PortadaGruposCharlasMásPanorama actual
Buscar en el sitio
Este sitio utiliza cookies para ofrecer nuestros servicios, mejorar el rendimiento, análisis y (si no estás registrado) publicidad. Al usar LibraryThing reconoces que has leído y comprendido nuestros términos de servicio y política de privacidad. El uso del sitio y de los servicios está sujeto a estas políticas y términos.

Resultados de Google Books

Pulse en una miniatura para ir a Google Books.

Cargando...

The Vespertine

por Saundra Mitchell

Series: Vespertine (1)

MiembrosReseñasPopularidadValoración promediaMenciones
3685569,125 (3.66)5
It's the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset--visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own--still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she's not the seer of dark portents, but the cause. This book features a teaser chapter from Saundra Mitchell's third novel, The Springsweet.… (más)
Cargando...

Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará.

Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro.

» Ver también 5 menciones

Mostrando 1-5 de 55 (siguiente | mostrar todos)
Mitchell's debut, Shadowed Summer was a surprising hit for me that still makes me shiver whenever I think of the 'where y'at?'. Atmosphere is what Mitchell is good at and she puts it to good use in this book. The book begins at what essentially is the tail end of Amelia's story. Mitchell lays out the consequences of Amelia's actions, serving small tidbits of information that later take on new meanings.

The book is mainly set in the Spring of 1889, in Baltimore where Amelia stays with her cousins the Stewarts, but the occasional chapter will appear to speak of her present, Autumn 1889 in Broken Tooth, Maine. The book is somewhat haphazard about pacing, sometimes the plot races and the suspense is high and you can feel the adrenaline of the moment. Other times its leisurely and meandering, showing us what life was like for the working middle class of Baltimore in 1889.

While Shadowed Summer seemed to dwell on friendship, romance and secrets, The Vespertine indulged in darker ideas. Forbidden love, forbidden power and the allure of the future. What began as a harmless game to amuse her friends and perhaps set their minds at ease quickly snowballed into a situation that Zora and Amelia lost control over. At one point Amelia asks Zora if she would like to know her future and Zora responds "I want the wonder of it." (pg 242, ARC edition) and I wondered if I would want to know my future.

Its a rather tempting idea isn't it? To know how taking one invitation over another will effect me. Or to know whether or not the young man I'm eying across the hall is meant to be my true love or a big mistake. The trouble is Amelia has to go by contextual clues to understand 'when' the vision is taking place. In the case of the first one she sees for Zora, its easy--its the manner of the dress she's wearing. Later, when her powers develop further she doesn't even have that to go on.

The romance of Amelia and Nathaniel was woven throughout, a counterpoise to the excitement. He is definitely not an eligible groom. She knows this. She admits this, but they're drawn together and the reasoning is sound if a little shallow. We don't get a clear understanding of who Nathaniel is. Amelia is very much the focus of the novel and at times that means to the exclusion of all else. In one scene, in which we could have learned quite a bit about him, Mitchell instead focused on Amelia's reactions to her surroundings. To her teasing of Nathaniel and how she felt. Much of what we learn about Nathaniel feels like a reaction to Amelia.

As for the ending...tragedies come in threes. Amelia is taught a heart-breaking lesson and the 'present day' chapters take on more sense. I had hoped for a sequel and I was rewarded for that hope! The Springsweet is due out in 2012 and is a companion to this book. The Goodreads page has only the smallest of blurbs but it can be considered a spoiler for the fate of two characters.

My question to y'all: Would you want to know the future, come what may? ( )
  lexilewords | Dec 28, 2023 |
Ok Here I go..

When I first thought of reading The Vespertine I really thought I would not like it... it was a period piece set in 1889, there would be no Hot Vampire or Awesome supernatural beings.. It is going to be BORING.. Then I started reading it maybe it caught my interest so quickly because it is set in Maryland where I live, I have been to Baltimore to many times to count. Or, maybe it was because I knew the setting, with its familiar places like the Inner Harbor, Druid Hill, Mt Vernon Place and Greenmount cemetery (one of my favorite places to take photos>>!!!).

For whatever reason, I was quickly immersed in their world. Their manner of dress and the atmosphere that Ms Mitchell created were so vividly described down to the sounds and smells, without forcing some sort of history lesson or being too wordy to understand.

Here is an example of Why I LOVE THIS BOOK===> "Before I boarded, I turned back to look at the city of my summer. All the huddled row houses clung together, making blocks of streets, and neighborhoods of blocks. Horse cars rang their merry bells, and Arabers called-- apples apples apples and an orange! oranges! All the color of it seared on my skin, red brick white marble, blue skies."

Ms Mitchell's style of writing is very melodic, and her story telling is wonderful. I feel that she caught the essence of these characters and I truly wanted to find out what happened to them. I was left curious about some untold futures, and I was also left saying what a wonderful read.

Amelia, thrust into an unfamiliar world was sent from her home in Maine by her brother to find a suitable husband, instead she found Zora her distant cousin and two became fast friends. She went in search of a husband and found a life.

Now I am not going to spill the beans about what the twists of the story are, but let it be known there are some good ones :O) I can't wait to read more...

