"Thirkell packages history as a light romantic comedy, with time, place and
social relations beautifully detailed. Her characters are well developed, perceptive and humorous.
May's elegant voice suits the material well, and her reading, as usual, is excellent."KLIATT

This charming, witty historical novel is set in the summer of 1838, when the young Victoria, scarcely
older than the tale's narrator Fanny Harcourt, assumes the throne of England. Happily, the festivities
do little to distract Fanny and her close friend Emily from more familiar concerns: infatuations and
romantic misunderstandings, the rigors of matchmaking and courtship, and the web of acquaintances
that circumscribe any social scene.

Angela Thirkell (1890-1961) granddaughter of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, was born in London. At age twenty-eight, she moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she became involved in broadcasting and was a frequent contributor to British periodicals. She began writing novels after her return to Britain in 1930 and from then on produced a new book almost every year. Her stylish prose and deft portrayal of the human comedy in the imaginary county of Barsetshire have amused readers for decades.

Nadia May has been nominated as an AudioFile Golden Voice five years running and is a winner of thirteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. She is the co-founder of TheatreFirst, a theater company in the San Francisco Bay Area where she currently lives.