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The Q
CAN QUINCY ST. CLAIRE KEEP THE Q?
A dying man with a scheme. A charming smuggler one step ahead of the law. A former foundling with a mangled hand. A family of kingmakers. A printing tycoon. A constable on the trail of justice. An idealistic solicitor with secrets of his own. And the genius at the center of it all, Quincy St. Claire.
On New Year's Eve, Quincy St. Claire's well-ordered world is set askew. Her Uncle Ezekiel tells her that, upon his demise, she must fulfill a list of requirements in order to inherit his publication, The Q. But Quincy is not to be told what those requirements are, and the only person in possession of that knowledge is her silent, disapproving solicitor, James Arch.
All of Rhysdon is intrigued by Quincy's genius and her adeptness at turning a profit through her fierce focus on business, excluding all else. Surrounded by a unique cadre of individuals who find their way to the offices of The Q, Quincy is determined to win her Uncle's absurd game, and keep the only thing she has ever cared about.
A dying man with a scheme. A charming smuggler one step ahead of the law. A former foundling with a mangled hand. A family of kingmakers. A printing tycoon. A constable on the trail of justice. An idealistic solicitor with secrets of his own. And the genius at the center of it all, Quincy St. Claire.
On New Year's Eve, Quincy St. Claire's well-ordered world is set askew. Her Uncle Ezekiel tells her that, upon his demise, she must fulfill a list of requirements in order to inherit his publication, The Q. But Quincy is not to be told what those requirements are, and the only person in possession of that knowledge is her silent, disapproving solicitor, James Arch.
All of Rhysdon is intrigued by Quincy's genius and her adeptness at turning a profit through her fierce focus on business, excluding all else. Surrounded by a unique cadre of individuals who find their way to the offices of The Q, Quincy is determined to win her Uncle's absurd game, and keep the only thing she has ever cared about.
477 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2016
609 people are currently reading
5252 people want to read
About the author
Beth Brower
18 books2,433 followersLike many of my siblings, I would sneak out of bed, slip into the hallway, and pull my favorite books from the book closet. I read my way through the bottom shelf, then the next shelf up, and the shelf above that, until I could climb to the very top shelf, stacked two layers deep and two layers high, and read the titles of the classics. My desire to create stories grew as I was learning to read them.
Subsequently, I spent my time scribbling in notebooks rather than listening to math lectures at school.
I graduated with a degree in literary studies, and have spent several years working on the novels that keep pounding on the doors of my mind, as none of my characters are very patient to wait their turn. I currently live in Orem, Utah, with my wonderful chemist husband, and books in every room of the house.
Subsequently, I spent my time scribbling in notebooks rather than listening to math lectures at school.
I graduated with a degree in literary studies, and have spent several years working on the novels that keep pounding on the doors of my mind, as none of my characters are very patient to wait their turn. I currently live in Orem, Utah, with my wonderful chemist husband, and books in every room of the house.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 781 reviews
October 19, 2016
Originally reviewed here @ Angieville
I'm feeling very possessive when it comes to this one, guys. I finished it a few days ago, and it has been a bit touch and go emotionally since then. You try to find other characters and other places to fill the void, but the truth is—it's not your first rodeo. And you know very well you're not going to simply be able to will the ability to move forward with your life. That you're just going to have to wait it out and mourn having been with Quincy and Arch, er, those characters, as steadily and for as long as you were and then learn to live on a day-to-day basis not being with them. And, yes, I do know they're sitting right there on the shelf whenever I need them. But you know what I mean. You have to somehow get past the end having happened to you, too. And not just to them. The Q is a lovely little (actually gratifyingly thick) standalone historical fiction (with a twist) novel and instant entry on my Best Books of 2016 list. Oh, and lest I forget, that cover. It is everything. With the newsprint? And the crease? And that very particular Q? Everything, I say.
It's worth mentioning that Beth Brower and I are friends. And that while I've talked about and spotlighted her work several times on the blog, I haven't reviewed her first three novels because of the close nature of our friendship. But this one, you guys. No power in the 'Verse could stop me from spreading the word. It's that good.
Quincy St. Claire makes time for nothing and no one not intimately involved in the day-to-day machinations of her beloved printing press—The Q. Since being taken in off the streets by her Great Uncle Ezekiel (along with her friend and fellow foundling Fisher), she has harnessed every ounce of her formidable energies and poured them into making Ezekiel's unusual press run like clockwork. And if it is true that Quincy's name is spoken far and wide throughout the lower streets and upper parlors of Rhysdon, it is also true that no one, with the possible exception of Fisher, truly knows the girl who sits on the high stool behind the counter. The girl who writes down the questions that pour in from the denizens of the city, each on an individual Q slip, and who then prints them to be sent out into the world to find their answers. Within the confines of The Q, it is Quincy's world. And it follows her rules. Until one night the heretofore laid back, if quite elderly, Ezekiel throws the hitch of all hitches into her plans. He is to die, he tells her. Imminently. And he has set her a task in the wake of his passing. Twelve of them, to be exact. Not only is she not to be informed what the tasks are, she is to be monitored in her efforts by none other than the bane of her existence—Mr. James Arch—The Q's solicitor and general disapproving stick-in-the-mud. If she fails, The Q will fall into other hands. Ezekiel proves immovable, as well as a man of his word, and so it is up to Quincy to go against every one of her grains and divert some of those well-harnessed energies to accomplishing the mysterious tasks. The alternative, after all, is unthinkable.
