Page 45 Review by Jonathan
"To be honest, Mister Hansen... I'd imagined Lapland... differently."
"Ha! Ha! Welcome to Kautokeino!"
"In winter temperatures can fall below -40°C, whereas in summer they frequently climb close to 25°C. Take into account the ten thousand lakes scattered in the region... and you'll understand why the mosquitoes have made this their place of choice."
"Ten thousand? To top it all someone amused themselves counting them all?!"
I suspect the titular Emma G. Wildford, as game, nay redoubtable as she is, might be starting to suspect her expedition up to the nether regions of the Arctic Circle could be a little bit harder than she previously thought...
Here's a telegram from the publisher to tell all, as handed to me by a very smartly dressed footman who of course I dismissed with a snobbish wave of my aristocratic hand...
Actually, I got it off the internet. Well, I got my butler to do it, but you know what I mean... He'll read it out for you now...
"Journey back in time to the roaring twenties, and across England and Lapland, to experience the charming and thrilling adventure of Emma G. Wildford, a tale that mixes mystery, grand adventure, and love.
It's been fourteen months since Emma G. Wildford's fiancé, Roald Hodges, a member of the National Geographic Society boarded the good ship Kinship and set sail for Norway... and she has had no news of him since. Every day, she questions the other members of the Society about his whereabouts, and his current situation, whether good or ill, but to no avail.
Before he left, Roald gave Emma a mysterious envelope to open, but only in case something happened to him. Rejecting the very thought of Roald's death, Emma decides to leave behind everything - her life, her comfort, her England, to go to Lapland in pursuit.
Along the way, Emma's certainties and beliefs will be challenged in every way, changing this quest for her fiancé into a quest for her true, essential self. Beautifully illustrated and rivetingly written, Emma G. Wildford is a character that will imprint herself on your mind and memory forever!"
Thank you, Jeeves.
Yes, expect adventure aplenty as Emma treks to furthest reaches of the planet in search of her missing love! But also an endearing character who despite believing she knows everything about herself is indeed about to embark on a voyage of profound self-discovery. That course she's so carefully charted in life... well... she's not going to end up where she expects!
It is indeed also beautifully illustrated in a suitably tasteful manner, from the blue and gold Art Deco front and back endpapers and their flyleaves, through to the period feel of the gently quirky artwork style and slightly subdued yet rich colour palette. Edith, who did an equally enchanting adaptation of the classic TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN, perfectly captures the feel of the roaring twenties with the fashions and looks of the time. I found myself rather captivated by Ms. Wildford and her story which is both sensitively and sensationally penned by Zidrou.
I'll not spoil the ending for you, but suffice to say, it is one which took several minutes after I had closed the cover to fully sink in with me. But when I did, it made me smile a great deal.
