The Alchemy of Emma M. Lion

With very few exceptions, I don’t tend to like books written as letters or journals. So when people began raving about the Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower over the past year I did not consider reading them because of the format. Then, a friend who has very a similar taste in books as me posted on Instagram about how much she enjoyed them so I decided to give it a try. I checked the first book out of the library and it sat until I had to return it. I checked it out again and flipped through it and it didn’t really seem to appeal to me. Finally, this summer I got it on my Kindle and for whatever reason that format worked for me. I started reading.

It’s a bit disorienting at first. You’re dropped into a journal with no explanations at first. Why is Emma living in an attic? Where are her parents and what happened to them? Who is this unhinged Cousin Archibald? Why do items disappear in St. Crispians? Is this novel magical realism?

Slowly, you start to find your footing and realize that the unveiling is what makes it fun. That and Emma’s fantastic humor and sidebar comments. I rarely laugh out loud when reading—granted I don’t usually read very funny material—but I just can’t help laughing so much sometimes over the scrapes Emma gets herself into. And all the literary references! The verbal sparring that reminds of Jane Austen! And the eccentrically dear (Agnes) and not-so dear characters (Aunt Eugenia).

The best word for these books is whimsical. They somehow manage to sound appropriate to the period of the 1880s while also having a dash of whimsy that is definitely more modern and magical and somehow it works perfectly. As they go on they keep the whimsy but also get more deep, more mysterious, and more heartfelt as you go. By the time you are in Vol. 8 you realize these characters have all experienced a lot of loss, and maybe that’s why their friendship has such alchemy.

If you have not tried this series yet, get thee to the library, or download it on your Kindle, or listen to them on audio. My teen daughter and I have both read them and it’s been such a fun mother/daughter thing to bond over. And the audiobooks just came out this year they are beautifully done.

Can’t wail for Vol. 9 and until then, I’m going to try Beth Brower’s backlist. The Q is on my TBR and my daughter is already in the middle of The Queen’s Gambit.