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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
I started reading this book while visiting Newport. Seeing all the mansions really helped me to visualize the events. I enjoyed this book. There were a few loose ends that I feel got swept up rather too quickly and not really resolved but overall a fast fun vacation read.
This was very well written, but the misunderstandings that could have been cleared up with a simple conversation irritated me. The characters were interesting, though, as was the setting.
I have not encountered a novel that has been set (at least partially) in Newport, Rhode Island during the golden age of the “summer cottages” of the mega wealthy. It is such a beautiful setting and is probably one of the few settings in the United States that can evoke such a vivid world as European castles of old. Only a small portion of the novel is set here before it moves into well known Victorian England – but it still brought gorgeous pictures to mind.
It was also refreshing to read a romance novel for a change. This book treads more heavily on the romance side of the coin than the historical but there is enough there to certainly give you the sense of Victorian England. We even get to have Prince Bertie as a relatively important side character. It was also very interesting to see American upper class society juxtaposed against the English upper class – they were vastly different and it became quite an important plot device throughout the novel.
This was a great read and even though it ended in possibly not the most ideal situation it was still what I was rooting for. I even held off finishing the book for a few days because I really didn’t want it to end – it was such an enjoyable ride. I would certainly love to read another book by this author, it was a great debut.
And on a completely random note – I think the author had inspired choices for character names – I am particularly fond of Cora Cash!
he narrator was wonderful. She was a very flexible reader and had great accents for all of her characters. She had to switch between American and British accents throughout the story and I thought this was done seamlessly. At the end of the novel there was an interview with the author which was a wonderful treat. One thing that I found quite interesting was that she had never written dialogue before and so she would often read it out loud to hear how it sounded – which I think was perfect preparation for an audiobook.
This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.
It was also refreshing to read a romance novel for a change. This book treads more heavily on the romance side of the coin than the historical but there is enough there to certainly give you the sense of Victorian England. We even get to have Prince Bertie as a relatively important side character. It was also very interesting to see American upper class society juxtaposed against the English upper class – they were vastly different and it became quite an important plot device throughout the novel.
This was a great read and even though it ended in possibly not the most ideal situation it was still what I was rooting for. I even held off finishing the book for a few days because I really didn’t want it to end – it was such an enjoyable ride. I would certainly love to read another book by this author, it was a great debut.
And on a completely random note – I think the author had inspired choices for character names – I am particularly fond of Cora Cash!
he narrator was wonderful. She was a very flexible reader and had great accents for all of her characters. She had to switch between American and British accents throughout the story and I thought this was done seamlessly. At the end of the novel there was an interview with the author which was a wonderful treat. One thing that I found quite interesting was that she had never written dialogue before and so she would often read it out loud to hear how it sounded – which I think was perfect preparation for an audiobook.
This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.
While there were some inaccuracies as to the British aristocracy (tattoos? Really?), this was an enjoyable read and quick despite its length. I found Cora to be true to her generation and upbringing and really loved her in the end. Her mother and mother-in-law were characters to be loathed, and her husband one to be constantly frustrated and intrigued with. It's a book I'd recommend to others suffering "Downton Abbey withdrawals", and one I will be keeping in my library to read again someday.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
New York am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Wie viele reiche junge Damen mit Aussicht auf ein großes Erbe soll auch die junge Cora Cash (der Name ist vielleicht ein bisschen zu offensichtlich gewählt) mitsamt ihrer Mutter nach Großbritannien verfrachtet werden, wo zahlreiche Adlige Geldsorgen haben und eine reiche Frau gut gebrauchen können. Eine Hand wäscht die andere, die ambitionierten amerikanischen Eltern bekommen einen Adelstitel für ihre Tochter, der britische Adlige kann sein Anwesen mit dem Geld der reichen Gattin retten. Wir kennen das Szenario beispielsweise aus Downton Abbey.
Cora selbst ist allerdings wenig begeistert von dem Plan und versucht, ihren Jugendfreund Teddy zu einer heimlichen Heirat anzustiften. Der jedoch will Maler werden und geht nach Paris. Also segeln Cora und ihre Mutter doch gen Großbritannien.
