
The Secret History of The Pink...
I'm an English major, which inevitably entails lots of reading-- lately a lot of Joyce and Edith Wharton. Because of this, i don't have much time left for recreational reading-- but l find time for the frothy, sexy exploits of Lauren Willig's novels, set in England and France at the height of Napoleon's power. They are shamelessly entertaining, witty and light, (and earn me some dirty looks from my Lit-major colleagues, buried sullenly in their Proust and Kafka.) Willig has written four in the series so far: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, The Masque of the Black Tulip, The Deception of the Emerald Ring and The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. (The titles just get campier and campier, don't they?) Deft characterization, sparkling command of language and contemporary relevance can wait----I'm busy discovering the true identity of the Pink Carnation.