
This book is a failed idea. It is not numbingly awful, but there is little to compel or entice, flat characters, messy world-building, ghosts that appear in the third act for no reason or justification- suddenly there’s just ghosts. And of course the setting is a nightmare of lost potential.
Fun fact, I pictured Christoph Waltz as de Cressac (shut up I know I have a serious problem). I could not shake that image so then I had a German Frenchman stuck in my head which further confused everything. I blame Django Unchained for the head-canon of misplaced German in the south. I cared so little about the character I had to amuse myself somehow.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
March 31, 2019DNF at 44 minutes into the audiobook (6%) due to multiple racially insensitive descriptions.
April 23, 2020
3.3 stars. Rather mediocre, all in all.
June 19, 2018
”My godfather had referred to my hair as ‘bronze’ in one of his letters when I was younger- a letter featuring a delightfully spun story about a princess with tresses the shade of my own, strands of bronze and gold…”
4.5 out of 5 stars
What a deliciously creepy read. And I mean that in the best possible way.
I love retellings, but they are often hit or miss with me. There’s a certain balance that authors should maintain when it comes to this type of genre: there should be enough of the original that the story is still recognizable as a retelling, but there should be a dash of originality to it so it doesn’t seem like the same old story rehashed a million times over. And with this sumptuous book, Jane Nickerson has masterfully been able to retell the Bluebeard fairy-tale while maintaining both the original story and its elements and make it all her own as well.
Sophia Petheram is a seventeen-year-old orphan living in Boston with her happy but recently impoverished family. Until one day she receives a letter from her godfather, Bernard de Cressac. He’s fabulously wealthy, you see, and he invites her to stay with him at his home in Mississippi. One she arrives, Sophie is soon swept up in a world of luxury, excess, greed and deception as she soon comes to realize that her devastatingly handsome and exceedingly charismatic godfather is not what he appears to be.
One of Nickerson’s strengths is her mastery in writing her settings. My God, is she good in that regard. Every time she described the interior and exterior of Wyndriven Abbey, I wanted to drop everything, pack my bags, and take a trip to the Antebellum South so I could find that magical abbey that she all but convinced me was real. She could describe the most desolate wasteland filled with dirt and rocks and it’d probably still be gorgeous. Hell, even her writing about the interior décor such as Sophie’s bedroom and the dusty old attic was beautiful. And while the writing is beautiful, there’s an underlying creepiness and uneasiness about it, as if the author is trying to desperately give you hints that something is amiss. In the beginning, everything seems just a little too perfect; a little too pristine. A mirage of sorts that sounds (and looks), too good to be true, just like the fairy-tale is based upon.
The two main characters in the book, Sophie and Bernard, are extremely well-developed and have good character arcs. When we first meet Sophie as she arrives at the Abbey, she’s the youngest daughter who had a tendancy to be babied by her family. She’s a bit selfish, spoiled, and very appreciative of the finer things in life.
Bernard de Cressac, just like the Bluebeard he’s modeled after, is handsome, charming, wealthy… and creepy. My God, is he creepy. He makes Sophie dress up in skimpy little outfits while they dine from day one, kisses her after knowing her a week, insists she keep her door unlocked for him at night, kills the barnyard cat cause she’s paying too much attention to it (WHY. IT’S A CAT, NOT A HUMAN MALE COMPETITOR!), behaves promiscuously in front of her siblings when they visit for Christmas (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!! LET ME JUST POUR WINE ON MY GODDAUGHTER AND PROCEED TO LICK IT OFF IN FRONT OF HER ENTIRE FAMILY.)…. Just your average godfather/goddaughter relationship, right? We all know how his story goes; he has a propensity for women, but they all mysteriously die on him one by one. But just like Sophie does in the beginning of the book, the reader can’t help but be charmed by his handsome nature and his suave charisma.
I do with that the secondary characters who played a big part in the novel were fleshed out a little more. At times, it felt like they were sidelined for the sake of the plot and the two star attractions. And for some readers, this book can be a bit uncomfortable to read at times, particularly when it comes to the characters casual dialogue about slaves and race relations. Not to mention that some of the side characters such as Odette failed to fulfill their purpose and were just sort of fillers for the story.
Furthermore, Sophie’s romance with Gideon, while sweet, was extremely fast-paced and not developed enough for me to consider it a true romance. Though I will have to admit that he’s a welcome from Bernard with his good-natured temper and kindness.
Bluebeard is one of those overlooked fairytales that society tends to look over, which is such a travesty. If you like your fairytales dark, twisted, and creepy, you should definitely read the original. However, if you don’t want to do that, or just want to read someone else’s take on the tale, read this book. It’s just as dark, just as twisted, and just as creepy as the original, though instead of being transported to 17th century France, you’ll be transported to the equally sumptuous 19th century antebellum South. With a plucky heroine, evil villain and settings to make you envy, Strands is an overlooked gem in the fairytale retelling world that deserves all the attention that it (should be) receiving.
4.5 out of 5 stars
What a deliciously creepy read. And I mean that in the best possible way.
I love retellings, but they are often hit or miss with me. There’s a certain balance that authors should maintain when it comes to this type of genre: there should be enough of the original that the story is still recognizable as a retelling, but there should be a dash of originality to it so it doesn’t seem like the same old story rehashed a million times over. And with this sumptuous book, Jane Nickerson has masterfully been able to retell the Bluebeard fairy-tale while maintaining both the original story and its elements and make it all her own as well.
Sophia Petheram is a seventeen-year-old orphan living in Boston with her happy but recently impoverished family. Until one day she receives a letter from her godfather, Bernard de Cressac. He’s fabulously wealthy, you see, and he invites her to stay with him at his home in Mississippi. One she arrives, Sophie is soon swept up in a world of luxury, excess, greed and deception as she soon comes to realize that her devastatingly handsome and exceedingly charismatic godfather is not what he appears to be.
One of Nickerson’s strengths is her mastery in writing her settings. My God, is she good in that regard. Every time she described the interior and exterior of Wyndriven Abbey, I wanted to drop everything, pack my bags, and take a trip to the Antebellum South so I could find that magical abbey that she all but convinced me was real. She could describe the most desolate wasteland filled with dirt and rocks and it’d probably still be gorgeous. Hell, even her writing about the interior décor such as Sophie’s bedroom and the dusty old attic was beautiful. And while the writing is beautiful, there’s an underlying creepiness and uneasiness about it, as if the author is trying to desperately give you hints that something is amiss. In the beginning, everything seems just a little too perfect; a little too pristine. A mirage of sorts that sounds (and looks), too good to be true, just like the fairy-tale is based upon.
