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  • Today, "Sous les étoiles de Bloomstone Manor" by Mary Orchard published on February 1, 2023 by Casterman Editions.

Anne-So "Echos de Mots", blogger, bookstagramer and contributor to the reading group 20 Minutes Books, recommends "Sous les étoiles de Bloomstone Manor" by Mary Orchard, published on February 1, 2023 by Casterman Editions.

His favorite quote:

For me, it is also that, physics, these moments stolen from my obligations as a wise and devoted young girl. I myself am only in two places: in the middle of books and under the night sky, dreaming of touching the stars.

Why this book?

  • Because Under the Stars of Bloomstone Manor is a real gem for all young adult lovers fond of stories set in Victorian England. More specifically, we discover Agathe Langley and her companions at the very end of the Victorian era and a delicious scent of female emancipation slowly begins to tickle the nostrils of the less conservative, much to the chagrin of some organizations such as the Royal Society.
  • Because Agathe Langley is a 19-year-old woman living in Suffolk. She has little in common with her peers whose main interests seem very futile to our heroine who does not care about household chores, sewing, fashion and marriage, much to the despair of her parents. At the center of the concerns of the latter: the propriety and the opinion of good society. Also, they do not understand and accept with difficulty their daughter who does not know how to hold her tongue and who is passionate about physics and more particularly astrophysics.
  • Because in early autumn and to the great pride of Agathe's father, the Langley family is invited to tea at the home of Lord Nathanael Stone, a former Cambridge professor and one of the richest in the region. The man is an eccentric ahead of his time and lives with his cousin Adrian, a taciturn, dreamy and contemplative young man. During dinner, Agatha cannot hold back and shares her passion for physics, which will pique the Lord's curiosity as much as it will annoy his parents.
  • Because after this dinner, the Langleys will be invited back to Stone's house and, very quickly, Agathe will join the circle of the eccentric single living on the margins of her time even if it could greatly damage her reputation. At home, she will have the happiness of being able to be herself, to escape many of society's shackles and, above all, she will be able to throw herself headlong into a crazy project: to participate in the scientific competition organized by the Royal Society while hiding from them that she is a woman.
  • Because Under the Stars of Bloomstone Manor is a little wonder. The novel overflows with intelligence thanks to its heroine passionate about astrophysics and her mentor with whom she will have exciting exchanges. Romance is of course far from being put aside and Agathe will soon be intrigued by Adrian and his immoderate love for literature and poetry. A fragrance of feminism, knowledge, love and emancipation floats in the air and Mary Orchard's pen, of great accuracy, transports us to an erudite England full of promise.

The essentials in 2 minutes

The plot. Agathe Langley is 19 years old and suffocates in a daily life that bores and frustrates her. Passionate about astrophysics, her life will change the day Lord Stone invites her to spend a few days at his home and convinces her to participate in a scientific competition organized by the Royal Society.

The characters. Agathe is an intelligent and stubborn young woman. Adrian is a sweet and dreamy young man. Stone is a brilliant and innovative eccentric.

Places. The story takes place in England and more specifically in Suffolk.

The time. The novel begins in the autumn of 1898.

The author. Mary Orchard is a French author living near Toulouse. She signs her very first novel with Under the stars of Bloomstone Manor... And what a novel! A feather made in France to follow carefully!

This book was read with pleasure by Anne-So Echos de Mots, blogger specializing in children's and teenage literature. "For me, reading can be as much a personal pleasure in which one runs to take refuge as an excuse to exchange and meet other readers. I am a lover of words always interested in new discoveries. »

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