Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal – review

from the author’s website:

Shades of Milk and Honey is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a version of Regency England where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. But despite the prevalence of magic in everyday life, other aspects of Dorchester’s society are not that different: Jane and her sister Melody’s lives still revolve around vying for the attentions of eligible men.

Jane resists this fate, and rightly so: while her skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face, and therefore wins the lion’s share of the attention. At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Jane has resigned herself to being invisible forever. But when her family’s honor is threatened, she finds that she must push her skills to the limit in order to set things right–and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

This debut novel from an award-winning talent scratches a literary itch you never knew you had. Like wandering onto a secret picnic attended by Pride and Prejudice and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Shades of Milk and Honey is precisely the sort of tale we would expect from Jane Austen…if she had lived in a world where magic worked.

Shades of Milk and Honey is not an action-packed novel, nor is its plot based around numerous startling events. It is foremost a story about relationships–more specifically, relationships as viewed by the main character, Jane Ellsworth. It is a look at a certain moment of her life and how she interacts with the people around her. Comparisons made to the style of Jane Austen are not awry. Through the first few chapters, I was reminded of the relationships and expectations in Sense and Sensibility–more specifically, the sisters, their differences, and the concern for their futures.

This type of story may not be for all tastes, but I found it incredibly enjoyable, particularly because of the writing. Kowal’s prose was clear and straightforward. She did not try to antiquate it heavily, yet, at the same time, she did manage to retain the flavor of the period. Her descriptions were lovely but not overwrought, and the narrative kept a steady pace. I was never bored and found myself continually turning page after page. After four hours, I discovered that I was almost finished, and, of course, at that point I simply couldn’t stop. I became engrossed in Jane Ellsworth’s life, feeling her feelings and understanding her struggles and desires.

I like that the author didn’t shy away from the topics of jealousy, suppressed desire, self-consciousness, and low self-esteem. Every woman feels these things. From Jane’s point of view, they’re magnified (as I expect they are for most people). She notices all of her own faults while attributing very few to others. She feels herself to be unattractive, a feeling which is only reinforced by her sister Melody’s captivating beauty and by the rude comments of a few less considerate people. She compares herself to Melody at every turn, and she steps back from what she wants because she would rather not compete with her sister (or because she believes she cannot compete). She is talented, but she does not recognize herself as such. She merely enjoys creating and does not expect other people to attribute worth to her skills or to her.

Yet–and this is where I find the relationships in the story to be well sketched–her sister is just as envious of her. Melody may have the beauty, but she feels inferior to Jane because she is not accomplished in the arts. Jane is excellent at music, painting, and glamour. Melody is not. She feels herself to be merely a pretty face, and she is jealous of Jane’s skills. Jane, naturally, cannot fathom Melody’s unhappiness, even after it is admitted. How could someone so attractive be jealous of her?

These, to me, are real sisters. Every month, it seems, my own sister and I have conversations where we compare ourselves to each other. I dare say anyone with a sibling has felt this form of jealousy, however misplaced, or however much they care for one another.

But for all her insecurities, I did not find Jane to be a weak character. She has an immense strength which is present throughout the entirety of the story. Even in her interactions with Mr. Dunkirk, whom she secretly admires, she does not become a starry-eyed mess. Of all the women in the story, she is the most practical and the most put together. I found her admirable and not at all disappointing as a female lead.

Similarly, the portrayals of the men were well handled. I did not find them especially overbearing. I loved Jane’s father and his level-headedness. I enjoyed Mr. Dunkirk through most of the story, and the only man who particularly received my dislike was the sort of person who would deserve it regardless of gender. In the matter of male-female relationships, I was pleased that the ultimate message was not actually about marriage or settling down, but rather about finding someone who complements and inspires you–an equal who holds you in high regard. This is a relationship message that I can happily live with.

As for Kowal’s magical glamour, I was quite intrigued by the concept. In general, this skill is learned by ladies as part of the “womanly arts,” though, as evidenced by Mr. Vincent’s character, anyone can have an aptitude for it. What I most appreciated was that the creation of glamour came with a physical price. It was taxing and could not be used indiscriminately. But I also enjoying reading about how it was used. Glamour is part art and part set piece. It is used to make a home more comfortable, to awe, to embellish, and to create performances. Extensive and beautifully created glamour in a home can be an indication of wealth. In the setting of the novel, I found this magic system to be natural and subtle, not at all overrunning any aspect of the story but, instead, acting as a solid part of it. It is particularly important to Jane, whose skills progress over the course of the story.

As for issues I had, there were only two. First, the cover blurb for the novel may give a false impression. It mentions the honor of Jane’s family being threatened, and her need to push her powers to the limit to stop that from happening. This makes it sound as though it’s a really big deal that is, perhaps, a major part of the story early on. I’ll immediately point out that this isn’t the case. If you’re expecting a big, earth-shaking event that throws the entire Ellsworth family into peril, don’t. It’s not quite that dire, and the event that the blurb hints at comes later in the story than you might expect.

My only other minor issue was merely a failure to suspend disbelief at Jane’s inability to determine the identity of Melody’s young man. There are precious few male characters who could be Melody’s unnamed beau, and once you’ve eliminated two of the major contenders, that really only leaves the obvious. I suppose, from Jane’s point of view (since she doesn’t have the benefit of a character list), it is possible not to guess his identity. However, if the reader doesn’t guess it rather quickly, I’d expect that he or she has been sleeping through most of the story.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Shades of Milk and Honey. The story was engaging and easy to read, the use of magic was enjoyable and entertaining, and for someone who’s a bit of a romantic (even a closet romantic, like myself), the ending will leave you with a generally pleasant feeling.