Review on: Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn
Rating: 3.5/5
The main character in this novel is Victoria Lyndon, the daughter of the new vicar. On her first few days at their new residence, she meets Robert and finds out that he is the young earl of Macclesfield, the lord of their new residence. From their very first encounter, both Victoria and Robert find themselves deeply in love with the other. All goes well until both their fathers disapprove of the relationship and try to force them apart. They decide to elope but fate deals them an unlucky blow and their plans go astray, leaving both thinking that the other has abandoned them.
Many years later, Victoria is a governess to a wealthy family, and it is here that she again meets Robert whom she believes abandoned her. Robert on the other hand coincidentally encounters Victoria whom he believes didn’t love him enough to elope. Fate is funny that way and the reunited pair obviously still love each other though they refuse to admit so. But their past heartbreaks still get in the way and they are faced with problems that eventually lead to their getting separated again.
Even when the truth about what happened in their past is revealed, it is still difficult to forget what has happened, and Victoria and Robert have to learn to accept the past and move forward, sometimes giving in to the other because of love.
One thing I loved about the story is the change from the youthful love to what is eventually mature love. Quinn writes the story in such a way that the beginning is merely their love that has not endured hardships. Later on, you can see how the characters mature as they’ve gone on through their own separate lives, learning from the past and somewhat moving on. You’d think that them meeting again would be such a mature encounter, but Quinn writes it in a way that lets the readers see that some of their youth, their past, still remains within them. And it is this that hinders them from moving forward.
The playful banter between the two characters can be seen as both cute, and at times frustrating. What keeps the story interesting between the two is the inclusion of some characters who make Robert’s struggle for Victoria’s affections much more amusing.
Individual character-wise though, Quinn could have presented the characters better. Victoria and Robert were presented as two star-crossed lovers, but nothing much about their other characteristics were given much detail. I would have preferred to see more of their lives, which didn’t center around the other. For the most part, both Victoria’s and Robert’s stories always included each other, making it feel like the story has too many coincidences in it.
A good book to read, and it will leave you laughing and smiling. But, it definitely could have been better.
