Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Goodreads: Strands of Bronze and Gold

Series: Strands of Bronze and Gold #1

Source: Purchased

Published: 2013

Summary: After the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram goes to live with her godfather, a mysterious man who keeps to himself in his abbey in Mississippi.  Initially, Sophia delights in the fantastic world he has created—one where she lives surrounded by beauty, art, and luxury, and can break all the social taboos.  Her godfather, however, keeps her isolated and soon Sophia begins to fear both his violent temper and the veil that lies over his past.  The discovery of his four former wives, all with hair as red as her own, sets into motion a series of events that may leave her a prisoner in the abbey forever.

Review: Nickerson makes the Bluebeard fairy tale her own, setting it in antebellum Mississippi where she can not only play with the details of the original story but also reimagine them in the context of a society preoccupied with class codes and the ideal of the proper woman.  Much of the allure surrounding Sophia’s godfather lies in his encouragement for her to break the social taboos, to dress more exotically, to lower her inhibitions.  In succumbing to his manipulations, Sophia starts to lose both her sense of morality and her sense of self.  Her journey back to find her moral center makes this book stand out from other contemporary retellings that often focus on the darkness of fairy tales, but sometimes forget to let in the light.

Of course, setting forth a moral in any tale proves tricky ground.  In Bronze and Gold, Nickerson does not avoid the common trap of assigning modern sensibilities and philosophies to her protagonist.  Thus, Sophia (somewhat suddenly) shows herself an ardent abolitionist once she steps foot on her godfather’s plantation.  While authors understandably want readers to relate to their protagonists, imposing contemporary beliefs onto historical characters does a disservice to both the past and to readers.  A more provocative and believable story might have shown a sheltered girl who never thought much of slavery (Sophia has enough naivety and even foolishness to find herself lured into Bluebeard’s trap, so it is not such a stretch to imagine she never thought about the hot button issues of her day) until she witnesses it.  Watching Sophia learn to appreciate the humanity of those around her would have been great development for her.  Instead, readers are treated to a girl who randomly spouts off offers to serve on the Underground Railroad to anyone who seems like they might be abolitionists--her only motivation apparently being that doing so will make her a superior moral force in the eyes of the readers.  Perhaps wisely, none of the characters takes up her offer.  (She is, after all, essentially a prisoner in the house of a man who owns slaves.  One wonders what exactly Sophia plans to do for the Underground Railroad.)

Sophia's actions, in fact, often seem written solely because they fit the needs of the plot and not because they form an integral part of her character.  None of the other characters, barring perhaps her godfather, who exudes a mixture of sensuality and danger that should have had the girl running for the door as soon as she arrived, ever rise about mere stock types.  The standard rebellious and handsome youth makes an appearance, as does his pretty and more cautious lover.  The old and wise conductor on the Underground Railroad, the handsome and bookish minister, the leering groom—they are all included.  Arguably, the status of the book as a retold fairy tale might allow for or even call for flat characters, but it still seems odd to focus the story around the premise of the characters’ humanity and then portray them as one-dimensional.

If the characters lack something, however, the atmosphere of the book proves suitably creepy.  Readers will experience the same sense of wonder and danger as Sophia as they explore her godfather’s abbey and his past.  Nickerson has all the ingredients she needs to create an exciting and compelling story.  Perhaps the second in the trilogy will show what she is truly capable of doing. 

Note: The darkness of the plot and some of the themes addressed, such as sexuality, make this book more appropriate for older readers.