Welcome to the first post in the Enchanted Chocolate Pot Blog Fest to celebrate the release of Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer’s Cecelia and Kate series in ebook form!
The brand new gorgeous cover for the first book in the series!
One of the first things that always captures my attention in a novel is the voice of the main characters which can just as easily turn me off as a reader or draw me in completely. I did not know what to expect from Wrede and Stevermer’s letters because the format of this book was so unusual – I don’t know any books that have been written as letters like this one has. What struck me immediately with this letter was the ease with which Wrede made Cecy’s voice relatable.
CLICK THE LINK TO READ Cecelia’s Original Letter
Can you not imagine Cecy writing this at her desk? Instead of being a remote character in an even more remote setting, immediately we get the sense of a fun, young lady who is restrained by her societal norms and though she might have to abide by them, she is not alone. Kate is her confidant and her BFF and the closeness between these two is palpable. As I mentioned above, Wrede has made Cecy relatable in this letter and I have to wonder, had she not known Caroline Stevermer, were they not friends embarking on a fun hobby together, how would this letter have been different?
Another thing that did puzzle me reading about this series, was how Cecy, separated from Kate, in Essex was to be included in the main plot of the novel, which occurs where Kate is. Yet, Wrede and Stevermer have neatly taken care of this problem by having Cecy tell Kate of the initiation of Sir Hilary Bedrick into the Royal College of Wizards as he is from Essex. In one neat move, Cecy is able to be as much a part of things as Kate is, for she seems to have a talent for finding information, even if it might be gossip, which more often than not contains truth rather than fiction. Or so Jane Austen tells me.
What do you think, guys? Was Cecy’s voice contemporary enough to reach you? Or is she too removed to be interesting? What do you think would have changed in the edited version of this letter?
What do you think would be the most difficult thing about writing a book this way? I think the writers being friends might have eased more than a few bumps along the way. I’d love to hear what you think
