Fayne: Ann-Marie MacDonald

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Via flashbacks, we meet Lady Marie when she first meets Lord Henry who has been given strict instructions by his sister Clarissa to find a wife and produce an heir. It was dizzying to envision arm after steel arm thrown out over the void whilst the whole remained stable and sound. I’m consumed by plot and the rich textual narrative took some determination to persevere through, but 50 pages in I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.

Intrepid Charlotte rejects prevailing norms and aspires to become a physician in an era unkind to women scholars. Thanks to Tramp Press and Helen Richardson for my place on the tour and proof copy of the book (published 17th August). In 2003, ‘The Way the Crow Flies’ appeared, and in 2014, ‘Adult Onset’, both of which also enjoyed immense international success. The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice.Fayne fills in a lot of missing pieces on my team and took my UNM damage from average of 12M per key to about 17M per key. I won’t touch on how the story focuses on gender, anatomy, sexuality, and the acceptance of people’s choices because I didn’t know about that when I requested this ARC, and it was the best thematic/topical surprise of the novel for me!

Now, I’m faced with a tough decision: Do I dare read Adult Onset knowing that I may have to wait years for MacDonald to publish another story/play or do I wait for a day when I want to read something well-written by a beloved author? On the far side of the staircase, a triangle of light from Father's study door signalled he had begun his day's work.This one didn’t wow me as much, though I��m willing to admit that this is my second consecutive 700+page book so I might be fatigued. Given the time period, women were not able pursue dreams, and a life lived in a secondary role may cause bitterness. I have just closed the book on Fayne and am immediately beginning this review without having read any other reviews or information about the book. The bird that Charlotte and her father create from bits and pieces of other birds serves as a symbol of our unwillingness to accept differences. She also appeared in the films I've Heard the Mermaids Singing and Better Than Chocolate, among others.

I loved how the book explores so many liminal states while also setting at its heart a character who embodies one. Nor, as I passed by the heavy gilt frame and commenced to mount the leftward branch, did I draw breath until the turning at the top of the stairs dispelled the sense of a painted gaze upon my back. For instance, when she visits an area in Edinburgh known for its fallen women, she “scanned the street for a fallen woman, but all were upright. What I particularly enjoyed about Fayne was how Ann-Marie MacDonald so often wrong-foots the reader. The best use for Fayne is in unkillable Clan Boss teams where her low defence numbers do not impact her damage output.Charlotte’s aunt, Clarissa, is determined that Henry marry, so that the legacy of the Bell name and the ownership of Fayne, can be secured, as Charlotte, being a female, cannot inherit property.