There’s a butterfly effect in chaos theory. You know the one, or at least the way it plays out in fiction, particularly in relation to time travel, that a tiny change halfway around the world creates incrementally increasing changes in circumstances the further one gets from that first new flap of the titular butterfly’s wings.

That butterfly effect turns out to be a metaphor for this entire story – complete with resultant chaos – even though there’s no time travel in the usual sense. There’s just a story that takes place at multiple points in the same time stream, with a particularly well-traveled species of butterfly at the heart of each of those multiple points.

The monarch butterfly is a familiar sight in North America. But when and where this story begins, it was not, which is tied up in the very reason why the familiar Monarch is called Wanderer in Australia – because it somehow managed to wander from North America to the Land Down Under, a journey far longer than a butterfly’s lifespan, even if a colony could manage that distance out of sight of land on their beautiful but fragile wings.

So we first meet amateur lepidopterist Theodora Breckenridge when a then unknown to her wanderer butterfly alights on her fingers in 1868 outside the village of Morpeth on the banks of the Hunter River. In New South Wales, Australia. Where no monarch butterfly has EVER been seen to that date.

Just laid-off newspaper reporter Verity Binks’ introduction to the same species occurs in 1922, in the form of a masquerade costume for the upcoming Sydney Artists’ Masquerade Ball. She receives a package from an unnamed and un-guessed at benefactor, consisting of an invitation to the Artists’ Ball she could not otherwise afford – and a caped costume in the shape and form of a wanderer butterfly’s distinctive wings.

The link between Theodora in 1868 and Verity in 1922 is in the person of a third woman, Clarrie, and an unthinkably terrible but murderously profitable criminal enterprise that still cries out for justice.

A justice that Verity is determined to provide, whoever it hurts and whatever it costs.

Escape Rating B: I have to say that I ended up with mixed feelings all over the place while listening to and reading The Butterfly Collector. In the end, the 1922 story carried me through, but it’s the 1868 story that held the most bone-chilling horrors. Real-life horror, like revenge, is compellingly served ice cold – and the horrors of this story, based on real historical events – had plenty of chills to deliver.

I had two issues with this story, and the first one led to the second in a way that made the first half a fairly hard go for reasons that are certainly a ‘me’ problem but could also be a ‘you’ problem if we have some of the same inclinations.

One of the issues I’m finding increasingly hard to get through in female-centered historical fiction of any kind is the ubiquitous and nearly obligatory opening third – if not a bit longer – that details all the restrictions that women faced in whatever period the story is set in regards to having agency and independence. As this book alternates between three historical female perspectives, each of whom are hedged about by such restrictions on all sides, it took a lot of pages to get each of them into places where they had some freedom of movement.

In the end, I found myself following Verity’s part of the story in 1922 the most easily because Verity IS in a position to act on her own for reasons that are mostly tragic. Her parents and grandparents are deceased, she has no male siblings, it’s after WW1 which cost her her job as a newspaper reporter but doesn’t stop her from finding freelance work, which she does and which kicks off the mystery of the piece.

Neither Theodora nor Clarrie have true freedom of movement, Theodora for societal expectation reasons and Clarrie because of restrictions due to her socioeconomic class. That they are able to help each other eases those constraints for both of them, but it takes a while for the situation to reach that far.

That I was frustrated by the slow pace of the early parts of all their stories led to my second frustration. I began this book in audio, but the story was going slowly for all the above reasons and the actually quite good quality of the narration made it worse. Which may seem contradictory, but as the reader was doing an excellent job with the Australian accent – or so it seemed to my American ears – her reading cadence was slower than I could stand in a story that was already proceeding at a snail’s pace.

Once I switched to text it all got better, and I was able to finally be captured by the increasingly frenetic pace of the mystery of it all. Not just a terrible crime, but decades of a profitable series of terrible crimes come to light and sticks a knife into Verity’s heart AND her perceptions of her family’s history in a way that makes the whole story both sing and sting at the same time.

I picked this book up because I fell hard for several of the author’s previous books, The Woman in the Green Dress, The Cartographer’s Secret and The Girl in the Painting. While The Butterfly Collector didn’t work nearly as well for me as those earlier books, the heart of the mystery is both awfully compelling and compellingly awful, and it did engage me fully once the story really got into it. So while I’d recommend this particular book with some caveats, I’ll still be picking up the author’s next book, The Talented Mrs Greenway, when it reaches these North American shores.

