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dphillips's review against another edition
3.0
If you are a fan of Downton Abbey & light-hearted chic-lit you'll enjoy this book. It was an enjoyable, fun, easy-read. 3.5 stars
misspippireads's review against another edition
4.0
Lady Charlotte wants more out of her life than finding a match and becoming a lady of a manor. She wants adventure and romance and travel. At the very least, she wants to befriend the help and become a writer (if only in secret). But secrets have a tendency to be shared and revealed. Soon her adventures become in danger of hurting people around her. Should she follow in the step of her strict Mother or break free and run?
Lady Charlotte is the main point of view in Manor of Secrets, but her friends, family, and servants are also involved. As one secret is hidden another secret is revealed. Some twists and turns and mistakes all come to light. It's at a time in history when traditional life roles are questioned and people are looking for more. They want a voice, a vote, a purpose, and occupation. It's also a time when society and status still plays strongly into a person's future. One kiss can turn everyone's life into misery and regret.
I enjoyed Manor of Secrets. Readers could point out a Downtown Abby fade, but I've yet to watch the TV series, so that didn't effect my reaction to the story. It's a good intrigue with story lines of friends and love, It's finding out who are your friends and what is love - infatuation, romance, or something else. It's also a gently romantic read for teens. A few kisses a long with way were well written into the storyline - not forced or fabricated. I would recommend this title to teens or adults who enjoy the turn of the century, a light romance, or an upstairs/downstairs read.
Time Period: Turn of the Century, 1911
Location: England
Reviewed from a NetGalley copy. Thank you, Scholastic!
Lady Charlotte is the main point of view in Manor of Secrets, but her friends, family, and servants are also involved. As one secret is hidden another secret is revealed. Some twists and turns and mistakes all come to light. It's at a time in history when traditional life roles are questioned and people are looking for more. They want a voice, a vote, a purpose, and occupation. It's also a time when society and status still plays strongly into a person's future. One kiss can turn everyone's life into misery and regret.
I enjoyed Manor of Secrets. Readers could point out a Downtown Abby fade, but I've yet to watch the TV series, so that didn't effect my reaction to the story. It's a good intrigue with story lines of friends and love, It's finding out who are your friends and what is love - infatuation, romance, or something else. It's also a gently romantic read for teens. A few kisses a long with way were well written into the storyline - not forced or fabricated. I would recommend this title to teens or adults who enjoy the turn of the century, a light romance, or an upstairs/downstairs read.
Time Period: Turn of the Century, 1911
Location: England
Reviewed from a NetGalley copy. Thank you, Scholastic!
azyj's review against another edition
It felt way too childish and I didn’t like the writing style.
sailorkchick's review against another edition
3.0
This book isn't an epic by any means. It has a good story about two young women sort of finding their own strength but the big 'surprise' at the end kind of put me off because it wasn't really necessary and I think the book would have been better without it.
golden_lily's review against another edition
2.0
Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
2.5 Stars
The nineteen-tens were such a turbulent time in English history, but except for a few references to cars, I feel like this book could have been set anywhere around the Regency/Georgian eras.
Lady Charlotte is the youngest of six and feels forgotten and overlooked. Her mother is an old-fashioned lady and wants Charlotte to follow in her footsteps by marrying a lord, having children, and running a household. But Charlotte’s a dreamer who wants to marry for love and write grand adventure stories. There is literally nothing in that description that couldn’t happen in any time period. I read that story set in 1280. I’ve read that story in 1820. And now I’m reading it in 1911. It’s boring and nothing new is brought to the table.
The other point of view, Janie, the adventurous kitchen maid, is a little more interesting, if only because I haven’t read a lot of novels set Downstairs. Janie was born at THE MANOR, but left for most of her childhood to starve on an uncle’s farm. Now she’s back and determined to keep her head down and do good work so she can stay forever. But Charlotte’s mom is super strict, especially about romance between staff members, which is unfortunate because Janie is trapped in a love triangle between the dashing footman and the dependable hall boy.
For a book with secrets in the title, the story is actually pretty light on them. It’s really about the friendship that blooms between a highborn lady and her servant and the backlash as the staff gossips uproariously and makes Janie’s life miserable for thinking above her station. I do like that idea, but it’s also where my biggest problem lies. Charlotte is a selfish, spoiled, pain in the ass. Her head is so far in the clouds, she can’t see what she’s doing to Janie’s life and she really doesn’t care.
