Reviews

Oh my, where to begin! I devoured this book... it was a delightful story about a time I am not an expert on. I loved the setting and I was curious to see where this story would go.

The thing I struggled with was keeping everyone straight... there were so many characters that I had to make a bit of a cheat sheet to help me keep them straight. But characters aside, the story is magnificent! We see London in the Roaring Twenties, full of corruption, trying to recover from "The Great War." Atkinson shows the dark, seedy side of London and the people who are struggling to survive there.

But... the thing that made this book for me was listening to Jason Watkins read it to me. He was brilliant!

If you like history, a compelling story, and would like to spend some time with Mr. Watkins ... read this book!

lkm706's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

archetypewriter's review against another edition

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3.0

What worked for me: The vivid depiction of the 1920s, and snappy dialogue from a wide variety of characters.

What didn't work for me: I found the first half much more engaging than the second, which dragged. There was also a lack of cohesion; it felt like 2-3 books that didn't belong jumbled together. Sacrificing at least one storyline might have helped. I really disliked the "mystery", which involved the murder and attempted murder of girls and women. It seemed unnecessary and it didn't work as a mystery or thriller.

ella_smella's review against another edition

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2.0

This one just wasn’t for me. One of those books that I could tolerate whilst reading it but as soon as I put it down struggled to pick up again and carry on with. So many characters with so many POVs. Felt like I’d finish reading about one character and not hear from them again until 100 pages later. And it felt like the last 50 pages of the book were really rushed, trying to wrap it all up.
The descriptive writing was impressive, very much painted a vivid picture of the locations and the time period, but it was so dense.
It was definitely tolerable but for a book that’s 500+ pages long, it was certainly hard work.

eabhawall's review against another edition

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3.25

I was loving this, and then the ending went and let all the air out of the balloon.

annalouisep's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

nlom03's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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