Forever and Forever
Josi S. Kilpack
336 pages
Hard copy edition
From the Publisher:
It’s 1836, and nineteen-year-old Fanny Appleton, a privileged daughter of a wealthy, upper-class Boston industrialist, is touring Europe with her family. Like many girls of her day, she enjoys the fine clothes, food, and company of the elite social circles. But unlike her peers, Fanny is also drawn to education, literature, and more intellectual pursuits.Published author and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is also touring Europe, but under much different circumstances. Recently widowed, he is gathering research for a new publication that he hopes will secure his professorship at Harvard College. Befriended by the Appleton family while visiting Switzerland, Henry is introduced to Fanny and sees in her a kindred spirit, a lover of language and literature and high ideals. He is in love. Fanny, however, is uncertain. He is from a much lower social class and is older than she is. How could such a relationship ever thrive?Could a book of Henry’s poetry, personally delivered, persuade Fanny to believe in a love that lasts forever and forever?
Review:
I have been super excited and anxiously awaiting this book to come out. I actually even called Deseret Book a couple days in a row the days before the launch because you never know, and sometimes it comes in early to the book store! I just couldn’t wait to read it…plus it was spring break so I thought I would have more time to read this book…that was funny. Spring Break does not equal more time! I bought my copy before we headed to Moab and took it with me. But it sat in my room the whole trip. Honestly, life was just super busy the week after spring break too and it took me a much longer time to read this book than it normally would, but that’s okay. I was able to really slowly relish this book. And I loved every minutes of it.
I didn’t know that this book would be based on a true story before starting it. I don’t know a lot about Henry Longfellow, or his poetry. I just knew it was Kilpack’s new regency romance, and that fact alone would mean that I would want to read it. When I found out that it was based off a true story, I was really fascinated. I bet this was such a different book for her to research and write. I really loved the chapter notes in the back of the book, those were really interesting facts.
This story really was such a sweet romance. It didn’t happen all at once, it took years. I loved reading the history and seeing their relationship develop through the twists and turns. I was so happy with the ending (until I read the rest of their story and then I was so sad for them!)
I really enjoyed Kilpack’s other regency romance books and admired her fact to bring a little bit something more to the books than a fluffy romance. This book delivers just that. It is a part of history. She points out what is fiction and what is historically correct. She weaves a beautiful story in between the facts that we know.
If you are a fan of the proper romance series then make sure you read this book. If you enjoy clean historical fiction, this is a good book to read.
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Final Score:
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