I had the privilege of attending the book premiere event for Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwilow Place at Once Upon a Time bookstore in Montrose. It was a fantastic event that drew a bit of a crowd.
Julie started off the evening by talking about her path as an author and her other books (The Amaranth Enchantment and All the Truth That's In Me are two notable examples of her previous work).
This all led up to her journey in creating the Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. She explained how she researched for the book, everything from looking up the saint of maidenhood (Saint Etheldreda, for those wondering) to choosing a unique adjective for each girl that would precede their first names to form a unique moniker used to refer to each of the girls - Smooth Kitty, Dear Roberta, Dour Elinor. Ms. Berry read an excerpt from her latest book, described by Holly Goldberg Sloan as “Stunning. Hilarious. And wholly original. If David Sedaris and Agatha Christie had a child, it would be Julie Berry".
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, a tale of seven young women, who upon facing the death of the severe headmistress of their boarding school, take it upon themselves to cover up the murder (in order to form a sort-of haven for themselves, rather than go back to their oppressive families). All the while they must discover the identity of the murderer and fend off the quickly-growing suspicion of their pushy neighbors. The book is a hilarious conbination of classic British comedy and the severe, dour Victorian setting. I particularly enjoyed the almost over-the top comedy and the juggling of various responsibilities (finding the murderer, fooling the townspeople, and ensuring that each girl doesn't wholly embarrass herself in front of the respective boy she fancies), but the characters, each of whom have a specific backstory, really made the book great. The comedy was terrific and overall the book is a fun, satisfying read.
The event was great fun for everyone who attended and it was lovely to have Julie Berry at the store. ~ Carolyn