Mademoiselle Butterfly
by Aranel du Lac
England. 1815. A Countess desperate to rekindle a relationship with her son. A Count who does not desire love. A Duke with a knack for meddling. And an unsuspecting girl. Adversity is what transforms the butterfly. And in London, England, there is plenty
Unfortunately, only one chapter of this story has been posted on Fictionpress. But what I have read so far is very promising.
I admit that the first time I had read this chapter, I skimmed a bit, as I was a bit occupied at that moment. But as you can see, I returned to read Aranel’s story again, and paid closer attention to what I read. I found myself quite stunned with her writing. She has a great command over the language. Her phraseologies accords well to the era, and just by reading her dialogues, you can tell that she is well-read in this time period. Regency phraseologies aren’t something anyone can pull off. I’m still having difficulties myself, as I oftentimes border into modernism. (This is completely off topic, but, Aranel, what books have you read that influenced your writing?) I was also relieved to see that ‘Mademoiselle Butterfly’ had a firm historical backdrop. She didn’t use the Regency era merely based on the knowledge that men wore cravats & top hats, and women, muslin dresses.
Aranel’s writing also holds several great imageries, such as: “….the sunlight throwing his broad shouldered frame into a stark silhouette, casting his chiseled features into shadow, yet barely hiding his stoic expression.” I respect writers, like this authoress, who are able to write cinematographically (read my definition of this term). With ‘Mademoiselle Butterfly’, the descriptions of objects, characters, sceneries weren’t tediously long, but elaborate enough so that I could actually picture everything.
As for the plot, I can’t say anything for it, as I’ve only read a chapter. But it’s an interesting premises she’s broaching on: a Matchmaking Mama story with a twist. I believe. However, there was a lot of POV head hopping, and that’s something the authoress might want to consider. Some readers are alright with it, others are not. On a sidenote, I think romance readers are more accepting of POV switches in one scene…
The dialogues were a pleasure to read. The characters were engaging. The writing was fluid.–’Mademoiselle Butterfly’ truly is a gem, and I hope Aranel will continue on with it. It wasn’t the Harlequin-esque novel I expected upon closer inspection. It has a very literary touch to it. I can see her work being catagorized as a romantic historical fiction rather than a historical romance (heaving-bossom, bodice-rippers). But perhaps I judge too soon. Whichever direction this story takes, I’ll enjoy it all the same. I hope to read some more!
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