Title: The Lady of Bolton Hill
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Rating: Glad I got it from the library
This is my first review of a book by Elizabeth Camden. New
authors always excite me. This book had an added claim on my attention. It’s set
in Baltimore, and as a native Baltimorean, I was intrigued. I wish I could say
that this book lived up to my excitement.
Blurb
Female journalists are rare in 1879, but
American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her
provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work
forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a
childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once
knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and
Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by
resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace
force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered
by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever
could have foreseen.
This book started off wrong for me. Camden jumps right into
the story, something I really don’t like. I know starting in the middle of the
action is a mantra much repeated in writing, but it is possible to start too
far in the action. I felt like I got to the inciting incident, the thing that
sets Daniel and Clara off on their journey, before I got to know them enough to
care. Since I really didn’t know them, I didn’t completely understand the
significance of some of the subsequent events until much later in the book. But
by then, I was forcing myself to continue and skimming large sections.
As for the characters, since I didn’t have a chance to
connect with them at the beginning, it was hard to find good things about them.
Clara seemed too impulsive at times and too timid at others and I struggled to see her as a "lady". Daniel seemed
angry beyond the point of redemption and I had a hard time following his character arc. Even with Clara’s actions to defend the
underprivileged and the injustice Daniel suffered, I struggled to like them.
Also, the villain was completely unexpected, but not in a good way. I felt his
development was far too unrealistic.
As for the plot, I felt like it would have been a good plot
if it only had different characters. This gave the story a very disjointed
feeling. Also, I’m not sure I felt like I was in 1867. The book had a very
contemporary feel to it, like I was reading about modern day times. And this
may be a little biased, but I didn’t fell like I was reading a story set in
Bolton Hill in Baltimore. I know the area well and thought the story was
missing some important landmarks that made Baltimore the Charm City.
I won’t say
I wouldn’t read another one of Camden’s books. I hopeful that Camden will improve in time.
