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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
This has been sitting in my reading file on my Nook. I finally decided to go back to it and began again at the beginning. It has held my interest better this time around.
OK summer read that takes romance to a little more complex level as it follows a rich American beauty who marries into an old European family ruled by a strong matriarch who hates her.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
More like 2.5ish? I give this book props for keeping me hooked to find out what was going to happen, but I could not like most of the characters, even Cora, though I liked her more as the story went on. It felt like there was s truffle to mix modern with old, and for that time period certain things felt out of place.
reflective
slow-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:
Yes
Fabulous read
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, loved the main character and adored the decadence of the day. I can't wait to read the next booking Daisy Goodwin.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, loved the main character and adored the decadence of the day. I can't wait to read the next booking Daisy Goodwin.
I have a few thoughts on this little story. There aren't any redeeming characters, which makes it difficult to root for anyone, including our "heroine." The character development is so thin that we barely get to know more than a surface level amount about anyone, which wasn't enough to care if people got what they wanted in life or got what they deserved.
The writing was poor. If you are going to write a book that takes place in the late 1800s, I don't think that phrases like "if Ivo saw her he knew something was up" fit historically. The thinness of character development also played into thin plots with anticlimactic climaxes, leaving me feeling both bored and irritated. There wasn't enough historical context to make it feel authentic, and all together too much description about the appearance of painting frames in the house and design on dress sleeves. It would have been better to leave that out and make the book 100 pages shorter.
I could go on, but I will leave it with this last note: why on earth is there a section in the back for reading group questions?! Like this is a Philippa Gordon novel, or some great work of literature? Honestly, there isn't much that worth discussing upon finishing this book.
The writing was poor. If you are going to write a book that takes place in the late 1800s, I don't think that phrases like "if Ivo saw her he knew something was up" fit historically. The thinness of character development also played into thin plots with anticlimactic climaxes, leaving me feeling both bored and irritated. There wasn't enough historical context to make it feel authentic, and all together too much description about the appearance of painting frames in the house and design on dress sleeves. It would have been better to leave that out and make the book 100 pages shorter.
I could go on, but I will leave it with this last note: why on earth is there a section in the back for reading group questions?! Like this is a Philippa Gordon novel, or some great work of literature? Honestly, there isn't much that worth discussing upon finishing this book.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No