Ellanor's Exchange

by Linda Hayner

Ellanor's Exchange by Linda Hayner is historical fiction set in the mid-1600s in England. When Ellanor Fitzhugh and her mentor, Lady Wilthrop, set out for London to accomplish Ellanor's debut into society, it would seem the young woman has the world at her command. But as the two join the music and gaiety of English court life, a dark shadow creeps across their plans. Ellanor becomes a pawn in a game of political intrigue. Never could she have foreseen her role in a dangerous coup nor how difficult it would become to determine who is friend and who is foe in this novel for teens.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

204 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rachel L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to have found a nice copy for 50 cents. :)

My review from last spring: "...the story of Ellanor, a daughter of a merchant father who would like her to marry into a title (i. e. marry a lord, earl, or whatnot so the title would descend with the family name). Not as good as The Foundling but I enjoyed it more this third time through than I had before. It's hard at first to catch the historical background and political implications in the author's sparse writing style, but the challenges of a society where marriage for money or titles was common and marriage of mutual regard rather rare are made quite clear. Fascinating.

[Jodi Galland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short (fewer than 200 pages), enjoyable read, Ellanor's Exchange merits five stars. I rarely give that many, but since I'm also reading a much less enjoyable book right now, the contrast is stark. Master and Mistress Fitzhugh have made well for themselves, but while they have cash, they do not have a title. Their son is slated to go to court and find a poor noblewoman to marry. His family will gain a title and hers, wealth. When the young man dies unexpectedly, Ellanor's merchant father decides to send her to London with their neighbor, Lady Wilthrop. She is to learn to behave as a lady at court and find herself a noble husband. Little does she know, she will be sucked into such a bit of intrigue involving no less than the King and Queen!

I found the characters to be well fleshed out, the plot quick moving and engaging, and guessing who was on the "right" side was good fun. I disliked all the right characters, found Ellanor to be likeable and believable, and was unsure whether some were spies or not right to the end.

I'd say this book is for young adult readers/teens. I doubt boys that age would be terribly interested. It was clean and suitable for younger girls as well. The main character is 14-17 in the book. Heck, I'm old and I liked it for a bit of fun.

Normally, I probably wouldn't have read it, but I haven't read much fiction outside of homeschooling for a couple of years. I'm so glad I pulled it off the shelf.

[Lizzy Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good plot, has a bit of a Jane Austen flavor to it. Also clean, but it's a Journey Forth book, so that's sort of a given. Has some formatting issues which make some parts a bit confusing, but that's the only problem I had. Good book, would recommend.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was kinda hard to catch onto in the beginning but it was a great book overall .