"They say I'm mad and perhaps it's true. It is well known that lust brings madness and desperation and ruin. But upon my oath, I never meant any harm. All I wanted was to be happy, to love and to be loved in return, and for my life to count for something. That is not madness, is it?" So begins the story of Eleanor Glanville, the beautiful daughter of a seventeenth-century Puritan nobleman whose unconventional passions scandalized society. When butterflies were believed to be the souls of the dead, Eleanor's scientific study of them made her little better than a witch. But her life-set against a backdrop of war, betrayal, and sexual obsession-was that of a woman far ahead of her time.

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NOTE TO ANIMAL LOVERS: Be aware, near the end of this novel, there is a scene where kittens are murdered. 

 

Spanning late 17th century - early 18th century, Lady of the Butterflies is a novelization of the life of entomologist Lady Eleanor Glanville. Though she had an interest in studying the natural sciences in general, her specialty was in butterflies. A woman making a career in the sciences was virtually unheard of in Glanville's time, a fact that serves as a driving plot point in the novel --- Glanville trying to push beyond societal limitations for women.

 

 

I remember what Mary Burges said about people being afraid and aggressive toward what they did not understand, and I had a sense then that I might make life very difficult for myself if I did not curb this passion I had for discovery and observation. And yet I did not want to curb it, did not think it was even possible. Nor, in truth, did I see why I should.

 

Eleanor has a very strict Puritanical upbringing. Though her father is a successful businessman / landowner, his religious beliefs allow for no excess in the home. He even goes so far as to ban Christmas celebrations. But he does allow Eleanor a level of education typically reserved for boys (botany, geography, astronomy, etc). However, when her interests veer toward the subject of butterflies, Eleanor does raise the hackles on some people in her circle, as there was a 17th century belief that butterflies carried the souls of the dead, and that the process of metamorphosis was equal to shapeshifting which equated to satanic to many of this superstitious era, so having such a degree of fascination in them read as almost occult-ish to many.

 

Eleanor first hears of Richard Glanville, her future love, at the young age of eleven. Her father seems to detest even the name of Glanville being brought up in conversation, claiming that the man was living a life just seeped in debauchery: "I know of his family, I know the type." Even at her age at this time, Eleanor already realizes that it's unlikely she will ever be the docile, delicate lady type, so the sordid tales of Richard Glanville certainly stir her curiosity!

 

After the death of Eleanor's father, a Mr. Merrick comes to Eleanor and explains that he is to be the executor of the family estate in general, but mainly the overseer of the family home, Tickenham Court, until she becomes of age. It's encouraged that she seek a husband. She eventually settles on longtime friend Edmund Ashfield. While for the most part it seems like a good match, she does struggle with some of the structural elements of marriage and later motherhood, namely the law of coverture, in which any land or other possessions a woman might inherit is immediately relinquished to her husband upon marriage (a woman was allowed to keep her property if she remained single).

 

"You will continue these absurd studies no more. From now on you will receive instruction only in dancing and music and drawing and housewifery, like a proper young lady...Your father made the gravest mistake teaching you to take an interest in masculine concerns. The weaker sex may have fruitful wombs but they've barren brains. Learning makes them impertinent and vain and cunning as foxes. I fear I shall never get you off my hands, even if you do come with a fine manor and a good income. I caution you to mind your tongue when you meet Mr. Ashfield again... no man wants to marry an educated girl."

 

 ~~ So says Mr. Merrick *eyeroll*

 

 

 

Eleanor does honestly care for Edmund, but she also has deep emotional ties to her ancestral lands, so she's always fearful of what he might decide to do to the property without consulting her. This is another big point in the plot, the discussion of ecology: Tickenham Court sits on marshland that is home to swallowtail butterflies, an important area of study for Eleanor, but not so much for the men in her life looking for business (building) opportunities on the property. They are more concerned with moving forward on a proposed drainage project. But the project suffers delays as a mystery person keeps leaving messages of terrorism and sabotage --- livestock being butchered and left out to be found, property destroyed, barns set afire, even eels placed in beds! Incorporated into this darker portion of the story is Thomas Knight, a bully from Eleanor's childhood who doesn't mature into anything nicer as an adult. But is he the one to blame for these attacks on Tickenham Court? Either way, there are complicated ties between him and Eleanor (beyond the story of bullying) that wait til the last part of the book to be fully revealed.

