Shades of Milk and Honey

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

The fantasy novel you’ve always wished Jane Austen had written, Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane’s skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face.

When Jane realizes that one of Melody’s suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right—and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

©2010 Mary Robinette Kowal (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Great if you love speculative fiction and Austen

I was a little worried that I wouldn't like this book, but overall I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a complete Austen fangirl, but I love her writing enough that I would have been entirely put off if the characters, setting, etc, had seemed fake or over the top. The characters were familiar, but this was mostly a positive and only occasionally distracting. I liked the addition of glamour to the world, which was a relief as that could have easily ruined everything if not done well.

The author's reading was great, although the accent was a little distracting occasionally. I could tell when she'd had a break and started again, but she soon settled into the voices and I would forgot about it until the next time. Overall it gets better as you go along.

I listened to this recording all in one day, with only a couple of breaks. It was exactly what I needed that day, as I pottered around the house doing odd jobs and a bit of drawing. To begin with it was a nice backdrop to my other activities, but by the end it had drawn me in so I was sitting by the computer with my stomach in a knot, wanting a good outcome for my favourite characters.

Overall the author has taken on a concept which would have been very easy to do wrong, and has delivered an entertaining read/listen. I'm looking forward to her next book in this series being released on Audible, and hope she will be reading it herself.

Light, even by Regency standards

I finished this light Regency fantasy with mixed feelings. It read like a young adult novel, which I didn’t expect, and I grew weary at times with the petty sisterly jealousies and bickering, or frustrated by the simple plot. About a third of the way through, I realized the novel was exactly as advertised, a Austen-esque comedy of manners, and I stopped expecting more frequent action or plot twists. I allowed the author to draw me in with the intricacies of her characters' conversations and subtle emotions as she painted a picture of the constraints of the time, which kept people from truly understanding one another as they honored the social conventions. By the end I was well satisfied with the results, although I might have wished for a romance more deeply drawn or for a less hasty resolution to difficulties.

The novel’s greatest strength is how the author integrates a form of magic known as glamour into the Regency setting. Considered an essential domestic art, glamour allows practitioners to create illusions of light, scent and sound, used to entertain guests or bring comfort and cheer to a home. Jane, the novel’s protagonist, is unusually skilled at weaving glamour, but her plain face has relegated her to life as a wallflower. Her beautiful sister, Melody, gets all the attention and suitors. Glamour – as an art form and as a means of “dressing up” one’s ordinary life – fit well with the period’s artifice and strict societal rules. Jane begins to learn it can also be an acceptable outlet for passions she is not able to express otherwise.

I appreciated the author's narration, which I think allowed me to catch subtleties in conversations I might otherwise have missed.

Enjoyable Light Read

While there are definitely elements of various other classic regencies here (Jane Austen and all that), the idea was to blend them together, along with the magic of glamour, to create a story that is entertaining because you want to see how it plays out. Not how it turns out mind you, that is a pretty foregone conclusion, but how it plays out. What are the various turns of the story to be? How will the characters react to the foreshadowed events? It was like watching a story one is familiar with redone in a truly engrossing way. I found that the story immersed me, and I wanted to see how the author was going to pull the various strands together.

I also found that the magic of glamour, which I think is central to the story, was perfectly suited for the era. For a society so wrapped up in appearances and concerned over image this was a perfectly suited form of magic to emphasize. It also allows a different take on some of the events we know are going to happen as the story plays along. The scene involving the "tableaux vivant" (won't give more details away in a review) for example smoothly integrates glamour into a historical parlor entertainment (dressing up and posing as a sort of living statue). That was a nice bit of setting detail, but the scene itself -- how the characters perform it and so forth -- says quite a lot about the characters involved as well. Overall, I thought "glamour" was a good selection for the author to make that was also quite well executed within the story.

The performance was also very good. I was interested in that it was the author performing the narration, and I think that added to the story (it doesn't always, but it did in this case). I am interested in seeing what other work the author has narrated.

Wonderful Period Piece

Narration - I have listened to Mary Robinette Kowal on the Pod Cast Writing Excuses for a good many months now and I have heard mention of this book from there. While she may not have the skill as some of the other Narrators I've heard on Audible, she is by far nowhere near as bad as many are. If you enjoy the sample reading then you will likely find the Author's Reading of her book to be a wonderful way to enjoy this tale. I could close my eyes and picture myself listening to her weaving her tale as if I was too in a drawing room listening to a young lady read a passage from a book.

