The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series

Title: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series
Author: Beth Brower
Major Themes: Humor, Epistolary, Period Drama
Synopsis: The curious, observant, and often humorous reflections of a young lady building a life for herself in 1883 London.

I’ve seen The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series mentioned multiple places around the internet over the past few years, and the overwhelming consensus was that it’s a delightful set of stories. I’m always up for delightful books, but partly because it was part of Kindle Unlimited (and, therefore, not available in ebook format from any of my libraries), and I didn’t want to pay full price for the print version (budgets limit such things), I didn’t pay too much attention to the recommendations. Was I ever delighted when I saw the announcement that the audiobook was coming to our libraries, and I eagerly tucked into the first one, which proved shorter than I anticipated, but every bit as sweet and enjoyable as I’d been told!

Publisher’s description:

My thoughts:

Volume one sets the stage for the rest of the series. Emma M. Lion is a somewhat eccentric, very determined character, and as far as character-driven stories go, she’s among the best. She is also great at having a self-deprecating laugh at some of the circumstances she finds herself in. I loved the way she described the setting, and all the interesting (and strange!) people that lived in her local area. Somewhat reminiscent of Miss Buncle, in that it feels like a quaint English village in setting, this was a delightful read. (Oh, and did I mention that it’s entirely epistolary? That’s always a fun bonus!)

After volume one, you have a pretty good idea of what the rest of the stories will look like. Emma is rather accident-prone, and whether it’s because of the kind of people she’s surrounded with (each one is quite a unique character!), or whether it’s because she tends to be a bit too curious or impulsive for her own good, it’s hard to say. She manages to get into some pretty uncomfortable (and generally hilarious!) scrapes, and somehow maneuvers her way out of them—often tripping and falling over herself a time or two on the way. She’s witty and whimsical, and I adored her love of books. Even if I don’t understand her love of annotating said books (generally, they’re too sacred in my mind to defile with a pen).

So far, I’ve listened to five of the (currently available) eight books in the series. At this point, four of us in our family (my mom and two oldest brothers) are all listening to the series somewhat together, and we’re delighting in talking them over as we go. I recently had to institute a ban on my brothers to keep them from checking out the last two books in the series until Mom and I catch up to where they are, because otherwise, we’re likely to hear a few spoilers. Suffice it to say, we’re all loving them, delighting in sharing the hilarious and painfully awkward moments, and enjoying laughing at the different characters and their perspectives.

If you are looking for something lighthearted to read, need a pick-me-up, love period dramas, or even just enjoy unique, lovable characters, you’d likely love these books. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series is a world of its own, and I’d recommend them to just about anyone who enjoys a pinch of ridiculousness and a whole lot of normal, everydayish joy in their lives.

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