Electricity

This is a novel, a story that carries the reader from page to page with the brilliance of an electric lightbulb. The author plays with the image of electricity from the interest of the main character in the new phenomenon to her infatuation with the engineer who comes to stay in her home and their ensuing marriage, to her affair with his boss and the historical fascination with spiritism at the time. The characters are so well drawn that you can feel the power between them - the electricity. I loved this book. Great for a day at the beach!

What I liked about this book is that I really felt immersed in Victorian life as I read it, yet I didn't feel like the author was trying to "tell" me about Victorian life. She simply portrayed a character who lived that life and "showed" what it was like. I thought Charlotte a very interesting character with some unusual insights into life.

This interesting novel contrasts strength and timidity, old andnew, happiness and pain, and of course darkness and light. I was intrigued by Charlotte's strong, strange Aunt Susannah,her creepy, reactive father, stoic, attractive Peter Fisher,and the rich and appealing George Godwin. Charlotte eagerly tastes life and love, and learns and is taught all sorts of new, interesting ideas and considerations,some quite ahead of their time. The narration of this story is well-descibed and evocative,and Charlotte was a believable character. Recommended.

This book is powerful, intelligent and ultimately leaves you hanging. It would be great for a book club.

This beautifully written novel lingered in my imagaination long after finishing. It is the story of a young women in Victorian England who marries an expert in the then burgeoning field of electricity. His work takes them from a life of lower class drudgery in London to a large country estate. This novel may be read on many different levels. While the surface storyline alone is enthralling the author's deeper insights into the beginnings of modern life and the victorian mindset is incredible. This novel, like no other, made me feel what it must have been like to live in this era. I would especially recommend to women who are interested in history or historical fiction.