 

Eleanor's story covers the various stages of a woman's life -- girlhood, romantic infatuations, marriage, motherhood. Through it all, whenever there are times of strife, she uses the study of butterflies to center herself and feed her spirit.... an important reminder for all readers: the value of self care! It's also important in that Eleanor struggles to stay on that line between self doubt and self assurance. Sometimes she listens to those around her and tries to be content with a simple home life as a subservient wife, but other days her inner voice screams NO! IT'S NOT ENOUGH! She knows she has research of great value to contribute to the world of science and her gender should not matter one whit! One person in her corner, though: her lady's maid, Bess. Bess adorably considers herself "worldly" in various life matters (particularly sex) and often encourages Eleanor to never accept disappointment or the idea of having to settle as the norm. Much of Eleanor's fiery nature seems to be stirred by the strain of having to constantly push against feckless men who will either not fight for her or those who would do anything possible to remind her of her place. 

 

Years later, opportunity to pursue her dreams presents itself in the form of a growing friendship (largely through correspondence) with apothecary / herbologist James Petiver, who also collected and studied butterfly specimens. This friendship and later work partnership would become the basis for the start of the British Natural History Museum. 

 

From Fiona Mountain's "Historical Note" Afterword:

 

"During the course of my writing this novel, Britain was hit by repeated and devastating floods, caused in part, according to leading environmentalists, by the loss of wetland floodplains. In 2007, the study of butterflies was formally accepted by the government as an important environmental barometer."

 

Fiona Mountain does a fine job offering readers an immersive historical fiction reading experience! Many reviewers have knocked this for being more along the lines of historical romance than historical fiction. Yes, this fictionalized Eleanor liked her men. Yes, there are plenty of scenes focusing on flirtations and build up to anticipated sex (and yes, the sex itself). But this one also runs deeper than that. We also get discussions on the science world, feminism, gender roles, societal expectations. We get solid world building that keeps the pages of this doorstopper moving, and dialogue that's witty and even breathtaking at times. As someone who reads plenty of both genres, I would put my vote in the historical fiction hat. It's not like we have a mountain of information to pull from on the real Eleanor Glanville -- there's actually quite a bit of mystery as to how the life story of the real Eleanor ended -- so a little creative license is to be expected. There's a bit of heartbreak at the end, of Fiona Mountain's imagining, that left me feeling a little guilty for some of my reader emotions! 

 

 

108. LADY OF THE BUTTERFLIES, BY FIONA MOUNTAIN

Couldn’t finish it. And I tried, by God, did I try. Had to give up about 50% in; by then I was already mourning the time I had wasted on it. It’s not a horrible book: there are many problems, but, mostly, it just wasn’t my thing. My review will be based solely on what I did read (obviously).

First, the good part: it is very well researched. She paints a beautiful picture of the time and place. Her style of writing is very poetic and the language is beautiful. Romance isn’t really my thing (actually, that’s not true, I love romance; but I’ve come to learn that I like, specifically, adult literary romance, and every other kind falls pitifully short in my eyes) and I absolutely abhor love triangles -- they’re boring, childish, unnecessary, objectifying, and one of the laziest plot devices an author can use. That having been said, the setting and the limitations imposed on the characters justify the love triangle’s existence, and I have to give her some points for that. (Still didn’t enjoy reading it, though.)

Now, the bad part. I thought this was going to be Historical Fiction... I knew there was romance, but I didn’t know it was the main part. I thought the book would focus on Eleanor’s life and achievements, I wasn’t prepared for the amount of pining and swooning. Plus, I said it in the last paragraph, but it bears repeating: I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES. This, however, can be filed under “my own personal preferences”, and it isn’t really a problem of the book.

