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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
Overall, a fairly forgettable book. The characters were unsympathetic and not very likable - I thought Ivo as the male lead was a pretty weak character, and I just didn't care about any of the obstacles that Cora was facing (trying to fit it with English life--seating charts, redecorating, entertaining, blah blah blah). The writing was unimpressive...it felt pretty "dumbed down" to me (The American heiress's last name was Cash...really??). Several parts of the novel were borderline trashy and the ending was anti-climactic. The author preferred using commas when she should have used semicolons...I don't think I saw any semicolons in the book. I'm giving this three stars because the story was interesting enough that it kept me reading.
The descriptions of setting, what people ate, and what everyone wore were great, but the plot of this wasn't particularly interesting. Definitely not a fan of the ending, and while the main character is sympathetic, her love interest is not. Like reading a very poorly plotted season of Downton, but not as much fun.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cora and her mother have everything because of their incredible wealth, and still desire the one thing money cannot buy - a title. This novel is about rich people behaving badly and is a blast to read.
Daisy Goodwin’s debut is a fantastic read, especially at the beach which is where I read it. I loved Cora even when she acted spoiled. The insights into royalty and wealthy circles was fun to read. Goodwin found the perfect balance between a story that was easy to read with many words and traditions I didn’t recognize. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the uber wealthy and the people that care for them. I recommend this book for its interesting premise and themes plus it’s sound writing.
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5. I should have known to be wary when the overall Goodreads rating was below a 3.4. The writing was fine but the content was boring. The characters were annoying and I feel like the author was trying to play this off as a "romance" but you see, I didn't really want the "hero" and "heroine" to be together. Ivo and Cora were both unlikable, but especially Ivo. I wouldn't recommend this and I wouldn't read anything else of hers either.
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story line was great, but the writing was not always great.
I had a hard time with the main character and found her hard to relate to and even like.