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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Inspired by the stories of Consuelo Vanderbilt and the other dollar princesses of the Victorian era who went to Europe to marry impoverished noblemen with lofty titles. Both bride and groom have plenty of flaws, but I enjoyed the story of this marriage and its rocky start. The secondary characters were very well-developed.
I was hooked by the end of the first chapter staying up well past midnight for several nights trying to finish. It was a wonderful trip to England as the very wealthy American looking for a titled husband. The twists and turns up to the end made for an exciting read.
"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 Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals.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."
"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 Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals.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 expected this book to be just a bit of light historical fiction. Instead, I got chick-lit set in a historical time period. Overall I was disappointed by this book, especially as a fan of ITV’s Victoria, but I wanted a light read and I guess that’s what I got. *shrug*
Goodwin was clearly inspired by the likes of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, but her attempt at incorporating the twists and turns of the latter’s work fell a bit flat. A little mystery in a book is a great thing, but not when that mystery is whether we are supposed to love or loathe important characters. At one point I had a brief thought that Cora might have a mental break and set her gilded prison on fire. Alas, such a plot twist was clearly too daring for this book.
Goodwin was clearly inspired by the likes of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, but her attempt at incorporating the twists and turns of the latter’s work fell a bit flat. A little mystery in a book is a great thing, but not when that mystery is whether we are supposed to love or loathe important characters. At one point I had a brief thought that Cora might have a mental break and set her gilded prison on fire. Alas, such a plot twist was clearly too daring for this book.
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really good read! Nice and easy to get through and an interesting story if you wanted a historical fix.
I found the main characters to be shallow and unlikeable. Personally, I prefer books where I can find some quality to relate to in a main character in order to enjoy the novel. I didn't find that here.
Not bad, I guess. I didn't have much sympathy for any of the characters, but it was entertaining enough to listen to on my drive.
This book was fine. I thought the historical background of American heiresses and how their wealth was used to repair English estates was the most compelling aspect. I started the first chapter really disliking Cora and basically all of the other characters. In the end I sympathized with her more, but I never grew to love them. That made it a bit of a chore at times. Overall it was fine, but I probably will forget the plot fairly quickly.
A lot of the bad reviews from this book I can agree with. At times it did seem like a whole lot of nothing was happening, but I was still deeply enthralled. I think it is the historical fiction aspect that draws me in. I too was annoyed with Ivo’s mood swings and the predictable duke character that he was with his secrets and running off because he wants to teach his wife a lesson. I also thought there was a lot of unexplained things, which is surprising considering how long the book is. I always felt like we were going to find out Ivo and the Double Duchess had some sort of incest relationship or that something more went on with Charlotte as a child. The duchess taking her in but then not wanting her to marry her sons seemed odd. I was also annoyed that everyone in the book kept referring to Odo’s horrific behavior, and I thought at some point the author would elaborate more on that, but it never happened and I just want to know what goes on in that house. But for all of these complaints, I still highly enjoyed this book. The claim on the book that if you like to Downton Abbey you will probably like this book is true for me at least. I was drawn into the characters and the life and I couldn’t help but feel bad for Cora.