This is, though: the book is boring. There is no suspense at all, nothing that makes you want to keep on reading. After the first three chapters, I actually had to read the best and most positive reviews this book had, just as an incentive to try and finish it. As far as I read, the only source of conflict is the romance, and it takes Eleanor more than 100 pages to start romancing her first beau. Another 150 until she meets the other one. And even when it does start, it’s stilted and awkward, completely disconnected from the rest of the chapters -- even the sex scenes are awkward and off-putting (and a bit confusing, too, it felt like she wasn’t sure if she was writing historical fiction or a Harlequin romance).

There is way too much exposition. Endless descriptions of everything. A lot of “telling instead of showing” and “as you know, Bob”. I had to fight to keep my eyes open; after a while, even looking at the cover was enough to make me sleepy.

Even the romance itself was badly done. The characters have no chemistry at all and the attraction between them is simply unbelievable. Eleanor falls madly in love with the first man of her own age and social class she meets; she starts having doubts as soon as she meets another. Richard and Edmund are two-dimensional polar opposites that only exist for Eleanor to pine over. (Eleanor herself is a much more developed character, even if, at the beginning, I had to use a lot of my will power not to throw the book out of the window every time I read “she was not like other girls” *groans* and “she didn’t think she was beautiful, she was petite instead of voluptuous and tan instead of pasty” *gags*.)

In the end, I was very disappointed. The story I wanted to read was the one in the blurb: an entomologist, a scientist, trapped by the constrictions of her time. That was not what I was given. Not even the expectation of the protagonist being accused of witchcraft could keep me going.

Up next: Being Light, by Helen Smith

I never knew that...

That is the way I should always start a review of a novel about a character I have only ever come across as a supporting actor in other stories. I knew nothing about Henriette Marie before reading this but I am certainly interested in learning more now. She is an interesting, if not particularly likeable, character who played an enormous part in English history, if this book is to be believed.
Fiona Mountain's take on the lives of Henriette Marie and her husband Charles I is interesting with good character development although Charles comes across as weak and Henrietta as headstrong but rather vacant: neither of which does much to endear them to the reader although they both have their redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, the graphic sex scenes have dragged this book down from being a solid historical novel to something rather trashy in places, that should have had Harlequin or Mills and Boon stamped on the cover. I'm no prude but sometimes less is more.

bookshelves: one-penny-wonder, paper-read, currently-reading, winter-20132014, published-1999, tbr-busting-2014, somerset, civil-war-english, britain-england, sciences, historical-fiction, under-1000-ratings, plague-disease, floods, zoology, lifestyles-deathstyles, philosophy, politics, restoration, religion, love, cover-love

Dedication: For Tim, Daniel, Gabriel and Kezia.
Also in memory of my mother, Muriel Swinburn

Opening quotes from Sir Francis Bacon and John Ray

From the description: On the ancient marshlands of Somerset -- a place of mists and magic -- a girl grows up in the shadow of the English Civil War, knowing that one day she will inherit the rich estate which belonged to her late mother. Her father, a stern but loving Puritan, once a distinguished soldier in Cromwell's army, fears for his daughter in the poisonous aftermath of the war, and for her vulnerability as an heiress. But above all he fears and misunderstands her scientific passion for butterflies. Eleanor Glanville was in fact destined to become one of the most famous entomologists in history, bequeathing her name to the rare butterfly which she discovered, the Glanville Fritillary. But not before she had endured a life of quite extraordinary vicissitude. Two marriages and an all-consuming love, which proved her undoing, a deep friendship with one of the great scientists of the day and finally, a trial for lunacy (on the grounds that no sane person would pursue butterflies) are all played out against the violent events of the Monmouth Rebellion and the vicious controversy over whether or not to drain the Somerset marshes. Now, if you drive down the M5, you will cross Kings Sedgemoor Drain -- one of the first great ditches which reclaimed the land for farming and destroyed the precious habitat of the Glanville Fritillary.