This early passage was the first moment I felt in perfect sympathy with our heroine. As she felt her mind strain to accommodate an unforeseen, wholly unwelcome shift in her well-ordered world. An old and solitary soul tucked economically inside the body of an eccentric young slip of a girl, Quincy is all that is analytical and stubborn, prone to excellence and disdain in equal quantities. In short, I loved her to pieces. From her dogged taunting of the self-righteous Mr. Arch to her single minded passion for the business that gave her life a reliable shape and purpose. To say nothing of her quiet, unwavering loyalty to her oldest (and only) friend Fisher and her uncharacteristic (some might say) fondness for a certain disreputable smuggler who drops into her domain from time to time. Oh, yes, I understood Quincy. And because I understood and loved her, I felt keenly her fierce determination and resolve to hold onto The Q at all costs. And so the pages flew by, full of eloquent and visceral descriptions of the workings of the press. I fell in love with not just Quincy, but with the intricate hierarchy of Rhysdon society, and especially with the people from all walks of life who found themselves drawn to this fanciful, yet precise location where they might quietly voice their questions, knowing that they will be heard, set in careful type, and perhaps someday answered. For a young woman with little use for demonstrative affections, she manages to provide rather a lot of hope for a city in need of just that.
This beautiful friendship was one of the most affecting aspects of the novel—for its solidity, its history, and its ardent portrayal. Bound together, are Quincy and Fisher, and we get to see them continue to chase survival on all its levels. And while we are speaking of ardency, I would be remiss if I didn't express my wholehearted devotion to the romantic vein that wends its way through the tale. I so appreciate that readers are given just as many pages as they might want to witness that particular relationship develop in the organic, stumbling, messy, and magnetic way that it does. Even more, I admire the way the two of them don't alter their essential chemistry to fit the other's expectations. They rage when they should rage, but they also see beyond the surface when the light glances off the other person in just the right way. Most importantly, they don't forget what they've seen and just how valuable it is. As I said, days later, I still can't get them out of my head. They're in there, striding down alleys and scarfing down buns, and generally making it impossible to get anything else done, so badly do I want to just sit back and watch them push and support each other and question wildly whether or not they will ever be able to make it come out right. I loved them so. The experience of reading The Q was an impossibly charming one. It repeatedly put me in mind of a few time-honored favorites, from a little Westmark here to a little Spindle's End there, to say nothing of a healthy dash of Dickens just for good measure. In the end, one thing is certain—The Q has room for you.
I'm feeling very possessive when it comes to this one, guys. I finished it a few days ago, and it has been a bit touch and go emotionally since then. You try to find other characters and other places to fill the void, but the truth is—it's not your first rodeo. And you know very well you're not going to simply be able to will the ability to move forward with your life. That you're just going to have to wait it out and mourn having been with Quincy and Arch, er, those characters, as steadily and for as long as you were and then learn to live on a day-to-day basis not being with them. And, yes, I do know they're sitting right there on the shelf whenever I need them. But you know what I mean. You have to somehow get past the end having happened to you, too. And not just to them. The Q is a lovely little (actually gratifyingly thick) standalone historical fiction (with a twist) novel and instant entry on my Best Books of 2016 list. Oh, and lest I forget, that cover. It is everything. With the newsprint? And the crease? And that very particular Q? Everything, I say.
It's worth mentioning that Beth Brower and I are friends. And that while I've talked about and spotlighted her work several times on the blog, I haven't reviewed her first three novels because of the close nature of our friendship. But this one, you guys. No power in the 'Verse could stop me from spreading the word. It's that good.
Quincy St. Claire makes time for nothing and no one not intimately involved in the day-to-day machinations of her beloved printing press—The Q. Since being taken in off the streets by her Great Uncle Ezekiel (along with her friend and fellow foundling Fisher), she has harnessed every ounce of her formidable energies and poured them into making Ezekiel's unusual press run like clockwork. And if it is true that Quincy's name is spoken far and wide throughout the lower streets and upper parlors of Rhysdon, it is also true that no one, with the possible exception of Fisher, truly knows the girl who sits on the high stool behind the counter. The girl who writes down the questions that pour in from the denizens of the city, each on an individual Q slip, and who then prints them to be sent out into the world to find their answers. Within the confines of The Q, it is Quincy's world. And it follows her rules. Until one night the heretofore laid back, if quite elderly, Ezekiel throws the hitch of all hitches into her plans. He is to die, he tells her. Imminently. And he has set her a task in the wake of his passing. Twelve of them, to be exact. Not only is she not to be informed what the tasks are, she is to be monitored in her efforts by none other than the bane of her existence—Mr. James Arch—The Q's solicitor and general disapproving stick-in-the-mud. If she fails, The Q will fall into other hands. Ezekiel proves immovable, as well as a man of his word, and so it is up to Quincy to go against every one of her grains and divert some of those well-harnessed energies to accomplishing the mysterious tasks. The alternative, after all, is unthinkable.
