A School for Unusual Girls: A Stranje House Novel (Stranje House, 1)

I love all the books in this series!Each book lets the Reader gradually in to the personalities and unique challenges of young women in an alternative Napoleonic War historical period.They have paranormal abilities that are metaphysically real, authentic and deeply true, unique to each “Unusual Girl!”Exciting, but not negative! Morally uplifting.Simply delightful. Highly recommend.

Georgiana Fitzwilliam (YES, just like Fitzwilliam Darcy) is an unusual girl.She likes science. *shudders delicately* She also has red hair and freckles in a society that abhors both. But it's her love of experiments that is perceived to be the greater of evils . . . *whispers* Well bred young ladies DO NOT science.And when her father's stable and a quarter of a neighboring orchard burns to ash as a direct result of one of said experiments, her parents have had enough.They pack her up and dump her out at Stranje House, a boarding school rumored to employ such barbarous practices as TORTURE to transform the exceptional daughters of the upper classes into unexceptional, but infinitely more marriageable, ladies.After touring the dungeon (at her father's behest), observing the rack (not currently in use), and witnessing two girls strapped into hideous contraptions (one of them a sarcophagus equipped with nails), Georgiana decides she'd rather run than be subjected to such mistreatment.Instead of an exit, she discovers a hidden passageway, and upon further exploration, she overhears two men--GASP!--discussing the very experiment that got her sent to Stranje House, in the first place.WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! *giggle snorts*It means that things aren't as they appear, of course.Except for the fact that her parents are wretched for leaving her in a place they believed to be as awful as Stranje House . . .There’s no escaping that fact for poor Georgiana.But Miss Stranje gives her an opportunity to do what she loves, to make a difference, to make a significant contribution to the world, and she grabs onto it with both hands.And Georgiana isn't alone at Stranje House.Among the other girls, only Lady Jane has a gift the can be construed as mundane (a flair for making estates profitable), while the others have . . . more unusual gifts. There's Tess, who has prophetic dreams and seems to understand animals, Sera, who sees the truth of things, and Maya, whose voice is strangely compelling.But why is Miss Stranje collecting these outcasts of society? Why are such extreme measures being taken to ensure there will be no interference from their (despicable) relations?Read it and find out. *winks*A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS by Kathleen Baldwin . . . is utterly and delightfully . . . ridiculous. The next time you need a pretty bit of fluff to cleanse your palate, I highly recommend you give this one a try. If you're unsure, try the preview chapters. That's what I did, and I was hooked before I reached its end.

Kathleen Baldwin has managed to win me over to the historical fiction genre in a big way with A School for Unusual Girls. I must admit I initially purchased this book for my fifteen year old granddaughter who I was sure would enjoy it, both for her love of history and for her strong and intelligent personality, which seemed to me at first glance to also be an apt description of the main character. As I scanned the book before giving it to her, I realized that it had also grabbed my own interest and I ordered a second copy, both coming from Amazon. I’m so glad I did! There is so much fun stuff, I don’t want to give it away – but just know to settle in for a captivating read filled with strong and spunky heroines, handsome heroes, scientific experiments that sometimes go awry with lethal consequences, and ultimately a journey of maturation and finding one’s place; all back-dropped by an unstable and inflammatory time in European history where the individual decisions of the residents of Stranje House are pivotal in influencing the events swirling chaotically at a rapid pace around them.The author takes the reader on a journey that leaves one reluctant to stop. Not only does she transport us to another time and place, she manages to make us identify with these unusual girls who have troubled pasts and to root for them. A wonderful message of redemption for those who do not feel compelled to follow the established rules of society but seek to remain true to their own calling, is woven through the story’s themes of transformation, love, and responsibility. Kathleen Baldwin writes with a masterful grasp of plot and pacing, keeping the reader thoroughly enticed with just enough mystery and intrigue (and the occasional breathtaking hint of romance). She strikes that amazing balance of fully satisfying at quintessential moments, yet leaving us yearning for the story to continue. Fortunately it does, in the next novel in the Stranje House series: Exiles for Dreamers. I have already purchased my copy and I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the next adventure that the Stranje House has in store!

Completely different from any book I have read lately. Twisting and turning until you are breathless. I stayed up late to finish it and then it was nearly impossible to sleep I was so wound up. Not a boring book, not a boring story, although it does present an alternative history, it’s still very good.Let it take you on a journey.

From the author's humorous historicals I knew she could write a good story, and this did not disappoint. This one is not intended to be humorous. It is actually a bit sad, told from the viewpoint of Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam, whose unloving family has sent her away. The story starts a bit Gothic, 16-year old Georgie is confused upon her arrival, expecting punishment. She soon learns differently, finally being allowed to use her interest in chemistry.There is a bit of political intrigue and mild romantic interest (no more than a kiss). It kept my interest throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel I went into it with almost no expectations but I did think it would involve the paranormal, it didn't but was a very pleasant surprise. I highly recommend especially for young women.

Quite dark, stressful amd upsetting