The two main characters in the book, Sophie and Bernard, are extremely well-developed and have good character arcs. When we first meet Sophie as she arrives at the Abbey, she’s the youngest daughter who had a tendancy to be babied by her family. She’s a bit selfish, spoiled, and very appreciative of the finer things in life.
”I myself loved lavish, pretty things and would stroke the sumptuous fabrics and finger the jewelry.”Not to mention her good looks, which she will remind you of for the first quarter of the book.
”He waxed awkwardly lyrical about my midnight blue eyes and skin like peaches and cream. A girl couldn’t help to be flattered. Especially a girl who worried about her complexion.”And when she first meets Bernard, she completely falls for his charms. She’s so naïve in the beginning that it takes a shitload of patience for the reader not to shake the book and yell RUN, WOMAN, RUN!!! CAN’T YOU SEE HOW FUCKING CREEPY THIS GUY IS?!!!Bernard does so many questionable things (in our eyes, at least) to Sophie that it almost seems impossible that Sophie is so damn oblivious to it. As the book progresses, Sophie sheds her naiveite and propensity for luxury once she begins to discover Bernard’s secrets.
”Knowing my past predilection for luxury, I should be in raptures to reside in such surroundings, showered with lovely things. But everything was too much. It was as if the world here was coated with glamour, as in some fairy tales, with nothing really as it seemed.”Sophie’s evolution from vapid teenager to a self-aware, independent woman was realistic and believable, especially for a woman of her time.
Bernard de Cressac, just like the Bluebeard he’s modeled after, is handsome, charming, wealthy… and creepy. My God, is he creepy. He makes Sophie dress up in skimpy little outfits while they dine from day one, kisses her after knowing her a week, insists she keep her door unlocked for him at night, kills the barnyard cat cause she’s paying too much attention to it (WHY. IT’S A CAT, NOT A HUMAN MALE COMPETITOR!), behaves promiscuously in front of her siblings when they visit for Christmas (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!! LET ME JUST POUR WINE ON MY GODDAUGHTER AND PROCEED TO LICK IT OFF IN FRONT OF HER ENTIRE FAMILY.)…. Just your average godfather/goddaughter relationship, right? We all know how his story goes; he has a propensity for women, but they all mysteriously die on him one by one. But just like Sophie does in the beginning of the book, the reader can’t help but be charmed by his handsome nature and his suave charisma.
”It was easy for Bernard to attract women. He was so handsome, could be so charming. Because the devil himself wouldn’t truly come equipped with the traditional horns and tail, he must be attractive and charismatic in order to reel in his prey.”The author does a good job chronicling Bernard’s eventual descent into madness and the revelation of his true nature towards Sophie, though it could border on the comical side towards the end.
I do with that the secondary characters who played a big part in the novel were fleshed out a little more. At times, it felt like they were sidelined for the sake of the plot and the two star attractions. And for some readers, this book can be a bit uncomfortable to read at times, particularly when it comes to the characters casual dialogue about slaves and race relations. Not to mention that some of the side characters such as Odette failed to fulfill their purpose and were just sort of fillers for the story.
Furthermore, Sophie’s romance with Gideon, while sweet, was extremely fast-paced and not developed enough for me to consider it a true romance. Though I will have to admit that he’s a welcome from Bernard with his good-natured temper and kindness.
”He certainly didn’t resemble the heroes of romantic novels. Far from it. But the very qualities that made him unlike most fictional love interests endeared him to me all the more. Kindness in undervalued in written romances. I imagined someday straightening Gideon’s rumpled hair and fixing his crooked neck scarves.”He was a good soul, but he could be really stupid when it came to the romance department; something that concerns me for their future relationship, haha!
Bluebeard is one of those overlooked fairytales that society tends to look over, which is such a travesty. If you like your fairytales dark, twisted, and creepy, you should definitely read the original. However, if you don’t want to do that, or just want to read someone else’s take on the tale, read this book. It’s just as dark, just as twisted, and just as creepy as the original, though instead of being transported to 17th century France, you’ll be transported to the equally sumptuous 19th century antebellum South. With a plucky heroine, evil villain and settings to make you envy, Strands is an overlooked gem in the fairytale retelling world that deserves all the attention that it (should be) receiving.
March 3, 2013
BookNook — Young Adult book reviews
2.5 Stars
Strands of Bronze and Gold was written well and certainly had interesting elements, but unfortunately the majority of the book was boring. The problem is that once Sophia arrives at the Abbey, Bernard doesn't let her go anywhere or do anything. As such, 95% of the book takes place in the Abbey. Sophia wanders around, has dinner with Bernard, and explores a little. And 352 pages of that just gets uninteresting really quickly. There are long, drawn out periods where I literally felt like there was no action and no plot development. Sophia slowly learns that Bernard has a temper, but that's the only real sense of development.
To some people, Strands of Bronze and Gold might be a creepy read, but I actually wasn't that creeped out by it. Maybe because I'm not a teenager and I have read much creepier adult books? I also feel like the fact that it's advertised as a Bluebeard retelling worked against the book. I wonder if Strands of Bronze and Gold would have been more interesting if I didn't go into it expecting Bernard to be a creepy wife-killer. If I didn't know that from the start, maybe the ending would have been somewhat of a surprise instead of something I anticipated from the very beginning.
My other main problem with the book was the insta-love between Sophia and Gideon. Sophia meets another man in the woods (Gideon) and after like two meetings they are already "in love". That was hard for me because Sophia began to cling onto her 'love' for Gideon like a beacon in the darkness of the Abbey, but I couldn't relate to it or appreciate it at all.
On the bright side, I did think that Bernard was an interesting character. He was easily the most dynamic character in Strands of Bronze and Gold. Since he had a temper, you never quite know which side of him you were going to get. He could be sweet, charming, flirtatious, but also creepy, forward, demanding, controlling, and temperamental. But unfortunately, the dynamic characters stop here. The others were either uninteresting or popped in and out so much that I constantly forgot about them until they temporarily reappeared.
But the biggest downside of Strands of Bronze and Gold is just the lack of action. If it wasn't so darn boring, I feel like this could have been a great book. It certainly has beautiful writing and I did like the historical elements of it. There are some connections to slavery and the Underground Railroad that I quite enjoyed reading about. But the fact that not much actually happened in the story is what makes me feel indifferent towards the whole thing. I just had no connection to it. It took me over a week to read it just because it couldn't hold my attention.