Quincy unwound her scarf and laid it over a matchstick chair. Removing her jacket, she opened her creaking armoire and hung it back in its place. Rolling up her shirt sleeves, Quincy walked to her window—a single window that looked down on Gainsford Street—and frowned at the snow.
The Q was to be given away.
If she could not fulfill her uncle's obscure requirements, The Q was to be given away.
On either side of Quincy's window stood two bureaus, tall, with five drawers each, large enough to fit clothing, papers, and what few possessions Quincy found worth keeping. She liked them not for the plebeian practicality they offered, but rather for the way that, when she pulled herself up on one and rested her feet on the edge of the other, Quincy found herself perched high in her window, watching whatever was passing on the street below. She did so now, feeling the gears of her mind catching, too disjointed by her uncle's words for their usually smooth, oiled rotation.
This early passage was the first moment I felt in perfect sympathy with our heroine. As she felt her mind strain to accommodate an unforeseen, wholly unwelcome shift in her well-ordered world. An old and solitary soul tucked economically inside the body of an eccentric young slip of a girl, Quincy is all that is analytical and stubborn, prone to excellence and disdain in equal quantities. In short, I loved her to pieces. From her dogged taunting of the self-righteous Mr. Arch to her single minded passion for the business that gave her life a reliable shape and purpose. To say nothing of her quiet, unwavering loyalty to her oldest (and only) friend Fisher and her uncharacteristic (some might say) fondness for a certain disreputable smuggler who drops into her domain from time to time. Oh, yes, I understood Quincy. And because I understood and loved her, I felt keenly her fierce determination and resolve to hold onto The Q at all costs. And so the pages flew by, full of eloquent and visceral descriptions of the workings of the press. I fell in love with not just Quincy, but with the intricate hierarchy of Rhysdon society, and especially with the people from all walks of life who found themselves drawn to this fanciful, yet precise location where they might quietly voice their questions, knowing that they will be heard, set in careful type, and perhaps someday answered. For a young woman with little use for demonstrative affections, she manages to provide rather a lot of hope for a city in need of just that.
Quincy and Fisher walked through all this in silence. Silence was the most common stock-in-trade between them, and the portfolio of their friendship was thick with it. So, without words, they stepped across the streets, their feet pressing the pavement with the same sounds, their toes turned just so; they knew what life was like at each other's side. Sometimes he would speak, or she would, small offerings on the altar of their joint survival.
This beautiful friendship was one of the most affecting aspects of the novel—for its solidity, its history, and its ardent portrayal. Bound together, are Quincy and Fisher, and we get to see them continue to chase survival on all its levels. And while we are speaking of ardency, I would be remiss if I didn't express my wholehearted devotion to the romantic vein that wends its way through the tale. I so appreciate that readers are given just as many pages as they might want to witness that particular relationship develop in the organic, stumbling, messy, and magnetic way that it does. Even more, I admire the way the two of them don't alter their essential chemistry to fit the other's expectations. They rage when they should rage, but they also see beyond the surface when the light glances off the other person in just the right way. Most importantly, they don't forget what they've seen and just how valuable it is. As I said, days later, I still can't get them out of my head. They're in there, striding down alleys and scarfing down buns, and generally making it impossible to get anything else done, so badly do I want to just sit back and watch them push and support each other and question wildly whether or not they will ever be able to make it come out right. I loved them so. The experience of reading The Q was an impossibly charming one. It repeatedly put me in mind of a few time-honored favorites, from a little Westmark here to a little Spindle's End there, to say nothing of a healthy dash of Dickens just for good measure. In the end, one thing is certain—The Q has room for you.
February 14, 2024
This is the only time I’ve finished a book and then turned around and started re-reading it the same day. But it was worth it—and, in some ways it’s even better the second time through. I carried with me a knowledge of this expansive world and the people in it, so I could get lost in exploring without needing to find my bearings. I wrote paragraphs and paragraphs of analyzation over in my fan group, and I reveled in all the things said, the things implied, and the things unexplained but intriguing. I savored the occasional poetic turns of phrase and watched Quincy be Quincy with more understanding than before. She’s such a challenging character that it took me a long time to “convert” to her side on the first read, but the second was a much more on-board experience.
I took nearly two months to enjoy this slow re-read, and I look forward to doing it again in the future. And also EVENTUALLY getting my hands on the short story as well as the Crow-centered novel the author has promised us. 🥰
P.S. As soon as I finished this read, the song “Where You Stand” started playing in my head… it really is the perfect after-credits type of vibe. It came from the author’s own playlist for the book, and I could not love it more.
Original review follows:
Finished this very late at night, with a face unaccountably wet from tears at various points in the reading. Whew.
Yesterday I was lamenting to the friend with whom I'm buddy-reading this that the further into it I get, the less coherently I can express how I feel about it. Which is unfortunate, because, lordy, if ever a book deserves a review full of words that will make you run to read it, this is that book.
So I'll give it a shot.
I sort of read the synopsis for this one on the Goodreads page, but it doesn't give very much away - and it turns out, that's a good thing. Because this book is a journey for the characters and the reader. If you invest in it - get introduced to the very challenging Miss Quincy St. Claire - wrestle with what you think of her and what you imagine about her - ponder and question the probabilities of what might happen - and then have moments sprung on you with sometimes startling emotional consequences -- well, if you get the privilege of doing all that without knowing for sure where you're being taken, then the payoff will be tremendous.
