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Patricia C. Wrede: Sorcery And Cecelia Or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot Being The Correspondence Of Two Young Ladies Of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals In London And The Country (2004, Harcourt Brace and Company) 4 stars

Review of 'Sorcery And Cecelia Or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot Being The Correspondence Of Two Young Ladies Of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals In London And The Country' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The full title is Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country. GoodReads seems to be listing this as written by Patricia Wrede. It was actually a collaboration between Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. I read that it started out as a game, with them taking turns writing chapters, and dropping them off at each other's house, and then they realized it could come together into a novel. Naturally, I can't find that tale online now.

It's the story of two young ladies in a sort-of Regency England, with magic. They live in the country and are of an age when going to London for the season is all they can think about when all sorts of excitement takes place. The story is told in letters written as beautifully as only letters in epistolary novels can be. There are mysterious goings-on in the local country houses to be investigated. There are love interests, danger, and courage!

It is a pure delight. I was with a group of women a few years ago when the subject of books came up, and someone mentioned this. Every single one of us cried out "I love that book!"