Story - This IS NOT a typical Romance novel. This is a very well done Jane Austin Style Romance Novel (not the movies, the novels ??? mostly anyhow). The men are not rushing about like half tamed barbarian taking off their shirts and delivery breathless kisses, etc. The author did a masterful job with setting this tale in the Jane Austin style while keeping it fresh enough that readers/listeners of this day and age will understand what is going on.

The plot deals with the two sisters, one plain with amazing talents in weaving/creating glamour and her sister who is younger, far lovelier and far less skilled with glamour. In the story we follow the troubles and dreams of the eldest, along with some interesting side characters including two or three possible suitors. (fun)

The use of glamour, while magical is not fashioned as a truly magically thing. It is common place in the world that is created in this book. Men and Women both have the ability to use it/see it in differing degrees. Some uses are as simple as helping to keep items cool or complex in the creation of stunning works of art.

The book (if a movie) would likely gain a G rating and does not contain anything explicate. I believe there is one reference to a kiss on the head.

All and all I would highly recommend this book for those people that enjoy the more subtle and proper times of the Jane Austin period of novels with a trace of magic thrown in to add a new and interesting twist to the world.

OK Story, Not Ok Narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Given it to a stronger editor. This book basically felt like a really good second draft. Lots of interesting ideas, but a very underdeveloped romance and characters that never really clicked.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Just given it more time in the oven, really. It needed a lot more story editing. The romance not being fleshed out is a big one I mentioned above. It never felt like it built properly. They just kind of...didn't like each other, then were in love. OK? I guess?

The author also didn't do great at researching the regency period, in ways that were occasionally obvious and drew you out of the book. For example, declaring someone was experiencing "not simple melancholia, but depression!" This ignores the fact that melancholia WAS depression at this time; not some separate, lesser disorder. In fact, it's extremely unlikely the term depression would have been used to refer to a mood disorder at all in the early 1800s, let alone by a lay-person. Nit-picky? Yeah, totally. But blunders in historical accuracy like that are exactly the kind of thing that pull you out of a text, and should be caught before publication.

What didn’t you like about Mary Robinette Kowal’s performance?

The accent was forced. The voices were often poorly distinguishable or kind of annoying, particularly the baby doll voices given to young women. She did a poor job of conveying emotion and nuance. A few times, at critical moments, she mixed up voices for characters in a way that made things confusing.

Do you think Shades of Milk and Honey needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I might be interested to see what happens next; but if I decide to I will absolutely (barring a change in narrator) be reading the physical book rather than listening to the audiobook.

Any additional comments?

Despite my kvetching, it's not a terrible book. A lot of the writing is solid enough, and the idea of glamour is intriguing. It's entertaining enough that I don't totally begrudge the credit spent on it. But I do still really recommend anyone interested in reading the book buy a physical copy rather than listening.

'These intentions are well meant'

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No it was agony. I couldn't listen for more than 30 minutes. If the book is set in upper-crust England could Audible please - PULEEAZE use a narrator who is a native speaker from that sceptered isle? Some authors are competent narrators of their own works and Ms. Kowal is compentent, but she would have better served her books if she had allowed a native Brit be her narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

I'll tell you after I check it out of the library and read it.

What didn’t you like about Mary Robinette Kowal’s performance?

HAH! You read my mind did you? Well, read the answer to the first question. She is "sing-songy" too. A more experienced narrator with maybe some stage background and who has a good sense of timing and pacing would be an improvement. This book needs a female narrator who knows how to bring out the low tones in her voice to make the male characters more beliveable. This is really sensitive because when you have English characters speaking English, there are nuances Americans may miss and that messes up the whole project. Is Barbara Rosenblatt still performing?

What would have made this romance irresistible?

I'll tell you after I check it out of the library and read it.

Any additional comments?

This author came to me highly recommended. The reviews Audible posted are all positive. Perhaps I just have an overly sensitive ear. I would dearly love to listen to this book because my vision isn't that good. I have seen other books in the Audible inventory that have more than one narrator. Please give this book a chance.

