Matlala Sefale, Grade 12
UWCSA (Waterford)
I was introduced to Wattpad in 2016 by a friend of mine. Very soon afterward, I was captivated by multitudes of books of a wide range of genres - some of which I had no idea of their existence. Being the book fanatic I have always been and having that many books at my disposal for free at the same time for the first time in my life, I was overwhelmed. That led to me being indecisive every time when I had to pick a book to read. As a solution to that problem, I came up with a plan - which I thought was brilliant at the time - to read as many of them at a time as I want. I would read a book to take a break from another. It got confusing and even more overwhelming as I ended up mixing up plots and characters.
That was until I came across the Storm and Silence book series by Robert Thier, a German historian whose passion for history and humorous personality shines right through his creative writing. For the first time, I read one book at a time until I completed it and started its sequel - a testament to Thier’s ability to captivate his readers.
Storm and Silence is an eight-book series narrated from the perspective of a 19th-century feminist, Lilly Linton, who disguises herself as a man and seeks a job in London, something that women of her society were forbidden from doing. She then works for Rikkard Ambrose, a wealthy British financier who thought very little of women, like most men in his society. Robert Thier takes us through the adventurous, humorous status quo-challenging, romantic journey of Lilly Linton and Rikkard Ambrose through the main novel Storm and Silence, its prequel Before the Storm and its sequels In the Eye of the Storm, Silent Night, Silence is Golden, Silence Breaking, Hunting for Silence and finally Storm of Bells.
The main novel, Storm and Silence, which was published on Wattpad in 2015, before being officially published as a paperback version in 2016, won Wattpad Story of the Year award in 2015 and got nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards Best Romance.
Storm and Silence is an astounding novel. Robert Thier’s ability to write so convincingly from a female’s point of view - a 19th century female at that - is fascinating. His creation of the charismatic, witty, feminine, and feministic character of Lilly Linton, in contrast with the cold, serious character of Rikkard Ambrose, together with his excellent portrayal of the two, makes for a magnetic read. His historically conscious depiction of the setting and context of 19th century Britain is a manifestation of his passion for and knowledge of history.
The novel, humorous and yet serious, at the same time, makes social commentary against the oppression of women with reference to women’s suffrage and the fight for gender equality alongside the characterisation of Lilly. However, more importantly, it reveals the immense power and capability that women have always had - which is by no means less than that of their male counterparts.
Through the character of Lilly, Robert Thier exposes the effects of patriarchy on women, painting Lilly as a heroine to aspire to be like for being resourceful and intelligent enough to transcend the oppression of her society’s prevalent misogyny to become financially independent.
Other than the funny, feministic, and witty lessons that the novel has to offer, it also taught me, through Rikkard Ambrose, the invaluable life lesson that “knowledge is power is time is money.”
That was until I came across the Storm and Silence book series by Robert Thier, a German historian whose passion for history and humorous personality shines right through his creative writing. For the first time, I read one book at a time until I completed it and started its sequel - a testament to Thier’s ability to captivate his readers.
Storm and Silence is an eight-book series narrated from the perspective of a 19th-century feminist, Lilly Linton, who disguises herself as a man and seeks a job in London, something that women of her society were forbidden from doing. She then works for Rikkard Ambrose, a wealthy British financier who thought very little of women, like most men in his society. Robert Thier takes us through the adventurous, humorous status quo-challenging, romantic journey of Lilly Linton and Rikkard Ambrose through the main novel Storm and Silence, its prequel Before the Storm and its sequels In the Eye of the Storm, Silent Night, Silence is Golden, Silence Breaking, Hunting for Silence and finally Storm of Bells.
The main novel, Storm and Silence, which was published on Wattpad in 2015, before being officially published as a paperback version in 2016, won Wattpad Story of the Year award in 2015 and got nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards Best Romance.
Storm and Silence is an astounding novel. Robert Thier’s ability to write so convincingly from a female’s point of view - a 19th century female at that - is fascinating. His creation of the charismatic, witty, feminine, and feministic character of Lilly Linton, in contrast with the cold, serious character of Rikkard Ambrose, together with his excellent portrayal of the two, makes for a magnetic read. His historically conscious depiction of the setting and context of 19th century Britain is a manifestation of his passion for and knowledge of history.
The novel, humorous and yet serious, at the same time, makes social commentary against the oppression of women with reference to women’s suffrage and the fight for gender equality alongside the characterisation of Lilly. However, more importantly, it reveals the immense power and capability that women have always had - which is by no means less than that of their male counterparts.
Through the character of Lilly, Robert Thier exposes the effects of patriarchy on women, painting Lilly as a heroine to aspire to be like for being resourceful and intelligent enough to transcend the oppression of her society’s prevalent misogyny to become financially independent.
Other than the funny, feministic, and witty lessons that the novel has to offer, it also taught me, through Rikkard Ambrose, the invaluable life lesson that “knowledge is power is time is money.”
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