March 16, 2013
3.5 stars
A retelling of the Blackbeard tale, set in the antebellum South.
Sophia comes from the north, her mother died at her birth, and she was raised by her beloved father, a sister, and two brothers. M. de Cressac was there at her birth, and was so enchanted with her hair that he offers to be her godfather. Over the years, as the family fades away in genteel poverty, he sends Sophia numerous gifts and essentially spoils her from a distance. When she is seventeen, Sophia's father dies, and de Cressac offers to take her in. She travels to his lavish mansion in Mississippi, rebuilt stone by stone from the old world, and is spoiled and given her heart's desire. She meets the slaves on the plantation and feels for their plight, and learns of his former wives (they keep popping up one by one). Bernard de Cressac is alternately friendly and boisterous, then glowering and angry. He is extremely temperamental, but charismatic, and Sophia can't seem to stay mad at him for long. He is controlling and sometimes cruel, she is not allowed off the plantation, and he later on gets her a French maid who follows her everywhere. His true nature is slowly revealed, and it's rather obvious since this is a retelling of Bluebeard, after all.
The good: the writing and the atmosphere. The descriptions are vivid, the characters are vibrant.
The bad: the story dragged on a lot towards the second half; I realize that the author needed to build suspicion on Bernard and make his actions gradual, but I really felt the story was about 100 pages too long towards the end. The firs half of the book...5 stars. The second half, 3. It was so slow by the end, I was pushing myself to read on. It didn't help that the reader pretty much knew what was going to happen, a good author would not have slowed down the action so much, or else put a twist in the ending as to not lose the reader's attention, but no, mine was lost.
I also thought it was very preachy, and overly religious. There is an underlying message in the novel against slavery (which is great, I mean who's actually FOR slavery?) and it doesn't clash with the novel taking place in the South, but the religious overtones were a bit much.
A retelling of the Blackbeard tale, set in the antebellum South.
Sophia comes from the north, her mother died at her birth, and she was raised by her beloved father, a sister, and two brothers. M. de Cressac was there at her birth, and was so enchanted with her hair that he offers to be her godfather. Over the years, as the family fades away in genteel poverty, he sends Sophia numerous gifts and essentially spoils her from a distance. When she is seventeen, Sophia's father dies, and de Cressac offers to take her in. She travels to his lavish mansion in Mississippi, rebuilt stone by stone from the old world, and is spoiled and given her heart's desire. She meets the slaves on the plantation and feels for their plight, and learns of his former wives (they keep popping up one by one). Bernard de Cressac is alternately friendly and boisterous, then glowering and angry. He is extremely temperamental, but charismatic, and Sophia can't seem to stay mad at him for long. He is controlling and sometimes cruel, she is not allowed off the plantation, and he later on gets her a French maid who follows her everywhere. His true nature is slowly revealed, and it's rather obvious since this is a retelling of Bluebeard, after all.
The good: the writing and the atmosphere. The descriptions are vivid, the characters are vibrant.
The bad: the story dragged on a lot towards the second half; I realize that the author needed to build suspicion on Bernard and make his actions gradual, but I really felt the story was about 100 pages too long towards the end. The firs half of the book...5 stars. The second half, 3. It was so slow by the end, I was pushing myself to read on. It didn't help that the reader pretty much knew what was going to happen, a good author would not have slowed down the action so much, or else put a twist in the ending as to not lose the reader's attention, but no, mine was lost.
I also thought it was very preachy, and overly religious. There is an underlying message in the novel against slavery (which is great, I mean who's actually FOR slavery?) and it doesn't clash with the novel taking place in the South, but the religious overtones were a bit much.
October 1, 2015
I found this book so underwhelming; everything that sounded great in theory (Bluebeard retelling and all that) ended up working against it and simply put – I was bored.
The historical setting was interesting but not nearly explored enough with Sophia spending all her time in the Abbey because of Bernard’s ultimate control. That meant interactions with people were limited (the few she did have were eye roll-worthy. Particularly the insta-love where I honestly looked back to check to see if I had fallen asleep for 100 pages) and it lacked any kind of action.
Only the ending held my attention because things happened. Unfortunately it was too little too late for me. To be honest I think it would have appealed more and been memorable had lots of characters died… This shows just how much love I had for them all!
Sophie is such an ignorant character, which I might have been able to move past had she not also been bland. You can understand that people don’t always want to accept what’s right in front of them, however when everything points to the person you’re staying with being a murdering psychopath, there’s a point where you need to get the hell out. And she had so many chances! The reason she stayed was a messed up martyr complex, for money no less. Just no.
That practically sums up my thoughts to Strands of Bronze and Gold – just no.
Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
The historical setting was interesting but not nearly explored enough with Sophia spending all her time in the Abbey because of Bernard’s ultimate control. That meant interactions with people were limited (the few she did have were eye roll-worthy. Particularly the insta-love where I honestly looked back to check to see if I had fallen asleep for 100 pages) and it lacked any kind of action.
Only the ending held my attention because things happened. Unfortunately it was too little too late for me. To be honest I think it would have appealed more and been memorable had lots of characters died… This shows just how much love I had for them all!
Sophie is such an ignorant character, which I might have been able to move past had she not also been bland. You can understand that people don’t always want to accept what’s right in front of them, however when everything points to the person you’re staying with being a murdering psychopath, there’s a point where you need to get the hell out. And she had so many chances! The reason she stayed was a messed up martyr complex, for money no less. Just no.
That practically sums up my thoughts to Strands of Bronze and Gold – just no.
Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
September 16, 2018
A Bluebeard retelling about a girl who is enchanted by her older, pedophile of a godfather that grooms her with pretty gifts and expensive favors from a young age and uses that to emotionally abuse, manipulate, and trap her into an unhappy situation.
Lots of self-righteous commentary about slave ownership by a white savior type of figure of a girl.
Writing is good but the rest of the book did not sit well with me.
Lots of self-righteous commentary about slave ownership by a white savior type of figure of a girl.
Writing is good but the rest of the book did not sit well with me.
January 12, 2013
More reviews at Mrs. ReaderPants.
REVIEW: I allowed one of my 8th grade girls to read the first chapter of my ARC. When she finished the chapter, she said she was "already into it." And she is right--the story and Sophie's voice hooked me from the very first few pages as well.
I was consumed by this book, and I once again stayed up too late on a school night just to finish it. There are several plot threads outside the Bluebeard story--The Underground Railroad, a romance between two slaves, a maid who acts suspiciously, concern over Sophie's brother's activities, a potential romance with a young clergyman--all wrap into the story beautifully and kept me absolutely riveted.
