THE EDUCATION OF MRS. BRIMLEY

Author: Donna MacMeans ISBN: 0425218309 10/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: BERKLEY
Time Period: 1876 - Yorkshire, England

Emma Brimley made one small fib in her application to the Pettibone School for Young Ladies: she claimed to be a widow. But when she arrives in Yorkshire, she is dismayed to learn that she's expected to prepare her students for the intimacies of marriage—of which she knows nothing! Her only hope of maintaining her place lies with the alluring Lord Nicholas Chambers, a neighboring artist whose behavior is scarcely consistent with that of a gentleman. True to his reputation, "Lord Bedchambers" offers Emma a scandalous bargain: he will answer her questions about anatomy and bedroom etiquette, if she will pose for him.in the Grecian fashion. Though keenly aware of the dangers of such a scenario, Emma determines to best this noble roué-never thinking she may be risking her heart as well.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Though at times I struggle with the far-fetched ideas present in the plot of THE EDUCATION OF MRS. BRIMLEY—mainly the part involving a school for young ladies that offers a scandalous class to teach the mechanics of the marriage bed—I have decided to overlook that, because I honestly enjoy the characters, the humor, and mostly the way my chest sometimes hurts when I read the heroine's reaction to her hero, enough to do so. However, I would feel remiss in my reviewing if I did not mention what I think is overdone to you.

As I still enjoy this one immensely, I do not want to put too much emphasis on what I admit, is a relatively easy plot to figure out and dialogue that, at times, is so over-the-top that I roll my eyes during certain passages. But, as I said before, it is nonetheless engaging and well written despite some of that silliness, and ties up rather nicely in the end. But more than that, Donna MacMeans has a knack for emotional writing. I believe that could prove to be her strong suit—dreaming up characters that make you feel their emotion through the pages. That alone makes THE EDUCATION OF MRS. BRIMLEY worth reading.

Shannon Johnson