Read my review at the link below:

http://notmytypee.blogspot.com/2011/01/lady-of-butterflies.html

I won my copy through First Reads. ( )

I listened to this as an audio-book, which had its good and bad points. Sheer narrative flow carried me over several of the lulls in the middle of the story, but I didn't realize until I read some earlier reviews that I missed some of the beautiful production values of the physical book. I also cannot recommend Josephine Bailey as a narrator. Her over-emoting (and she had plenty of opportunities to do so) often caught me in mid-quilting stitch as I paused to wonder--was she subtly making fun of the book and the listener, or was she really getting into it, or what?

Lady of the Butterflies is Fiona Mountain's first foray into historical fiction as opposed to romantic fiction and it shows. Good research, particularly as regards to the difference between Puritan and Royalist social customs mix with beyond-purple passages of sex and Eleanor's interior monologues on the men in her life.(cue Ms. Bailey's moans and groans) For too long a period of time she drops one narrative thread-Eleanor Glanville's scientific interests in butterflies, the draining of the fens- for her other main concern--Richard/John/Richard/John. {An aside: I lived in drained English fen-lands for some years so I found the enclosure theme more interesting than heaving bosoms, but I could see that other readers might be impatient with all the agricultural details} The book really stalls at the end, with a strangely pointless tour-around-England chase and a bit of a cop-out finish. Nevertheless, the author shows real promise in making the the era come alive, and Lady Eleanor's relationships with her father and the young entomologist James Petiver are described with real psychological depth. I'll be glad to pick up her next book to see what she's learned since writing this novel. ( )

On the ancient marshlands of Somerset - a place of mists and magic - a girl grows up in the shadow of the English Civil War, knowing that one day she will inherit the rich estate which belonged to her late mother. Her father, a stern but loving Puritan, once a distinguished soldier in Cromwell's army, fears for his daughter in the poisonous aftermath of the war, and for her vulnerability as an heiress. But above all he fears and misunderstands her scientific passion for butterflies. The girl is Eleanor Glanville, destined to become one of the most famous entomologists in history, bequeathing her name to the rare butterfly which she discovered, the Glanville Fritillary. But not before she had endured a life of quite extraordinary vicissitude. Two marriages and an all-consuming love, which proved her undoing, a deep friendship with one of the great scientists of the day and finally, a trial for lunacy (on the grounds that no sane person would pursue butterflies).

My Thoughts:

Firstly I loved this book because I love historical fiction. Secondly I loved this book because it is based on a real person Eleanor Glanville. It made a change for me to read about an important person who isn’t a king or queen.

Eleanor Glanville lead such an interesting life. Her first marriage to the very docile and pleasant Edmund ended suddenly and her second marriage to the very sexy but mysterious Richard Glanville wasn’t what she hoped for. Not only does hse have all the trials of marriage but she also has to fight against people who don’t understand her love of nature and her wanting to discover more, as this is normally a mans world.

How much of this story is true as I cannot find much about her on the internet but it didn’t matter as the book was a really good, interesting read. I couldn’t wait to turn the next page to see how things were going to develop. I did think that the love that was between Eleanor and Richard was very much like Cathy and Heathcliffe. They had a wild love for each other with Eleanor being very much like Cathy with a wildness to her.

Fiona Mountain is one of my favourite authors and I think she has done a very good job with this book and has bought Eleanor Glanville to life. ( )

Reviewed by April
Review copy provided by Berkley Trade
Historical Fiction beautifully brought to life through the eyes of a lovely and talented author, Fiona Mountain. Ms. Mountain takes the true life story, struggles and discoveries of Eleanor Glanville and brings forth an epic story that will mesmerize many, in Lady of the Butterflies.

To be honest, I did not even realize this was a true story based novel until the very end. That knowledge added an extra depth and appreciation to my perception of the story. I am always amazed and transfixed to read stories of how life once was and how horribly women were once thought as (perhaps not "horrible" but demeaning and unimportant, per-say). This life never ceases to amaze and appall me. Lady of the Butterflies takes place during the time frame of 1662 through 1700, a time when woman were taught to be submissive, take on no education and are owned by their husbands to do with what they please - this includes hitting, beating, etc. What is to happen when a young girl is full of curiosity, adventure and with a father who enables such traits by educating her and encouraging her? What is to happen when this girl's father dies by disease and is left with no one who understands how to care for such a child?

This is the life and story of Eleanor Glanville who has always had a deep love and curiosity of life around her. She is a courageous, brilliant and wonderful character who I could not help but fall instantly in love with. Her appreciation of life and the natural God-given gifts provided by nature is lovely and wonderful. I loved her fixation with the butterflies and her unselfishness. I also loved learning about the discovery and usefulness of herbs and the area of apothecary. Lady of the Butterflies was not only an entertaining and emotionally charged story, it was truly interesting and educational.

Lady of the Butterflies is one of those books that tears me. Why? It was extremely well written, engrossing and informative; however, on the flip side, the story was rather long and dragged on at times. Perhaps that is just my perception, but for whatever it is worth, that is my thought. This is a story that goes beyond a historical fictional novel and leans more toward an epic story. The writing is incredibly beautiful, thought-provoking and poetic. While parts did run rather descriptively long, the overall appeal of the story was great. For lovers of historical fiction, I recommend Lady of the Butterflies. Be aware that this is not an overly light read, but one that will satisfy and perhaps even pique an interest to delve further into Eleanor's life and history, her children and husbands, and the true life of other characters within the story. I know that I am anxious to do some research of my own now. I also greatly look forward to reading more works by Fiona Mountain!

Favorite Quote: "In part, no doubt. But as far back as the ancient Greeks, it has been believed that butterflies represent the souls of the dead. They are a token, Eleanor, a promise. A caterpillar begins as a greedy worm, which surely represents the baseness of our life on earth. Then they are entombed, just as we are entombed in the grave. They emerge on glorious wings, just as the bodies of the dead will rise at the sound of the last trumpet on the final Judgment Day. God put butterflies on this earth to remind us of paradise, of His promise of eternal life. To give us hope." ( )

I listened to this as an audio-book, which had its good and bad points. Sheer narrative flow carried me over several of the lulls in the middle of the story, but I didn't realize until I read some earlier reviews that I missed some of the beautiful production values of the physical book. I also cannot recommend Josephine Bailey as a narrator. Her over-emoting (and she had plenty of opportunities to do so) often caught me in mid-quilting stitch as I paused to wonder--was she subtly making fun of the book and the listener, or was she really getting into it, or what?Lady of the Butterflies is Fiona Mountain's first foray into historical fiction as opposed to romantic fiction and it shows. Good research, particularly as regards to the difference between Puritan and Royalist social customs mix with beyond-purple passages of sex and Eleanor's interior monologues on the men in her life.(cue Ms. Bailey's moans and groans) For too long a period of time she drops one narrative thread-Eleanor Glanville's scientific interests in butterflies, the draining of the fens- for her other main concern--Richard/John/Richard/John. {An aside: I lived in drained English fen-lands for some years so I found the enclosure theme more interesting than heaving bosoms, but I could see that other readers might be impatient with all the agricultural details} The book really stalls at the end, with a strangely pointless tour-around-England chase and a bit of a cop-out finish. Nevertheless, the author shows real promise in making the the era come alive, and Lady Eleanor's relationships with her father and the young entomologist James Petiver are described with real psychological depth. I'll be glad to pick up her next book to see what she's learned since writing this novel. ( )