This is highlighted clearly in a conversation between the main characters in which Charlotte throws a temper tantrum because Sarah, her maid, won’t send Janie upstairs. Janie finally arrives, terrified that Charlotte has information about a servant who is going to be sacked, maybe even Janie herself. Charlotte, without acknowledging the distress she’s put Janie through, confesses that her mother’s top marriage prospect is going to talk to her father after dinner. This is why she embarrassed Sarah, got Janie in trouble, and turned the staff upside down. Because she doesn’t want a proposal from a hot, rich lord.
I will shed one single tear for her. Ugh.
The book is at its most successful when Charlotte is Downstairs and learning about the lives and hopes of her staff. Unfortunately, too much time is devoted to the love heptagon, (Charlotte and Janie and Sarah all like Lawrence, who’s a bit of a cad, but Fran likes Andrew who likes Charlotte and Harry likes Janie who also likes him, but she likes Lawrence too, but he kissed...I need a lie down,) instead of the girls learning and growing. The big secret joining them all is actually a surprise when it’s revealed, but the way it plays out is pretty nuts. It asks us to forgive all of the villains, (who now act totally against type,) ignore the fallout of a scandal, and see characters change their lifelong dreams on a dime. There’s also a mysterious illness that is absolutely never explained.
Manor of Secrets is not poorly written, though, again, I wish the time period felt more impactful on daily life. Charlotte and Janie’s voices are different, which is always important to multi-POV stories. I don’t hate any of the love interests that I’m supposed to like. But, I also don’t like the characters I’m supposed to like. Even with the big twist end, I don’t have a single strong feeling about anything but the fact that Charlotte is an overdramatic crybaby.
2.5 Stars
The nineteen-tens were such a turbulent time in English history, but except for a few references to cars, I feel like this book could have been set anywhere around the Regency/Georgian eras.
Lady Charlotte is the youngest of six and feels forgotten and overlooked. Her mother is an old-fashioned lady and wants Charlotte to follow in her footsteps by marrying a lord, having children, and running a household. But Charlotte’s a dreamer who wants to marry for love and write grand adventure stories. There is literally nothing in that description that couldn’t happen in any time period. I read that story set in 1280. I’ve read that story in 1820. And now I’m reading it in 1911. It’s boring and nothing new is brought to the table.
The other point of view, Janie, the adventurous kitchen maid, is a little more interesting, if only because I haven’t read a lot of novels set Downstairs. Janie was born at THE MANOR, but left for most of her childhood to starve on an uncle’s farm. Now she’s back and determined to keep her head down and do good work so she can stay forever. But Charlotte’s mom is super strict, especially about romance between staff members, which is unfortunate because Janie is trapped in a love triangle between the dashing footman and the dependable hall boy.
For a book with secrets in the title, the story is actually pretty light on them. It’s really about the friendship that blooms between a highborn lady and her servant and the backlash as the staff gossips uproariously and makes Janie’s life miserable for thinking above her station. I do like that idea, but it’s also where my biggest problem lies. Charlotte is a selfish, spoiled, pain in the ass. Her head is so far in the clouds, she can’t see what she’s doing to Janie’s life and she really doesn’t care.
This is highlighted clearly in a conversation between the main characters in which Charlotte throws a temper tantrum because Sarah, her maid, won’t send Janie upstairs. Janie finally arrives, terrified that Charlotte has information about a servant who is going to be sacked, maybe even Janie herself. Charlotte, without acknowledging the distress she’s put Janie through, confesses that her mother’s top marriage prospect is going to talk to her father after dinner. This is why she embarrassed Sarah, got Janie in trouble, and turned the staff upside down. Because she doesn’t want a proposal from a hot, rich lord.
I will shed one single tear for her. Ugh.
The book is at its most successful when Charlotte is Downstairs and learning about the lives and hopes of her staff. Unfortunately, too much time is devoted to the love heptagon, (Charlotte and Janie and Sarah all like Lawrence, who’s a bit of a cad, but Fran likes Andrew who likes Charlotte and Harry likes Janie who also likes him, but she likes Lawrence too, but he kissed...I need a lie down,) instead of the girls learning and growing. The big secret joining them all is actually a surprise when it’s revealed, but the way it plays out is pretty nuts. It asks us to forgive all of the villains, (who now act totally against type,) ignore the fallout of a scandal, and see characters change their lifelong dreams on a dime. There’s also a mysterious illness that is absolutely never explained.
