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Margaret the First
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
143 posts | 93 read | 3 reading | 207 to read
One of both Flavorwire and The Millions Most Anticipated Books of 2016Margaret the First dramatizes the life of Margaret Cavendish, the shy, gifted, and wildly unconventional 17th-century Duchess. The eccentric Margaret wrote and published volumes of poems, philosophy, feminist plays, and utopian science fiction at a time when being a writer was not an option open to women. As one of the Queens attendants and the daughter of prominent Royalists, she was exiled to France when King Charles I was overthrown. As the English Civil War raged on, Margaret met and married William Cavendish, who encouraged her writing and her desire for a career. After the War, her work earned her both fame and infamy in England: at the dawn of daily newspapers, she was Mad Madge, an original tabloid celebrity. Yet Margaret was also the first woman to be invited to the Royal Society of Londona mainstay of the Scientific Revolutionand the last for another two hundred years. Margaret the First is very much a contemporary novel set in the past. Written with lucid precision and sharp cuts through time, it is a gorgeous and wholly new narrative approach to imagining the life of a historical woman.
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Smarkies
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mehso-so

It was an interesting premise based on Margaret Cavendish (who I didn't know before this), but this book, written in vignettes, did not manage to hold my attention throughout.
#52bookclub24 #aboutfindingidentity
#24in2024

IuliaC The cover is beautiful though 10mo
Smarkies @IuliaC this is why I bought the book! And the blurb! 😂😂😂 10mo
IuliaC I did this many times too 😂😂 10mo
Tamra I want whatever is your bowl! 10mo
31 likes4 comments
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Kazzie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
Pickpick

Good Story! Interesting interior portrait of a complicated, smart, vain, kind, interesting, self absorbed person. What a feminist!

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booksandsympathy
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Next up on Libby: a book about the life of Margaret Cavendish, the shy, gifted, & wildly unconventional 17th-century Duchess who wrote & published volumes of poems, philosophy, feminist plays, & utopian science fiction at a time when “being a writer” was not an option open to women. Her work earned her both fame & infamy in England, where she was called “Mad Madge”. Yet she was also the first woman to be invited to the Royal Society of London.

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ReadingEnvy
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

Another short novel from that LitHub list! Margaret Cavendish was a fascinating person in the 17th century, an intellectual and published writer long before this was acceptable for women, the first woman to present to the Royal Society of London. ⤵️

ReadingEnvy I did experience a brief moment of regret for not forcing myself to finish The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson because whether or not she is mentioned in those books, they are about the same time period. (I looked at a character list and don't see her but I do see some shared characters.) 5y
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batsy
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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#7days7covers #covercrush Day 5

@twohectobooks please join us in posting favourite covers if you're up for it :)

Lcsmcat Ooh, I like what they did with this one. 5y
batsy @Lcsmcat Yes ❤️ 5y
vivastory I feel like a publisher could easily scroll through this hashtag & compile a book of the greatest book designs with our selections. I know I'd buy a copy! Great choice! 5y
See All 28 Comments
Cathythoughts ♥️♥️nice 5y
Leftcoastzen Wonderful cover! 5y
Moray_Reads Such a beautiful cover 5y
LauraAndTaraAndBooks Love this cover...I had been planning on doing it tomorrow! 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Gorgeous cover 5y
Megabooks Great cover! 5y
batsy @vivastory Right? I'm having such a great time seeing everyone's selections! 5y
batsy @Cathythoughts @Leftcoastzen @Moray_Reads @LauraAndTaraAndBooks @erzascarletbookgasm @Megabooks The delicate detail of the title as a necklace is so perfect 😍 5y
Nute Yes! So beautiful! I wish that I had remembered this one!😊Perfect choice, Ms. Subashini! 5y
Tanisha_A I loveeeee that blue feather! 5y
LeahBergen 😍😍😍 5y
readordierachel Oh, yes 😍😍 5y
batsy @Nute Thank you, Kimberley! 🙂 5y
batsy @Tanisha_A Perfect detail, isn't it 😍 5y
batsy @LeahBergen @readordierachel I've been coveting this book for so long I was so happy to find it at the discount store 😁 5y
CarolynM 😍😍😍 5y
twohectobooks Thanks for thinking of me! Saw this when you posted and have been racking my brain for potential covers. Should have something to post soon. 5y
batsy @twohectobooks No worries! It should be fun and stress free so I hope I didn't impose :) 5y
GatheringBooks deceptively simple but truly effective. 5y
Centique I have this on my TBR - it looks sooooo good! 5y
twohectobooks @batsy not at all! 5y
batsy @Centique Right? At some point I should read it 😆 5y
BiblioLitten There‘s something about that cover.💙💙 5y
batsy @BiblioLitten I love it so much! 5y
92 likes28 comments
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sidherinn
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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myreadingdays
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️
So this left me with more questions than answers but I think that‘s because I have never heard of Margaret Cavandish before I opened this book
It‘s a great starting point as it gives a good overview on Margaret‘s life from start to finish. And luckily the author gives 2 recommendations of more comprehensive books about this really interesting woman. She also credits A Room of One‘s Own by Virginia Woolf for opening up Margaret to her.

