TSS: The Emerald Swan by Jane Feather

Title: The Emerald Swan
Author: Jane Feather
ISBN: 978-0553575255
Publisher: Bantam/1998
Pages: 448


I picked it up after reading the back cover. It is about twin girls who got separated and grew up differently. Maud grows to womanhood as the frail, somewhat manipulative ward of young earl of Harcourt. The other, Miranda, grows up as an endearing, street-smart urchin who earns her living as a travelling player on the streets of England and France. One day Harcourt runs into Miranda by chance while she is perforoming on the streets. He is amazed to see the resemblance between the two. And a plan forms in his mind. Maud is not ready to marry the King of France who is besotted to her! She would rather commit to a convent.

Harcourt thinks that Miranda can be used to please the King until Maud agrees to marry him! With the right clothes and right training, the plan seems to succeed but no one has envisaged that Harcourt himself might fall for Miranda! From there onwards, things get complicated. And when King arrives, the events turn interesting..

Maud seems like a lifeless character but with the entry of Miranda in her life, she changes. She gets animated and can now think beyondherself. The instant bonding between the twins is unmistakable. And both the sisters too plot to get better of Harcourt, the King of France and many others. Use of the emerald bracelet as a metaphor works well. Slowly the deep dark secrets of the nobilty too is esposed.

With strong characters and intelligent dialogues, this book is much more than a romance novel. At the end, we come to like Maud too, who initially seemed too insipd and cold.