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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a perfectly adequate feel-good book for about 400 pages and then it takes a sharp turn. It seems like the author is great at building tension but has no idea how to properly resolve it. The build up was 400 pages and the conclusion a hasty 20. Not to mention there were chapters written from the perspective of characters that ended up being irrelevant to the plot (Mabel?). Every character other than Cora is tragically one-dimensional, especially her mother, which is forgivable but still frustrating. But there are plenty of good things too; the descriptions of the landscape, Mrs. Cash’s reflections on indifference, Bertha’s complex (albeit long winded) character development, to name just a few. Overall, a decent read.
While the ending left much to be desired this book was sort of the key to my entire personality. I wonder what I did for enjoyment in my youth that makes me desire to only consume entertainment that is about pretty, rich girls succeeding at being pretty and rich but that is exactly what I want at all times. Anyways I read all 400 pages in one sitting because that is what was required of me.
I think I got to chapter three before I quit. I was just so bored.
I was hoping for an interesting spin on "The Portrait of a Lady." This was not it.
Very intersting to see a portrayal of the American side of the regency era. The book kind of stressed me out, though -- has quite a quota of tension, drama and unkindness, even if all seems to come right in the end.
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After finishing Therese Anne Fowler’s A Well-Behaved Woman and adoring it, I thought I wanted to stay in the gilded age for a bit. Having found The American Heiress on Buzzfeed’s List of “16 Books To Read While You Wait For Season 2 Of HBO's ‘The Gilded Age’” (which also included Fowler’s novel), it seemed like a good book to turn to next, as the titular character is a thinly-disguised version of Alva Vanderbilt’s daughter, Consuelo, who married an English duke. The audiobook kept a rather tenuous hold on my attention, sometimes losing it all together, which in most instances didn’t seem to detract from my understanding of the story. It started out quite strongly, lagged for quite a while throughout the middle, and then picked up again in the end. If I had been reading instead of listening, I’m not sure I would have made it through. Its not a bad book, but as a lover of Edith Wharton and having just finished Therese Anne Fowler’s foray into that territory, it just didn’t quite stand up to the competition. Several other books on the aforementioned list have piqued my curiosity, but I may need a break from the gilded age for now.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Sexism
I couldn't for the life of me get into it. Too slow for me. And the characters annoyed me a bit. Will try at a different time.
Though there quite a few bad reviews, I read it anyway. This is further proof to me that one should never judge a book based solely on its reviews. I really enjoyed this book. The author used great language and vocabulary. I love a book that makes me touch a word on my Kindle to bring up the dictionary several times while reading. I felt the characters where very well written and their descriptors made it easy to imagine myself in their presence. I enjoyed how it was two stories in one, an upstairs and downstairs, just like in Downton Abbey. I would definitely would recommend this to fans of historical fiction.