Manor of Secrets is not poorly written, though, again, I wish the time period felt more impactful on daily life. Charlotte and Janie’s voices are different, which is always important to multi-POV stories. I don’t hate any of the love interests that I’m supposed to like. But, I also don’t like the characters I’m supposed to like. Even with the big twist end, I don’t have a single strong feeling about anything but the fact that Charlotte is an overdramatic crybaby.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Do you like Downton Abbey? If you do I would bet quite a bit of money that you’ll enjoy this book (which is obviously heavily inspired by Downton). However, if you’re like me and think that Downton Abbey, while fairly enjoyable, is simply a glorified British period soap opera with many historical inaccuracies, you’ll probably be slightly less sold.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this book. I actually think I enjoyed it more than I enjoy Downton because, although the book is filled with Downton-worthy levels of drama, the drama here is somewhat less melodramatic or at least less dire. The main characters, Charlotte, the daughter of the manor, and Janie, the kitchen maid, were both charming and I immediately liked them both. Charlotte is a Lady Sybil, if you will, she’s lived a privileged life, but she begins to question certain things. Why are there all these divisions between upstairs and downstairs? Why must she marry the boring man her mother has picked out for her? Why can’t she pursue her desire to be a writer? Janie, on the other hand, is one of the kitchen maids, like a spunkier, smarter Daisy. Unlike Charlotte she’s happy with her station in life. After a rough childhood she’s grateful for her place at The Manor and really likes cooking and hopes to be a cook one day.
Charlotte, who has a very active imagination, thinks of Janie as this wild and daring character capable of doing anything. But obviously she isn’t, she has a job to do and very little freedom. After Charlotte follows Janie to the river one day she decides she wants to know more about Janie and eventually she convinces Janie to spy on her newly-arrive mysterious aunt. Janie resists, but eventually decides to do it, even if it does result in most of the servants thinking that Janie believes she’s better than them.
There is also a romance. There’s a dashing footman, Lawrence who is kind of a cross between Thomas and Branson. Charlotte and Lawrence carry on a flirtation, with Charlotte even basing the male character in her romance on him, but Lawrence is also very flirty with Janie and I was never quite sure I could trust him. Charlotte’s mother wants her to marry the dull Lord Broadhurst who Charlotte dreads interacting with. Janie also has a love interest, Harry, another servant, which is a problem because Charlotte’s unbending mother doesn’t allow relationships between her servants.
All of this leads to a lot of fast-paced drama that I found fun and interesting, but never managed to suspend disbelief enough to really become completely absorbed in. Do I believe people like Charlotte existed in Edwardian England? Sure, but I just don’t think any of the things that happen between Charlotte and Janie would have been likely to occur. I do think someone, say an actual teenager, with less knowledge of pre-World War I British politics and aristocracy could enjoy this quite a bit. Towards the end of the story a big secret emerges, I hadn’t guessed it exactly, but I had guessed it was something similar to what it ended up being. The soap-opera-loving side of me really enjoyed the secret, but yeah, it was pretty dramatic and I didn’t necessarily buy it.
Bottom Line: I enjoyed the characters, pacing, and writing in this one quite a bit, but as a history fan I just couldn’t get behind the story. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey I would recommend giving this one a read, I just wouldn’t expect anything too serious.
I received an electronic review copy from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
Do you like Downton Abbey? If you do I would bet quite a bit of money that you’ll enjoy this book (which is obviously heavily inspired by Downton). However, if you’re like me and think that Downton Abbey, while fairly enjoyable, is simply a glorified British period soap opera with many historical inaccuracies, you’ll probably be slightly less sold.
Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this book. I actually think I enjoyed it more than I enjoy Downton because, although the book is filled with Downton-worthy levels of drama, the drama here is somewhat less melodramatic or at least less dire. The main characters, Charlotte, the daughter of the manor, and Janie, the kitchen maid, were both charming and I immediately liked them both. Charlotte is a Lady Sybil, if you will, she’s lived a privileged life, but she begins to question certain things. Why are there all these divisions between upstairs and downstairs? Why must she marry the boring man her mother has picked out for her? Why can’t she pursue her desire to be a writer? Janie, on the other hand, is one of the kitchen maids, like a spunkier, smarter Daisy. Unlike Charlotte she’s happy with her station in life. After a rough childhood she’s grateful for her place at The Manor and really likes cooking and hopes to be a cook one day.
