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| Plot Summary of By Design |
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"
Bantam, Jan 2001, 4.99
ISBN: 0553582232
In the marketplace near the Cathedral, freemason Rhys observes a beautiful newcomer serenely and quietly trying to sell crockery. For some strange reason, Rhys finds himself enchanted by the “alien” and even more excited by her work that is geometrically perfect especially since he learns that she lacked the proper equipment. Reluctantly by gleefully for having met the latest hawker, Rhys finally moves on to conduct his own business.
A few days later, Rhys sees his enchantress in quite a different situation. Apparently she did something that led to her master blaming her. Now she is a victim of the stocks. Rhys rescues Joan by buying her indentured contract. Joan wants nothing to do with her savior even if he is kind and handsome, and she is falling in love with him. Even with the enticement of Rhys and his love, Joan's goal remains vengeance on those who destroyed her and her family though some of her enemies reside in the court of young King Edward.
BY DESIGN is an exciting late medieval romance that uses the political and economic conditions of the times as a backdrop to a warm historical romantic intrigue. The story line works because of the historical depth, especially that of the guilds which brings much color to the tale and leaves the audience feeling they are inspecting pottery among other wares. The lead couple seems real because of the full flavor of the period. Though Madeline Hunter has written a medieval romance that sub-genre fans will enjoy, readers of historical fiction will gain much pleasure from the novel too.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of By Design |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- Distant past/middle ages
Forbidden/mismatched love?
Yes
How mismatched?
- poor loving rich
Inner struggle subplot
Yes
Struggle with...
- (general) search for identity/new understanding
Captor, in love with
Yes
If one lover chases another...
- he chases after her
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Sex has good effect on him
Yes
Sex makes him
- confident
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- slave
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
effect of sexing
- confused
Sex has bad effect on her
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related?
- 60%
Focus of story
- equally on him and her
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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