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kirsty's review
5.0
I just adored this book. I can see it wouldn't be to everyone's taste, but it could have been written especially for me.
Three people go to see a stately home, in the days when you could just turn up and ask to see round. The caretaker shows them around and tells them about Lady Rose, the last Countess. Then the narration jumps back in time to describe more fully what happened.
I loved it - I'm a romantic, love Scotland and grew up in Scotland, love Scottish grand houses (not that I've lived in one), love Kidnapped and an easily swept into a to mantises history. All of which is reflected in this book.
jessife's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
3.75
Lovely gentle book. Gorgeous escapism
readingoverbreathing's review
5.0
"But in real life things go like that. Our stories have no ending. We come into the light for a little while, and then we move away into the shadows and nobody sees us anymore."
I knew this was set in Scotland, but I had no idea it was set so close to home, right here on the shores of Fife. And thus, from the first few pages I was totally enraptured by Ferguson's lush descriptions of an area of which I am so familiar and so fond. Throughout the entire book, her writing is just gorgeous. It's simple, but it's so atmospheric, and the nostalgia she is able to foster is just so touching and so engrossing.
I usually am not a big fan of books that move in and out of past and present, but this was just so well done that I absolutely loved it. Rose's character practically peels from the page into such a vivid figure, a delightful and enchanting one.
I have to say I did totally see that twist coming, and anticipated the final ending, but I think both were incorporated so well that I honestly didn't mind. Again, this is such an enchanting book, and one that because of its setting now holds such a dear place in my heart. I hope to return to it again and again to indulge in its nostalgia, perhaps after I've finished uni and gone away from Fife the way
Spoiler
Rose was forced to.mcsangel2's review
3.0
Cute story. I liked the descriptions of Edinburgh, all the major tourist attractions (Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle, Arthur's Seat, Princes Street Gardens) haven't changed in the 84 years since this book was published!
lucy_12's review
5.0
This was my first Persephone book! I found the character of Rose extremely likeable, even if she was ever so slightly precocious as a child. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, and although I guessed the small twist from the off, it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the story at all. There were also several points where I laughed out loud, “…marriage with the right kind of man will soon take the romance out of [romantic girls]” on page 118 for instance.
It makes a change to see the darker side of high society and it certainly got me thinking about how even now, even in our own (lowlier) social circles, we are still all bound to a certain extent by convention and expectation.
I enjoyed Lady Rose so much that I'm eager now to read more books I've never heard of, and more Persephones in particular.
It makes a change to see the darker side of high society and it certainly got me thinking about how even now, even in our own (lowlier) social circles, we are still all bound to a certain extent by convention and expectation.
I enjoyed Lady Rose so much that I'm eager now to read more books I've never heard of, and more Persephones in particular.
flappermyrtle's review
4.0
Persephone describes this novel as a "love letter to Scotland", and as I will be studying in Scotland next year, I figured it'd be a nice start. It's one of those books that, despite sometimes slightly too obviously praising Scotland and juxtaposing Edinburgh and London, give you a fuzzy feeling and a longing to see the places so vividly described in these pages.
The narrative jumps back and forth between different stages of Lady Rose's life, and the housekeeper telling a visiting guest little stories about the inhabitants of the house. It gives an interesting insight into the lives of the upper class at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries, with many traditions still in place at that point. There is a section full of letters, which was very enjoyably written in the style of a young girl, but also eye-witness accounts, and omniscient narration. The fragmentary state of the narrative allows for a twist at the very end - though I must confess I saw it coming for a couple of pages at that point. Very beautifully done, a small story, but definitely a gem of a book.
The narrative jumps back and forth between different stages of Lady Rose's life, and the housekeeper telling a visiting guest little stories about the inhabitants of the house. It gives an interesting insight into the lives of the upper class at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries, with many traditions still in place at that point. There is a section full of letters, which was very enjoyably written in the style of a young girl, but also eye-witness accounts, and omniscient narration. The fragmentary state of the narrative allows for a twist at the very end - though I must confess I saw it coming for a couple of pages at that point. Very beautifully done, a small story, but definitely a gem of a book.
amelia_joan's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
libraryofmaddie's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0