Bluebeard is equally charming and terrifying, and it is easy to see how innocent Sophie gets swept up in his attentions and extravagant gifts. I loved Sophie's growth and slow realization that her situation could be very dangerous. Bluebeard traps Sophie in a net she cannot escape, which reminds me of Howitt's poem "The Spider and the Fly."
Set in Mississippi in the years before the Civil War, Strands is written to reflect dialogue of the time period. Sometimes, I worry about the use of period dialect in young adult books because I fear that only the best readers will understand and enjoy the story. That is not the case for Strands; the Victorian-era dialogue is easy to follow and adds to the story's appeal.
THE BOTTOM LINE: An excellent read for anyone who enjoys gothic horror. Highly recommended!
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: I definitely plan to get it! I have a fairy tales section for fiction fairy tale novels, however, due to the dark and violent nature of this story, I plan to put it in our HORROR section instead. This one will be very easy to "talk up" with my students.
READALIKES: Sweetly (Pearce); The House of Dead Maids (Dunkle)
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5
Creativity: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Engrossing: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Appeal to teens: 5/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: mild-medium--one or two kisses, lots of innuendo, suggestive artwork, provocative clothing (for the time), one discussion of a rape that occurred years before
Violence: high; multiple murders, dead bodies, animal cruelty, whipping of slaves; some cringe-worthy moments that are just plain creepy
Drugs/Alcohol: mild; Bluebeard (an adult) gets drunk frequently
February 8, 2017
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
This whole book just dragged on forever for me. It felt too long right from the beginning, there were pages given to huge descriptions of where they were living and I was just not for it. There were some exciting moments but those were few and far in between the creepy stuff and the generally boring stuff. It was just not for me.
Writing Style – 2 out of 5 stars
I think this was the biggest problem for me. Ignoring the slowness of the plot could’ve been easy if the writing had hooked me right in but it didn’t. There was too much description and it was a little bit disjointed. I’d be reading about something and there would be a random sentence talking about something else right in the middle of the paragraph. It was simple but in the negative way where it feels like it lacked substance and excitement. It was just boring and it made it really hard for me to get through the book.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
Another point where I just wasn’t connecting. Our main character Sophie annoyed me right off the bat. Her father has just died and she’s shipped off miles away and all she’s thinking about is how rich her godfather is going to be and how much she’s going to hate his wife. She’s self-centered and naive about life, specially in Mississippi at the time of slaves. There were some moments where I liked her but the majority of the time she was just stupid to be honest. There were so many huge warning signs flashing at her the whole time and she still had no clue and was just very passive and submissive. Bernard was just plain crazy. He’s a very charming man but incredibly manipulative which are the signs of a sociopath, if you didn’t know. It was an obvious thing though, not only for me but for everyone else, except for Sophie. I just wanted to shake her and yell at her. If she would’ve been just a bit more proactive and the book would’ve been shorter, I might’ve liked it more but that was not the case.
Emotionally
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
This whole book just dragged on forever for me. It felt too long right from the beginning, there were pages given to huge descriptions of where they were living and I was just not for it. There were some exciting moments but those were few and far in between the creepy stuff and the generally boring stuff. It was just not for me.
Writing Style – 2 out of 5 stars
I think this was the biggest problem for me. Ignoring the slowness of the plot could’ve been easy if the writing had hooked me right in but it didn’t. There was too much description and it was a little bit disjointed. I’d be reading about something and there would be a random sentence talking about something else right in the middle of the paragraph. It was simple but in the negative way where it feels like it lacked substance and excitement. It was just boring and it made it really hard for me to get through the book.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
Another point where I just wasn’t connecting. Our main character Sophie annoyed me right off the bat. Her father has just died and she’s shipped off miles away and all she’s thinking about is how rich her godfather is going to be and how much she’s going to hate his wife. She’s self-centered and naive about life, specially in Mississippi at the time of slaves. There were some moments where I liked her but the majority of the time she was just stupid to be honest. There were so many huge warning signs flashing at her the whole time and she still had no clue and was just very passive and submissive. Bernard was just plain crazy. He’s a very charming man but incredibly manipulative which are the signs of a sociopath, if you didn’t know. It was an obvious thing though, not only for me but for everyone else, except for Sophie. I just wanted to shake her and yell at her. If she would’ve been just a bit more proactive and the book would’ve been shorter, I might’ve liked it more but that was not the case.
Emotionally
March 12, 2013
Retellings seem to be all the rage now and Strands of Bronze and Gold is a nice addition to this genre. I had never heard of the Bluebeard fairy tale, so I started reading this without a frame of reference. There are differing opinions on this matter – some readers will prefer to have some knowledge of the Bluebeard story while others may not. About halfway through the book, I had to satisfy my curiosity and I did look up the story. Having a little background knowledge helped me appreciate the book and its dark and gothic rendition of the story.
The story begins as a teenaged Sophie leaves her home and family in Boston to live with her wealthy godfather in Mississippi. Bernard de Cressac has a vast estate and he provides Sophie with lavish gifts, clothing, jewelry – everything she could want or need. But all is not what it seems. Bernard has a penchant for red-headed ladies, and he isolates Sophie from her family and even from the local townspeople. In addition, the mansion is quite creepy and strange things happen.
I enjoyed this story. The writing was lovely and the author gave a lot of attention to details such as the descriptions of the food and clothing of that time period. The author also integrated the themes of slavery and the underground railway into the narrative. A word of warning to pet lovers – there is a scene that may unsettle pet lovers. As the story does take place in the south when slavery was accepted, there are also some uncomfortable scenes as well. The pacing of the story was a little slow and there were parts that could have had a little more action.
Sophie’s character was interesting. I think if you look at her from the context of her time period and upbringing, she is representative of that age. At first she was a naïve girl, but the longer she stayed at the estate, the more resourceful she became. I liked how she compared herself to Scheherazade, telling stories to Bernard to distract him from his seduction. Sophie was also able to develop covert relationships with people around her. When Sophie finally realizes Bernard’s true intentions, she is appalled, but plays along until she can find a way out.
As a retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a dark gothic read. While the pacing of the story was a little uneven, I did enjoy this book and I can’t wait to see what other books this author has planned.