Fanstatical

Pride and Prejudice meets Magic. I delayed reading this after I downloaded it, I should not have. This is a fantastic book for lovers of fantasy and the Regency error. Its easy to get lost in and not want to turn off, that is its only down side. I have to force myself to shut it off to sleep. Very anxious to hear the rest of the series.

A poor attempt at a Jane Austen-ish book

While I was prepared for something with an Austen feel. I had expected something with some originality rather than a poor version of pride and prejudice with less character development and story development. The story was so predictable the only item of originality was the glamour element. Which was barely an element and more of a vague description of art. I couldn’t finish it. I gave up and have no interest in how it ends with just 2 hours left in the book.

Didn't live up to the hype

I read a lot of really positive reviews for this book and reading. I have to say, I wasn't impressed. First, the story is incredibly predictable. It's frustrating listening to a character acting oblivious about what is so obviously happening. Second, I found the performance for the narration to be poor. The narrator is also the author, who is American. The book is set in England, and she does an absolutely horrible English accent. The idea behind the story was not bad, but I don't think it was executed well.

Austen with Magic--and a Touch of Bronte

Like Susanna Clarke (Ladies of Grace Adieu), Mary Robinette manages to gently weave magic into a historical world (and its distinctive mores) in a way that makes it feel right at home. Yet while Clark's work (which I love, but your milage may vary) takes a meandering route with Dickenesque descriptions and elaborate footnotes, Shades of Milk and Honey takes a much more direct approach.

Starting as a streamlined version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice (two sisters instead of five; a less caustic father-figure; a slightly less nuanced Darcy-figure; slightly less ornate language), the novel at first combines nostalgia with some delightfully sly magical tweaks. (Why are women always fainting in Austen novels? Because the illusion-magic that culture assigned to women is just so darn exhausting, of course!) Throw in the obligatory Artist who has utter disdain for social proprieties, genteel discussions of the Nature of Art, and ominous depictions of class tensions that lead to a climactic magic-and-bullets showdown, and you have a novel that is unique, pleasant, and thoroughly readable.

But the thing that really brought this together was Kowal's narration. It's always nice to hear an author read his or her own work, but Kowal's theatrical bakground shines. Jane's vapid-yet-lovable sister Melody particularly benefits from Kowal's performance--Kowal imbues her voice with the sort of energetic ignorance more commonly associated with American socialites from the 1920's, which goes a long way to both endear her to audiences and reveal the shallow facade required of women who have "nothing to recommend them other than their beauty."

A fun idea well executed but let down by narratio

Obviously the idea of Jane Austen with magic is utterly to my specific taste and I was both excitedly looking forward to listenting to this and also slightly dreading it all going HORRIBLY WRONG. Mary Robinette Kowal does a good job with the language and manners of the day. So may attempts as the period totally ignore the relevant social mores in which Austen's characters operated. There are all the plot elements you would expect of a Regency romance, plain older sister, the lure of officers, neighbourly gentlemen, condescending social superiors and, above all, the absolutely necessity of finding a hustband. All to be navigated via balls, visits, and generally taking a turn about the grounds. only with magic. The magical element is well thought out and very interesting.

The main problem, lies with the authors decision to narrate it herself. I think she is attempting an English accent but doesn't ever hit it. It probably would have been more successful if she had just used her won accent as I think she is a good reader in tone, pace and characterisation. Just not early 19th century English upper class characterisation. If this had been read by someone who could do the accent, I believe this might have been a 5 start listen.

Regency Romance + Magic and A Lot of Fun

This is a story obviously heavily influenced by Jane Austen, and in fact wraps up many recognisable Austen characters and situations from different books into one story. This could feel derivative in another book but here it is done well with obvious affection and humour. The author also doesn't stick so rigidly to the need for proper behaviour and so there is room for a chase scene, which is fun! (And in later books there is plenty of adventure, and even a heist.)

The author does a fantastic job of writing in a style that reflects Regency era fiction but at the same time isn't tedious or slow for a modern reader. She also narrates this audiobook and does such a fantastic job! This is the first time I've listened to an author read their own audiobook and it was wonderful to know that this is exactly how the characters are meant to sound.

