Rating: 
Summary: Not convincing
Review: Now what age of reason might we be talking about here? The novel takes place in the 1860s, which was certainly not The Age of Reason or even AN age of reason by most people's reckoning. E.L. Doctorow apparently took author Nora Hague under wing while she was in NYU's MFA writing program with the result being a big, awkward book that I could not find a reason to finish.
The problem is that while "high yellow"Aubrey's story is quite compelling, "high minded" Arabella's is not. Aubrey is a slave, and so fair skinned that he frequently passes for white whether he wants to or not. Arabella chafes at the social bondage women of her time suffer, and seeks ways to break these bonds in ways that are not very believable for her background and the time in which she lives. Hague wisely gives their situation more plausible by placing the pair in Europe. We've read Arabella's story before, while Bree's is new. The stakes are much higher in the minefield of his life, and how he deals with the dangerous ambiguities of his race keep the reader on edge. There is too much anachronistic sentiment blended into Arabella's makeup to create quite the same risk and tension. It becomes tempting to skim through Arabella's sections to get back to Aubrey's. If you want to read about how really stultifying 19th century women's lives were and how dangerous it was to try breaking out, open Edith Wharton's "The House of Mirth" or "Voyage of the Narwhal" by Andrea Barrett. Nora Hague's career could be interesting to watch. There are two writers represented in "Letters." It's easy to dismiss one, but the other can write something worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: My new favorite author!
Review: Oh, Arabella. You vixen! You little minx! You have stolen my heart and I am in agony without you. You gave your love to Aubrey when it should have been given to me, but I forgive you both for allowing me, for a time, into your world. You have permitted me to experience adventures as I've never known and I am sad to be back in my own, mundane, world. Alas, all I can do is to re-read your adventures, and live through your delights, joys and heartbreaks once more! "Letters..." is a gripping and riveting novel set in the latter part of the 19th century, during the outbreak of the civil war in the United States. The author reveals a rich world of intrigue, love and tragedy told solely through the intermingling of the letters and diary entries of the two main characters. Arabella Leeds, a young woman of a well-to-do family, must discover what it means to be a woman, sexually, emotionally and intellectually, all the while challenged by the confines of her society. Aubrey Paxton too must confront his place in society as he defies his caste as a "high-yellow" slave in New Orleans and goes in search of the truth of his heritage. The story of two characters overcoming adversities to finally meet--as we the reader know they must--has certainly been told before, but Ms. Hague shrewdly places a new spin on this story by creating a world abundantly filled with riveting major/minor characters, sly historical details and sub-plots that keep the reader thoroughly rapt. Tread lightly when you enter this world because you will never be the same when you leave. A fantastic achievement not only for this wonderful first-time author but for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: My new favorite author!
Review: Oh, Arabella. You vixen! You little minx! You have stolen my heart and I am in agony without you. You gave your love to Aubrey when it should have been given to me, but I forgive you both for allowing me, for a time, into your world. You have permitted me to experience adventures as I've never known and I am sad to be back in my own, mundane, world. Alas, all I can do is to re-read your adventures, and live through your delights, joys and heartbreaks once more! "Letters..." is a gripping and riveting novel set in the latter part of the 19th century, during the outbreak of the civil war in the United States. The author reveals a rich world of intrigue, love and tragedy told solely through the intermingling of the letters and diary entries of the two main characters. Arabella Leeds, a young woman of a well-to-do family, must discover what it means to be a woman, sexually, emotionally and intellectually, all the while challenged by the confines of her society. Aubrey Paxton too must confront his place in society as he defies his caste as a "high-yellow" slave in New Orleans and goes in search of the truth of his heritage. The story of two characters overcoming adversities to finally meet--as we the reader know they must--has certainly been told before, but Ms. Hague shrewdly places a new spin on this story by creating a world abundantly filled with riveting major/minor characters, sly historical details and sub-plots that keep the reader thoroughly rapt. Tread lightly when you enter this world because you will never be the same when you leave. A fantastic achievement not only for this wonderful first-time author but for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: No "Reason" to read this one!
