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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
An enjoyable book in the vain of The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen. This is a fascinating period of history, ridiculously wealthy American heiresses going to Europe in search of a husband with a title. A fun little holiday read, but nothing more than that.
There wasn't a strong plot or characters I really cared about to keep me interested in this. A lot of the little details about the parties were interesting and well-researched, but they weren't enough to make up for the rest of what I felt was missing. This wasn't a bad book, but it also wasn't great. For a book that's largely about characters, I just didn't find any of the characters interesting enough or fleshed out enough to care much what happened to them.
Wow, I did not enjoy this at all. Even though I DNF'd this book, the 200+ pages I did read felt like a complete waste of time.
Let's start with the positives - I guess:
I did enjoy the way it was written.
Cora Cash, the name itself, is a pretty iconic name (IMO)
Bertha seemed sweet, though I didn't get to see much of her and since I abandoned this book I don't think I ever will
I was very interested in the premise of this book - a rich American girl marrying a Duke of England only to find that things aren't what they seem. However, there is absolutely nothing that happens! It honestly felt like I was watching paint dry. I came to read the reviews in hopes of this story progressing yet so many others who have actually finished this book holds the same sentiments as me. What is the plot? Is there even a plot? Was this supposed to be a historical fiction? Because it felt too generic to fit that genre. Was this supposed to be a romance? I didn't feel ANY romantic vibes between Cora and Ivo at all. In fact, it seemed like Ivo didn't like Cora; or was maybe indifferent towards her. I didn't even feel that Cora fancied Ivo until moments before he proposed. And even the proposal kind of came out of nowhere. I audibally said "wait what?!" when he proposed because they didn't have any type of romantic connections prior.
Overall I gave this book 2/5 because I did appreciate the writing style but I feel like even that is very generous. Hopefully this book can find a home to someone who actually enjoys it.
Let's start with the positives - I guess:
I did enjoy the way it was written.
Cora Cash, the name itself, is a pretty iconic name (IMO)
Bertha seemed sweet, though I didn't get to see much of her and since I abandoned this book I don't think I ever will
I was very interested in the premise of this book - a rich American girl marrying a Duke of England only to find that things aren't what they seem. However, there is absolutely nothing that happens! It honestly felt like I was watching paint dry. I came to read the reviews in hopes of this story progressing yet so many others who have actually finished this book holds the same sentiments as me. What is the plot? Is there even a plot? Was this supposed to be a historical fiction? Because it felt too generic to fit that genre. Was this supposed to be a romance? I didn't feel ANY romantic vibes between Cora and Ivo at all. In fact, it seemed like Ivo didn't like Cora; or was maybe indifferent towards her. I didn't even feel that Cora fancied Ivo until moments before he proposed. And even the proposal kind of came out of nowhere. I audibally said "wait what?!" when he proposed because they didn't have any type of romantic connections prior.
Overall I gave this book 2/5 because I did appreciate the writing style but I feel like even that is very generous. Hopefully this book can find a home to someone who actually enjoys it.
I found this novel to be entertaining, with plenty of piquant dialog and characters of sufficient depth and subtlety to keep me interested, smiling and reluctant to put down. I didn't find it inferior to Julian Fellows' Belgravia (which I also enjoyed). Comparing it to Édith Wharton is comparing apples to oranges. This is entertainment not art but it is skilled and thoughtful enough to entertain a sophisticated reader.
I liked the beginning third of the book. But after that it felt like the author didn't know what else to do with the characters. They became lifeless and stagnant.
emotional
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
This book falls somewhere between the realms of romance and literary fiction. I'd say it falls rather closer to the romance side, though without the trashiness often associated with romance novels. It may aspire to be more like Austen, but, at least in my opinion, a literary romance it is not. For one, there was excessive detail, although it was very well researched I must admit. I think many portions of the book could have been easily cut without detracting from the story. It was quite a bit longer than the story really needed to be. The characters were fairly well developed, though a number of them could have used some fleshing out. However, it did manage to captivate me so that I wanted nothing more than to finish it. Of course, I am an unapologetic incurable romantic...
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Man, what a bitter disappointment. The story was SO GOOD, up until the last two chapters. Then things got a bit rushed, and literally none of the characters behaved as they had for the rest of the book. So the ending rang false. Ugh.
3.5 stars. I liked it; I thought it was interesting, and reminded me a little if Downton Abbey, but I was left wanting more. I thought the ending was over too fast, and I still didn't understand some of the characters. But overall, it was good to read.