Forever and Forever

January 11, 2016
Kilpack (Lord Fenton’s Folly) combines fact and fiction in this well-researched, emotionally charged tale based on the real courtship of Henry Longfellow, America’s first professional poet, and Fanny Appleton, an intelligent Boston heiress. The relationship was rocky and unlikely. When Henry meets Fanny in Europe in 1836, shortly after the death of his first wife, he is immediately impressed by Fanny’s sharp mind, fiery disposition, and inquisitive nature. Fanny is intrigued by his intellectual capabilities and his faith in her abilities, but is put off by their 10-year age difference and his lower station. Henry maintains a friendship with Fanny’s family, and his dogged pursuit of Fanny confuses her; the widower’s ardent attentions don’t jibe with her ideas about love that lasts forever. Henry’s inner turmoil is absolutely heart-wrenching, as his continuing passion finds expression in his writing but meets resistance and even unkindness at times from Fanny and her friends. Kilpack vividly re-creates the era in which the couple lived and constructs a love story that even the pickiest poet would declare fit for the ages. Agent: Lane Heymont, Seymour Agency.

March 1, 2016
Kilpack (Lord Fenton's Folly, 2015) kicks off a new romance series based on the actual courtships of renowned writers, artists, and musicians. After the death of her mother in 1836, Fanny Appleton and her remaining family members embark on a grand tour of Europe. There, she meets the poet and scholar Henry Longfellow. As Kilpack tells the story of their off-and-on courtship, which lasts seven years and takes place in several countries, she richly describes the customs and mores of the time, while appealing to present-day sensibilities. Readers will gain a very different understanding of Longfellow, both through the story, as he and Fanny marry and live together joyously until fate interrupts their happily-ever-after, and through the accompanying materials, including an informative time line, interesting chapter notes, and useful discussion questions for book clubs. This is an unusual and thoroughly engaging and eye-opening approach to historical romance. The next in Kilpack's thoughtful series will feature Sir Walter Scott.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)