Review: One of the biggest problems in this story is the awkward structure in which it is told. Half is Arabella's "journal" and the other half are Bree's "letters" to his grandmother. They are believeable as neither. In both the journal and the letters there is far too much dialog to be a real journal or letter and the first of Bree's supposed "Letters" is over 130 pages long! The author would have been wiser to write this story from a 3rd person point of view - it might have been more believeable. The "voices" of the two writers are also hard to distinguish from each other - without the different typeface, they'd be interchangable (Barbara Kingsolver does a far better job juggling five voices in "The Poisonwood Bible"). But even beyond the way the story is told, the story itself is just so totally unbelieveable and ridden with coincidence and bizarre plot contrivances as to be ridiculous. And where was the editor -- is this a story that requires 648 pages? Hardly. This is nothing more than a romance novel dressed up and trying to pass itself off as literature, and it doesn't pass.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid book!
Review: This exceptional story carefully takes the reader through an emotional voyage! Buy the book, enjoy the story and anticipate Ms. Hague's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid book!
Review: This exceptional story carefully takes the ready through an emotional voyage! Buy the book, enjoy the story and anticipate Ms. Hague's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Captured my attention from page 1
Review: This is a big book, but every page is wonderful. Historically accurate events and verbiage.
Rating:
Summary: Two days of bliss.
Review: This is the fastest-moving big book or the biggest page turner I have ever read. I went through it like a brushfire (700+ pages, 2 days, time off for meals, etc.) It's not the typical lightweight beach gunk you'd rip through either. It's very rich, there's a lot happening but the most compelling thing is the palpable reality of the two main characters, who together "write" the book. The author seems to be a borderline schizophrenic. She's also drunk on the 19th century, and writes (esp. as Arabella) effortlessly in the idiom of the time. I think the rendering of the period is worthy of a time machine. It's obviously researched but the details just seep in -- nothing says "HISTORICAL BACKGROUND." A complex and fascinating book, and a great read.
Rating:
Summary: What a GREAT read!
Review: This novel is a lengthy drama of teenage life at it's worst (and finest, I suppose) in Victorian America and England. The format is all in letters; Arabella writes to her trusty journal friend, and Aubrey to his grandmother. Thrown into the mix is a few letters from friends. Without giving too much away, we are introduced to Arabella, a young woman who is of high society but sees the folly of many of her counterparts. She is also a young woman of her own will and liberty and she is therefore looked down upon by her family. And then we are swept to the good ol' South to house slave Aubrey. He is enslaved not only in the traditional sense, but by his intelligence and own mother. So the story unfolds, with a lot of background into these people. Then the inevitable happens: Arabella and Aubrey meet, and the tale continues with many twists and turns. This is a great novel, if not lengthy, and is easy to get into in many ways. The historical aspect seems intact and true to reality, and the characters are believable and multi-dimentional.
Rating: 
Summary: Drama, Victorian Style!
Review: This novel is a lengthy drama of teenage life at it's worst (and finest, I suppose) in Victorian America and England. The format is all in letters; Arabella writes to her trusty journal friend, and Aubrey to his grandmother. Thrown into the mix is a few letters from friends. Without giving too much away, we are introduced to Arabella, a young woman who is of high society but sees the folly of many of her counterparts. She is also a young woman of her own will and liberty and she is therefore looked down upon by her family. And then we are swept to the good ol' South to house slave Aubrey. He is enslaved not only in the traditional sense, but by his intelligence and own mother. So the story unfolds, with a lot of background into these people. Then the inevitable happens: Arabella and Aubrey meet, and the tale continues with many twists and turns. This is a great novel, if not lengthy, and is easy to get into in many ways. The historical aspect seems intact and true to reality, and the characters are believable and multi-dimentional.
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