Still feeling a bit on the fence without a synopsis? Here's what little I will establish for you: The book is set in a fictional country off the coast of England and France in the late 1800's. If you like British historical fiction, you'll be quite at home. There's a little Dickensian flair to some of the setting and back-stories (although, if you, like me, aren't the hugest fan of Charles Dickens, don't be put off; this book is very much its own thing). Miss Quincy St. Claire is... I think I could call her a savant? Anyway, she's a mastermind in her field -- but she has miles yet to traverse as a human.
I read The Q after devouring the Emma M. Lion books, also by Beth Brower. How do they compare? The Emma M. Lion books have more overt humor and an easy-to-relate-to heroine, whereas The Q is a slow build and a slow burn with rather more challenge and gravitas. It's long, but it's immersive. And it will stay with you after the last page. Much as I long for more volumes of Emma, at the moment I'm overtaken with yearning for just a little more story for Quincy St. Claire and Someone Else, because it's incredibly hard to leave them.
I took nearly two months to enjoy this slow re-read, and I look forward to doing it again in the future. And also EVENTUALLY getting my hands on the short story as well as the Crow-centered novel the author has promised us. 🥰
P.S. As soon as I finished this read, the song “Where You Stand” started playing in my head… it really is the perfect after-credits type of vibe. It came from the author’s own playlist for the book, and I could not love it more.
Original review follows:
Finished this very late at night, with a face unaccountably wet from tears at various points in the reading. Whew.
Yesterday I was lamenting to the friend with whom I'm buddy-reading this that the further into it I get, the less coherently I can express how I feel about it. Which is unfortunate, because, lordy, if ever a book deserves a review full of words that will make you run to read it, this is that book.
So I'll give it a shot.
I sort of read the synopsis for this one on the Goodreads page, but it doesn't give very much away - and it turns out, that's a good thing. Because this book is a journey for the characters and the reader. If you invest in it - get introduced to the very challenging Miss Quincy St. Claire - wrestle with what you think of her and what you imagine about her - ponder and question the probabilities of what might happen - and then have moments sprung on you with sometimes startling emotional consequences -- well, if you get the privilege of doing all that without knowing for sure where you're being taken, then the payoff will be tremendous.
Still feeling a bit on the fence without a synopsis? Here's what little I will establish for you: The book is set in a fictional country off the coast of England and France in the late 1800's. If you like British historical fiction, you'll be quite at home. There's a little Dickensian flair to some of the setting and back-stories (although, if you, like me, aren't the hugest fan of Charles Dickens, don't be put off; this book is very much its own thing). Miss Quincy St. Claire is... I think I could call her a savant? Anyway, she's a mastermind in her field -- but she has miles yet to traverse as a human.
I read The Q after devouring the Emma M. Lion books, also by Beth Brower. How do they compare? The Emma M. Lion books have more overt humor and an easy-to-relate-to heroine, whereas The Q is a slow build and a slow burn with rather more challenge and gravitas. It's long, but it's immersive. And it will stay with you after the last page. Much as I long for more volumes of Emma, at the moment I'm overtaken with yearning for just a little more story for Quincy St. Claire and Someone Else, because it's incredibly hard to leave them.
October 31, 2016
This book, y'all. Oh my word, this story. These characters! Quincy grabbed my heart pretty quickly and then never, ever gave it back. I heart Quincy so, so much! As well as every other character inhabiting this beautiful and heart-wrenching world of Beth Brower's! Oh friends, where do I even begin?
Quincy is the reason I downloaded the rest of the book after trying the first couple chapters. She is one of the most compelling and fascinating characters I have ever read! I am nothing like her, yet I felt the strongest connection that I was unable to shake. I'm not sure I even have words to describe what I felt, other than she became a part of my very heart. She has layers upon layers that slowly peel back as the story develops. She knows she is different from other folk and she embraces that, her confidence in who she is is one of the first things you notice about her. Yet don't ever suppose you truly understand her, there are a rare few that do. The second thing you notice? Her love for The Q.
It didn't take long for me to fall in love with The Q myself! What is The Q, you ask? It's a place that must be experienced. Full of the quirkiest and most wonderful of people, who all adore Quincy (and rightly so!). (Well, except for one, but they eventually come around. Just you watch how it happens! ;) The Q is Quincy. Quincy is The Q. These two entities do not exist without the other. It is a world like nothing else, when you enter the doors of The Q, you are entering Quincy's domain. She inhabits every single part of this place, it is the very breath she breathes day in and day out. But it's not just the place, it's the people. All the workers that know their jobs intimately, as well as all the myriad of people who walk in the doors planning to share bits of their hearts, albeit unknowingly a lot of the time. There is no part of Rhysdon society that is not affected by The Q, and thus is affected by Quincy.
