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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
I found the main characters to be shallow and unlikeable. Personally, I prefer books where I can find some quality to relate to in a main character in order to enjoy the novel. I didn't find that here.
Not bad, I guess. I didn't have much sympathy for any of the characters, but it was entertaining enough to listen to on my drive.
This book was fine. I thought the historical background of American heiresses and how their wealth was used to repair English estates was the most compelling aspect. I started the first chapter really disliking Cora and basically all of the other characters. In the end I sympathized with her more, but I never grew to love them. That made it a bit of a chore at times. Overall it was fine, but I probably will forget the plot fairly quickly.
A lot of the bad reviews from this book I can agree with. At times it did seem like a whole lot of nothing was happening, but I was still deeply enthralled. I think it is the historical fiction aspect that draws me in. I too was annoyed with Ivo’s mood swings and the predictable duke character that he was with his secrets and running off because he wants to teach his wife a lesson. I also thought there was a lot of unexplained things, which is surprising considering how long the book is. I always felt like we were going to find out Ivo and the Double Duchess had some sort of incest relationship or that something more went on with Charlotte as a child. The duchess taking her in but then not wanting her to marry her sons seemed odd. I was also annoyed that everyone in the book kept referring to Odo’s horrific behavior, and I thought at some point the author would elaborate more on that, but it never happened and I just want to know what goes on in that house. But for all of these complaints, I still highly enjoyed this book. The claim on the book that if you like to Downton Abbey you will probably like this book is true for me at least. I was drawn into the characters and the life and I couldn’t help but feel bad for Cora.
I have always enjoyed historical fiction, and this one is a good combination of both. It was an easy fun read with interesting characters and good plot twists!
One of my favorite books. Like Downton Abbey? Read this.
Interesting take on the Industrial Age through the lens of an incredibly rich American heiress who exchanges her wealth for an English title. I wasn't sold on the marriage being a love match. But as someone who has been controlled her whole life, I was not surprised at the turn of events in the protagonist's life. I hope it worked out ok for her.
More of a 2.5-3. Poor character development but beautiful vivid details of clothes, environment, furnishings, etc. A nice companion to my concurrent Downton Abbey watching but not nearly as engaging.
The story could have benefited from the author choosing the "Gothic Romance" or the "Austenesque" style for the novel rather than both. It also would have been fun to see more or the search for a title parts of the story, but overall I enjoyed the book.
So much head hopping it is jarring. Different perspectives are fine, but start a new section! The storyline was dull and the characters didn’t interest me enough. When I got frustrated with all the head hopping, I read some reviews on here and decided to not finish it.