The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion is a series written by Beth Brower. Originally self-published beginning in 2019, they have since been picked up by Bloomsbury, and brought to audio by Echo Point Books and Media. There are eight volumes currently available, with a total of somewhere around 24 total planned. The first few are novella-length, but the books become full novels as the series progresses.

Genre

Historical Fiction (with just a light sprinkling of magical realism)

Opening Line

I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.

Description

“The year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.”

Each volume spans two months worth of the titular character’s journal entries, and the author plans on covering four years of her life in total. They detail Emma’s experiences upon returning to St. Crispians, visiting its locales and getting to know it inhabitants. Such friendships she makes! Such struggle to gain and maintain one’s autonomy as a young woman in Victorian England!

My Thoughts

I had noticed that this series was blowing up on the scene, becoming hugely popular seven years after its first volume was published. I saw so many people gushing about it and decided to see what all the noise was about.

The first book was nice, but I didn’t “get it” yet. But as I read on in the series, I became a convert in full – I love Emma M. Lion and her world! These books are the definition of charm.

Journal entries relate the day to day doings of a young woman in Victorian England, beginning as she approaches reaching her majority. The home her deceased parents arranged for her to inherit is Lapis Lazuli House in the London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. Here is where that dash of magical realism comes into play – objects tend to “wander” in St. Crispian’s, and you may one day discover your neighbor’s hat in your kitchen cupboard. There is a basement at a local storefront where residents drop off the items they find, and look to reclaim their own missing belongings. And then there is The Roman, the neighborhood ghost outfitted in the armor of a Centurion.

Besides those fanciful accents, the story is solidly in historical fiction territory (with plenty of laugh out loud moments!) Emma is an exceedingly witty young woman navigating life as best she can. Her aunt demands she attend balls and various society function and assist her beautiful cousin in securing an advantageous marriage during The Season. Her ridiculous (other) cousin has done her dirty, and she must deal with the outfall. She makes some lovely new friends: a lame war photographer who spent some time in America, a duke, a vicar, a con man, a spinster painter, etc etc. Some of the traditions of St. Crispians just warm the heart, and it’s a pleasure to spend time in its streets alongside the spirited and droll Miss Lion.

An additional bit of fun is the personal library bit at the end of each installment – Emma very much wants a collection of her owns books (library lends are not an option, as she likes to scribble notes in the margins), and at the end of each volume readers are treated to the growing list all of the books Emma has managed to obtain during the course of her story. There is also always a list of previously mentioned persons of interest, which I imagine might be helpful if you’re not immediately diving into the next book as soon as you finish one, as I have been!

To reiterate, if I had to sum this series up in one word it would be CHARMING. I am bereft at having caught up to the author in her writing, and am waiting rather impatiently for the next volume to come! And will be again for the next, and the next, and the next…

A note on the audiobooks: I am personally not a big audiobook reader, as I find my mind wanders easily and I don’t absorb as much. Nonfiction is usually the easiest for me to listen to. Action-packed stories leave me wishing I could flip back a page or two to review and make sure I hadn’t missed any important details. But not only do I find I am able to listen to these books without much trouble, the talented narrator Genevieve Gaunt makes it an absolutely pleasurable experience. Three cheers all around!