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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
A true pleasure to read. This is a book you would read while on holiday, or on a plane. A book that is entertaining and a joy to read. Full a glamour and scandal, the intrinsics of true love. A worthwhile read.
While there were many aspects of this book I enjoyed (mainly the Gilded Age history of British and American high society colliding), I never really felt entirely sympathetic towards the fate of the heroine, Cora Cash. She did shed some of her upper-crust naivete as the book progressed, but she never seemed to be able to outsmart the lords and ladies she so desperately wanted to run with, which I found disappointing. Still made for an enjoyable, speedy read - lots of gorgeous scenery to take in.
While reading this book was pleasant, I can't really recommend it. Unfortunately, the story is not particularly interesting, the pace is slow, and the ending is not very satisfying.
good book but very predictable. Loved the time period, accurate details
I was a little surprised how much I ended up liking this book. I was ready to hate it after the first few chapters. Constantly being reminded how ridiculously rich Cora is every other page became irritating fast. I also thought Cora was a spoiled brat at first, but she does mature into a more likeable and sympathetic character. The story itself is sort of predictable, but it still manages to be interesting and entertaining with a Downtown Abbey feel (as stated on the cover and the main reason I read the book in the first place).
Crazy Rich Victorians.
Egad. I picked up this book because I recognized the author's name as a producer from the Victoria series. Very Downtonesque featuring characters from both upstairs and downstairs.
The main character, Cora is a very, very, very rich American heiress (did I mention that she was rich?) on a European tour. There, she meets and marries the dark, brooding mysterious Count Ivo, as one does while touring the Continent.
Where things become exceedingly problematic is with the narrative of Cora's Black ladies maid, Bertha. As we are told throughout the book, Bertha is a light skinned woman who worked her way up to be a ladies maid in a time when this type of occupation is less available to women of colour. There's no doubt that she must be smart and adaptable to advance against racial barriers, yet in her dialogue she speaks how a contemporary British privileged white woman might picture someone to speak, like a Mammy essentially. "Why Miss Cora, you ain't got no sense!". It struck me as disingenuous that a character who could adapt her mannerisms to become ladies maid to the richest woman in America wouldn't also be able to be influenced on how to speak like her peers. Throughout the story Bertha is concerned with not standing out, trying to pass as white, would she be speaking in a deeply accented slang?
Side note, I learned quickly that everyone who was evil had "small white teeth". I'm glad I learned this for future dinner parties.
Super nitpicky, but there were grammatical errors. This sends me over the edge. Reading Daisy Goodwin's bio leads me to believe she's led a life of choice, ease and privilege. There are so many people that fight to get published. Why can't she hire a good editor? How lazy.
Super rushed ending, methinks there must be a sequel and subsequent mini-series.
Egad. I picked up this book because I recognized the author's name as a producer from the Victoria series. Very Downtonesque featuring characters from both upstairs and downstairs.
The main character, Cora is a very, very, very rich American heiress (did I mention that she was rich?) on a European tour. There, she meets and marries the dark, brooding mysterious Count Ivo, as one does while touring the Continent.
Where things become exceedingly problematic is with the narrative of Cora's Black ladies maid, Bertha. As we are told throughout the book, Bertha is a light skinned woman who worked her way up to be a ladies maid in a time when this type of occupation is less available to women of colour. There's no doubt that she must be smart and adaptable to advance against racial barriers, yet in her dialogue she speaks how a contemporary British privileged white woman might picture someone to speak, like a Mammy essentially. "Why Miss Cora, you ain't got no sense!". It struck me as disingenuous that a character who could adapt her mannerisms to become ladies maid to the richest woman in America wouldn't also be able to be influenced on how to speak like her peers. Throughout the story Bertha is concerned with not standing out, trying to pass as white, would she be speaking in a deeply accented slang?
Side note, I learned quickly that everyone who was evil had "small white teeth". I'm glad I learned this for future dinner parties.
Super nitpicky, but there were grammatical errors. This sends me over the edge. Reading Daisy Goodwin's bio leads me to believe she's led a life of choice, ease and privilege. There are so many people that fight to get published. Why can't she hire a good editor? How lazy.
Super rushed ending, methinks there must be a sequel and subsequent mini-series.
slow-paced
Based off other reviews, I knew I was either going to love or hate this book. Maybe it’s because I had to force myself through my last book but The American Heiress was a breath of fresh air. When I’m reading a Daisy Goodwin book, I end up savoring the pages instead of counting down the pages until it ends. This book did remind me of Gone With the Wind a little. Basically, the perception of how someone acts and what they are actually thinking can be misconstrued, which is basically the reason why Scarlett and Rhett don’t make it. In this book, Cora loves Ivo and the whole time you are fearful that Ivo isn’t seeing what he has and is still hung up on his ex (sound familiar GWTW fans?). At the end, you get his side of the story, which yeah- there were gaps... a couple of situations or moments in the book were left unexplained. Ivo was also frustrating throughout the book because you never knew what he was thinking and he was constantly having really bad mood swings but you knew things were going to get revealed and explained in the end and that’s why you keep reading. Cora wasn’t perfect but I respected her for her efforts to fit into a society that was practically deceitful at every turn. It was all about how you were portrayed by others, rather than how you were in real life. A lot of other reviews said they hated Cora but Cora, at least, stayed loyal. Cora challenges the status quo so that she could be herself but still found a way to be respected in society. Although, this was one of the reasons Ivo and Cora clashes, it was also one of the reasons he loved her. Thought it was an enjoyable read!
Suspiciously like Downton Abby, but thoroughly readable and interesting.
The book was slow moving at first, but it got interesting at the end. It was alright, but if you are debating between reading this book and another book I would choose another.