I have serious love for this one... Well done to Sandra Mitchell and thanks to NetGalley for the wonderful read. I will be purchasing a Hardcover copy to add to my collection. Twitter ( )
  Linnnnie | Oct 7, 2019 |
In 19th century New England, Amelia van den Broek is sent to live with her cousin Zora and Zora's family in Baltimore, Maryland. Originally from a small town in Maine, Amelia is in awe of everything about the big city. With her arrival to this strange and wondrous city, she begins to experience visions at sunset. Her visions become in vogue, making Amelia the "go-to girl" who offers prophecies to the young people of Baltimore's upper society, but things soon spiral out of control. The Vespertine is a gothic tale that offers plenty of otherworldly romance and charm.
Marissa B. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
( )
  mcpl.wausau | Sep 25, 2017 |
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. To be fair, I have a soft spot for period fiction. I love reading about the mannerisms and the social interactions from the past. Seeing how much we've changed, but yet not changed has always been fascinating to me, so when I read that the book was based in the 1800s I knew that I was in for a treat.

The story follows Amelia, who has an odd power to see the future at sunset. Her brother sent her from their home in Maine to live with cousins in Baltimore so she could find a suitable match. However, she ends up falling for a man her brother would not approve of and getting into a lot of mischief along the way.

Amelia and her cousin, Zora, are quite likable. Their friends are quickly introduced and, with the exception of Sarah and Mattie, we don't find out a lot about them. It would have been wonderful to read more of their relationship with their friends and acquaintances. However, we do see a lot of Thomas and Nathaniel, as well as the whirlwind romance as the two court their ladies.

I cannot deny that I wished there were more pages to this book. I love the way Saundra described the period and the way the girls pushed the limits of their time. I loved the interactions and insight into how society worked with its rules and etiquette, as well as the parallels that could be drawn with society today. I loved the paranormal twist to the story and the fast paced ending . The Vespertine was a lovely tale, that left me wanting more.

[review of arc via netgalley] ( )
  iShanella | Dec 2, 2016 |
Amelia is sent by her brother to Baltimore to catch a husband. In Baltimore she stays with her cousin Zora. While in Baltimore the two girls quickly gain fame when Amelia begins having visions of the future. Amelia has some trepidation about these visions although she is distracted from it all by Nathaniel an artist she meets at a family party that is below the standing, however she can't seem to keep herself from wanting him.

It took me a long time to figure out how I felt about this book. There were a lot of things about it that drove me crazy. Mainly I felt like certain parts of the plot were just glossed over, and there was one point I'm still kind of confused about regarding Nathaniel, particularly the ending. (I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything for anybody.) Those are the gripes, now onto the good stuff.

I absolutely adored the writing style and ambiance. While it was written in a standard prose style there was something very poetic about the writing. Even the simplest of descriptions sounds absolutely gorgeous. The beauty of the language is just absolutely entrancing. My favorite descriptions were of her visions, particularly the happy ones. When Amelia has a vision, she experiences it as though it were happening to her; the happy scenes are lovely and moving. The sad and painful ones are down right gut wrenching and painful, especially when they are for someone Amelia likes or loves.

The language definitely contributed to the ambiance the book has. (Although I feel like I don't have the right kind of language to describe it.) At the opening of the book we actually start at the end, when Amelia has returned home from her adventures in Baltimore. The despair that she feels over the outcomes can be felt in every word. You feel for Amelia and how for her the sun will never shine again. Then we switch to Baltimore and Amelia's initial arrival. You feel her excitement and nervousness and it's a sharp contrast to the despair the novel opens with. Through out the book we go back and forth and I think this serves to heighten the tension in the novel, because you already know it will go wrong and just how bad it will really be. ( )
  Rosa.Mill | Nov 21, 2015 |
Mostrando 1-5 de 55 (siguiente | mostrar todos)
sin reseñas | añadir una reseña

Pertenece a las series

Debes iniciar sesión para editar los datos de Conocimiento Común.
Para más ayuda, consulta la página de ayuda de Conocimiento Común.
Título canónico
Título original
Títulos alternativos
Fecha de publicación original
Personas/Personajes
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés. Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Lugares importantes
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés. Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Acontecimientos importantes
Películas relacionadas
Epígrafe
Dedicatoria
Primeras palabras
Citas
Últimas palabras
Aviso de desambiguación
Editores de la editorial
Blurbistas
Idioma original
DDC/MDS Canónico
LCC canónico

Referencias a esta obra en fuentes externas.

Wikipedia en inglés (1)

It's the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset--visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own--still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she's not the seer of dark portents, but the cause. This book features a teaser chapter from Saundra Mitchell's third novel, The Springsweet.

No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca.

Descripción del libro
Resumen Haiku

Autor de LibraryThing

Saundra Mitchell es un Autor de LibraryThing, un autor que tiene listada su biblioteca personal en LibraryThing.

página de perfil | página de autor

Debates activos

Ninguno

Cubiertas populares

Enlaces rápidos

Valoración

Promedio: (3.66)
0.5
1 1
1.5
2 8
2.5 2
3 18
3.5 5
4 33
4.5
5 15

 

Acerca de | Contactar | LibraryThing.com | Privacidad/Condiciones | Ayuda/Preguntas frecuentes | Blog | Tienda | APIs | TinyCat | Bibliotecas heredadas | Primeros reseñadores | Conocimiento común | 203,186,599 libros! | Barra superior: Siempre visible