Charlotte, who has a very active imagination, thinks of Janie as this wild and daring character capable of doing anything. But obviously she isn’t, she has a job to do and very little freedom. After Charlotte follows Janie to the river one day she decides she wants to know more about Janie and eventually she convinces Janie to spy on her newly-arrive mysterious aunt. Janie resists, but eventually decides to do it, even if it does result in most of the servants thinking that Janie believes she’s better than them.
There is also a romance. There’s a dashing footman, Lawrence who is kind of a cross between Thomas and Branson. Charlotte and Lawrence carry on a flirtation, with Charlotte even basing the male character in her romance on him, but Lawrence is also very flirty with Janie and I was never quite sure I could trust him. Charlotte’s mother wants her to marry the dull Lord Broadhurst who Charlotte dreads interacting with. Janie also has a love interest, Harry, another servant, which is a problem because Charlotte’s unbending mother doesn’t allow relationships between her servants.
All of this leads to a lot of fast-paced drama that I found fun and interesting, but never managed to suspend disbelief enough to really become completely absorbed in. Do I believe people like Charlotte existed in Edwardian England? Sure, but I just don’t think any of the things that happen between Charlotte and Janie would have been likely to occur. I do think someone, say an actual teenager, with less knowledge of pre-World War I British politics and aristocracy could enjoy this quite a bit. Towards the end of the story a big secret emerges, I hadn’t guessed it exactly, but I had guessed it was something similar to what it ended up being. The soap-opera-loving side of me really enjoyed the secret, but yeah, it was pretty dramatic and I didn’t necessarily buy it.
Bottom Line: I enjoyed the characters, pacing, and writing in this one quite a bit, but as a history fan I just couldn’t get behind the story. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey I would recommend giving this one a read, I just wouldn’t expect anything too serious.
I received an electronic review copy from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
caszriel's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. Charlotte and Janie have to seek out the truth, and never is anything what it seems... Lady Diane is not as strict as they thought, Lady Beatrice a walking Mystery, Andrew Broadhurst not actually that bad.
zana_reads_arcs's review against another edition
3.0
After two semesters' worth of academic reading, this cute little story was a nice breath of fresh air for the summer. For YA fiction, this is a very quick and easy read. This is Downton Abbey-lite for the young teenage set, but even as a college student I found it very enjoyable to read.
The plot is simple, involving characters from both upstairs and downstairs and the ways in which they clash, and eventually come together. Like other reviewers here have mentioned, the plot twists aren't super shocking, but they do provide some catalysts to a predictable story. It has a slow start in the beginning, with a trope we're all familiar with: wealthy, high-born girl named Charlotte dreams of adventure but is restrained by her mother and society. At times Charlotte does seem to act too young for her age, and this is the same with a lot of the characters who are supposed to be the same age. The only main character I could personally root for was Janie, who (in my opinion) was the only character in the book that was properly fleshed out. Most of the characters seemed very one-dimensional and were just tropes with no proper characterization, including secondary characters who were important to the plot. You would think they'd have more personality but they felt like paper dolls most of the time.
Despite its faults, this was a fun summer read for younger fans of Downton Abbey. With the wave of teen dystopia fiction at an all time high, this was a quick escape into something much more lighthearted and fun.
The plot is simple, involving characters from both upstairs and downstairs and the ways in which they clash, and eventually come together. Like other reviewers here have mentioned, the plot twists aren't super shocking, but they do provide some catalysts to a predictable story. It has a slow start in the beginning, with a trope we're all familiar with: wealthy, high-born girl named Charlotte dreams of adventure but is restrained by her mother and society. At times Charlotte does seem to act too young for her age, and this is the same with a lot of the characters who are supposed to be the same age. The only main character I could personally root for was Janie, who (in my opinion) was the only character in the book that was properly fleshed out. Most of the characters seemed very one-dimensional and were just tropes with no proper characterization, including secondary characters who were important to the plot. You would think they'd have more personality but they felt like paper dolls most of the time.
Despite its faults, this was a fun summer read for younger fans of Downton Abbey. With the wave of teen dystopia fiction at an all time high, this was a quick escape into something much more lighthearted and fun.
emev's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0