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AnneCecilie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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#HelloThursday

1. -3 degrees C with snow ❄️

2. Around 20 C, but over 22 C is too hot

3. 20 C

4. I read inside and doesn‘t care. If I‘m going outside see no 2

5. I tagged one of the books I read this month. I read according to mood, so anything I want to read is a winter read.

wanderinglynn Thanks for playing! 💜 And stay warm! 🥶 6y
32 likes1 comment
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AnneCecilie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

From the blurb:”Margaret Cavendish was the first woman to address the Royal Society and the first Englishwoman to write explicitly for publication. Wildly unconventional, she was championed by her forward-thinking husband and nicknamed ‘Mad Madge‘ by her many detractors”.

In this short novel, just 160p, Dutton brings Margaret to life. The novel is told through vignettes and tells of her entire life.

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AnneCecilie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Next up. I think this is fiction based on a real person, but if not tell me.

Itchyfeetreader Definitely based on a real person - be keen to see what you think looks like it‘s right up my streeet 6y
Crazeedi I'm interested in your opinion, I like these type of books 6y
AnneCecilie @Itchyfeetreader @Crazeedi This was definitely my type of book. I really like to read about women who doesn‘t follow the expected path, but go their own ways. I would be interested in reading her work as well. 6y
57 likes3 comments
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Callsie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Reading this in Cuzco, Peru. Haven‘t seen the real thing yet but these Llama magnets are gonna be appreciated souvenirs!

akckitty Not gonna lie, those are pretty cute 6y
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underground_bks
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

This absorbing novel is based on the life of Margaret Cavendish, the 17th Century duchess, poet, philosopher, and playwright who wrote one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Danielle Dutton‘s writing is immersive and impressionistic, imagining the lived experience of one woman‘s rule-busting imagination amidst the claustrophobic life of a noblewoman in the 17th Century.

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DannyOlda
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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The quote made me want to get up and do an air kick. I hope my daughter can grow up with that confidence.

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DannyOlda
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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My wife got this as a blind date from Tombolo Books and I'm borrowing it. So far a pleasant poetic, unique style.

Aimeesue Hmmmm! Interesting cover! Kind of makes me want to draw necklaces on portraits. 😁 6y
saresmoore I love this cover. 6y
DannyOlda Lol, good idea, @Aimeesue 6y
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Loreen
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
Pickpick

Second book is finished. Now on to book three.

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Loreen
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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I didn‘t get to this book for the last #readathon. So to make up for it, it‘s my second book of the day. #deweys24hourreadathon #thiscover

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Loreen
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Day 1: #7Days7bookcovers
Post a book cover you love.
No explanation, no information on the book.
Just a book cover you love.
I saw this tag on @RealLifeReading instagram a few days ago and had to it myself. 😁

LeahBergen I ❤️ this cover. 7y
Loreen It's just beautiful. 7y
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Moray_Reads
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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7 days 7 covers. Post a book cover you love. No explanation, no information on the book. Just a cover you love.

rubyslippersreads 😍😍😍 7y
LeahBergen I loved this cover the moment I first saw it. ❤️ 7y
Kalalalatja This cover is so awesome! Have you read the book? 7y
Moray_Reads I have, it was fascinating. I'd never heard of Margaret but she had an amazing life 7y
readordierachel Gorgeous! 7y
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Booksnchill
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

This is a short,160pg fictionalized account of Margaret Cavendish “the first woman to live by her pen” in Britain of the 1600‘s. The cover reminded me of this painted egg made by my Great Grandmother in the 1930‘s. The author cites Virginia Woolf‘s writings on Margaret and “A Room of One‘s Own” as inspirations and I can see that in the work- really a forray into Margaret‘s inner life and dreams- she is to be admired- 4⭐️#Femmeuary

LeahBergen That egg is amazing!! I really enjoyed this read. 7y
Booksnchill @LeahBergen thanks I am so pleased it has survived this long and I prize it. 7y
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bellasocks
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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..knitting and listening #literaryknitter

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rmaclean4
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mehso-so

What an interesting book. I loved being in this time period. There were times that I found it hard to get into Margaret's thoughts. I am glad that I read this, but am not sure that it will stick with me in the long run.