Die Ausgangslage des Romans der englischen Autorin Daisy Goodwin, die inzwischen vor allem als Autorin der Fernsehserie „Victoria“ und des zugrundeliegenden Buches bekannt ist, macht eine gewisse Vorhersehbarkeit zunächst einmal unvermeidlich. Allerdings gefiel mir der Anfang des Buches so wenig, dass ich kurz davor war, es abzubrechen. Ich fand die Dialoge furchtbar und die Beinahe-Instalove in diesem Fall besonders unglaubwürdig. Ich habe dem Buch aber noch eine Chance gesehen und es bessert sich tatsächlich. Es tritt eine Verflossene mit offenbar zwielichtigen Absichten auf. Ich wollte gerade einen Vergleich mit einem sehr bekannten Roman aufstellen, doch allein das könnte schon ein leichter Spoiler sein. Über den Titel des Romans besteht außerdem ein Bezug zu dem gleichnamigen Gedicht von Robert Browning (danke für den Hinweis, Servetus!), der einiges befürchten lässt. Erfrischenderweise gibt es eine Nebenhandlung mit Coras farbiger Zofe. Als ein großes gesellschaftliches Ereignis ansteht, meint die Leserin, genau zu ahnen, was passieren wird. Das tritt dann auch in etwa so ein, doch tatsächlich bleibt das Buch bis zum Schluss spannend. Es ist keine großartige Lektüre, aber ein unterhaltsamer Roman über das Gilded Age, auch wenn die Charaktere bis zum Schluss eher flach bleiben.
Cora selbst ist allerdings wenig begeistert von dem Plan und versucht, ihren Jugendfreund Teddy zu einer heimlichen Heirat anzustiften. Der jedoch will Maler werden und geht nach Paris. Also segeln Cora und ihre Mutter doch gen Großbritannien.
Die Ausgangslage des Romans der englischen Autorin Daisy Goodwin, die inzwischen vor allem als Autorin der Fernsehserie „Victoria“ und des zugrundeliegenden Buches bekannt ist, macht eine gewisse Vorhersehbarkeit zunächst einmal unvermeidlich. Allerdings gefiel mir der Anfang des Buches so wenig, dass ich kurz davor war, es abzubrechen. Ich fand die Dialoge furchtbar und die Beinahe-Instalove in diesem Fall besonders unglaubwürdig. Ich habe dem Buch aber noch eine Chance gesehen und es bessert sich tatsächlich. Es tritt eine Verflossene mit offenbar zwielichtigen Absichten auf. Ich wollte gerade einen Vergleich mit einem sehr bekannten Roman aufstellen, doch allein das könnte schon ein leichter Spoiler sein. Über den Titel des Romans besteht außerdem ein Bezug zu dem gleichnamigen Gedicht von Robert Browning (danke für den Hinweis, Servetus!), der einiges befürchten lässt. Erfrischenderweise gibt es eine Nebenhandlung mit Coras farbiger Zofe. Als ein großes gesellschaftliches Ereignis ansteht, meint die Leserin, genau zu ahnen, was passieren wird. Das tritt dann auch in etwa so ein, doch tatsächlich bleibt das Buch bis zum Schluss spannend. Es ist keine großartige Lektüre, aber ein unterhaltsamer Roman über das Gilded Age, auch wenn die Charaktere bis zum Schluss eher flach bleiben.
Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.
I won this book from First Reads and was excited to read it; however, I was left somewhat dissatisfied after finishing this book. Overall it was an easy and enjoyable read, but the characters were somewhat flat and the ending felt rushed. I felt like I didn't know enough about some of the characters (i.e. Ivo and Teddy) to decide whether I liked them or not, then finally when you learn more about them the book is over.
I won this book from First Reads and was excited to read it; however, I was left somewhat dissatisfied after finishing this book. Overall it was an easy and enjoyable read, but the characters were somewhat flat and the ending felt rushed. I felt like I didn't know enough about some of the characters (i.e. Ivo and Teddy) to decide whether I liked them or not, then finally when you learn more about them the book is over.
3+. It was ok. I feel like I'm damning it with faint praise, but not much to say about this one.
slow-paced