Glamour in Glass

Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal
(sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey)

3.0 Stars

Like its predecessor, Shades of Milk and Honey, Glamour in Glass is a quick and entertaining read. Jane Austen fans will find it delightful. The magic, or glamour as it is called in this series, is part of the culture and not thought of as odd. Some people are gifted with the talent for doing glamour and although typically a womanly art, some men are glamourists as a profession. Jane, the main character of the series, is very gifted as is her husband, David Vincent.

In this second volume of the Glamour series, Jane and Vincent are traveling in Belgium on a honeymoon and to visit Vincent's long time glamourist friend. The story starts slowly with the usual socializing and typical topics of the era. The contrast between British Society and French Society is noted, with Jane preferring the French custom of both sexes remaining for after dinner conversation of more relevant topics like politics and current events instead of the British custom of women retiring to another room to discuss fashion or who is to marry whom.

Jane's and Vincent's adeptness with glamour is explored as they try new techniques for making permanent glamour using glass. They serendipitously find that they have invented a "cloaking device." As with the first book in the series, most of the action happens at the end of the book. Jane must rescue Vincent who has been captured by Napoleon's army. The almost too good to be true relationship between Jane and Vincent is a major theme which makes for an amusing ending to the book as they "buck" the British social system of the times.