If you are interested, the author’s website has some interesting background information as well as the Bluebeard fairy tale - here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a review copy of this book.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
The story begins as a teenaged Sophie leaves her home and family in Boston to live with her wealthy godfather in Mississippi. Bernard de Cressac has a vast estate and he provides Sophie with lavish gifts, clothing, jewelry – everything she could want or need. But all is not what it seems. Bernard has a penchant for red-headed ladies, and he isolates Sophie from her family and even from the local townspeople. In addition, the mansion is quite creepy and strange things happen.
I enjoyed this story. The writing was lovely and the author gave a lot of attention to details such as the descriptions of the food and clothing of that time period. The author also integrated the themes of slavery and the underground railway into the narrative. A word of warning to pet lovers – there is a scene that may unsettle pet lovers. As the story does take place in the south when slavery was accepted, there are also some uncomfortable scenes as well. The pacing of the story was a little slow and there were parts that could have had a little more action.
Sophie’s character was interesting. I think if you look at her from the context of her time period and upbringing, she is representative of that age. At first she was a naïve girl, but the longer she stayed at the estate, the more resourceful she became. I liked how she compared herself to Scheherazade, telling stories to Bernard to distract him from his seduction. Sophie was also able to develop covert relationships with people around her. When Sophie finally realizes Bernard’s true intentions, she is appalled, but plays along until she can find a way out.
“If certain aspects of my life had come from the pages of a fairy tale, I had now entered between the covers of some lurid novel.”
As a retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a dark gothic read. While the pacing of the story was a little uneven, I did enjoy this book and I can’t wait to see what other books this author has planned.
If you are interested, the author’s website has some interesting background information as well as the Bluebeard fairy tale - here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a review copy of this book.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
January 4, 2014
I got my hands on an advance copy of this novel and LOVED it! Well written with beautiful descriptive detail, it was an intelligent but easy read. The captivating villain (Bluebeard!) hooked me in the beginning and the well-paced plot kept me turning pages all the way to the dramatic ending. Set in Mississippi before the Civil War, I enjoyed all of the period details as well as the touch of the supernatural. As a reader of dozens of fiction books every year, I would highly recommend this as a must-read.
January 7, 2013
Wonderful and intoxicating. I read this in one day. Echoes of Jane Eyre and Rebecca and of course, the Bluebeard legend, are woven throughout this beautifully written and thrilling Gothic mystery. Even if you already know the story, you'll be swept away by the masterful pacing and haunting prose. Tons of fun!
January 15, 2013
I am familiar with the story of Bluebeard. I read it when I was younger (which quite possibly scarred me for life), and I've read a few retellings of it through the years. But never like this. I didn't start this book thinking I'd like it a lot. I was certainly intrigued, but I had read some reviews, and there seemed to be some issues I was almost ready to dislike. And this is why you should never prepare yourself to dislike something before you face it yourself, because I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Because that's the thing: reading is always a personal experience, and my personal experience with this book was fantastic, completely creepy and disturbing, but truly fantastic.
I swear I shivered every freaking time Bernard spoke. I seriously can't remember the last time I felt so disturbed, and experienced such revulsion and interest in a character all at the same time. The writing was great, the romance done just right not to upset the plot or the character development and, you know, this was creepy as hell.
I have to save some stuff for the review, so I won't say everything I want to say right now, but I'll leave you with this: this is one hell of a fairy tail retelling.
I swear I shivered every freaking time Bernard spoke. I seriously can't remember the last time I felt so disturbed, and experienced such revulsion and interest in a character all at the same time. The writing was great, the romance done just right not to upset the plot or the character development and, you know, this was creepy as hell.
I have to save some stuff for the review, so I won't say everything I want to say right now, but I'll leave you with this: this is one hell of a fairy tail retelling.
July 10, 2012
I didn't mean to finish it. I meant to just read a bite, to make sure I wished to request a review copy in the coming year, but I kept turning the pages of the Kindle Ap on my iPad, and I hate reading on a screen.
For now, I'll just tell you the review (posted closer to the far-off release date) will be glittering with strands of bronze and gold.
For now, I'll just tell you the review (posted closer to the far-off release date) will be glittering with strands of bronze and gold.
February 15, 2013
It was amazing. It was breathtaking. Intense. Beautiful. Dark and gothic. Thrilling. Scary. Heart-pounding (the last 1/3rd of the story). And then.. it ended. Very abruptly. I loved the entire book but was a bit let down by the ending :( But overall a fantastic retelling of the "Bluebeard" fairy tale!
Full review to come closer to the release date!
Full review to come closer to the release date!
February 7, 2017
Got around 70 pages in, but I was tired of the subtle derogatory terms used for PoC like "Negros" or comparing their skin color to food. Even if it's "true to the historical time period to use those terms", I'm not about it.
October 2, 2018
Als Kind fürchtete ich mich schrecklich vor dem Märchen „Blaubart“. Die unheimliche Geschichte des reichen Adligen, der seine Ehefrauen ermordet und ihre Köpfe aufbewahrt, jagte mir eine Heidenangst ein. Ursprünglich stammt das Märchen von dem französischen Autor Charles Perrault aus dem Jahr 1697; historisches Vorbild für die Figur des Blaubart war der Serienmörder Gilles de Rais, ein Mitstreiter von Jeanne d’Arc. Heute fasziniert mich das grausame Märchen, weil es erstaunlich sexualisierte Lesarten zulässt und die Moral der Erzählung eher Erwachsene als Kinder anspricht. „Strands of Bronze and Gold“ von Jane Nickerson ist eine Adaption von „Blaubart“, die in den Südstaaten der USA in der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts spielt.