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rmaclean4
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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This beauty showed up in the mail today. Super excited to get to this soon!!

Lacythebookworm It‘s a good one! 7y
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Mitch
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mitch
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mehso-so

Described as an early precursor to feminism by modern day writers, in her lifetime she was Mad Madge. I enjoyed the first half of the book, where the writer uses very sparse language and observation to put us in a time and place, understanding the emotion, context and actions all within one sentence. But as Margaret's story unfolds, her eccentricity escalates and the writing changes. Dreams, other worldliness, fantasies and visions take hold.

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Mitch
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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7.5 hrs of 2017 left here in London, UK. Adequate time to squeeze in a slim one! ( Although it goes against my rule of never starting a new book on the same day as finishing the last one 🤣🎉!)

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Listener15
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mehso-so

I am not sure if I liked this book or not. At times I flew through chapters & others that felt like a slog & I had to reread parts. It was beautifully written though confusing at times. I had never heard of this lady until I picked up this book. It seems like I would have enjoyed it more if I knew anything about the real person. But it does take an interesting look at fame. Basically nothing has changed over the centuries. Overall, glad I read it.

Cinfhen The cover is so striking!!! 7y
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LaviniaG
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Writing in the 17th century, quite bad for your health.

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Christine89
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

Book number 2 for #deweysreadathon. What an interesting book. I loved the history and the story of a strong badass woman!

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Brie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

A fascinating and intimate portrait of an historical woman who did not fit in with the times of 17th century England. This biographical novel fictionalizes the life of Margaret Cavendish, an eccentric duchess who scandalized the public with her literary ambitions. I felt the novel blended history and fiction seamlessly together to form an arresting glimpse into a complicated and controversial woman's life.

batsy I will never tire of seeing this cover 😍 7y
annahenke Loved this book. 7y
Brie @batsy It is a gorgeous cover 7y
AmandaL I immediately read her biography after reading this book! 7y
Brie @AmandaL The author's note recommended that biography and now I want to read it too! It sounds great. 7y
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Brie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Duchess Margaret Cavendish: author, poet, playwright, philosopher, feminist, and truly irregular woman of her time. #epigraphs

LeahBergen Yep. 👏🏻 7y
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Moonpa
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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For the three weeks I had this book out from the library, I was mesmerized by this cover. And I enjoyed the book too!
#coverlover
#awesomeautumnbooks

emilyhaldi Pretty!! 7y
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mtns_of_books
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Mehso-so

The writing was phenomenal-such beautiful prose. The only reason, not a 5 star for me, is something just felt off, in the way like it wasn't a flowing story-rather just little snippets of her life-and at times it made hard to connect to the main character because we would get a little glimpse into a moment, then on to another random day in sometimes less than a paragraph.
#bookish #bookcover #literature #booknerd #booklove #reader

RealBooks4ever Nice review! 💜 7y
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Brie
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Library/thrift store #bookhaul #TBR 📚

MicheleinPhilly WOW! EXCELLENT HAUL! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 7y
Moray_Reads Wow, impressive! 7y
Brie Thanks, I think I got lucky. Haven't visited either in a while. @MicheleinPhilly 7y
See All 11 Comments
TrishB Cool 👍 7y
RealBooks4ever Nice haul! 💜 7y
emilyhaldi Awesome! 7y
DivineDiana Wow! 7y
Andrea4 Woo-hope you didn't have to carry that too far! 7y
Brie Luckily I brought a bag! @Andrea4 7y
vivastory Great haul! 7y
Lmstraubie Nice! 😁 7y
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BookishShelly
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

It's an oddly told story, but I really liked this novel imagining the life of Margaret Cavendish. I'm definitely going to be looking for a good biography of her now. She was certainly not perfect, but a fascinating person and I like her or at least the her as portrayed in this little novel.

DivineDiana I so love this cover! Must own! 📚 7y
AmandaL It's a good biography of Margaret Cavendish, and I think the author referenced it for this book. 7y
54 likes4 comments
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nerdybookgirl
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Starting book #2 for #readathon!

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AMVP
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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@Liberty

#thisistheend

Would've posted my actual copy, but I won't be home before the end of the raffle. Regardless, loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.

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Handmade_Redhead
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this book, but wouldn't say it was fantastic. I am interested in finding out more about the real Margaret. I almost think she'd be more interesting outside of the fiction.

