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18 June 2012

Diana Reviews "The Maid of Fairbourne Hall"



Maid of Fairbourne Hall
(Bethany, 2012)
5 stars~ *****
Appearances Can Be Deceiving!
In Maid of Fairbourne Hall, Julie Klassen sweeps us away to 19th century London, in a delightful tale reminiscent of the timeless classics of the beloved Jane Austen. It is a tale of the very wealthy, and their loyal servants, beautiful gowns and masquerade balls, deceit and unrequited love. Our heroine, self-centered Margaret Macy, who stands to inherit a fortune on her next birthday, is forced to leave her home by her money hungry stepfather and his conniving nephew. Not knowing exactly where she is going, Margaret finds herself hired as a servant at Fairbourne Hall, owned by none other than two of her past suitors...Nathaniel Upchurch and his brother, Lewis!

Desperate not to be discovered, the beautiful, blonde Margaret, dons a brunette wig from one of her masquerade balls, and becomes a servant in every sense of the word...even lowering herself to emptying the disgusting chamber pots. Infatuated at one time with Lewis Upchurch, Margaret turned down his brother, Nathaniel's marriage proposal...much to her chagrine, for Nathaniel has turned into one swoonworthy male, and she finds Lewis to be very shallow and selfish.

Will Margaret be able to keep up the charade without being discovered, and what valuable lessons does she learn as a housemaid...of sacrifice, forgiveness, and loving those who are beneath her station in life? And who has a vendetta against the Upchurch family and why?...and seriously wounds one of the Upchurch brothers? Will he live?---especially with a traitor in the mansion determined to make that an impossibility? Will Nathaniel forgive Margaret's rejection of him years earlier, should he discover her identity, and will she ever be able return home to her mother and siblings again?

I love Julie Klassen's books, but in my opinion this is the best novel she has ever written! Interlaced with humor, suspense, and romance, this novel will have you laughing one moment and eyes brimming with tears the next. I loved her characters (though somewhat fanciful at times), and how our heroine evolves from being a selfish lady to a real LADY in every sense of the word! Julie's use of imagery is extraordinary, her storyline fascinating, her writing exquisite; what more can I say than you must read this book?



Julie's books can be purchased through Amazon, CBD, and other book stores.


Giveaway: Ebook of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall.  Leave a comment to enter.  We are celebrating DIANA WEEK!!!

39 comments:

  1. GREAT REVIEW DIANA! This is one of my favorite books, it was the first of Julie's I've read and now I have to go back and catch up by reading her previous ones. Can't Wait!

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  2. Thanks, TERESA! I misspelled chagrin, I just noticed which leaves me very chagrined. lol My favorite of JULIE'S so far, but I loved all of her books!

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  3. DIANA, I still haven't read this book. :( After reading your review I know I want to read it soon... I need more hours in a day!

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  4. Great review! I haven't had a chance to read this one yet but i've really got to. I hear nothing but good things about out. Sadly i've never had the chance to read one of books.

    Ecriggs1990(at)aol(dot) com

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  5. MARIAN-I thought you had, but believe me, I know the feeling!

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  6. Oh, LIZ, that is sad! We have got to get a copy in your hands! You have truly been missing out. Hopefully random number will be kind to you!

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  7. I've wanted to read it! I'd love to win a copy, thanks for the chance!

    katelynmwhitley@yahoo.com

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  8. YAY! CONGRATS ON BEING ONE YEAR OLD! ALL THE BEST!

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  9. KATELYN, this is a must read! Good luck in the giveaway!

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  10. Thanks, MURRAY! The man has a way with words. lol

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  11. Isn't Julie Klassen just amazing? I love how her books are so reminiscent of Jane Eyre and Jane Austen...

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    biblioprincess15 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  12. Thanks Diana and Teresa. Glad you enjoyed the book. Hope you have a chance to read it soon, Marian!

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  13. Hi Liz & Katelyn. Hope one of you wins so you can read the book soon! :)

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  14. RACHELLE, that's what I love about them!Wouldn't they make great movies!

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  15. Thanks Rachelle! And yes, Diana. I would love it if someday the books were made into movies (that is, if they were made into GOOD movies! :))

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  16. DIANA, great review! I loved this book! So glad to celebrate with you this week. Blessings!

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  17. Thanks, Carrie! I'm having a blast!

    And I hear you, JULIE! Alot of times the books are waaay better than the movies!

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  18. My two teen daughters and I all three love Julie Klassen's books!! We are definitely looking forward to reading this one.

    Congrats Diana! I love reading your reviews!

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  19. Looking forward to reading this one!

    Valdezc_1@sbcglobal.net

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  20. LADETTE - you must have been a child bride! I don't see how you could have teen daughters!


    CANDICE - Don't miss out on this!

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  21. Thanks, Ladette. Lovely name, by the way!

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  22. I won a copy of this on a blog giveaway. When I saw the cover I thought, this is not the kind of thing I read. And I loved it!! Great job, Julie!

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  23. LESLIE, I loved that cover...fit so well with the story! I'm glad you loved it!

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  24. LADETTE, thank you so much for your kind compliments!

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  25. AHHHHH!!! The only Julie K. I haven't read yet, but if I don't win it here, I WILL get my hands on it, guaranteed!!

    LOVE Julie K!!! Great review, Diana!!

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  26. Aw, thank you, JULIE! This is my fave book of Julie's! I know you will thoroughly enjoy it!

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  27. I would love to read this one. I haven't read Julie Klassen, but this one sounds wonderful and I love the cover.

    julesreffner(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. JULIA, Julie Klassen's books are amazing. Once you read one, I'm certain you will want to read the others! This one and the Silent Governess are my favorites! Good luck in the giveaway!

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  29. This is the only one of Julie's books I haven't read yet. Would love a chance to win.

    dinasleiman at gmail dot com

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  30. Hi, DINA. This one was my favorite and that is saying a mouthful as you know, for all of Julie's books are awesome!

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  31. I've never read any of Julie's books before, but they look awesome!

    marissamehresman(at)aol(dot)com

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  32. Congratulations on your one year anniversary here, Diana! Looking forward to Julie's new book for my Christmas present that I order for myself! Enter me for this one! Thank you, Kathleen.
    lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net

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  33. LADETTE!!! You are our Kindle ebook winner this week! CONGRATS! Hope you and your daughters enjoy! I used random.org

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  34. LADETTE, so happy for you! You will thoroughly enjoy this delightful book!

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  35. Thanks Julie Lessman! And I hope Julia and Marissa have a chance to read my books one of these days. :)

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  36. Hi Kathleen & Dina. And congrats, Ladette! Hope you enjoy the book.

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  37. Just love this cover thanks for chance to win and celebrate with you all

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

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  38. Apple Blossom, please come back the rest of the week! A winner was already drawn for this book, but we will be having more daily giveaways to celebrate! We love having you!

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