The Hatmakers is even more delightful and beautiful than its cover--and I think that it's cover is spectacular. Merchant's writing is stunning and vivid, written with a beautiful prose style that is both accessible and full of elegance and wit. Some of my favorite parts of Merchant's writing are her focus on detail and her wit, both of which seem to play hand in hand. Something that I am always drawn to in books is when an author includes very minor, quirky details or insights about a world that aren't necessarily necessary, but that for me serve to build up the world and create a more immersive experience, and this is something that I think Merchant captured really well. Similarly, in doing this she includes some strong wit in both her creative details and a bit a humor that acts as an undercurrent and really helps make this story flow even better than it already does.

This book was so entertaining and the premise is just so charming. Rival families of merchants that create clothes or shoes or watches infused with spells and magic. This reminded me a lot of the Netflix movie "Slumberland" too (not really in concept but more in vibes) and I really loved that. However the compelling fitness of theme and event and the apt but unexpected imagery (the opening sentences compare the first week in August when this takes place to "the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning") help to justify the extravagant early assertion that had the secret about to be revealed been known at the time of the action, the very earth "would have trembled on its axis like a beetle on a pin." It’s an interesting idea, and I can see that the author was going for the zaniness and comedy ludicrousness of a Ronald Dahl book, and the whimsy of Diana Wynne Jones. But unfortunately it never reached those points.

with an edition of their bilingual Guild Ordinances

I would say that I've always in my career liked to do my own things. Being an actor is an amazing adventure. It's so much fun, but at the same time there was a lot of spare time especially when you sign onto a show, a big show that has multiple seasons like Carnival Row, those contracts can be quite restrictive. You have lots of time between seasons where you're actually not really allowed to do a tonne of stuff so this is a way of fulfilling other creative parts of my soul, which actually acting doesn't necessarily fulfil. Actually right now I'm studying herbalism. You are studying herbalism! What has that been like? I'm really hoping there will be a sequel to this, especially with the surprise at the end. I'd love to learn more about the other Makers and hopefully see them come together and make more awesome outfits! I had so much fun reading this book and it really captured that nostalgic magical feeling I used to get when reading books as a kid. The setting itself is really fun and has a historical Georgian London time period that combines a sense of real history (think 'alternate,' maybe) with some magical twists that made it feel so timeless and welcoming to me. It's an exceptionally immersive setting that I really loved diving into and hope to discover more of in future books. The story is about Cordelia Hatmaker, and begins with her father supposedly drowning at sea, but the main story is about the king going mad and the princess having to take over negotiations with France to stop a war, while it appears that the maker families are being robbed. Mit der Zeit hat mich die Geschichte dann aber immer mehr verloren. Die Geschichte hatte für mich keinen roten Faden, denn ständig tauchte etwas neues auf und der ursprüngliche Plan war erstmal wieder vergessen. So ging es dann durch das gesamte Buch und die Handlung konnte mich damit einfach nicht für sich einnehmen. Auch die Protagonistin Cordelia und auch alle weiteren Charaktere konnten mich nicht wirklich überzeugen und sind einfach zu blass geblieben.

She never expects to stumble upon a secret society of Mapmakers - or to learn that magic isn't limited to the few Maker families, but is instead is all around, if you just know where to look . . . Now, the magic in this book is really fun. One way in which is manifesting is in how the various families Make items. For instance, the Hatmakers imbue their hats with a variety of unique and oftentimes hard to get items--such as moonbeams, storms, and feathers from rare birds--that, when worn, can give the wearer feels of peacefulness, happiness, excitement, you name it. I assume this is also how it works for the Bootmakers, Glovemakers, Cloakmakers, and so on. I loved learning about all of the different trades and their methods of Making various magical items, as well as some tidbits here and there about past events that the Makers have been a part of.A gorgeous adventure from exceptional new storytelling talent, Tamzin Merchant, featuring beautiful illustrations by Paola Escobar.

Fun, enjoyable with lots of good stuff. I loved the imagination about clothes and hats giving qualities to people. I was a bit annoyed that in some portions Cordelia thinks out loud and tells us what to understand instead of showing it in the story. But this was a nice, fun read nevertheless. The Hatmakers is set in a fictional country where the king has appointed 5 “maker” families to make gloves, hats, boots, cloaks and watches. These families each specialize in one item and have done so for hundreds of years, and no one else in the kingdom is allowed to make those items. Additionally, the families make the items using magical materials.

Hobbies

I would say there are jobs that you think would be great for you. There have been jobs that I thought I really wanted and that seemed almost like a mirage. They seem great, but actually the reality is it's really not great. For me, every turn in the road and every change of direction that I've had, where I've been the driving force behind that, whether it's been like a show getting canceled, like Salem got canceled. At the time, I felt really sad in a way, but then I wouldn't have been able to do Carnival Row if that had gone on. It's hard to feel like anything that felt bad at the time has not ultimately been something that's been really great. It’s so important that people actually talk about the failure as well as the success in life isn’t it… The magic is brilliant and nicely integrated into the world, which, if you’ve read the first book, you already know, but there’s some cool reveals I won’t spoil here.