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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
I found this very engrossing. It certainly kept me entertained for a long plane ride.
when i was getting ready to start this book and reading some spoiler free reviews, the consensus was that cora was unlikable and nothing happens in this book. and what i say to those people who wrote those reviews is: so you hate women?. sure, cora was selfish and spoiled for the entirety of the book. but she was a product of her upbringing, and to be quite honest she could’ve been ten times worse. she was manipulated by those around her in an environment she was completely unfamiliar with, and the man she is supposed to trust fails to protect her and basically just uses her as a human bank and incubator. ivo was the villain in this story. pick one woman homie. you can’t have both. should’ve been charlotte so you could’ve been miserable little trolls together.
would’ve loved bertha’s story to have been a bit more developed. the representation of what it is to be black in high society was super interesting, especially regarding bertha’s relationship with cora being so one-sided. cora thought they were companions, but in reality bertha was her caretaker and got nothing of substance from their relationship. i wish bertha had run away and been with her man.
what i say to the second criticism (that nothing happens in the book) is this: period dramas must not be for you. the premise of period dramas is people going to other people’s houses and talking about things. and that’s what this book is. and i love that. to say nothing happens is a blatant lie. there is some downtown abbey level drama. some buccaneers level drama. some bridgerton level drama. if you want murder and suspense and thrill then you probably should read a different genre.
regarding the author. i love her work. she is a queen. this was great and Diva was great. her writing is beautiful and she has a way of describing mundane situations and making them exciting. i really enjoyed this book.
would’ve loved bertha’s story to have been a bit more developed. the representation of what it is to be black in high society was super interesting, especially regarding bertha’s relationship with cora being so one-sided. cora thought they were companions, but in reality bertha was her caretaker and got nothing of substance from their relationship. i wish bertha had run away and been with her man.
what i say to the second criticism (that nothing happens in the book) is this: period dramas must not be for you. the premise of period dramas is people going to other people’s houses and talking about things. and that’s what this book is. and i love that. to say nothing happens is a blatant lie. there is some downtown abbey level drama. some buccaneers level drama. some bridgerton level drama. if you want murder and suspense and thrill then you probably should read a different genre.
regarding the author. i love her work. she is a queen. this was great and Diva was great. her writing is beautiful and she has a way of describing mundane situations and making them exciting. i really enjoyed this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
The characters in this book are not particularly like-able and nowhere near relatable. The story itself is rather mundane and does nothing to endear the protagonist to the reader.
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My takeaways from this book were as follows:
1. The meddling mother in law has been around forever.
2. Handsome men can do what they want and eventually be forgiven.
3. So much trouble would be avoided if people would just communicate!
4. Women should just shut up and put up.
5. Sometimes it takes your young, rich, pretty wife and her maid kidnapping your son in a donkey cart to make you realize you love her.
Some of this is not the author's fault but are reflections of when the book takes place. I had a difficult time being happy with Cora's decision to stay with her husband at the end because he really was awful. I also didn't understand why her friend had to be "punished" at the end. For not moving quickly enough? For rejecting her in the first place? Just to create some drama and uncertainty? (Probably #3) I sort of didn't want her with either man.
The more I think about this book, the more I like it. At first, I thought of it as just a fun, quick read with descriptions of beautiful clothing, jewelry, and settings. But there's some symbolism and commentary in there that you can miss the first time through.
1. The meddling mother in law has been around forever.
2. Handsome men can do what they want and eventually be forgiven.
3. So much trouble would be avoided if people would just communicate!
4. Women should just shut up and put up.
5. Sometimes it takes your young, rich, pretty wife and her maid kidnapping your son in a donkey cart to make you realize you love her.
Some of this is not the author's fault but are reflections of when the book takes place. I had a difficult time being happy with Cora's decision to stay with her husband at the end because he really was awful. I also didn't understand why her friend had to be "punished" at the end. For not moving quickly enough? For rejecting her in the first place? Just to create some drama and uncertainty? (Probably #3) I sort of didn't want her with either man.
The more I think about this book, the more I like it. At first, I thought of it as just a fun, quick read with descriptions of beautiful clothing, jewelry, and settings. But there's some symbolism and commentary in there that you can miss the first time through.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes