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| Plot Summary of The Secret Swan |
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"
Bantam, Apr 2001, 5.99, 393 pp.
ISBN: 0553582003
In 1341, though scared, teenager Lady Amiranth St. Clair looks forward to marriage to Tristan Geraint, who she has admired from afar for several years. However, Tristan fails to share her enthusiasm. He married her for her impeccable background, which is perfect for her to beget his heir. Tristan breaks Amiranth's heart and travels to the continent to fight. However, his dreams of glory turn into a living nightmare because he is now a prisoner of war, rotting in a French dungeon. Only dreams of Amiranth keep him sane and alive.
Eight years later, Tristan returns home seeking Amiranth, but instead he meets her cousin Lily. Tristan falls in love with Lily, who detests him. Adding to his confusion is that many of the people once loyal to him are dead, victims of the plague scourging England. Much of those alive are loyal to Tristan's brother Liam, who does not want to give up the Earldom. Obtaining Lily's help, Tristan tries to regain what he lost including a love of a lifetime.
THE SECRET SWAN is a superb medieval romance that will keep readers up late in order to finish it in one sitting. The lead characters are filled with depth so they seem real and their relationships genuine. The support cast, including the graphic descriptions of the plague, provides the needed impetus to a cleverly designed plot. Shana Abe ably renders her audience with what will be considered one of the sub-genre's top novels of the year.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"At fifteen Lady Amiranth St. Clare became the bride of Tristan Geraint. She thought all her dreams had come true - until she learned on her wedding day that Tristan had married her only for her bloodline. A week later Tristan deserted her for the glories of battle. Heartbroken, Amiranth felt she'd been abandoned, not knowing that Tristan had become a prisoner of war - nor that he would one day return to the life he didn't kow he wanted until it was taken away. Eight long years pass before Tristan finally comes home. A beautiful woman greets him in the garden claiming to be Amiranth's cousin. Yet somehow she seems hauntingly familiar, with an etheral radiance that stirs him deep within his heart. Is she really his wife, grown into a lady of breathtaking beauty - or another woman who has awakened within him a passion he has never known? To discover the truth, Tristan must reveal the secrets of what happened those years he was away - and find the love that was closer than he ever imagined...."
Amanda, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Secret Swan |
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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
Love Triangles/Polygons
Yes
What kind:
- one man--two sisters
Searching/Rekindling love?
Yes
Lost Lover:
- rekindling love after long time
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive
Yes
Is really...
- twin or lookalike
If one lover chases another...
- he chases after her
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
- warrior/knight
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- not very romantic
Sex has good effect on him
Yes
Sex makes him
- sensitive
Sex has bad effect on him
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- a teen
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- homemaker
How sexual is this person?
- frigid
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
effect of sexing
- confused
Sex has bad effect on her
Yes
Sex has good effect on her
Yes
Effect of sexing
- blissful
- mature
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- 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
- France
Misc setting
- castle
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related?
- 70%
Focus of story
- equally on him and her
How much dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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