The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
Published: 03.07.2011 (Harcourt Children's Books)
It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.
The Couple
{ ++ } I fell, hard, for Amelia and Nathaniel. I LOVED the two of them from their first few paragraphs of interaction. They had this instant chemistry, that in some books just does not work for me, but in this novel - maybe because it was partly historical fiction, set in the late 1800's, maybe just because it was THIS couple, won me over immediately. The bond between them took my breath away, and when I started thinking about a song to describe them, their interaction and their romance, I knew just which one to choose.
The Song
You loved me cause I'm fragile, when I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while, and all my fragile strength is gone
Set me free, leave me be
I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am, and I stand so tall - I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me
