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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Hit the 150 page mark and wasn't into it so back to the library it went.
Well written, well crafted characters, but to enjoy fully you'll have to accept the unanswered questions at the end.
I really enjoyed this book. It's really 3 1/2 stars, but I don't know how to do halves.
It is a light read, but very intersting characters (the mother and mother-in-laws both try to outshine each other with their wealth and are brutal to Cora). I also enjoyed the time setting-the late 1800's. It has a pretty satisfying ending too. A good beach read, or long winter read.
It is a light read, but very intersting characters (the mother and mother-in-laws both try to outshine each other with their wealth and are brutal to Cora). I also enjoyed the time setting-the late 1800's. It has a pretty satisfying ending too. A good beach read, or long winter read.
This book reminded me a lot of Kate Morton's writing. I love Kate Morton with all my tiny frozen heart, so that's a good thing.
I loved the plot and the writing - oh, the writing, it is phenomenal.
But, having finished the novel, I have to say that I never really connected with any of the characters. They were fun to read about, and I enjoyed the book, but I wasn't in love with any of them. I also thought the pacing was a little off - the proposal happens so randomly and weirdly, and the last chapter or two are very rushed and kind of "cram this information in since we didn't clear it up much earlier in the book!"
If not for that, it'd be a five star book, easy. I definitely plan on reading more of Goodwin's writing, I just hope she can make her characters more likable and fix her pacing issues with her next book.
I loved the plot and the writing - oh, the writing, it is phenomenal.
But, having finished the novel, I have to say that I never really connected with any of the characters. They were fun to read about, and I enjoyed the book, but I wasn't in love with any of them. I also thought the pacing was a little off - the proposal happens so randomly and weirdly, and the last chapter or two are very rushed and kind of "cram this information in since we didn't clear it up much earlier in the book!"
If not for that, it'd be a five star book, easy. I definitely plan on reading more of Goodwin's writing, I just hope she can make her characters more likable and fix her pacing issues with her next book.
Cora Cash is a wealthy American heiress who splits her time between a Newport mansion and the New York City elite social scene. When Cora turns of age, her overbearing mother whisks her away to England in search of the one thing their money can’t buy: a title. Though Cora indeed finds a suitable match fairly quickly, she also finds that life in a world of dukes and princes is nothing like her life back in America. Cora struggles to keep track of the new social faux pas and fit in with the new crowd while remaining true to herself, but it doesn’t help that some people do not seem to want her to fit in.
Pros:
•this is over all an easy, light read. It doesn’t address many heavy topics and you also don’t have to think very hard while reading it
•Goodwin did a nice job of allowing the reader to feel a bit of sympathy for Cora while still recognizing the absurdity of her extravagant life
Cons:
•Aside from that one pro about Cora, the character development in this book was severely lacking, and it made it hard to empathize with any of the characters. I really wasn’t sure who I was rooting for or what I wanted to happen
•I generally found this book to be boring. The details of everyone’s extravagant life were not of interest to me and I wasn’t invested in the outcome. The plot wasn’t very suspenseful and the revelations at the end were fairly predictable
Recommendation: I recommend if you’re looking for an easy read and are interested in the idea of high English society. I can’t speak to this but the reviewers in the book suggest this for fans of Downton Abby. I would say avoid if you’re looking for strong characters, meaningful themes, or a suspenseful plot. It’s not that I didn’t like reading this book but I was overall underwhelmed and I think you could pick some better novels to occupy your time
Pros:
•this is over all an easy, light read. It doesn’t address many heavy topics and you also don’t have to think very hard while reading it
•Goodwin did a nice job of allowing the reader to feel a bit of sympathy for Cora while still recognizing the absurdity of her extravagant life
Cons:
•Aside from that one pro about Cora, the character development in this book was severely lacking, and it made it hard to empathize with any of the characters. I really wasn’t sure who I was rooting for or what I wanted to happen
•I generally found this book to be boring. The details of everyone’s extravagant life were not of interest to me and I wasn’t invested in the outcome. The plot wasn’t very suspenseful and the revelations at the end were fairly predictable
Recommendation: I recommend if you’re looking for an easy read and are interested in the idea of high English society. I can’t speak to this but the reviewers in the book suggest this for fans of Downton Abby. I would say avoid if you’re looking for strong characters, meaningful themes, or a suspenseful plot. It’s not that I didn’t like reading this book but I was overall underwhelmed and I think you could pick some better novels to occupy your time
This is a deeply engrossing period piece. The characters are rich and grow throughout the book. For a while while reading I carried the uncertainty and fear of the main character around with me. This book really made me think about the ways personal relationships and communication have changed in 150 years. I can not imagine a marriage with this lack of open communication.
I didn’t like the ending, and there wasn’t anything super exciting that happened. But I am into anything to do with Downton Abbey and this book was on several Downton book lists. It was interesting to see the English and American lives mesh and I did like Cora....that’s about it. Not exactly sure how I feel about it. I liked Victoria better.