In 1868, Theodora Breckenridge is dealing with the loss of her parents and brother at sea. Her sister is ready to get her married off, but she has other ideas. She wants to just work on her art in peace at her family estate. With the help of her new maid, Clarrie, she hopes to draw a butterfly she has never seen before. She is inspired by a pair of local sisters who also illustrate. But then a newborn baby goes missing…

Flash forward to 1922. Verity Binks loses her job at a Sydney paper and gets a mysterious package containing a butterfly costume and invitation to a masquerade ball. There, she makes contacts and starts writing the history of the Treadwell Foundation. They help young unwed women who find themselves in the family way. Once she starts to research them, she begins to discover some dark secrets.

I loved the setting of this book. I’m a big Historical Fiction fan, but haven’t read many set in Australia. The years covered in this book were also interesting. Women were definitely not equals in society and the unwed mothers were basically shunned. The other aspect of this book I enjoyed was the lepidopterology aspect. In the age of Google, I don’t think about how all of these species were discovered and traced. As many of these dual timeline stories go, there is a connection that is seen near the end. The timing of this was well done. I was provided an audiobook version and the narrator was very pleasant to listen to and did a great job with the accent as well. I gave this a 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for providing me a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Captivating! The narrator did a fantastic job as I was truly submerged into this fascinating story. Really enjoyed the dual POV and how they tied together.

The Butterfly Collector is a historical mystery set in the Australia of 1868 and 1922. It is told in these different immersive timelines. Cooper combines scientific history and social issues into a compelling story of love, loss, and betrayal.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tea Cooper, Harper Muse, and Emily Barrett for providing this beautiful historical audiobook for my honest review. This book is so beautiful. The narrator did an excellent job and I loved every minute of this book. It was evenly paced and kept me intrigued throughout the entire book. There was mystery, historical aspects, and even a bit of romance. I also love the writing and how the author makes the story come alive. I can’t wait to read more from this author and to listen to other books from this narrator. Thank you again for allowing me to review this stunning audiobook.

enjoyed the narrator. enjoyed the story as a whole although I found it hard to follow in curtain parts. It was difficult to follow the characters.

“A botanical illustration of a butterfly, a missing baby, and a twisty mystery fifty years in the making.”. The story was very interesting & heartbreaking at times. I'm still a little unsure of who did what and who was actually involved in the drama. Also, I didn’t really see the correlation of the butterfly collector with the main story of the missing baby.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I do think reading a physical copy could have eliminated the character confusion.

Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to listen to the audio version in exchange for an honest review.

Another wonderful tale from Tea Cooper.
Beautifully imagery, enthralling story telling, you can't help but get immersed in each and every one of her books.

While I assumed this story would focus on butterflies, I was surprised to find that it was far more complex.

Theodora Breckenridge dreamed of becoming a scientific illustrator. And in 1868 when she spotted a monarch butterfly she hoped her career would be jumpstarted. That’s because that species had never been seen in Australia. So she and her housemaid began searching for more spottings of this species.

The story then takes a twist when Breckenridge’s housemaid’s young son Charlie is abducted. Though the woman who took him was never located, thankfully Charlie was.

To complicate the story further, though it does add interesting details, there is a parallel timeline set in 1922. This story is about Charlie’s daughter Verity Binks. Verity, a budding journalist is forced to take a step back when men step into their former careers as the war ends. However, during one of her freelance jobs, she uncovers interesting ties between her current investigations and her past.

This story blends several historical events regarding that time frame. And, like many narrators, Barrett, does an excellent job of breathing life into the characters.

My Concerns

As an audiobook, The Butterfly Collector required me to keep on my toes and listen for the timeline changes between the 1860s and the 1920s.  Especially, toward the beginning it felt unrelated and even slightly hard to follow.

Final Thoughts

While the various topics that were included in this story were interesting, I’m not sure they enhanced each other. They felt a little disjointed and forced at times.

All in all, I still recommend this book which introduces interesting information that I wasn’t aware of.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ability to listen to this #gifted audiobook.

Two contrasting storylines in different time periods in Australia dealing with the baby stealing trade with a mysterious link.

This book was a bit slow to start, peaked my interest, but then became a bit tedious in the middle. I enjoyed Verity’s character, but felt the others were a bit dull.

Overall it was interesting to read about the subject and history, but the story didn’t draw me in.

This historical fiction novel has a dual timeline jumping between 1868 and 1922. When I read dual timeline novels, I often like one timeline better than the other, but in this book I liked both storylines and found it interesting to see how the story connections unfold.

Having traveled to Hunter Valley and Sydney, NSW Australia, I enjoyed the settings and descriptions of how it was during these time periods. I found myself enjoying getting to know the main characters and learning about documenting monarchs in Australia, but found the themes of family dynamics and baby farming even more interesting. This book was well-researched and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator's Australian accent was a great match for the setting of the novel and further brought the characters to life. The only downside of the narrator was that she didn't have a different voice for male characters and that sometimes caused brief confusion. However, I would still recommend listening to this book.