One of the best things about her is her ignorance of just how awesome she is. There are deep wells of thought and emotion that only the most truest of her friends get to see, yet even those who only get glimpses of it are drawn almost reluctantly into her orbit. Especially one such James Arch! I loved each and every barbed interaction, the way they struggled to understand each other, even the way they hurt each other. The journey of their friendship involves two steps forward and three steps back. It's a tangle of chaos, and requires a lot of work as well as forgiveness, yet they attempt the hard again and again. That's the beauty of friendship with Quincy, she may hurt with her bluntness, yet once you see beyond her initial sharp edges, you cannot help but want to know more, want to try and really understand her. Like Fisher does. I loved their friendship! I loved that no matter what, they always had each other's back. When you've survived the things those two have, it creates a bond that cannot be broken in any way. Not even when they hurt each other. Which Quincy does the most often because the girl in no way understands how to be tactful. At all. Yet all the hard they've been through, and even the hard yet to come, only makes them stronger together. Even distance can't break it! :)
See? I keep coming back to Quincy. She is the heart and soul of this story. Once you become one of 'her people', you become privy to things she only shares with the worthy, and then you become protective of her and she of you. The family she creates around her is little, but mighty. She, herself, one of the mightiest! (Don't let her fool you, that small body houses a fierce mama-bear!) She is an irresistible force that made me want to hug her so many times, even though she'd have hated every minute of it. Her quirkiness, her bluntness, the way she struggled to understand the hidden cues of society, the way she didn't fit society at all, just the very fact that a character such as her exists!
Yet it's not just Quincy that I love, the writing is exceptional! I kept highlighting so many phrases on my kindle, I fear I'm going to have trouble narrowing down which to feature. Thank you, Ms. Brower, for this story. For creating the gloriously imperfect Quincy for me to fall in love with! For these words that necessitated I stay up entirely too late reading. For The Q and this world that felt so much bigger than just a building and a few streets in the city. For this engrossing story that inhabited my mind and every moment of my life until I finished the final page! (And even for days after that.) For making me wish I could enter the pages and become a part of the story myself. This book is going on my top ten reads of this year, no doubt about it. It's incredible! You should read it. Trust me, you really should.
Quincy is the reason I downloaded the rest of the book after trying the first couple chapters. She is one of the most compelling and fascinating characters I have ever read! I am nothing like her, yet I felt the strongest connection that I was unable to shake. I'm not sure I even have words to describe what I felt, other than she became a part of my very heart. She has layers upon layers that slowly peel back as the story develops. She knows she is different from other folk and she embraces that, her confidence in who she is is one of the first things you notice about her. Yet don't ever suppose you truly understand her, there are a rare few that do. The second thing you notice? Her love for The Q.
It didn't take long for me to fall in love with The Q myself! What is The Q, you ask? It's a place that must be experienced. Full of the quirkiest and most wonderful of people, who all adore Quincy (and rightly so!). (Well, except for one, but they eventually come around. Just you watch how it happens! ;) The Q is Quincy. Quincy is The Q. These two entities do not exist without the other. It is a world like nothing else, when you enter the doors of The Q, you are entering Quincy's domain. She inhabits every single part of this place, it is the very breath she breathes day in and day out. But it's not just the place, it's the people. All the workers that know their jobs intimately, as well as all the myriad of people who walk in the doors planning to share bits of their hearts, albeit unknowingly a lot of the time. There is no part of Rhysdon society that is not affected by The Q, and thus is affected by Quincy.
One of the best things about her is her ignorance of just how awesome she is. There are deep wells of thought and emotion that only the most truest of her friends get to see, yet even those who only get glimpses of it are drawn almost reluctantly into her orbit. Especially one such James Arch! I loved each and every barbed interaction, the way they struggled to understand each other, even the way they hurt each other. The journey of their friendship involves two steps forward and three steps back. It's a tangle of chaos, and requires a lot of work as well as forgiveness, yet they attempt the hard again and again. That's the beauty of friendship with Quincy, she may hurt with her bluntness, yet once you see beyond her initial sharp edges, you cannot help but want to know more, want to try and really understand her. Like Fisher does. I loved their friendship! I loved that no matter what, they always had each other's back. When you've survived the things those two have, it creates a bond that cannot be broken in any way. Not even when they hurt each other. Which Quincy does the most often because the girl in no way understands how to be tactful. At all. Yet all the hard they've been through, and even the hard yet to come, only makes them stronger together. Even distance can't break it! :)
See? I keep coming back to Quincy. She is the heart and soul of this story. Once you become one of 'her people', you become privy to things she only shares with the worthy, and then you become protective of her and she of you. The family she creates around her is little, but mighty. She, herself, one of the mightiest! (Don't let her fool you, that small body houses a fierce mama-bear!) She is an irresistible force that made me want to hug her so many times, even though she'd have hated every minute of it. Her quirkiness, her bluntness, the way she struggled to understand the hidden cues of society, the way she didn't fit society at all, just the very fact that a character such as her exists!
Yet it's not just Quincy that I love, the writing is exceptional! I kept highlighting so many phrases on my kindle, I fear I'm going to have trouble narrowing down which to feature. Thank you, Ms. Brower, for this story. For creating the gloriously imperfect Quincy for me to fall in love with! For these words that necessitated I stay up entirely too late reading. For The Q and this world that felt so much bigger than just a building and a few streets in the city. For this engrossing story that inhabited my mind and every moment of my life until I finished the final page! (And even for days after that.) For making me wish I could enter the pages and become a part of the story myself. This book is going on my top ten reads of this year, no doubt about it. It's incredible! You should read it. Trust me, you really should.
