Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

Our narrators provide brief history lessons when they pertain to the story, adopt language that would have been more likely in use with the setting of the story, and even go so far as to label parts one and two as sections where history is being tweaked and then being thrown out the window entirely. The story is told in the past tense, but every now and then our narrators interject to announce that a certain turn of phrase or perspective is something familiar from more modern times. One of the best things about this book is its treatment of time.

Each character is distinct and interesting for their own reasons, but the narrators are also worth mentioning here. “Do any of us have a choice where destiny is concerned?”Ībout the layout: My Lady Jane is divided into alternating sections all from a third person perspective focusing on Jane, Gifford, and Edward individually in turn. But there’s usurping Mary to contend with, and royal poisoners, and a whole slew of helpful and wacky animals. She’s also about to be appointed the Queen of England, though she’s not given any choice about that either. On top of the expected political intrigue–Edward VI facing the end of his reign and the necessity of choosing his successor–there’s also the battle between ordinary humans and the humans who possess an animal form.

Some, like Gifford, are unable to control the change. In the midst of some historically accurate events orchestrated by real historical figures, My Lady Jane is also a fantasy novel in which some of the characters have the ability to transform into animals. For Gifford Dudley, the prospect of a wife just means he’ll have one more person to disappoint with his horse curse–that’s right, he spends every day from sunup to sundown as a horse he can’t control it. For Jane, it’s the upheaval of her entire book-filled life. For Edward, the marriage is part of a political plot. Here’s what I encountered:Ībout the book: Lady Jane Grey, cousin and close friend to young King Edward VI, has just been engaged to Gifford Dudley, against her will and wishes. I picked this one up on a bit of a whim, and sometimes those whim-reads pack a lot of surprise power.

I’ve just finished reading the fantasy/historical fiction novel My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson