The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Summer 2024 Group Read A Curious Beginning in the category Fiction: Victorian. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

Enjoyed reading this one. The main character has a lot of spunk and a unique point of view.

I haven't read much about this time period either fiction or nonfiction, so I'm afraid I accepted most of the background the author presented as truth or what life might have been during the late nineteenth Century. As are many books with female protagonists Veronica is strong and capable of holding her own against her male counterparts so easy to rout for. It was a nice change from many books now being published to not have several side plots with fantasy component.

I've read many books in Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Grave series and her most recent Killers of a Certain Age. I have wanted for a long time to start the Veronica Speedwell series. Thanks to whomever nominated this book. It was a clever historical mystery with a smart, female protagonist. I enjoyed this book immensely and will continue on with the series.

I loved this book, recommended to me by a friend when I said I was looking for something fun, but not cheesy. I am not sure anyone else nominated this book, I know I did even though I am already well into the series. I wanted to share it with people-and so glad it is getting a good response. I love the banter between Veronica and Stoker.

This is not a genre I would have normally picked up but I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. As others have commented, the banter between Veronica and Stoker kept me intrigued and I really did enjoy her feistiness. I'm curious about the next book in the series and may try to pick it up to see what other troubles Veronica can get into.

I swear I posted to this thread, but it's gone missing! Sigh. Or I posted it to some other thread entirely....

Going against popular opinion, I didn't particularly enjoy the snarky banter between Veronica and Stoker - I thought it was pretty annoying, actually. It did ease up, somewhat, toward the end to my great relief.

I like Deanna Raybourn's writing and truly did enjoy this plot. I'm curious to see where things go from here, so I'm probably pick up the next book at some point, but I'm in no real hurry.

I found this book entertaining and intriguing for the most part. I found some of the banter a bit tiresome as well, but the backdrop, pacing, and plot all kept me hooked. I think I'll give the next book in the series a try. I tend to agree with another GR reviewer who said that Veronica seems more like a caricature than an actual character. I do feel like I've read female main characters just like her in other series which are set in the same time/place. They all could be interchangeable between series. Maybe Veronica will be developed more in subsequent books. I rated this 3 stars, as it's overall a good quality read.

I really like historical mysteries and detective duos, for instance Wrexford and Sloane in the series that begins with Murder on Black Swan Lane. But somehow this pair didn't grab me. I didn't feel like either character was real. I did like the Victorian setting, and it's not bad, just not compelling to me, so I gave it 3 stars.

I rated this 3 stars. Not outstanding but I thought it was a unique take on a women for that time. I didn't mind the banter between the two but I would have liked for Stoker's character to be a bit more developed.

This is the first time I have ever read a group read during a challenge. I found this one actually really entertaining. I like mysteries, I like the Victorian age, I wish I had found this series sooner. I found Veronica to be quite clever, both in spirit and smarts. I also really enjoyed the introduction of Stoker. I can only hope he is a supporting character through more of the series. I enjoyed that not everything was quite as it seemed and was intrigued all the way to end.

I found this entertaining enough, with a satisfying ending that you can either leave there or pick up the next.
I'm not sure I'll be diving into the next with any urgency, but would pick one up if it was in front of me

I found this book incredibly entertaining! The banter between Veronica and Stoker was really fun and I felt like they played off each other so well. I was enthralled in their story and will be reading more in this series - I was surprised at how many works there are out there already! This is not a book I would have picked up, so I'm very thankful that it was one of the group reads.

Off to see how book 2 can fulfill another challenge :)

I enjoyed this first volume in the Veronica Speedwell series. I had previously read a later volume in the series as an ARC and decided to begin "at the beginning". I'll be continuing the series.

Veronica is a "modern" lady, especially for 1887. She travels the world collecting and selling exotic butterflies. After her aunt dies, Veronica discovers her life might be in danger. And so this adventure begins. Stoker is another scientist that marches to the beat of his own drum. The two of them are thrown together and on the run. The witty banter, the developing friendship, and the gradually revealed reasons for Veronica's troubles combine to make a fun read.

Angèle Masters does a fine job narrating the audiobook, too.

I rated this 3 stars. Before I started this book I had just finished a mystery series set around the same time period. I think that one affected my view on this one. I felt it started slow. I didn't really like Veronica and Stoker at first. The banter was too much and forced. The story however did pick up toward the end. I did pick up the second in the series from the library and I hope the series continues to get better.

I enjoyed this - it was fun, and I enjoyed the character of Veronica. She was in many ways a stereotypical "strong female character" but with enough quirks to keep me engaged - and I ended up liking Stoker quite a bit too! The plot twist about why she was in danger did catch me by surprise. In all, I would certainly read book 2 in the series, but not sure I'll be bumping it to the top of my list!

This was a fun read. A friend of mine recommended this one to me a few years ago, and I bought it for my Kindle but never got around to reading it, so I'm glad I finally did. I liked Veronica's strength and confidence. It does feel a bit like the author took all of the Strong Female Character traits and wrapped them up into one person. But, it works, especially foiled by Stoker's grumpiness. I also like that this book doesn't dissolve into romance between the two like so many books with this setup (hate-to-love) do. Veronica is strong enough that romance is a bonus, not something she needs to help define who she is.

I definitely think I'll continue on with this series eventually. I need to see what else these two get up to!

I am glad to see that a lot of you are enjoying it. I am currently reading book #4, and still have not lost my love for Veronica and Stoker.

I didn't particularly enjoy it. I just didn't find Veronica all that believable in that she would just randomly trust and head off with anyone in the name of "adventure". Her comebacks always felt repetitive and it took way to long for her to believe anything happening was, in fact, about her.
I do not see myself continuing on to book 2.

I enjoyed reading it but wasn't really inspired. The reveal of why people were following Veronica seemed over the top and unrealistic (not that most mysteries don't have unrealistic sections, but this one threw me out of the story. "She's what??")

I wasn't planning to read more in the series, but the edition I read had sample chapters from the next book that ended with me wanting to know what happens next so I might go on.

I thought this was really fun, although Veronica reminded me a little too much of Amelia Peabody. The resolution to the mystery was . . . a big swing, let's say, Raybourn really went for it. But the story did hang together for the most part and I was invested in the characters so much I was inclined to just go with it and enjoy the ride.

This book had been recommended to me by a coworker several times as it is one of her favorite series. I don' t normally read a lot of historical fiction unless it is based in the WWII era. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it and found it a fun read. Yes, most of the book was unrealistic and I saw the plot twist coming, but the writing made it fast paced for me and I didn't get bogged down as I normally do with historical fiction. I will probably pick up the next one eventually because I would like to see how the relationship between Veronica and Stoker might evolve.

This has been on my TBR for years and I am glad I finally read it. I enjoyed the characters and their banter. The story was good but I felt it was a bit slow at the beginning but soon I was invested and spent many of the read smiling and laughing.

I don't typically read books that are designed to be in a series. I do sometimes read books that are in a series, but mainly if they also have some appeal and can stand alone well outside the series. This book was enjoyable, but it definitely felt as if it was being set up as the first in a series rather than to stand alone and that kind of annoyed me. Nothing wrong with that per se, just not to my taste.

I read this book years ago and I remembered really enjoying it at the time. I always meant to get back to and continue the series, but it'd been so long I really didn't remember anything about the book. I'm really glad this was chosen as the BOM this round. It was exactly the excuse I needed to get back to this. I really do enjoy the banter between Veronica and Stoker. He really doesn't know quite what to make of her as she is so comfortable and determined to be her own person. She knows what she wants and is direct in her interactions. I love that she doesn't really back down. So glad to reread this and am absolutely adding the next book to my TBR immediately so there's not a big gap again. :)