Read
June 7, 2024This was a lot of fun. It has the sweet romance between opposites, deeply grounded in friendship, that I love in the Emma books. And Brower’s choice of language is always interesting. I enjoyed the feel of the print shop so much, and the banter, and the big cozy cast of supportive characters. A few things happening with the plot didn’t quite land for me, but listen—if you love the Emmas and you want more Brower while you are waiting for the next instalment, you probably can’t go wrong with The Q.
November 21, 2016
Currently dealing with the grief that comes when you end an amazing book. I just spent 4 seasons immersed in late 19th century Rhysdon admiring the bad-arse, businesswoman Quincy St Claire. What a brilliant journey! I am hoping and praying there are many more stories to come!
October 24, 2025
2025 reread was just the thing. One of the best character redemption stories I’ve read. At this point, I’d probably read Beth Brower’s to-do list with hearts in my eyes ☺️
———————-1
Easily more than 5 stars. Not even a question about it.
Imagine with me for a moment: you’ve just finished a book so good all you can do is close the binding and sit, basking in the joy of what it’s like to get lost in a story.
This was me a few nights ago. Struck by how much I enjoyed this book and feeling personally offended that it was over (….although it was 500+ pages so I really shouldn’t complain 🤣).
As I opened this book a few nights in a row, I found myself completely pulled into the story, loosing all concept of time and even the notion that it existed (to the detriment of my sleeping habits 🙃).
Quincy St. Claire is an unusually spunky and independent heroine, fundamentally disregarding many of the “norms” of the mid-Victorian society. On the outside she’s mysterious and complicated; but as you get to know her depths and layers, you come to understand her, and ultimately feel the things she does. As she lives the year this book is set around, you’ll feel your heart racing & your gut wrenching. You’ll feel both her pain and her elation. The other characters fill in dimension to the her story as friends, mentors, and (perhaps) a true lover. True in the sense of someone seeing beyond the walls you’ve built, loving you and choosing to love you even when it gets tough.
“His nearness was like lightning, and she needed it even as she was certain she wanted to run from the storm of this companionship that so startled her, despite not knowing how.”
Beth Brower’s writing is vibrant. So much so it almost breathes. She’s thoughtful, intentional, poetic. She has her own unique voice but she reminds me of Charlotte Brontë, L.M.Montgomery, or Amanda Dykes.
Her words wrap around my heart and stay there.
😇: talk of religion, attending church, & mention of Bible stories; nothing evangelistic or overtly Christian-themed
😍: a couple chaste kisses
🤐: occasional light language (h*ll, d*mn)
⛔️: child starvation & death
———————-1
Easily more than 5 stars. Not even a question about it.
Imagine with me for a moment: you’ve just finished a book so good all you can do is close the binding and sit, basking in the joy of what it’s like to get lost in a story.
This was me a few nights ago. Struck by how much I enjoyed this book and feeling personally offended that it was over (….although it was 500+ pages so I really shouldn’t complain 🤣).
As I opened this book a few nights in a row, I found myself completely pulled into the story, loosing all concept of time and even the notion that it existed (to the detriment of my sleeping habits 🙃).
Quincy St. Claire is an unusually spunky and independent heroine, fundamentally disregarding many of the “norms” of the mid-Victorian society. On the outside she’s mysterious and complicated; but as you get to know her depths and layers, you come to understand her, and ultimately feel the things she does. As she lives the year this book is set around, you’ll feel your heart racing & your gut wrenching. You’ll feel both her pain and her elation. The other characters fill in dimension to the her story as friends, mentors, and (perhaps) a true lover. True in the sense of someone seeing beyond the walls you’ve built, loving you and choosing to love you even when it gets tough.
“His nearness was like lightning, and she needed it even as she was certain she wanted to run from the storm of this companionship that so startled her, despite not knowing how.”
Beth Brower’s writing is vibrant. So much so it almost breathes. She’s thoughtful, intentional, poetic. She has her own unique voice but she reminds me of Charlotte Brontë, L.M.Montgomery, or Amanda Dykes.
Her words wrap around my heart and stay there.
😇: talk of religion, attending church, & mention of Bible stories; nothing evangelistic or overtly Christian-themed
😍: a couple chaste kisses
🤐: occasional light language (h*ll, d*mn)
⛔️: child starvation & death
Read
February 9, 2024Loved the ending! Must ponder more.
September 20, 2025
3.5 stars.
First third of this book: 3⭐️
Second third: 4⭐️
Last third: 4.5⭐️
So, did it have a great ending? Yes.
Was it worthy of 500 pages? I don’t think so.
350-400 pages- maybe. It was a sweet story and I adored Arch, but I don’t know that I ever really got attached to Quincy, even though I understood her better by the end.
First third of this book: 3⭐️
Second third: 4⭐️
Last third: 4.5⭐️
So, did it have a great ending? Yes.
Was it worthy of 500 pages? I don’t think so.
350-400 pages- maybe. It was a sweet story and I adored Arch, but I don’t know that I ever really got attached to Quincy, even though I understood her better by the end.
May 26, 2021
Just finished with this amazing little gem and all I can say is WOW!
Beth Brower is an amazing author. I became addicted to her “The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion” earlier this year and now I am so in love with this book and it’s characters. I just added it to my favorites and I could easily start over and read it again.
