Change Your Game: Amy Alford Reviews 'Magic Flutes' by Eva Ibbotson
Millionaire Foundlings and Republican Princesses – Oxymorons Abound in Eva Ibbotson’s Magic Flutes
Image by Lachlan Gowen from Unsplash
‘If Guy had let her go then, while they were just two people united in homage to something that was greater than them both, all would have been well. But Guy did her an injury. He went on holding her…’ (Magic Flutes, page 209).
Guy Farne is a low-born English millionaire. Fostered at a young age, he turns from violent rogue to eligible bachelor with money, looks, and a hint of hero-syndrome. True to his roots, he loathes a lavish lifestyle and prefers the simpler things – so who worse to fall in love with than a princess?
Princess Theresa-Maria of Pfaffenstein is an heiress with a plethora of titles and a lineage more royal than Buckingham Palace. She is also undercover as Tessa, the overworked under wardrobe mistress of Vienna’s International Opera Company. Not merely underpaid but chronically unpaid – it’s Tessa’s unceasing devotion to art that keeps the company running. But when an exhausted Tessa is found by (you guessed it) Guy Farne, an impossible romance takes root.
Difficulties lie ahead, for author Eva Ibbotson has woven in some challenges for these destined partners. Guy is already engaged to Nerine, his harmless but self-obsessed old flame. And Tessa has been expected to marry childhood friend Prince Maxi since she was born. Who will they choose? You might suspect a happy ending, for this book, whilst historical fiction and recently reclassified as YA, is a cosy and heart-warming romance.
And what better setting for a light romantic novel than 1920s Austria? Stretching between the opera company’s antics in Vienna and the serious (but laughable) matchmaking efforts made at the rural Pfaffenstein castle, the story is enchanting in its fairytale fashion.
The writing itself is not short of magic. The lyrical and witty style Ibbotson employs leaves you gliding through the book and chuckling along the way. I loved Ibbotson’s quick and clever character descriptions (‘continued his mother, whose nickname ‘The Swan Princess’ referred rather to her beady eye and savage beak than to any grace or beauty’).
Without such injection of Ibbotson’s personality, the book may have been dull in its predictability. However, knowing how the story would go did not distract from my enjoyment of the book or the likeability of the characters; instead, it gave me the chance to sit back and speculate on how they’d reach their happy ending.
Whilst its tone is light, the book still manages to touch on some heavier themes. Both Tessa and Maxi’s families, once grand and royal, have been affected by the First World War. Loss of property has contributed to Maxi’s dire financial state. Loss of friends and family has him pushed ever more towards Tessa. Class is also a major barrier for the couples in this book - a barrier which the characters struggle to overthrow.
Whilst their trials set you rooting for the characters, there may also be times where you want to knock their heads together. Tessa has a complete disregard for self-preservation or a work-life balance. Guy can be rude and impulsive in the face of half the facts. They are both flawed. However, if you read on, you may just find that the characters begin to grow on you until you are reluctant to say goodbye.
Words by Amy Alford