A Company of Swans

by Eva Ibbotson

Ms. Ibbotson, you've outdone yourself.

I am a huge fan of Eva Ibbotson and I think I'm close to having read all of her books. This one is by far my favorite. It kept many of Ibbotson's trademark themes, but it was the largest departure from her other books.

Harriet is a typical character of the author. She is strong within herself, but not overbearing, almost timid in her interactions. She is pretty, but not beautiful in an obvious way and is outshone by most of the other female characters in the book. That being said, Harriet is special. She is smart and kind and has a gift for dancing. She runs away, not to a European countryside, which one might expect from Ibbotson, but to South America, to dance with a small ballet company. There, she meets Rom. Again, typical in his good looks, his rags to riches past and his money grubbing ex-love. However, Rom is a philanthropist, and a kind one at that. I loved this character. Usually the men in Ibbotson's books are arrogant and conceited and can't believe they are attracted or drawn to in any way someone below their lofty status.

The difference in the love story was pronounced as well. Rom falls in love with Harriet with no mind for any other woman. His greedy, contriving ex spends the entire book trying to get back to him so she can woo him with her feminine wiles and their shared past. Harriet and Rom's true obstacle takes form in Harriet's unwelcome fiance, a cold and controlling Father and a shrewish Aunt.

I love this book and I know it is one I will read over and over again. Ibbotson's prose is, as always, breathtaking, her descriptive imagery unrivaled and her characters compelling and dynamic.

The Reluctant Heiress

by Eva Ibbotson

Once again, I was not disappointed by Eva Ibbotson. The one word that comes to mind each time I finish the last page of one of her books is 'beautiful'. The Reluctant Heiress was no exception.

Ibbotson is an immensely talented writer. She has found a recipe for success and, although her novels are strikingly similar, they work so well that I don't mind at all. I would not protest a slight departure from her idea of a hero, as I typically find it hard to really like her male protagonists. Similarly, although her heroines are all strong, determined and independent, somehow they each seem to have a very low opinion of herself, feeling that she doesn't deserve any better than she has.

A constant in Ibbotson's works is the unique way she gives a background to each minor character which is so fluid, woven so tightly into the story that you hardly notice it's there at first. The culture and history she wraps up in each story is interesting and relevant.

The Reluctant Heiress was a beautiful story with a wonderful antagonist and a clever, well turned out conclusion.

The Morning Gift

by Eva Ibbotson

The Morning Gift didn't quite live up to my expectations. I thought A Song for Summer was phenomenal and this simply wasn't as good. I think it was a bit predictable and Ibbotson seemed to skip right over what should have been a much larger part of the story and a great climactic conclusion.

The characters were a little hard to like. Ruth was a little infantile in her I Can't Believe How Blue The Sky Is attitude. I had a hard time remembering she was twenty years old. Quin was a benevolent character, but it seemed he felt no true passion when helping others, only obligation. He seemed quite detached. It really bothers me when characters keep holding back and instead of just saying, Hey, I don't want a divorce, I love you, Quin and Ruth had to dance around, playing this self-deprecating game of denial.

I do very much enjoy Ibbotson's writing. I think her words and imagery are beautiful and her style is unique and a little reminiscent of a different time period. She also makes it very easy to keep track of a large amount of characters.

I wouldn't read this again, but I am willing to give her another chance to impress me again.

A Song For Summer

by Eva Ibbotson

Oh, I loved this book. It was beautiful; the story, the characters, the writing. It had adventure, politics, war, humor, friendship, culture, art, music, and romance. No, not romance, that's much to soppy a word; love. True love, the kind that waits and suffers and still clings tightly and truly, enduring through joy at its peak and misery at its depth.

A Song for Summer was not what I expected it to be- a common occurrence among my recent literary adventures. I read A Countess Below Stairs not long ago and expected this to be similar, but the author seemed to deviate wildly from the somewhat amateur tone, even while keeping her style consistent. This was a book I would expect from someone like Gene Stratton-Porter, not a contemporary author. Ibbotson's transitions from one character's point of view to another's is rare and seamless. It was extremely impressive to find that, with upwards of ten streams of consciousness trading off, I never got lost within the transitions or wandered upon a loose trail of thought. She tied together so many elements and, even though Part II is less than one fourth of the book, there was no rush to the end and no unanswered questions. I laughed out loud at times, I brushed the dewy ghosts of tears from my lids, my heart ached for Marek and Ellen, leaped for Isaac and I could scarcely keep from smiling at the sheer loveliness of language and the stark, green imagery.

This book is one that has a few things that may be conceived as taboo, but it is in no way graphic or offensive.