Quincey is a one of a kind character and she stole my heart in the first chapters. There were several places that her actions had me literally laughing out loud.
Do yourself a favor and give Beth Brower’s, “The Q”, a try. You will not be sorry.
“Other people,” Quincy could hear the disgust in her own voice, “are the most unreliable investment one could make. It’s a fool’s game. That’s how they would call it down at the exchange.”
“The inside of a well-run business becomes a machine that can run above the unreliable base of human emotion.”
“She thought that the truest test of humanity was riding in a coach and saying absolutely nothing to one’s traveling companions.”
Beth Brower is an amazing author. I became addicted to her “The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion” earlier this year and now I am so in love with this book and it’s characters. I just added it to my favorites and I could easily start over and read it again.
Quincey is a one of a kind character and she stole my heart in the first chapters. There were several places that her actions had me literally laughing out loud.
Do yourself a favor and give Beth Brower’s, “The Q”, a try. You will not be sorry.
“Other people,” Quincy could hear the disgust in her own voice, “are the most unreliable investment one could make. It’s a fool’s game. That’s how they would call it down at the exchange.”
“The inside of a well-run business becomes a machine that can run above the unreliable base of human emotion.”
“She thought that the truest test of humanity was riding in a coach and saying absolutely nothing to one’s traveling companions.”
December 21, 2016
A gem of a read.
If you were like me and hesitant to jump in based on the very limited information in the blurb, THE Q’s a charming fantasy with a slow-burn romance (basically, it’s my catnip), and I found it reminiscent of Eva Ibbotson’s historical romances. Quincy St Claire’s life revolves around her great-uncle’s printing business, The Q, and she has one year to save her inheritance. As the story unfolds, she finds out that saving The Q is much more than retaining control over the business. While the story starts off slow, stick with it, because the pay-off’s great.
If you were like me and hesitant to jump in based on the very limited information in the blurb, THE Q’s a charming fantasy with a slow-burn romance (basically, it’s my catnip), and I found it reminiscent of Eva Ibbotson’s historical romances. Quincy St Claire’s life revolves around her great-uncle’s printing business, The Q, and she has one year to save her inheritance. As the story unfolds, she finds out that saving The Q is much more than retaining control over the business. While the story starts off slow, stick with it, because the pay-off’s great.
December 31, 2024
This one didn’t pick up for me until the last 1/3 but that perfectly imperfect ending was definitely worth it! I can’t wait to read more of Beth Brower’s books outside of the Emma series.
September 21, 2025
Overall, I give this 3-1/2 Stars (rounded up for a truly 5 Star ending). I don’t mind a slow build of a book but this one was a bit too slow for the first half. I think 100 fewer pages would have pushed this close to a 5 star read for me.
October 5, 2017
Disclaimer: I'm not going to review this book because it will give too much away and I think everyone who reads this should go in blind and trust that it's worth the read. So instead this 'review' is just a thank you to the author.
This book completely gutted me. It took my heart and ripped it out and shoved it in my face showing me what the world is like, what people are like. The possibilities. The endless Questions and the way an answer can take you in a direction you never imagined.
This is why we learn as children what each letter is, the sound it makes, and when combined together can make something so eloquent - to read - to read books like this. A book that shows the author bled their inner heart on to the page to Question us and make us seek answers that open our hearts.
Thank you, Beth Brower, for writing a novel that will forever have a place in my soul.
This book completely gutted me. It took my heart and ripped it out and shoved it in my face showing me what the world is like, what people are like. The possibilities. The endless Questions and the way an answer can take you in a direction you never imagined.
This is why we learn as children what each letter is, the sound it makes, and when combined together can make something so eloquent - to read - to read books like this. A book that shows the author bled their inner heart on to the page to Question us and make us seek answers that open our hearts.
Thank you, Beth Brower, for writing a novel that will forever have a place in my soul.
July 12, 2017
I thank my lucky stars I discovered this hidden gem. Seriously, I can't wrap my head around how this book is so underrated. I can't write a review to give this book justice. You just have to discover it for yourself.
February 6, 2024
3.5. It took me a long time to really get into it (more than half) but by the end of some of that Emma M Lion magic was showing through.
December 4, 2016
I wish I could express just how much I loved this book. The plot, the setting, the characters, the relationships... it's like the author sat down and wrote this book just for me :) Exactly what I needed after several long months of average, forgettable reads.
June 25, 2024
6 STARS!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH! This book was perfection. Beth Brower absolutely nailed it on this one! The banter, the angst, the heart wrenching third act. No thoughts, only the Q. I’m going to be absolutely insufferable about this book for the rest of my life.
October 18, 2025
This was a fun, quick read and I thought Quincy was intriguing individual though I didn’t automatically fall in love with her. The story was well crafted and engaging and I loved Arch and Crow!
October 24, 2025
I didn't ever want this book to end. I recommend this book to everyone in any stage of life. Its quality is unusually exceptional for this day & age. Absolutely adorable.
September 3, 2021
There was so much to love in this book. It’s written by Beth Brower who writes the Emma M Lion series that I’m obsessed with. And man is she great with her characters! I think it could have been trimmed down a bit. 600 pages, and it took me a little while to really get into it. But somewhere half way through I could not put this book down. She really had me rooting for the prickly Quincy St Claire. I hope there’s a sequel in the works!