Glanville Fritillary is what I know as Meadow Butterfly.

Discarded from Tower Hamlets Libraries

Prologue opening: November 1695: They say I am mad and perhaps it's true.

(view spoiler)[Oh dear, the wearisome has blurbed on the front cover 'One of the best historical novels I have read in ages' - let's hope this Alison Weir endorsement is not the kiss of death! (hide spoiler)]

Part I opens up in the year 1662; Christmas Day in a Puritan household and it is a tough day for a nine year old girl who has to fast and not join in the fun.

Charles II is on the throne: 'We had a merry King on the throne of England now, a King who had thrown open the doors of the theatres again and restored the maypoles, much to father's disgust.

Tickenham is a wealthy village and civil parish near Clevedon and Nailsea, North Somerset, England. Looking SW at Tickenham Court with the church tower of St Quiricus & St Juliet in the background. The buildings are now a farm but parts date from the 14th Century

Eleanor Glanville is the daughter of Major William Goodricke 'of the Parliamentarian army, Cromwell's formidable warrior.' (page 14) Her mother and sister are dead.

Book Trailer

A major part of this story is about reclaiming land, the Somerset Levels, and today 28.1.2014, the talk is of the flooding there and the impact of rising temeratures and increased rains upon those very marshes.

David Cameron - Somerset Levels

(page 74) The lone mound of Cadbury Camp floated above the greyness like a galleon, the only easily distinguishable natural feaure for miles.

This was a comfortable ramble for 400 pages; a book that I could pick up, place down and not lose a ha'p'worth of interest... and then came the action.

I had to sit up, back straight, be alert to take in what I was reading. Fan Me Fast!

Both comfy then exciting modes hit at the right times, which makes for a very enjoyable conclusion.

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2 1/2 stars-
I hate it when I have a love-hate relationship with a book. It makes deciding to keep reading or dump difficult. It also makes rating difficult. I’m going with 3 stars, but my real rating is like 2 ½ stars . I usually round up if I think a book is worth checking out and even though I found some parts of this book irritating I do think it is worth looking into.

The beginning parts were interesting. Eleanor’s relationship with her father was rather fascinating to me. While he was a strict Puritan, he was also open-minded to new ideas and seemed to indulge Eleanor when it came to her education. You would think this would make him likeable, but he was also a complete jerk sometimes. It made him a well rounded character.

Eleanor, however…I don’t know. I liked her sometimes, but other times I just wanted throttle to her. She was just so darn naïve. While, I realize her personality was mostly due to her strict Puritan upbringing and lack of experience as she grew her naivety didn’t go away. Her constant mooning over Edward and then Richard just about did me in. Those are the parts where this book read more like a sappy romance and less as a historical fiction. And this led to weird pacing in the book. The parts that shined were the beautiful scenery descriptions, talk of the political times and Eleanor’s butterfly discoveries, but I felt like I had to wade through all the romance drama to get to those good parts. By the end of the book the only character I really liked was James Petiver, the apothecary who introduced Eleanor to entomology.

While it seems the ending stayed true to life, I had a hard time understanding Eleanor and Richard’s convoluted marriage. I also didn’t understand Eleanor’s decision at the end. This is a woman who chased down her husband for days looking for her son and then all of a sudden she decides she needs freedom. It didn’t make sense to me. Had she come to the realization that she couldn’t fight society and win anymore I would’ve understood, but to just forgive and leave it all was beyond my comprehension.

Anyway, by this review it may seem like I didn’t like this book, but for the most part it was likeable. The scientific sections of the book were fascinating. I haven’t read much HF having to do with Puritan beliefs or the politics of this time nor had I even heard of Eleanor and her contributions to science. This book was educational on that front and it led me to google more about her, so it does earn some kudos.