Author Spotlight Interview with Brandy Vallance
Take a deeper dive into the story behind the story as I tell Brandy Vallance all about the attic discovery that led to Love and Conductivity!
Love and Conductivity
Erin Nieto
Koehler Books
979-8-88824-602-3 $27.95 Hardcover/$19.95 Paperback
www.koehlerbooks.com
From its opening lines, Love and Conductivity reveals that, while the historical setting of 1917 may be familiar, the language used to describe the war’s events sparks unexpectedly thought-provoking considerations from its vivid opening lines:
In 1917, the men went away and were replaced with photographs. At the Brandenburg Boarding House, which rented rooms to women of the Oklahoma University faculty, they all had someone swept away by the draft: brothers, husbands, sons, lovers, all now smiling back from their framed perches, where they both existed, and didn’t.
This reference, with its intriguing capture of a home front which harbors a countenance of uncertainty similar to Schrödinger’s cat, promises a story that eschews the traditionally staid approaches to World War I history, creating a more vivid perspective than readers might anticipate.
This, in turn, strengthens a powerful saga of separation, friendship, and love which is cemented by Erin Nieto’s attention to different devices to capture the shifting tides of these times. This includes letters such as the ones written in 1921 between Thomas Erwin Phipps (a student of chemistry in Berkeley) and poetry teacher Eleanor Morgan. Eleanor longs for adventure in her staid life, finding it in an unexpected meeting of minds with a lieutenant on his way home after the Armistice.
Their brief encounter grows love slowly, over time and the miles, but Eleanor must first overcome her innate tendency to reject the adventure she so desires before she can take the kinds of risks that lead to more intimate connections.
Nieto creates a forceful story of self-discovery and coupling against the backdrop of changing times. Her ability to inject history with a gripping “you are here” feel of immediacy through psychological and social depth lends the story a revealing tone that is at once poetic and intimate:
She’d always thought herself prepared to meet unexpected turns in her life calmly and assuredly, but her emotions that night had been so unexpected and so strong that they’d quite frightened her, making her feel almost a stranger to herself. And the union with Erwin was so fleeting that she’d since convinced herself she’d at least partly imagined it. Yet here she sat, the embers still aglow in her heart; the wonderful harmony of those moments reflected back to her through the arrival of this poetic New Year wish. And it had found its way to her on Valentine’s, of all days, fanning the embers once more into a low, bright flame. He did care. And it all seemed so comical and gay that she felt as if a fire fairy had touched her with her wand.
Readers seeking a vivid, slowly-evolving romance in which life events buffet Eleanor and her beau, yet create serendipitous moments of growth and discovery, will find Love and Conductivity exceptionally vivid and thought-provoking.
Libraries will want to highly recommend Love and Conductivity to book clubs seeking blends of romance and history that point to many possible discussion topics about social mores, love, and the kinds of risk-taking that result in truly effective changes, whether they take place on a personal or a social level.
Book Review
Reviewed by Mansoor Ahmed for Readers' Favorite
Set in post-World War I America, Love and Conductivity beautifully weaves a tale of emotional discovery and the electric connection between two souls navigating personal loss and societal expectations. The story centers on Eleanor Morgan, an aspiring writer, and Thomas Erwin Phipps, a scientist grappling with ambition and self-doubt, as they meet by chance and discover a spark of mutual understanding. Their paths cross in an atmosphere of tea parties and poetry, war memories, and dreams of independence. Against the vividly depicted early 20th-century backdrop, Eleanor and Erwin wrestle with the question of whether love can coexist with personal aspirations and the constraints of a world recovering from war's devastation. The narrative portrays the grandeur and personal hardships of a time against a vivid background of small-town charm and post-war uncertainty.
Erin Nieto's writing is tender and evocative, bringing to life the characters and their world with lyrical descriptions and thoughtful dialogue. The plot flows well between quiet introspection and dramatic scenes that are full of emotion. The author does well in creating multi-dimensional characters, especially Eleanor, whose inner conflict is as compelling as her outward charm. The themes of resilience, love, and self-discovery are artfully explored, giving the narrative depth and relevance. The pacing keeps the reader engaged with a steady unfolding of tension and resolution. The author's poetic prose and attention to historical detail make the story immersive and memorable. I highly recommend Love and Conductivity to readers who love historical fiction with emotional depth and richly drawn characters. The vivid descriptions of 19th-century London transport readers to another time and place, adding to the story's authenticity.