Reviews

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

trudy1963's review against another edition

3.0

I liked this book but it was lacking. There were a lot of characters that I found well developed for the depth of this story but unfortunately, there wasn't much depth to the story. While I liked the characters, I wasn't invested in any of their storylines. It didn't matter to me which character thrived or didn't thrive. This book was like looking at a snapshot of a certain period in history (which I did find the historical aspect interesting) without going deeper into anything in the picture because there's too much in the picture. But again, I do think the characters were well done for what they were and someone clever could develop this ensemble into a good tv show.

eils's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

paige_roberts's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

danimarie96's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

bellspeacham's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

amber_hastings's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Exquisite in all arenas: plot, subplots, characters, scene-setting, prose. Unlike most of Kate Atkinson's novels I didn't have a moment of gasping when all the storylines drew together — in fact some of the conclusions seemed inevitable or easy to guess at, but this didn't make them any less exciting. I do wish it hadn't ended quite so quickly, although the lengthy show curtain does suit the book. Perhaps it was the pain of parting ways with characters we've spent so much time with!
I think Atkinson is a marvellous writer and this novel is one of her best. I was both rushing through it to find out more and trying to hold myself back at the same time. I wish I could read it again afresh.

m_berthelsen's review against another edition

informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

bibble_jidd's review against another edition

1.75

Uninteresting romance, identical characters, irritating grammar. Self impressed and congratulatory at the most obvious and insipid plot developments. This feels like a first draft, with characters stating every thought they have and why it is significant and the book insisting on immediately explaining in parenthesis anything that could possibly be interesting.  Poor sentence structure throughout: this book would have benefited from a very good editor to elevate the writing standard above the in-universe terrible writing of The Age of Glitter that it mocks, as I perhaps would have preffered reading that. Actively iritating to read and lacking any worthwhile payoff.

saibhandari's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

lisa_berrones's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5