If you enjoy well-researched, unique historical fiction novels, give this book a read/listen.

Thank you Harper Muse Audiobooks for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and were shared voluntarily.

I enjoyed listening to the audio book read by Emily Barrett. Her voice is nice, and I enjoyed the way she expressed herself vocally. Her Australian accents were not thick but easy to understand. Even though Emily didn't distinguish between the voices of the male and female characters, the story was nonetheless enjoyable to listen to.

The central themes of this historical mystery revolve around a woman who is enthralled with butterflies and a mystery involving the Treadwell Foundation and its intended focus on "disgraced young women and their babies". This was not a mystery about butterflies. The title is misleading. I thought the story would center more around butterflies. The primary subject was how one affluent Australian family expanded their wealth during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

This is a dual time slip story one set in 1922 where readers meet Verity Binks in Sydney. The Treadwell Foundation, who supports unmarried women who find themselves in a delicate condition and their babies. Verity Binks starts her investigation to write her story and uncovers some shady dealings and a fifty-year-old mystery to solve.

In 1868. Morpeth, readers meet Theodora Breakenridge who is mourning the loss of her mother, father and brother in a tragic accident. She lives in The Landing with her three sisters. They want to travel to Sydney to find husbands and shop. Theodora has other plans which include drawing and painting. One day she makes an incredible discovery. It’s a butterfly that’s never been seen before in Austraila.

Intertwined in Verity Binks investigation for her article she discovers secrets, family ties, surprising adoption records, cover ups and illegal baby trafficking. There is a thread about trail blazing woman’s interest in art, nature, science, and the Wanderer Butterfly.

Disclosure Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A mystery full of intrigue and complexity.

A would-be journal starts out to research a story and, in the process, uncovers way more mystery than she could imagine. As she digs deeper into the story more and more secrets come to light leading to a story different than intending but one that needed telling.

Beautifully written and wonderfully told.

I really enjoy dual timeline novels; those I read usually have a contemporary and a historical storyline. The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper, an Australian author, is unique for me because both plots take place more than a century ago, in 1868 and 1922. The novel explores events in Australian history, primarily baby farming and the unexpected migration of monarch butterflies to Australia.

Baby farming was the shocking practice where infants were taken from poor parents and sold to wealthy families resulting in tremendous profits for the criminals arranging such "adoptions." The appearance of monarch butterflies was extraordinary because at this time they were believed to exist primarily in North America.

It's interesting to read a novel about history with which I'm completely unfamiliar, and it's evident the author researched her subjects thoroughly. However, it was challenging for me to connect with this book due to the large cast of characters, the timeframes being in such close proximity, and the multiple connections between the intertwined stories. The plot develops very slowly and unevenly; the baby farming topic didn't arise until quite late in the story and then all of the action happened all at once.

I appreciated the audiobook narrated by Emily Barrett. Her Australian accent kept the setting top of mind for me. Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for access to the advanced listening copy of it.

Captivating and enthralling!

What a beautiful story, told in dual timelines The Butterfly Collector is a story about love, loss and new beginnings will take your breath away. A fantastic read for historical fiction fans.

I enjoyed this audiobook set in Australia with 2 different narrators, Theodora in 1868, who’s lost her parents and brother and enjoys painting nature, and Verity in 1922, who is working as a journalist until she is let go to have her job go to a man returning from the war.

I don’t want to spoil the whole story but I enjoyed that this book of historical fiction was set in a different continent and time period. If you like historical fiction you’ll enjoy the Butterfly Collector. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC!

This book did start off slow and it took me a bit to get in to it but after a few chapters I started to enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the chance to listen to this audiobook narrated by Emily Barrett.

The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper is a historical novel with a dual timeline told from multiple perspectives. The story has a heavy focus on the "baby farming" issue that was often a problem during this time period (late 1800s). The story contains drama, love, and friendship. It is an engaging novel that, although slow to get moving, really got me interested by about a quarter through.

In retrospect, I probably wouldn't listen to an audiobook written by Tea Cooper again as I felt it made it a little harder to transition between timelines compared to when I've read her other novels.
I also wouldn't seek out this narrator again as personally I felt her tone of voice changes and pace of reading changes distracted from the story as there were times I was lost as to who was meant to be speaking.

Over the years, I have gotten to read several books by Tea Cooper. Although The Butterfly Collector was not one of my favorite books that she has written I did enjoy it. The beginning was a little confusing for me as there were so many characters and a duel timeline to keep track of. Once I started to progress through the story it started getting easier to understand the relationships between the characters. The Butterfly Collector took place in Morpeth, Australia in 1868 and in Sydney, Australia in 1922. There were two strong female protagonists who were ambitious, independent and quite capable in their own ways. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Emily Barrett. One of the main topics Tea Cooper explored in this book was “baby farming” in Australia during the 1800 and 1900’s. She also touched upon the discovery of the migration of Monarch butterflies to Australia.