1855: Nach dem Tod ihres Vaters zieht die 17-jährige Sophie Petheram zu ihrem Paten. Obwohl sie ihn noch nie gesehen hat, ist sie bereit, im Herzen Mississippis ein neues Leben zu beginnen. Das opulente Anwesen Wyndriven Abbey entzückt Sophie. All ihre Träume von Reichtum und Luxus scheinen sich zu erfüllen und ihr Pate, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, ist ein attraktiver, kultivierter Gentleman, dessen charmante Komplimente Sophie schmeicheln. Abend für Abend essen sie gemeinsam, doch tagsüber ist sie sich selbst überlassen. Gelangweilt streift sie durch die langen Flure des Anwesens. In einem der zahllosen Zimmer entdeckt sie Kleider, Erinnerungsstücke und Gemälde von drei Damen. Sophie wusste, dass Monsieur de Cressac Witwer ist, aber sie ahnte nicht, dass er bereits dreimal verheiratet war. Ein kalter Schauer erfasst sie, als ihr auffällt, dass alle drei Frauen rotes Haar hatten – wie sie. Was ist mit ihnen geschehen? Warum ist Sophie wirklich in Wyndriven Abbey? Beunruhigt erforscht sie die Vergangenheit ihres Paten und erkennt, dass sie sich in einem goldenen Käfig befindet, den sie vielleicht nie mehr verlassen kann…
Ich mag Märchen-Adaptionen, die das zugrundeliegende Märchen lediglich als Basis nutzen und eine individuelle, originelle Geschichte erzählen, die um eigene Motive erweitert ist. Eine gute Adaption zeichnet sich meiner Meinung nach dadurch aus, dass sie eben keine Nacherzählung ist, sondern eine kreative Verarbeitung der historischen Vorlage aus einem neuen Blickwinkel. Jane Nickersons Ansatz, „Blaubart“ auf eine Plantage in Mississippi im Jahr 1855 zu transferieren, erschien mir vielversprechend und interessant, weil ich wusste, dass die Wirtschaft der Südstaaten der USA in der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts beinahe ausschließlich von der Sklavenhaltung abhängig war. Ich hoffte, dass „Strands of Bronze and Gold“ diese Tatsache überzeugend mit dem gruseligen Märchen verbinden würde und ich es vielleicht mit einer taktvollen Aufarbeitung der US-amerikanischen Geschichte zu tun bekäme. Leider wurden meine Erwartungen bitter enttäuscht. Jane Nickerson hatte offenbar überhaupt kein Interesse an einer Auseinandersetzung mit der Sklaverei in den USA. Sie verwendete ihr Setting ausschließlich als oberflächliche, romantisierte Bühne, die es ihrer naiven, weltfremden Protagonistin Sophie erlaubte, dekadente Kleider zu tragen, im Damensattel zu reiten und erklärte, wieso sie bei einem fremden Mann einzieht. „Strands of Bronze and Gold“ ist eine „Blaubart“-Nacherzählung im historischen Kostüm: hübsch, aber banal und irrelevant. Meiner Ansicht nach sabotierte Nickerson sich mit der Entscheidung für Sophies Ich-Perspektive selbst. Obwohl es ihr gelang, Wiedererkennungsmerkmale des Märchens durch die Augen der 17-Jährigen prominent zu inszenieren, bietet die Sichtweise der privilegierten, verhätschelten Sophie kaum Entfaltungsspielraum, da Nickerson als Schriftstellerin nicht über ausreichend Talent verfügt, um ihren Horizont aufzubrechen. Sophie stammt aus dem Norden und ist folglich entsetzt, als sie mit der Sklavenhaltung auf der Plantage ihres Paten konfrontiert wird. Sie empfindet das diffuse Bedürfnis, zu helfen und gibt sich gern Tagträumen hin, sich der Underground Railroad als Unterstützerin anzuschließen, doch effektiv hat sie keine Vorstellung vom Leid der Menschen um sie herum. Daher wirkt Nickersons Annäherung an das Thema der Sklaverei unbeholfen, unverbindlich und sehr weiß. Ich fand diese Darstellung, die immer wieder von Sophies persönlichen Ängsten ausgebremst wird, völlig unzureichend, weil sie ausschließlich schmückendes Beiwerk ist. Primär handelt „Strands of Bronze and Gold“ von Sophies gefährlicher Beziehung zu Monsieur de Cressac und ihren tollpatschigen Bemühungen, sein finsteres Geheimnis aufzudecken. Die schaurige Atmosphäre, die „Blaubart“ auszeichnet, war bedauerlicherweise jedoch nicht zu spüren. Hätte man mir als Kind statt des originalen Märchens diese Adaption vorgesetzt, hätte ich das Buch wahrscheinlich nicht in eine Truhe geschlossen, weil ich mich fürchtete.
Es ist überaus schade, dass Jane Nickerson die komplexen Implikationen ihres Settings für ihre „Blaubart“-Adaption scheute. Meiner Ansicht nach hätte eine umfassende Verarbeitung des Themas der Sklaverei einen echten Gewinn für „Strands of Bronze and Gold“ bedeutet. Nickerson hatte die Chance, etwas völlig Neues aus einem alten Märchen zu machen und sich kritisch mit der schmerzhaften Vergangenheit der Südstaaten auseinanderzusetzen. Sie ließ sie verstreichen. Sie konzentrierte sich auf die Nacherzählung von „Blaubart“ und ließ gerade ausreichend Kritik anklingen, um zu vermitteln, dass Sklaverei abzulehnen ist. Meiner Ansicht nach ist das nicht genug.
Die Adaption selbst ist leider maximal schwaches Mittelmaß. Zwar kam ich mit der Protagonistin Sophie, die ein antiquiertes Frauenbild verkörpert, überraschend gut zurecht und habe mich nicht gelangweilt, aber die Lektüre hatte mit meinen angstbehafteten Erinnerungen an „Blaubart“ wenig zu tun. So sehr ich Southern Gothic schätze – „Strands of Bronze and Gold“ war eher „Southern“ als „Gothic“.
January 30, 2016
Review:
This is one of the few books this year I wanted right away. I was so happy to see it on audio and WOW is all I can say. I didn’t go into this book with any expectations because I really wasn’t familiar with the Bluebeard folktale. I started the book without any inkling what was to come. Part way through the book I did get curious and looked up the folk tale and it only excited me more for the book. If you don’t know the folktale you will need to look it up. It’s just creepy very creepy and so was this book. From the very beginning my skin prickled with creepiness knowing that Sophie was in a very bad situation. I loved this book. It was everything and more for me.
Long Story Short:
Sophie is a part of a family with 4 children. Two boys and two girls. When her father dies, her godfather (just saying that word gives me the creeps) takes her in. An older gentleman who has a huge house, plantation and abbey. He lives alone with his help and his slaves. He lives in Mississippi but he is French and he is “looser” with his manners than American gentleman. Sophie feels very honored and thankful at first, her godfather gives her lavish gifts and spoils her, but as time goes by she starts to feel things are very strange. He doesn’t let her leave the grounds, most of the doors in the abbey are locked, and she learns he has been married several times. As she starts to investigate she learns a terrible truth about her godfather and finds herself in danger.
My Thoughts:
This book was amazing. It was a little slow in the beginning but even at the slow place I was involved right away. The narrator did an excellent job for this story. The entire tone, voice, world building, everything about this book felt eerie with a bit of flair. I was taken in by the abbey, the elegance of the characters, the ambiance that seemed to flow from the pages. I was entrapped and didn’t want to escape. The writing was just beautiful, dark, and mesmerizing.
