Fiction roundup: Fellowes' 'Belgravia,' Weisberger's 'Game'
England is the star of two new historical novels, while the professional tennis circuit and the geeky world of Comic-Con fans provide the backdrop for two contemporary titles. USA TODAY checks out four summer fiction reads.
Belgravia
By Julian Fellowes
Grand Central, 402 pp.
*** out of four stars
Julian Fellowes leaves behind the capaciously cozy halls of Downton Abbey and the 1920s to turn back the English clock to the mid-19th century in his entertaining new novel, Belgravia. Downton’s creator delivers a juicy if lightweight tale of class snobbery, social climbing, lucky orphans and family secrets as he channels Dickens, Austen and romance queen Georgette Heyer. In 1841, Anne Trenchard, wife of a hugely successful merchant, decides it’s time to tell snooty Lady Brockenhurst they share a bastard grandson who was adopted at birth and has no idea who his parents are. The delightful but clueless young man becomes an instant favorite in London society, which sets off all kinds of jealous intrigue. Sadly, there’s no Dowager Countess/Maggie Smith dropping delicious bon mots, but characters such as conniving servant Ellis, striving daughter-in-law Susan Trenchard and mustachio-twirling villain John Bellasis keep these pages zipping along.
— Jocelyn McClurg
The Singles Game
By Lauren Weisberger
Simon & Schuster, 352 pp.
* * ½ stars
The Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger’s latest novel is set in the glamorous, cutthroat world of professional tennis. After rupturing her Achilles heel during her first round at Wimbledon, Charlotte “Charlie” Silver turns to a notoriously obnoxious and abusive coach to save her career. Todd Feltner, this book’s devil, promptly rebrands our lovely heroine a “warrior princess,” encouraging Charlie to act like a diva and mingle with the glitterati. There are references to various celebrities (including Weisberger’s former boss and Prada target, Anna Wintour) and brands of clothing, jewelry and sparkling water. Romance is involved, naturally; Todd conspires to set Charlie up with a Spanish player whose body is as hot as hers. Charlie’s father, brother and female friends are affectionately portrayed, though predictably, some women — particularly a longtime rival of Charlie’s, named Natalya — show their claws, too. If you fancy not-so-deep dish this summer, The Singles Game will satisfy your craving.
— Elysa Gardner
A Hundred Thousand Worlds
By Bob Proehl
Viking, 368 pp.
*** ½ stars
A perfect summer read for the Comic-Con crowd, Bob Proehl’s geeky debut A Hundred Thousand Worlds features a deep cast of engaging characters. The stories of a former sci-fi TV star and her 9-year-old son, a couple of comic-book creator dudes, and a crew of costumed women intertwine as they travel the nerd convention circuit from Cleveland to L.A. Anybody up on superheroes and X-Files will have a lot to love here with Proehl’s take on genre archetypes. But the novel is bound to reach a broader audience, too, with quite a few well-crafted LGBT supporting cast members, an exploration of how one tragedy can alter the course of many lives, and a heart-tugging relationship between a protective mom and the little boy she has to return to her estranged husband.
— Brian Truitt
Radio Girls
By Sarah-Jane Stratford
New American Library, 363 pp.
*** stars
If the early days of the BBC sound like a recipe for hitting the snooze button, think again. Sarah-Jane Stratford’s crackerjack historical novel Radio Girls smartly tunes in to the beginnings of Britain's broadcasting behemoth. She uses the predictable device of putting a plucky, inexperienced fictional character into the real-life mix, but it gets the job done. In 1926, new secretary Maisie Musgrave finds herself with two BBC masters, director-general John Reith, and talks director Hilda Matheson. The irresistible, irrepressible Matheson, a brilliant feminist with a knack for office politics, is a revelation. She brings in for radio “Talks” such Bloomsbury luminaries as T.S. Eliot, a hilariously dour Virginia Woolf, and regal Vita Sackville-West, who becomes Hilda's lover. Oh, and Matheson is helping MI5 in her spare time, too. A few improbable plot twists aside, Radio Girls is a hit.
— McClurg