My Fair Lily (Farthingale, #1)

by Meara Platt

This was a pretty inconsistent read. The main character Lily was all over the place. Is she smart or dumb? A badass or a meek damsel in distress? I couldn't get a read on her because her characterisation was just too inconsistent. To begin with she's referred to as a smart bluestocking. But, for someone who's supposed to be smart she's amazingly dumb. Or at least naive. Like at the start when the dog knocks her down - she seems to think Ewan will be sent to jail? If it was supposed to be a joke it wasn't very clear. And she's very dense. Ewan literally does everything up to telling her who he is and she completely denies it. Plus she's very bloody judgey for someone who doesn't actually conform to societal standards. She's trying to oppose society and achieve membership to the Royal Society - but opposes anyone else ignoring propriety. For instance the following;

“You know Lady Dayne?” Lily gazed at him in surprise, wondering how and where a man such as he might have met her respectable neighbor.

Platt, Meara. My Fair Lily (The Farthingale Series Book 1) (p. 8). Kindle Edition.

Or this;

“Good day, Lily,” Mr. Cameron called out to her. She cringed at the appalling familiarity.

Platt, Meara. My Fair Lily (The Farthingale Series Book 1) (p. 34). Kindle Edition.

And of course this;

“Surely, it hasn’t escaped your notice.”
“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”
“Your encounter with E.C., in front of our townhouse… on Chipping Way.”
“No, no, no!” Lily burst into laughter. “The Chipping Way bachelor’s curse is all stuff and nonsense. Besides, Mr. Cameron didn’t run into me. His dog did. And I doubt Father would consent to my marrying his dog.”
“You’re purposely being obtuse.”
“Who taught you that fancy word? Obtuse? I’m not. Really, Dillie. This is too much!”
“You can’t explain away what happened to Rose, Laurel, or Daisy.”
“More precisely, what happened to the unsuspecting bachelors who met their doom upon encountering them on our street. They were gentlemen. Gentlemen. Not clumsy heathens passing through town.” “
Mr. Cameron is obviously not a heathen. He took the trouble to replace your spectacles and the MacLaurin book.”
“He probably stole the book.” She was uncertain what to do about that.
“He knows Eloise, and she doesn’t invite just anyone into her home.”

Platt, Meara. My Fair Lily (The Farthingale Series Book 1) (pp. 32-33). Kindle Edition.

He stole the book? Seriously? Because he's a "heathen". Little harsh. She was just very critical for someone who's trying to challenge society herself. But I did enjoy her fiery spirit when it made an appearance. I mean this;

“I was about to grab a hat pin and press it to his throat. It was the only weapon I could think of. Handy things they are, too. But I wasn’t trying to draw blood or pierce his jugular vein. Do you know where the jugular vein is located? It’s the line that runs right here along the neck.”

Platt, Meara. My Fair Lily (The Farthingale Series Book 1) (p. 79). Kindle Edition.

Lol being ready to go for the jugular. But the following takes the cake;

“Is it my purse you want? Here. Take it.” “I’ll have it an’ ye as well. Think ye can get the better of m’master. This’ll teach ye.” Lily had to think quickly. She pretended to surrender, and then at the precise moment brought her knee to his privates with all the force she could muster. As he bent over with an angry yelp, she grabbed the pin from her hat and stabbed it into the hand that was holding the knife. He shrieked and dropped his knife. Lily used his momentary distraction to race from the stall.

Platt, Meara. My Fair Lily (The Farthingale Series Book 1) (p. 98). Kindle Edition.

Total badass. I did actually like Lily I just wish she wasn't such a mess. She's too inconsistent. She flips from one extreme to the other and it made it hard to like her. I could've loved a more consistent Lily. There were glimpses of it but it wasn't enough.

Ewan was mostly likable. Except for his thoughts around marriage and Lily. It got annoying to hear him umming and aahing about how he couldn't possibly marry her and how he totally didn't want to when he very clearly did.

I enjoyed the Farthingale family. It was amusing having the twins switch (even if it did seem a bit unrealistic - did no one notice there weren't two? Or that the one with and without glasses wore the same dress?) and I liked the extended family and their relationships. Particularly the sisters when they were together. Even if the additional characters were somewhat flat. I also loved Jasper and Ewan and his sister. Even Evangeline. The crying every time something happened amused me. I was kind of surprised to see this was the first in the series. There were a lot of references to past events which made me feel as if I started in the middle - I actually went and checked while reading to ensure I wasn't missing an earlier book. I do sometimes read series out of order or just one but I generally like to know that I'm doing it.

There was lots of action and an extreme amount of drama. Overall the book was fairly average. Honestly it probably only deserves 1 star. But something about it amused me. I found myself really enjoying it. It was easy to read and had some pretty funny moments. The characters were flawed and honestly, pretty flat but they were a likable bunch as well. So I'm going to round up to 2 stars - because despite numerous flaws I really enjoyed it.

In fact, the author should probably consider writing books about the other sisters, reworking this one to include that and fixing up the inconsistencies in the characters and plot and re-release. It's something of a rough gem and with a good editor could be something really special.