January 28, 2023
I don’t even know where to start. I feel like I saw too much of myself in Quincy and there were almost too many nerves struck in the last quarter of the book that I actually hit a point in which I wanted to stop reading it altogether. But The Q is too well-written and emotionally raw to be rated anything less than 5/5. Damn you Beth Brower for making me feel things. And thank you for this novel.
July 12, 2024
This is the Beth Brower I love. Beautiful prose, epic characterization, and a setting well worth visiting over and over again.
I had no idea what the story was and I'm glad I went in not knowing. Suffice it to say, there are people in this book that I now love.
I had no idea what the story was and I'm glad I went in not knowing. Suffice it to say, there are people in this book that I now love.
December 21, 2022
read this during a seven hour layover, it made me cry at least 5 times and i thoroughly enjoyed it. not surprised, as beth brower is a wizard with words
May 25, 2025
I could complain that this book is slow or that the main character isn’t initially very relatable, but honestly my biggest complaint was just that it’s not Emma M Lion. 🥲
June 24, 2025
i adore this book. i hand out 5 star ratings frugally but this is one worth owning.
November 22, 2025
Wow what a book. My heart was hurting and I was almost sobbing for Quincy and arch. What a delightful read. Her tough exterior and her quick whit. Her attitude towards the upper class was hilarious. Loved it !
December 9, 2024
Wow. Seriously good.
My sister told me I should read this one. When she saw it was still on my to-read here on Goodreads a year later, she loaned me a copy.
The character development is excellent. The main character comes across as one dimensional in the beginning of the story, driven only by her work. As we learn her backstory and see her living her life she gathers dimension like a snowball rolling downhill. By the end of the book she's this vivid person and I was emotionally absorbed in all her challenges and triumphs.
The setting is so well done I started to question if the country would come up in google maps.
The pace is steady and strong with several interesting pieces driving the plot forward.
The dialogue is already set up to be made into a movie. I would love to see this one done justice on the big screen.
The ending is bittersweet. I cried through the last several chapters. There was certainly a twist or two. Almost everything was wrapped up enough to be very satisfying.
Violence. No sex. Mild language. Some difficult themes of poverty, neglect, loss, sexism, family challenges, elitism/classism, grief, trauma, death of a child, betrayal, etc.
My sister told me I should read this one. When she saw it was still on my to-read here on Goodreads a year later, she loaned me a copy.
The character development is excellent. The main character comes across as one dimensional in the beginning of the story, driven only by her work. As we learn her backstory and see her living her life she gathers dimension like a snowball rolling downhill. By the end of the book she's this vivid person and I was emotionally absorbed in all her challenges and triumphs.
The setting is so well done I started to question if the country would come up in google maps.
The pace is steady and strong with several interesting pieces driving the plot forward.
The dialogue is already set up to be made into a movie. I would love to see this one done justice on the big screen.
The ending is bittersweet. I cried through the last several chapters. There was certainly a twist or two. Almost everything was wrapped up enough to be very satisfying.
Violence. No sex. Mild language. Some difficult themes of poverty, neglect, loss, sexism, family challenges, elitism/classism, grief, trauma, death of a child, betrayal, etc.
October 7, 2024
1. Crow I'm single
2. OH MY GOSH oh my gosh oh my gosh. This book was WONDERFUL. my sisters told me just under a million times I had to read it, and I thought there was no way it would live up to the hype. Not only did it live up to it, it exceeded it. I read the bulk of this book in a day because I literally could not put it down. I love the characters, the plot, the writing, THE BANTER! Overall a wonderful experience
2. OH MY GOSH oh my gosh oh my gosh. This book was WONDERFUL. my sisters told me just under a million times I had to read it, and I thought there was no way it would live up to the hype. Not only did it live up to it, it exceeded it. I read the bulk of this book in a day because I literally could not put it down. I love the characters, the plot, the writing, THE BANTER! Overall a wonderful experience
November 10, 2025
I really loved this one. Had I become invested earlier, I might have awarded 5 Stars, but it took a little effort for me to settle into the story. There were lots of important themes - community, forgiveness, grief, need, loss, and love, and I thought it was well done. There are moments where the story hits very close to real truth.
October 19, 2023
Heartbreaking, Brilliant, Infuriating, Dazzling, Mysterious, Complicated, Suprising, Whimsical. These are just the first words off the top of my head. Quincy St Claire is one of the most complicated, brilliant, and maddening characters in any modern book that I have read. The description from the author and publisher just scratches the surface of what this story is actually about, and if it isn’t enough to at least catch your attention, then I’m sorry your imagination is lacking. Just like Walt Disney could captivate peoples attention and imagination with the simplest of stories, Beth Brower can weave the most enchanting characters and places. From the moment you enter the world of Rhysdon or her character Emma M Lions otherworldly St. Crispians, you immediately feel at home and also like Alice going down a rabbit hole at exactly the same time. I will admit, at times, early on in the reading I almost gave up on Quincy. But I am sooooo glad that I didn’t! I will definitely be adding this book to my permanent collection, and I am already looking forward to reading it again!
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