The world building alone is worth talking about. I am not a big fan of world building. I like it just enough to make me know where the story takes place. Overdoing it kind of bores me a bit, but the world building in this story blew me away. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book nearly as much if the world building had been less. The author didn’t take a lot of time explaining little details or going overboard, but what she was able to do in just bits and pieces was fill my head with dark shadows lurking, creepy feelings, and things that go bump in the night to make me feel alive in the story. What the author did was truly amazing for me.
The world building was beautiful, but that alone would not keep me entranced… the characters were superb too. I loved the heroine and hated the villain. It was so easy to do. I want to talk about the villain, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, first. The way this character had my head spinning was incredible. From the very beginning he gave me the creeps. Before I even know the tale this book was retelling. He was so obvious creepy, but I still wanted to like him, then hate him, then I wanted to stab him in the eyeball a couple hundred times. He was the perfect villain… Controlling, smooth, manipulative, evil, crazy, charming, and even good looking… all rolled into a creeper. I just loved/despised him through the entire book.
The heroine was awesome. Sophie (love the name) arrived innocent, naive, hopeful, and a little nervous with her new living arrangements. Just 17 years old she was thrown into a life of elegance, glamour, and beauty in a very short time. She was taken by it all and yes she did miss some of the obvious clues that told of the demented mind her godfather possessed, but it was forgivable. For two reasons I looked past her lack of brains… she was new to this world and it overtook her and she did wise up and really she even tormented herself for being so clueless. Once she gets it, she becomes determined and fights with all she has. She had fire and even though her godfather tried to stomp it out, she held on to the very last spark and started a bonfire.
There is a bit of romance, but it is not focused on. I like the romance as it was presented. It was sweet and of course couldn't be, so it was also sad. The love interest is a very sweet, respectful, honest man and I liked his character. Unfortunately he wasn't in much of the book. The part he was in, I enjoyed.
So yes I liked the book. I liked the book very much and I will not so patiently anticipate the next installment.
In the End:
It’s a great retelling,.. if you don’t know the original tale, look it up or don’t… it won’t make effect your enjoyment of the book. Its got mystery, horror, and bit of romance. Its good really so go pick up a copy, I don’t think you will regret it.
This is one of the few books this year I wanted right away. I was so happy to see it on audio and WOW is all I can say. I didn’t go into this book with any expectations because I really wasn’t familiar with the Bluebeard folktale. I started the book without any inkling what was to come. Part way through the book I did get curious and looked up the folk tale and it only excited me more for the book. If you don’t know the folktale you will need to look it up. It’s just creepy very creepy and so was this book. From the very beginning my skin prickled with creepiness knowing that Sophie was in a very bad situation. I loved this book. It was everything and more for me.
Long Story Short:
Sophie is a part of a family with 4 children. Two boys and two girls. When her father dies, her godfather (just saying that word gives me the creeps) takes her in. An older gentleman who has a huge house, plantation and abbey. He lives alone with his help and his slaves. He lives in Mississippi but he is French and he is “looser” with his manners than American gentleman. Sophie feels very honored and thankful at first, her godfather gives her lavish gifts and spoils her, but as time goes by she starts to feel things are very strange. He doesn’t let her leave the grounds, most of the doors in the abbey are locked, and she learns he has been married several times. As she starts to investigate she learns a terrible truth about her godfather and finds herself in danger.
My Thoughts:
This book was amazing. It was a little slow in the beginning but even at the slow place I was involved right away. The narrator did an excellent job for this story. The entire tone, voice, world building, everything about this book felt eerie with a bit of flair. I was taken in by the abbey, the elegance of the characters, the ambiance that seemed to flow from the pages. I was entrapped and didn’t want to escape. The writing was just beautiful, dark, and mesmerizing.
The world building alone is worth talking about. I am not a big fan of world building. I like it just enough to make me know where the story takes place. Overdoing it kind of bores me a bit, but the world building in this story blew me away. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book nearly as much if the world building had been less. The author didn’t take a lot of time explaining little details or going overboard, but what she was able to do in just bits and pieces was fill my head with dark shadows lurking, creepy feelings, and things that go bump in the night to make me feel alive in the story. What the author did was truly amazing for me.
The world building was beautiful, but that alone would not keep me entranced… the characters were superb too. I loved the heroine and hated the villain. It was so easy to do. I want to talk about the villain, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, first. The way this character had my head spinning was incredible. From the very beginning he gave me the creeps. Before I even know the tale this book was retelling. He was so obvious creepy, but I still wanted to like him, then hate him, then I wanted to stab him in the eyeball a couple hundred times. He was the perfect villain… Controlling, smooth, manipulative, evil, crazy, charming, and even good looking… all rolled into a creeper. I just loved/despised him through the entire book.
The heroine was awesome. Sophie (love the name) arrived innocent, naive, hopeful, and a little nervous with her new living arrangements. Just 17 years old she was thrown into a life of elegance, glamour, and beauty in a very short time. She was taken by it all and yes she did miss some of the obvious clues that told of the demented mind her godfather possessed, but it was forgivable. For two reasons I looked past her lack of brains… she was new to this world and it overtook her and she did wise up and really she even tormented herself for being so clueless. Once she gets it, she becomes determined and fights with all she has. She had fire and even though her godfather tried to stomp it out, she held on to the very last spark and started a bonfire.
There is a bit of romance, but it is not focused on. I like the romance as it was presented. It was sweet and of course couldn't be, so it was also sad. The love interest is a very sweet, respectful, honest man and I liked his character. Unfortunately he wasn't in much of the book. The part he was in, I enjoyed.
So yes I liked the book. I liked the book very much and I will not so patiently anticipate the next installment.
In the End:
It’s a great retelling,.. if you don’t know the original tale, look it up or don’t… it won’t make effect your enjoyment of the book. Its got mystery, horror, and bit of romance. Its good really so go pick up a copy, I don’t think you will regret it.
August 23, 2016
Plagued by an overwhelming icky-ness that I just couldn't shake
Book Title: Strands of Bronze and Gold
Author: Jane Nickerson
Narration: Caitlin Prennace
Series: Strands #1
Genre: YA, Historical, Retelling
Source: Audiobook (Library)
☆My Pick for Book Theme Song: Down With The Sickness by Disturbed --Because this guy is seriously disturbed and maybe his underlying problem is Mommy issues…
Ratings Breakdown
Plot: 3.2/5
Characters: 2.8/5
The Feels: 2.5/5
Addictiveness: 2/5
Theme: 2/5
Flow: 3/5
Backdrop (World Building): 3.2/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Narration: 4/5
Ending: 3.5/5 Cliffhanger: No
Will I continue the series? Not likely...
