may I have seconds, please?

OR Part Two of the Edenbrooke Review

(click the link above to read Part One)

Have you ever fell in love with a book so ardently that you lost precious sleep over it, causing your eyes to blur, but you just have to finish it? I have, yet only a few times ever. And Edenbrooke is one of those books.

When I first picked up the novel to start reading, I only had a bit of time. It was in the afternoon and children were coming home soon, so I only read a few pages. I thought to myself: hmmm. This might be interesting enough of a read. I then proceeded to get overly busy as is typical for me and I didn't have any time to sit and enjoy any book of my choosing until the weekend. On that fateful Friday night, I opened Edenbrooke to where I had left off and read and read until I couldn't see straight anymore. My eyes were quite red and even sore. You say, she must have gone to sleep at that point. But I tell you I did not. I went to the kitchen made a cup of hot cocoa, got a snack to give me more energy, then washed my face with cold water so I could make it through the long haul. I got back to reading and read into the wee hours of the next morning (and lived to not regret it).

One of the magical parts of Edenbrooke is its characterization. I adore the main character. Marianne Daventry feels like a cross between the spunkiness of Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre's innocence to things of the heart. I like Phillip (even when he's being obnoxious); Cecily is irritatingly fabulous; however, neither are as enchanting as the lovely Marianne. When she gets herself into scrapes, she is the means of intrigue and hilarity.

Also, for some reason, Marianne reminds me of my friend Julie (not to be confused with Madame Julianne, authoress). There's this part in the story when Marianne is feeling especially happy and carefree, so she begins twirling around, then she hears a crunching sound nearby and explains:

I stopped moving and opened my eyes to find myself within an inch of having my eye poked out by a branch. I tried to move away from the branch but found my hair was stuck.

When I read it the first time, I had this vision in my mind of Julie doing exactly what Marianne had just done and I laughed. out loud. in a dead silent house. at like four o'clock in the morning. And yes, it was that funny.

I would now like to share my interview with the author and here is how it went:

The Purple Lady: What was your favorite part about writing Edenbrooke?

Madame Julianne: My favorite part of writing Edenbrooke was getting to know my characters. I often wrote extra scenes between Philip and Marianne just so I could understand their relationship better. They were very particular that I portrayed them accurately. They protested when I wrote them wrong, and I often went through a dozen takes on one scene until I finally got their approval. They became such good friends to me as I wrote their stories. I laughed at them, cried with them, and fell in love while they did.

The Purple Lady: Wow. I guess that puts some perspective on how immersed authors need to get in their writing for it to turn out as beautiful as Edenbrooke has.

Madame Julianne:  It was a purely psychotic experience which I hope to repeat time and time again as a writer.

The Purple Lady: If you had to pick just one favorite line from the entire novel, which one would it be?

Madame Julianne: My favorite line? That is so hard to choose. But this is a feeling Marianne had when she got her happy ending, and a sentiment that I can relate to:

 I felt as if I was a cup filled to overflowing. One more drop of joy and my soul would spill right out of me.

The Purple Lady: Technically, that's two lines, but we'll give you a break. Those are awesome lines. 

Madame Julianne: Thank you!

The Purple Lady: For the last question, tell us in one word how you felt when you found out your novel would be published.

Madame Julianne: My feeling when I learned that Edenbrooke would be published? I don't think I can find one word to describe it. Maybe two words: profoundly grateful.

The Purple Lady: I want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to review Edenbrooke and interview you. It has been such a pleasure.

Madame Julianne: Thank you so much for making it personal and sincere.

Now that's a sweetie for you.