"Filled with page-turning suspense, The Tutor’s Daughter takes readers to the windswept Cornwall coast–a place infamous for shipwrecks and superstitions–where danger lurks, faith is tested, and romance awaits.
Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?
The baronet’s older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems–and secrets–of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father’s academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her…
When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?"
My Rating
Spring/Summer
My Review
Klassen's ability to set the scene with rich historical detail and exquisite descriptions is simply wonderful. The Tutor's Daughter is quite an enjoyable excursion to early 19th-century Cornwall, marked with the mystery the book trailer and synopsis promise. It's a combination of Jane Eyre twists, Northanger Abbey atmosphere, Klassen's sweet romance, and matters of faith.
With the detail that sets Klassen's novels apart, this book is rather long with an unhurried pace. Not all of the twists are overly surprising by the time the characters reveal/understand them, but the suspense still flows well throughout the pages.
Emma is a heroine most of the target audience can probably relate to, with her love of reading and learning. She acts and reacts to things in interesting ways sometimes, and it's a pleasure to see her grow in confidence and open up to love and life. As for the boys, well... Let's just say I like how things turn out in the end!
Some of the morals of the story come across as a bit cliche in how they are presented, but there are some great points to ponder, nonetheless. The Tutor's Daughter contains much to please fans of Julie Klassen and her chosen genre.
*With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion, to be shared during the Litfuse Publicity blog tour.*
P.S. Did you miss my latest "May I Borrow From Your Book?" letter on the BB blog? If you'd like to read my tongue-in-cheek letter to Emma Smallwood, which I wrote when I was about 1/4 of the way through The Tutor's Daughter, you can find it HERE!
Book Trailer
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane–Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Find out more about Julie at www.julieklassen.com.
To Buy the Book: click HERE
Blog Tour Schedule: Check out the other reviews scheduled by clicking HERE.
Litfuse Contest
Julie is celebrating by giving away one of the new Paperwhite Kindles, Downton Abbey (season 3) and hosting a fun Author Chat Party on Facebook. (January 31st)
One fortunate winner will receive:
- A Kindle Paperwhite
- Downton Abbey, Season 3
- A Julie Klassen library (The Tutor’s Daughter, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Silent Governess)
So grab your copy of The Tutor's Daughter and join Julie on the evening of the January 31st for a chance to connect with Julie and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!
16 comments:
Great review Amber! Glad you liked it too. I also compared it to Jane Eyre in my review. I don't know if the marketing was portrayed that way, but it sure reminded me of a Gothic romance :)
I love Julie's books. Just got this one in the mail and can't wait to read it!
Great review! :)
Julie,
Thank you! In Julie Klassen's bio it says that she "loves all things Jane - Jane Eyre and Jane Austen," so I think a lot of her books have some element of one or the other. :) It was fun how much this one rang of Jane Eyre, though!
Have you read any of Julie Klassen's other books? I've only read 2 others so far: The Silent Governess and The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall is my favorite so far. :)
~Amber
Cathy,
I've enjoyed the three books of hers that I've read so far! I also have The Girl in the Gatehouse on my TBR stack, which I'm looking forward to reading sometime. :)
Hope you enjoy this one, and I'm glad you enjoyed the review!
~Amber
Not a devoted Klassen fan but that trailer (even in its bursts of awkwardness) makes me curious! Thanks, Amber! :)
I have read a couple of others by Julie Klassen. I read The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and The Girl in the Gatehouse. Both very good :)
Rissi,
Yes, there is some awkwardness in that trailer. ;) But I do like how intriguing it is; live-action ones can be fun!
Which books of hers have you read so far? Hope you enjoy this one if you decide to give it a try! :)
~Amber
Julie,
The Silent Governess was great, as well. :) I'm glad I have The Girl in the Gatehouse to read (eventually!)!
~Amber
I'll have to get The Silent Governess. I have The Apothecary's Daughter on my Kindle now. Have you read that one?
Julie,
No, I haven't read that one, but I have it on my Kindle, too - I think I picked it up when it was offered as a freebie. :) I'm curious about her first book, The Lady of Milkweed Manor, as well... And, of course, I'm curious what she's working on next! :)
~Amber
Great review, Amber! This book sounds so good and I like the little trailer, even, as Rissi put it, in it's bursts of awkwardness, lol! :-)
Also, I've read Klassen's first book, Lady of Milkweed Manor, and thought it was really good. Klassen is a phenomenal wordsmith. But there is a lot of unfair treatment towards the heroine in that one and it can kind of create that anxious feeling as you read- you know what I mean? It leaves you especially torn and not knowing what you want the end result to be... But it's a worthy read. The Apothecary's Daughter is my FAVORITE so far of all her books! It's heroine has 3 love interests =D but you could only possibly be torn between 2 of them, but I think she chooses right in the end... though you could see it going the other way and a little part of you almost wishes it does ;-) Anyway, hope you get a chance to read them AND enjoy them!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on The Tutor's Daughter! I've really been looking forward to this one, and that cover is simply beautiful!
Blessings,
Amanda
Amanda,
Thank you, dear friend! That trailer is pretty fun (and a tad bit funny), isn't it? ;)
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about The Lady of Milkweed Manor and The Apothecary's Daughter! It is hard to read about mistreatment and misunderstandings... :( I think I get what you're saying! But I'm sure that, as you say, it is still a worthy read. :) And I'm so pleased, and a little bit surprised, to hear that The Apothecary's Daughter is your favorite! From the ratings and such on Goodreads, I thought perhaps it wasn't as good as her other books... But the three love interests sound great! ;) I really like stories where you can see it going either way, and it keeps you guessing. :)
So glad you stopped by! And yes, the cover of The Tutor's Daughter is really pretty - I love the colors, and they match well with my current blog design, LOL! I have The Girl in the Gatehouse on my TBR stack, and I have to say that I LOVE the colors on that one!
~Amber
Nice review Amber! And I think your rating system is quite creative... I like it!
Just saw your comment... I have The Girl in the Gatehouse on my TBR stack too!
:-)
Ganise,
Thank you for your kind words about my review and rating system! I like themes, which you've probably already discovered with the different "seasons" stuff around here. ;)
And yay for The Girl in the Gatehouse! I bought it almost a couple of years ago at Borders, started it once, but decided to save it. I'll have to actually sit down and read it someday! :)
~Amber
I also reviewed this book and loved it!
I'm hosting 7 giveaways at my site this week if you want to stop on over and enter. hope you have a great weekend!
Diane :O)
www.dianeestrella.com
Diane,
Awesome! Julie Klassen is a talented author. :)
Thank you for stopping by and for the heads-up about your giveaways!
~Amber
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