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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
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
I picked up this book on sale, and as I'm a fan of historical (and "historical") romances I expected to enjoy this one as well. I was not disappointed, and found it an excellent story that was far more grounded in reality than the Regencies and other rather fanciful stories that are a large component of my "fluff" category.
The story is simple, and one we've read many times over - Cora is an American heiress whose overbearing mother wants to marry a titled English lord, all in furtherance of her own societal clout back home in Newport. The trip is taken, the marriage occurs, the heir is born, and Cora is left to fend for herself in a strange world where little is as it seems, and unwritten rules exist to let her know she will always be the outsider. Add in her husband's affair, and a crisis is reached where Cora has to decide what she will do, what kind of duchess she will be, and how she will live her life.
Cora is the main character, with two strong supporting characters in her duke husband Ivo and in her colored-but-can-pass lady's maid Bertha. While Ivo is left as a mystery throughout much of the book, Bertha's story unwinds quietly besides and behind that of Cora, and I found it to be very interesting and at times moreso than Cora's. The writing is clear and masterful at providing clues that Cora doesn't always pick up on, but that an apt reader will catch on their own, which point to what's going on in the British world she's married into. There are misunderstandings, and culture differences, and finally Ivo has to stand up and admit to his past and his part in the problems in his marriage, before Cora can decide how to proceed.
I particularly liked this book because it was more realistic - Cora never gets the admiration and only barely grudging respect from the servants, other society wives try to set her up for failure, and the deep culture differences between "new money America" and "old blood Britain" are visible in varying degrees throughout the story. That made this much more real and with a different, deeper meaning than many fluffy Regencies provide, which isn't a snub on either this book or those, I'm just highlighting the difference. This was a solid story that I enjoyed, with character change and growth as well as stagnation in parts, which all summed up into a realistic portrait of the American heiress turned British duchess.
The story is simple, and one we've read many times over - Cora is an American heiress whose overbearing mother wants to marry a titled English lord, all in furtherance of her own societal clout back home in Newport. The trip is taken, the marriage occurs, the heir is born, and Cora is left to fend for herself in a strange world where little is as it seems, and unwritten rules exist to let her know she will always be the outsider. Add in her husband's affair, and a crisis is reached where Cora has to decide what she will do, what kind of duchess she will be, and how she will live her life.
Cora is the main character, with two strong supporting characters in her duke husband Ivo and in her colored-but-can-pass lady's maid Bertha. While Ivo is left as a mystery throughout much of the book, Bertha's story unwinds quietly besides and behind that of Cora, and I found it to be very interesting and at times moreso than Cora's. The writing is clear and masterful at providing clues that Cora doesn't always pick up on, but that an apt reader will catch on their own, which point to what's going on in the British world she's married into. There are misunderstandings, and culture differences, and finally Ivo has to stand up and admit to his past and his part in the problems in his marriage, before Cora can decide how to proceed.
I particularly liked this book because it was more realistic - Cora never gets the admiration and only barely grudging respect from the servants, other society wives try to set her up for failure, and the deep culture differences between "new money America" and "old blood Britain" are visible in varying degrees throughout the story. That made this much more real and with a different, deeper meaning than many fluffy Regencies provide, which isn't a snub on either this book or those, I'm just highlighting the difference. This was a solid story that I enjoyed, with character change and growth as well as stagnation in parts, which all summed up into a realistic portrait of the American heiress turned British duchess.
Easy read, not very much of a plot but sometimes you just need a pallet cleanser before you go on to your next amazing book. I would not buy, better check out from the public library!
This book was a solid 4, the ending was so weak like the author was just over it… it quickly fell to a 3.
I enjoyed reading this book. If you enjoy reading about the Gilded Age or watching Dowtown Abbey, you will appreciate the book. It was very evident that Daisy Goodwin did a great job researching subjects such as societal norms, class jewelry, attire, etc. of the era based on her detailed descriptions. I found the ending unrealistic for Teddy and Charlotte but for Cora and Ivo it was predictable (not the events leading to their endings) due to the era.