In 1868, the Breckenridge family suffered a devastating tragedy. The parents and young brother of Theodora and her two sisters were killed in a shipping accident. Theodora and her sisters continued to live at the family’s estate. Theodora was quite different from her sisters. While her sisters were interested in traveling to Sydney where they hoped to participate in the social events worthy of their standings and seek out potential husbands, Theodora was content to stay at home and pursue her artistic ambitions. Theodora’s goal was to become an illustrator of things that pertained to nature. She aspired to follow in the footsteps of the Scott sisters. Her drawings were exquisite but it was her scientific discovery of a species of butterflies foreign to Australia that would eventually make her famous. Left at the family estate while her sisters travelled to Sydney, Theodora was introduced to young woman who had recently given birth to a baby boy and was in need of a job. Theodora took an instant liking to Clarrie and hired her to work as a maid. Clarrie and Theodora formed a bond. They were determined to help each other as much as they could. Clarrie helped Theodora with her beautiful drawings and Theodora helped Clarrie earn extra time to visit her young son. When Clarrie discovered that her son had been taken from her everything changed in a blink of an eye. Who had taken Clarrie’s baby and why? Could Theodora help Clarrie get him back?

In 1922, in Sydney, Australia, many women were being forced to vacate the positions they had held while the war was being fought and hand them back to the returning soldiers. Verity Binkx, an aspiring journalist for The Arrow, was one of those women. She understood the situation but was sad to let go of her position at the paper. Her articles were just beginning to be recognized for their good content and some had even been printed. Her late grandfather, Sid, had been a well known and respected newspaper man. On the day Verity lost her job at The Arrow a strange thing happened. An anonymous package arrived at her home for her. Inside the package was an elegant butterfly costume and an invitation to the Sydney Artists Masquerade Ball. Who could have sent these to her? Verity decided to attend the ball. Perhaps she would encounter the sender at the ball. Although Verity came no closer to discovering the identity of the sender, she was offered an assignment to write about the Treadwell Foundation and the role they had played in helping young girls who found themselves unwed and pregnant over the years. As Verity conducted her research about The Treadwell Foundation throughout Australia’s history, she discovered a butterfly painting that was almost identical to the costume that had been sent to her. This discovery led Verity to do some digging in Morpeth. Would Verity be able to link the connections between the butterfly painting, Morpeth and the Treadwell Foundation? What would she discover?

The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper was an engaging historical mystery. As I learned about the occurrences of “baby farming “ that was so prevalent in Australia during that time period I was surprised at how many babies were taken away and sold. I really enjoyed the characters of Theodora, Verity and Clarrie. They were each strong women in their own right. The emergence and discovery of a new butterfly species in Australia was a phenomenon that I had not known about. I continue to admire Tea Cooper’s writing and enjoyed listening to this book. Even though this was not my favorite book of hers I enjoyed it and I recommend it.

Thank you to Harper Muse for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book started a little slow for me. I did enjoy it, but it was not at all what I thought it would be about. Took a while to get into the characters and timelines, there two and they do come together and. you can pretty much guess the relationships of the characters to each timeline early on, but the how and why come much later in the book. About half way through it picked up and moved at a great pace. I would recommend this book and tell people, stick with it. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was okay. I had a hard time differentiating the voices of characters at times. I would recommend the book instead of the audio. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

"The Butterfly Collector" is a slow-burn mystery centered around two time periods, the 1860s and 1920s, both in Australia. In 1922, Verity receives an anonymous package with an invite to an exclusive ball, along with a beautiful butterfly costume. While there, she meets Mr. Treadwell, who invites her to use her journalistic skills to document the history of the Treadwell Foundation. Digging into the foundation's past reveals more than Verity bargained for.

This timeline shares the stage with Theodora and her family, in 1868. Living with her sisters, Theodora and her family are still reeling from the loss of their parents and brother. Theodora seeks solace in her art, documenting butterfly species and seeking to make her mark in the scientific community.

I found this book slow to get going, and a bit plodding overall. I'm not sure the butterfly theme worked for me, as it seemed too outside of the central plot to work; I found it more of a confusing distraction as I looked for the places where it might have importance. From a production standpoint, the audiobook was at times difficult to listen to, as there was quite a lot of narrator breathing that was audible. Both female and male characters were delivered in the narrator's natural voice, which made some of the male characters (especially the reverend) less genuine and harder to follow.