Published by History Through Fiction, Independent Book Publishers Association, Members’ Titles Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: ARC, Audiobook, eBook
Jillian Forsberg grabbed my attention with her first book, The Rhino Keeper, and she wowed me once again with her wonderfully written, intriguing characters, intricate plots, attention to detail, and vivid descriptions. I had both the book and audiobook versions of The Porcelain Menagerie and I highly recommend both. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Caroline Hewit.
The Porcelain Menagerie is told in two timelines and is gripping, thought provoking, and interesting. This work of historical fiction is based on real life king, Augustus II the Strong who was the King of Poland. It was obvious that the author did a tremendous amount of research in the writing of this book. Her eye for detail is obvious and made this book even more fascinating.
This book has many characters ranging from Fatima,aTurkish handmaiden, who has been taken from her family to replace one of King Augustus’s mistresses. She has a love of animals and has a collection of exotic animals who bring her happiness as she navigates her new life at court. There is Johann Kändler, an artist who the King wants/demands to make him a porcelain menagerie.
The two timelines make up this story that highlight power, art, survival, love, lust, and porcelain. Readers should note that there are some things in this book which will be hard to read. The norms and practices of past times was not always pretty. For instance, “fox tossing” is what you imagine it might be. If you want to skip that part, don’t read Chapter 30. The author was very honest and open about that being a difficult chapter to read and let readers know it can be skipped to avoid some upsetting scenes. Plus, women did not have the rights that they have today and were viewed as property.
In short, I found this book to be wonderfully written, well thought out, gripping, and thought provoking. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, the plot, and how this book had me turning to the internet to find out more. I love when a book causes me to feel, think, and educates me.
Thank you to History Through Fiction | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Audiobooks and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
