Larken
Larken is another delightful novella of around 40,000 words by S. G Rogers, set in Victorian England. It is rather more unusual for a work of its genre as the bulk of the story is set in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne not the more fashionable south of England. It tells the story of Larken Burke, a girl who is physically and mentally traumatised by the train crash that killed her parents. Orphaned, she is sent to an institution, funded by money raised by the press who dubbed her the Miracle Orphan thus lending her a certain celebrity status. What happens to her next is the subject of the novella.
This little book is hugely readable with fewer of the slip-ups that you often find when someone other than a native writes about a place they are not entirely familiar with, it is obvious that Ms Rogers has an American market in mind when she writes, but this does not mar the enjoyment. The story flows well and the characters are likeable and well thought out.
The book does suffer from its short length, and had Ms Rogers decided to make it a longer novel then it would give it the space it needs to be fully developed. In places, certainly towards the latter half of the book, the story feels rushed and pivotal plot elements are too contrived, for instance a character introduced in the first chapter and then ignored until they come in useful again some 30,000 words later. In all, though, it is a lovely way to spend a few hours, and if the swooningly romantic genre is your thing you will enjoy this.
E-book edition reviewed