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javadiva
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
Panpan

No plot, no twist, no character development. Just a "pretty sentence" book.

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Moray_Reads
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

At a time when women wrote rarely and anonymously Margaret Cavendish openly published works of theatre, poetry and philosophy. It's interesting and frustrating to see her struggle with the stigma against thoughtful, ambitious women that still exists today. Dutton had written a crisp, vivid, multifaceted glimpse into the life of a protofeminist using many of Margaret's own words. Now I need to read Virginia Woolf's essay on "Mad Madge".

Reviewsbylola I've always loved this cover and your blanket is beautiful. 8y
rockpools Beautiful photo! 8y
LeahBergen I'm glad you liked this one, too! I want to hunt down a good biography on her now. 8y
Moray_Reads @LeahBergen I thought the same thing. I think I'll start with the bibliography at the back 8y
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annahenke
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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#marchintoreading #judgedbyitscover I started reading this book based solely on the cover. I was not disappointed! This is the snapshot review from my website: www.loveonlit.com

Cinfhen I agree, gorgeous cover 💖 8y
javadiva I'm reading it right now! 👍 8y
LeahBergen I liked it! 8y
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MamaGina
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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From what I've heard, this is a great book, but honestly its cover is so gorgeous I would have purchased it for its decorative value alone!🤓

#judgedbyitscover
#marchintoreading

Lacythebookworm Same!! 8y
35 likes1 comment
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javadiva
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton

Picked this for my work's book genre study. It's short and beautifully written, partly prose. I hadn't heard of Margaret Cavendish before. Known for her work and her prominence as England's first recognized woman scientist argued strongly for the education of women and for their involvement in scientific pursuits.

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Lola
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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I loved this little book. Great deal for the Kindle with the Audible match, too. #deals #kindledeals

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BrainyHeroine
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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I promises my husband we'd clean today, but my Amazon book order just got here and this TBR from a micropress is under 200 pages! Maybe if I play vacuum cleaner noises for an hour he'll think I'm just being really detail oriented? Haha.

398.2 lol I do the same thing to my husband! I think he's starting to catch on lol 8y
annahenke It's short but I actually took a while to read it. It's so beautifully composed. 8y
Eridau Beautiful cover. 8y
23 likes3 comments
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Lacythebookworm
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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#bookmail I've been wanting to get my hands on this one since it came out. Love the cover! (And the story sounds fascinating, too 😊)

Cinfhen Yes, I agree great cover😻 8y
BrainyHeroine This is literally in my amazon cart right now lol 8y
Reviewsbylola Yes, totally awesome cover! 8y
LeahBergen I really enjoyed it. 8y
101 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Suetara
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Yay! I've been wanting to read this. Added it to my digital hoard this morning. 😜

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moonandpeach
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Pickpick

'Dazzling' seems right.

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LeahBergen
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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Here are my picks for the #BestOfJanuary. #ReadJanuary

Cinfhen I love how those covers look all blended together 😍 8y
I-read-and-eat Just got The Vegetarian from the library, moving it up my TBR, so many great reviews on Litsy. 8y
DeborahSmall The UK hardback cover for Eligible is awful, putting me off ordering it. I'll have to look around for this edition 💕 8y
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LeahBergen @DeborahSmall I just went and looked at the UK cover. Yuck! It's too "chick lit" for a novel that is really more of a clever satire than a straight-up P&P-inspired modern romance. I usually always prefer the UK covers, too. ? We get a random offering of editions here in Canada - sometimes they are from the UK and sometimes the US. 8y
LeahBergen @Cinfhen It was an accidental mash-up on my desk. 😂 8y
LeahBergen @I-read-and-eat I really enjoyed it (it IS pretty bizarre and dark though). 8y
DeborahSmall So disappointing. The paperback is the same. Sometimes the paperback can be nice 8y
BethFishReads I liked Eligible 8y
shawnmooney I really enjoyed 'Margaret' - think you know my feelings about the non-meat-eater one :) 8y
LeahBergen @shawnmooney I do! 😂 8y
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LeahBergen
Margaret the First: A Novel | Danielle Dutton
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I'm really enjoying this beautiful little read, my 2nd book of #24in48. I'm also taking the time to enjoy everyone's posts today ... those of you reading and those of you marching. ❤❤❤

8leagueboot Margaret the First would definitely have marched, probably while wearing a magnificent hat full of live birds ❤ 8y
LeahBergen @8leagueboot Yes, she certainly would! 😍 8y
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