Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon

I'm not quite done with the "Alchemist's Daughter" but it's inspired me to write this blog on it. It's the first fiction book I've listening to at work in a long time and it has made the days fly by. I'm really impressed with this work. It's got all the elements I love: history, heretical ideas (but past the inquisition era), romance and unforgettable characters. McMahon writes in first person and that is necessary to the novel, I think. It enables the reader to only see the situation through the main character's eyes, so when we finally get to see things through her father's eyes, it's a true revelation. I think writing in first person is intriguing because that, of course, is how we all experience life. It takes talent not to make first person too narrow and this author manages it, actually uses that narrowness to advance the plot. That's because seeing things only from her point of view is the main problem in the story. And really it's the main problem for a lot of life, isn't it? It's a lovely story.