The characters are really what make this series. Here we are introduced to the Elsworth family and to a variety of possible suitors. I love Jane and her family, and I especially like how her relationship with her sister is explored. It's more complex than sisterly relationships in many books and even in some Austen (which tend to oversimplify with 'good' sisters and 'bad' sisters), and this is another thing that gets even better as the series goes on. The only bad point is that I felt we didn't really get enough time with certain suitors, particularly the man who eventually succeeds, but this is another relationship that is built on wonderfully throughout the series.

I also really liked the magic in these books, which reflects the setting so perfectly. If magic did exist in Georgian England, of course it would be used in this way! It just works so well. Here magic, called glamour, is an art form that is used to show off and make oneself seem wealthier, more attractive or more cultured in front of the neighbours and visitors. It is also considered a womanly accomplishment like playing musical instruments, and so young ladies are expected to be able to work glamour to entertain at parties and gatherings. Of course, there are other potential uses too, which come out more as the series goes on. Glamour is pervasive in this world, yet also really subtle - it is everywhere and simply accepted because that's how it's always been, but the author has also really thought about how it would affect aspects of the world and history, even down to little details. I love books about magic, particularly when it is presented in new and interesting ways, and here it is done very well!

This is a lovely book and the beginning of a series that really does just get better and better. Well worth getting started on!

Made me smile

A charming tale for Austen enthusiasts, familiar and enchanting in turns. Recommended listening for an afternoon in the drawing room with your embroidery.

Fun story, let down by narration

This is a lovely story for those who enjoy Jane Austen's work - there probably won't be any surprises, as a couple of the developments are exactly what you'd expect from Austen. The idea of the glamour meshes well with the period, much more so than a more active sort of magic would - it's easy to believe that in a world where this was possible, it would have been considered one of the expected accomplishments for a young lady.

Unfortunately, the narration is dreadful. It was a surprise for me, as the author also narrates other audiobooks and when she uses her own accent is one of the best narrators I've heard. But the accent here is terrible, affected, and extremely distracting. I considered returning the book due to this. Such a shame from someone so talented.

Average storytelling, bad English accent.

This book was described to me as Jane Austen with magic, and I can assure you that is all it is. The story and writing are by no means bad, but it's nothing special. the story is derivative of Austen herself to the point of almost being a rip off only lacking the wit. It is basically a mash up of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, with a dash of Persuasion. The only thing original is the idea of glamour which was well executed. Lastly, and worst of all the accent she does is painful for me to listen to. My husband is English and though not a native myself, I have lived in the country for 4 years. The author/narrator's chosen accent seems to be in a posh southern style, but it's a definite miss.

Enjoyed the story, not the pretend British accent

I did enjoy the story, though the romance between the protagonist and the man she ends up with feels a little forced and didn't have enough time to develop to warrant the emotional reactions of the characters. At times the story was too wrapped up in faux Georgian language and characters chattering away about propriety instead of moving forward at key moments. I rolled my eyes at times and thought, gee, get on with it! Still, I could mentally make up for those flaws by how much I liked Jane, the protagonist. The one thing I never got over - which was distracting to the point of ruining the story at times - was the fake British accent. I live in England and couldn't stomach the author's reading at times. I think reading the story on paper might be better.

Tries too hard

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was promised I would love this book because I love Austen and Fantasy and mashup novels. I don't entirely regret listening to this book, it passed the time and had its moments but... meh...

Would you be willing to try another book from Mary Robinette Kowal? Why or why not?

Only if I was given it for free unfortunately. She's not a bad writer at all, it's just, at least in this novel, she tries too hard to be Jane Austen rather than focusing on being herself. No one can do Austen but Austen. Kowal has some lovely ideas but she doesn't have the wit and charm of Austen.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The fake English accent... Oh God! It's so annoying! She's good at doing a variety of voices but the accent is all over the place. It very much sounds like what an American thinks of as British. Unfortunately, sometimes she sounds more Australian. I just couldn't get past it.

Was Shades of Milk and Honey worth the listening time?

Isn't this the same thing you asked me earlier Audible?

Any additional comments?

Based on this novel, I don't see the general popularity of Mary Robinette Kowal, to be honest. I don't get why people are raving. Frankly, her "glamour" is a brilliant idea and she IS a good writer but she should have more glamour and less regency romance. As it is, this novel is a poor rip-off of Austen (down to the plot which is basically Pride & Prejudice with a touch of Persuasion and Mansfield Park)