Wings of the Falcon (1977)

                                  Gold necklace | British Museum Etruscan 480-460BC | Kotomi_ | Flickr

                                       Listening: Carry On Wayward Son

When Francesca Fairborn is left suddenly unprotected and impoverished by her father's death, it is the long-estranged family of her mother who offers her welcome and shelter at their princely estate in Tuscany. However, she finds plenty of oddities in her new home--her grandfather's overwhelming obsession with the Etruscan princess whose tomb he recently excavated, the mysterious local  revolutionary known only as the Falcon who is viciously hunted by papal troops, and the rising number of near fatal accidents that dog her steps....Will it be her bluff, handsome cousin Andrea who protects her from these troubles? Or is it his cynical, infirm twin Stefano who has her best interests at heart?


Falcon is much the best of MPM's Victorian works, possibly because Francesca is actually quite likable. Most of her heroines in Victorian novels are hopelessly, incredibly stupid until the halfway point (or even later), where they execute an abrupt volte-face and develop both a social conscience and some intelligence. Francesca at least has the redeeming quality of early valuing my favorite character in the book--her companion, the indomitable Miss Perkins.

What MPM did for the trope of aging spinster in her work is incredible. Miss Perkins is another Aunt Kate or Ellen March. With a passion for antiquities, strongly liberal political beliefs (spoiler: she's an English spy!), and a bright red feather in her bonnet, Miss Perkins marches across the pages of the book, excavating tombs and rescuing vigilantes with equal aplomb.  

This is a fun, Zorro-type novel, with a masked hero engaging in escapades centered around Italy's bid for freedom and unification. In that sense, it's fun--but we spend too much time with Francesca, pondering Andrea's handsomeness, and not enough time witnessing the Falcon being theatrical. 

Conclusion: this is a fun little book, with some nifty history asides (Garibaldi and the Etruscans) and some fun escapades. But Ramses and Nefret do it much better in later Amelia Peabody novels. 

Favorite Line: "I am really a very dull fellow, my darling. And you are so young. God willing, you may have me on your hands for forty or fifty years. Do you think you can endure it?"
    "I don't know how I can convince you," I said helplessly.
    He put his arms around me and drew me close.
    "Try," he said.

Rating: ***

Notes
*This novel is set in 1860

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