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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/day-726-the-other-daughter/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/day-726-the-other-daughter/
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really loved this book! She painted perfect pictures of the characters and I got swept away with them. Just one problem.. I HATED the ending.
I liked the idea of the plot, and all the different motives and backstories of each character. It set out to be very complex, but by the end I felt like the author had gotten confused with the complexities she had written. As much as I enjoyed the concept and setting, the ending was criminally unsatisfying and a bit rushed.
In 1927, Rachel Woodley is living in France working as a governess. She receives a telegram altering her to her mother's ailing health in England. Upon her return to England she discovers that she is too late; her mother has died. While going through her mother's room, Rachel discovers a picture, torn out from a gossip publication, of her father posing wit a woman who is listed as his daughter, Olivia. This is a traumatic moment for Rachel, as she was told when she was 4 years old that her father, a botanist, died. Not only is Rachel's father very much alive, he is an Earl and has another family!
Rachel travels to London to learn more about her father....She meets gossip columnist named Simon who helps her come up with a plan to become part of the "it crowd" to ultimately get revenge on her father. Through the schemes of both Rachel and Simon, many will be effected. Rachel starts out not really knowing how her actions effect others. She is just wanting to make sure her father sees her and has to answer for leaving her and her mother so long ago.
This novel was amazing in so many ways. It was suspenseful, well written and eloquently delivered by the author. I was on the edge of my seat and completely surprised by the shocking ending. I never ever saw it coming!! That to me, makes a five star read. This is my first book by Lauren Willig but it certainly won't be the last.
Rachel travels to London to learn more about her father....She meets gossip columnist named Simon who helps her come up with a plan to become part of the "it crowd" to ultimately get revenge on her father. Through the schemes of both Rachel and Simon, many will be effected. Rachel starts out not really knowing how her actions effect others. She is just wanting to make sure her father sees her and has to answer for leaving her and her mother so long ago.
This novel was amazing in so many ways. It was suspenseful, well written and eloquently delivered by the author. I was on the edge of my seat and completely surprised by the shocking ending. I never ever saw it coming!! That to me, makes a five star read. This is my first book by Lauren Willig but it certainly won't be the last.
I really wanted to like this more. I just wish that parts of it had been fleshed our more, especially her relationship with Simon....I don't think I ever really understood his angle. And the ending seemed rushed. The book had great potential that I felt it didn't ever reach.
Rachel Woodley is working as a nursery governess in France when the telegram comes. Her hardworking mother, the only person left to her in life, is dying of influenza. When she arrives back in England, however, Rachel finds that she is too late--the funeral has already occurred, and her only role now is to clean out her mother's house and try to find a new position as a governess or possibly a typist. But when she finds a magazine clipping in her mother's room, her whole world is turned upside down. Her father, whom she had always been told was dead, is not only alive but has a wife and two children and a high position in 1920s society. Instead of being an orphan, Rachel is the illegitimate by-blow of a selfish earl.
Flummoxed and enraged, Rachel falls in with handsome blueblood Simon Montfort who happens to also be a columnist for a London gossip rag. He offers to set her up as his cousin in an expensive flat with a whole new wardrobe so that she can infiltrate the earl's family. Playing the part of Vera Merton, Rachel searches for two things: the reason why, and sweet revenge. But once again, things are not as simple as they seem. Although Rachel's father shows no recognition of her, Rachel soon find that her half-sister Olivia is more to be pitied than envied. As she develops a sympathy for the earl's family, she begins to call Simon's ulterior motives into question and to question the legitimacy of her own complaint. Nothing can halt her desire for a final confrontation, however. As Rachel and Simon crash a house party at the earl's estate, masks come off and characters are revealed, leading to a well-constructed ending where both Rachel and the reader gain their satisfaction.
I admired many aspects of Lauren Willig's book The English Wife, but for me, this story of The Other Daughter was pitch-perfect. The excess and phoniness of the Bright Young Things and their love for all things Bohemian is displayed in glittering detail. Rachel's outrage is wholly believable. Her transformation into Vera Merton is skillful and enjoyable as she tiptoes into an alien world and makes her mark.
My favorite part about this book definitely has to be Simon. He is a character of many layers--the consummate 1920s playboy splashing about in alcohol and fast women but with waters that run much deeper below that exterior. The literary banter between Rachel and Simon is brilliant (although possibly incomprehensible to those who don't know their Shakespeare).
I made the mistake of beginning this book at around 10:30pm last night, planning to just read a little before falling asleep...let's just say that it's going to be a very long day today. Wholeheartedly recommended...one of my favorite reads from this year.
Flummoxed and enraged, Rachel falls in with handsome blueblood Simon Montfort who happens to also be a columnist for a London gossip rag. He offers to set her up as his cousin in an expensive flat with a whole new wardrobe so that she can infiltrate the earl's family. Playing the part of Vera Merton, Rachel searches for two things: the reason why, and sweet revenge. But once again, things are not as simple as they seem. Although Rachel's father shows no recognition of her, Rachel soon find that her half-sister Olivia is more to be pitied than envied. As she develops a sympathy for the earl's family, she begins to call Simon's ulterior motives into question and to question the legitimacy of her own complaint. Nothing can halt her desire for a final confrontation, however. As Rachel and Simon crash a house party at the earl's estate, masks come off and characters are revealed, leading to a well-constructed ending where both Rachel and the reader gain their satisfaction.
I admired many aspects of Lauren Willig's book The English Wife, but for me, this story of The Other Daughter was pitch-perfect. The excess and phoniness of the Bright Young Things and their love for all things Bohemian is displayed in glittering detail. Rachel's outrage is wholly believable. Her transformation into Vera Merton is skillful and enjoyable as she tiptoes into an alien world and makes her mark.
My favorite part about this book definitely has to be Simon. He is a character of many layers--the consummate 1920s playboy splashing about in alcohol and fast women but with waters that run much deeper below that exterior. The literary banter between Rachel and Simon is brilliant (although possibly incomprehensible to those who don't know their Shakespeare).
I made the mistake of beginning this book at around 10:30pm last night, planning to just read a little before falling asleep...let's just say that it's going to be a very long day today. Wholeheartedly recommended...one of my favorite reads from this year.
I found this book to be so stereotypical and common that I kept asking myself if I had read it before.
I enjoyed listening to this one. The reader had a easy voice to listen to despite the English accent and was able to make each different character's voice their own.
It takes place in and around London a few years after the first world war. If you enjoyed Downton Abbey, you'll probably like this one.
It takes place in and around London a few years after the first world war. If you enjoyed Downton Abbey, you'll probably like this one.