CW/TW
CW: Anti-Semitism, epidemic, death and grief
Do not be fooled by this cover. The cover says, ‘Look at me and my whimsy! My light frolic through life!’
No, dear reader, this is not light.
This is a book about persevering through tough times. The title should have been a clue for me. A phoenix doesn’t arise from a bouquet of flowers, after all.
The book is set in 1666. Plague had ravaged London the previous year and reading the characters’ reflections on that definitely had echoes of those early days of our pandemic and the grief and fear of it all. David Mendes is a Jewish physician who has left Portugal and moved to London with his father so that he can practice his religion openly. David is an earnest, serious sort who is dedicated to the job he loves. He is called in to treat Cecilia, a Gentile. Cecilia lost her husband to the plague and has sunk into a deep depression. Her twin sister Margaret fears that she is losing Cecilia and calls in physician after physician. Finally, David’s decoctions manage to lift Cecilia out of the gloom somewhat. In the process, David and Cecilia fall in love. Side note: There is a definite end point to David being Cecilia’s doctor, which happens before so much as a hand is held.
Yes, this is a romance. BUT if you’re looking for the typical romance plot arc of a couple gradually getting to know each other, spending a lot of time together, and falling in love, then you will be disappointed by this book. This love is a relatively quick one and for much of the book, David and Cecilia are separated by several circumstances, including their respective religions, and expectations that they marry other people. I don’t want to say too much because there are some surprises, but if like me, you detest love triangles. Don’t worry. It’s always clear where the true love lies. I did genuinely worry that a HEA was even possible for these two. But while the HEA is not a traditional one, it is certainly there.
My favourite character was certainly Cecilia. As she pulls herself out of her depression, we see more and more of the fire that makes her a phoenix bride. David is a bit more morose, understandably so as he endures quite a lot, and only seeks out happiness for himself towards the end of the book.
I enjoyed learning more about Jewish people in the early days of their return to London after the expulsions of 1290. While there is anti-Semitism in the book, there are no slurs spoken. David certainly faces anti-Semitism but we only hear about it after the fact or see it in suspicious glances from other characters. David himself is struggling with his faith and his identity. After being raised as a ‘converso’ in Portugal (his family ‘converted’ to Christianity in the face of the Inquisition), he is unsure of his relationship to Judaism as he lives openly in London. He has a small Jewish community but he chooses not to attend synagogue.
While both Cecilia and David are fully grown adults, the prose of this book has a bit of a tortured angsty vibe to it, with many a metaphor. Sometimes it has a poetic charm:
Ladies bunch together in laughing splotches of pink and green, while gentlemen brandish canes at each other.
And other times it gets a bit overwrought:
“You said your thoughts are like bees. Do they ever sting you?”
He cocks his head, eyes wide. He looks very much like his spaniel. “Why do you ask? Do yours sting you?”
“Yes. Quite often.”
It’s not enough to pull me entirely out of the story, but the florid word choices and dramatic language were a little jarring.
A note on queer rep
There is some queer representation in the story, which I don’t want to give too much away as it’s discussed quite far into the novel. There is surprise from other characters, but no harm comes to any of the queer characters in the end. There is one interaction with the law, but no charges are brought.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a story of perseverance in the face of tragedy and the hardiness of true love. If you enjoy historical romance and don’t mind a romance that deviates from the standard arc, then I think you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.