My Thoughts
First off, I have to say that this cover is beautiful and what initially drew me to it. I can't really say that I knew of the story of Blackbeard before this, all I knew about Blackbeard is that he was a Pirate…I guess. This was a somewhat interesting tale, albeit oddly disconcerting. This dude is too old, I don't know if it's ever said how old he is…but I think he must be at least 20 years older than her, and she's only 17. Ewww…so yeah. This put me in a place where the story just felt icky.
While the writing itself is essentially good, it's just the overall theme that left me feeling off. The ending, though, was its saving grace, because it ended just how I thought it should. There is a smidgen of paranormal, in the form of ghosts. And, if this element had been missing from the story, I would have rated it lower.
Sex Factor: Well, I'm not sure how to say this…No, but yeah, there is some connotations to sexual elements, that were disturbing.
Book Title: Strands of Bronze and Gold
Author: Jane Nickerson
Narration: Caitlin Prennace
Series: Strands #1
Genre: YA, Historical, Retelling
Source: Audiobook (Library)
☆My Pick for Book Theme Song: Down With The Sickness by Disturbed --Because this guy is seriously disturbed and maybe his underlying problem is Mommy issues…
Ratings Breakdown
Plot: 3.2/5
Characters: 2.8/5
The Feels: 2.5/5
Addictiveness: 2/5
Theme: 2/5
Flow: 3/5
Backdrop (World Building): 3.2/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Narration: 4/5
Ending: 3.5/5 Cliffhanger: No
Will I continue the series? Not likely...
2.9/5 STARS
My Thoughts
First off, I have to say that this cover is beautiful and what initially drew me to it. I can't really say that I knew of the story of Blackbeard before this, all I knew about Blackbeard is that he was a Pirate…I guess. This was a somewhat interesting tale, albeit oddly disconcerting. This dude is too old, I don't know if it's ever said how old he is…but I think he must be at least 20 years older than her, and she's only 17. Ewww…so yeah. This put me in a place where the story just felt icky.
While the writing itself is essentially good, it's just the overall theme that left me feeling off. The ending, though, was its saving grace, because it ended just how I thought it should. There is a smidgen of paranormal, in the form of ghosts. And, if this element had been missing from the story, I would have rated it lower.
Sex Factor: Well, I'm not sure how to say this…No, but yeah, there is some connotations to sexual elements, that were disturbing.
February 4, 2013
Strands of Bronze and Gold features one of my favorite villains of all time. Monsieur Bernard is complicated, eerily charming, sometimes sympathetic, and deeply terrifying. Some heroines might fade away when placed next to such a villain, but Sophie is her own kind of interesting. I loved watching her grow as a person as she struggles to maintain her own identity in the face of Bernard's overwhelming personality.
A few thoughts:
1. The writing is lovely. I never noticed a clumsy phrase or badly chosen word.
2. Too often, the heroes and heroines of YA historical fiction read like modern teenagers dressed up in costumes. Nickerson does not fall into that trap. Sophie is convincingly old-fashioned, and at times, her narration reminds me of reading old journals. The effect is to transport the reader into the alien world of the past. I approve.
3. I've noticed several reviewers complain that the slave characters in Strands are little more than props meant to show Sophie's good qualities. Allow me to disagree.
This was not the story of Sophie Saves the Slaves. Instead, when she discovers an Underground Railroad meeting, Sophie is intruding on the slaves' own world. They're helping themselves. Sophie is able to assist them in a small way, but she never becomes that hoary cliche, the white outsider who takes leadership of the oppressed group.
None of the secondary characters of any race are nearly as well-developed as Monsieur Bernard. However, all of the characters show glimpses of a life outside the narrative--from the gardener who turns the estate's hedges into works of art to Sophie's maid, Talitha, who has her own sweet romance and predatory villain.
A few thoughts:
1. The writing is lovely. I never noticed a clumsy phrase or badly chosen word.
2. Too often, the heroes and heroines of YA historical fiction read like modern teenagers dressed up in costumes. Nickerson does not fall into that trap. Sophie is convincingly old-fashioned, and at times, her narration reminds me of reading old journals. The effect is to transport the reader into the alien world of the past. I approve.
3. I've noticed several reviewers complain that the slave characters in Strands are little more than props meant to show Sophie's good qualities. Allow me to disagree.
This was not the story of Sophie Saves the Slaves. Instead, when she discovers an Underground Railroad meeting, Sophie is intruding on the slaves' own world. They're helping themselves. Sophie is able to assist them in a small way, but she never becomes that hoary cliche, the white outsider who takes leadership of the oppressed group.
None of the secondary characters of any race are nearly as well-developed as Monsieur Bernard. However, all of the characters show glimpses of a life outside the narrative--from the gardener who turns the estate's hedges into works of art to Sophie's maid, Talitha, who has her own sweet romance and predatory villain.
February 25, 2022
Best character development I've seen in a very long time.
It's not all dresses, whatsits and doodads for Sophie; she's deep, smart and extremely real.
Also, to the annoying, ridiculous SJWs who wake up offended and never miss an opportunity to score virtue points: no, a compassionate person who thinks that owning people is wrong and is uncomfortable with the idea of treating human beings like property is not a fucking "white savior." It's a nice person.
It really is that simple.
Had she ignored the glaring horror of slavery, she would have been accused of being apathetic and selfish; had she condoned it, she would have been a fucking racist. But trying to help them? Or at least not buying into the concept that it was the law and therefore just? No. Not an option either because that would make her a white savior.
I guess no one can ever win with the purity patrol who suck the life and the juice out of everything.
It's not all dresses, whatsits and doodads for Sophie; she's deep, smart and extremely real.
Also, to the annoying, ridiculous SJWs who wake up offended and never miss an opportunity to score virtue points: no, a compassionate person who thinks that owning people is wrong and is uncomfortable with the idea of treating human beings like property is not a fucking "white savior." It's a nice person.
It really is that simple.
Had she ignored the glaring horror of slavery, she would have been accused of being apathetic and selfish; had she condoned it, she would have been a fucking racist. But trying to help them? Or at least not buying into the concept that it was the law and therefore just? No. Not an option either because that would make her a white savior.
I guess no one can ever win with the purity patrol who suck the life and the juice out of everything.
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