Scan barcode
sandiet's review against another edition
1.0
I can't in good concience give this book any rating, even one star would be too much. I really disliked it. I found it boring and couldn't wait to finish skimming the last 15%. I only read as much as I did because I didn't read two others for our book club this year but it was painful. Unless you're looking for something to put you to sleep give this one a miss. This is not a gothic mystery....the only mystery is why this was published.
al_monaghan's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up
I was impressed with the way the author pieced together the timeline and events of this narrative from the letters catalogued in the family archive. The gaps in the epistolary history were intriguing in theory (the lack of resolution about the death of John's brother was a letdown). I thought there would be more focus on Belvoir Castle from the way the book was described on the dust jacket so the focus on John's military career was a bit ehhhh for me (not really my area). In the end, it almost felt like the author set up a straw man. She takes great pains to differentiate John from his terrible parents but with the book's conclusion, she undoes all of that work.
I was impressed with the way the author pieced together the timeline and events of this narrative from the letters catalogued in the family archive. The gaps in the epistolary history were intriguing in theory (the lack of resolution about the death of John's brother was a letdown). I thought there would be more focus on Belvoir Castle from the way the book was described on the dust jacket so the focus on John's military career was a bit ehhhh for me (not really my area). In the end, it almost felt like the author set up a straw man. She takes great pains to differentiate John from his terrible parents but with the book's conclusion, she undoes all of that work.
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/day-645-the-secret-rooms/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/day-645-the-secret-rooms/
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Very compelling, but I'm not sure I'd say it was a Gothic mystery. Mystery yes, Gothic, no, except perhaps in a very broad sense. If you had any doubts that Dukes and Duchesses could be as petty, nasty and selfish as anyone else (and with a much greater ability to do harm than most of us), this book will remove any of those doubts. It's mainly the story of a very unhappy family who happen to be noble, which in a way is what spoilt everything for them--as anyone who knows anything about history will know, there's nothing like being fabulously wealthy and desperate to hang onto it in perpetuity to screw everything up--the need for a male heir is responsible for a great deal of tragedy in countries which practise primogeniture. In the end, I am reminded of a quote (which I think is somewhere in Agatha Christie, but I could be wrong): "they're all very unpleasant people". Although that's not quite fair: weak, misguided, selfish and without any perspective is perhaps closer to the mark, in this case.
lckrgr's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 rounded to 2. The marketing was good on this but incredibly misleading. This is basically the story about why this Duke chose to spend his last days in an uncomfortable archive room rather than in his cushy bed chamber. Because he was ashamed of his war behavior. This might have been an interesting anecdote but the author builds up the significance far too much. Ths would have been a great 15 minute story for a podcast (maybe even 45 minutes with sound effects and whatnot) but it did not need to be a standalone book the story is just not that compelling. And the parts that are actually curious/interesting are barely the focus at all. Disappointed.
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts over at Read.Write.Repeat.
If you are a history buff, particularly an anglophilic one, you will certainly enjoy the book. It does have some decidedly slow parts, but Bailey, overall, does a nice job during the research process into a near adventure story.
If you are a history buff, particularly an anglophilic one, you will certainly enjoy the book. It does have some decidedly slow parts, but Bailey, overall, does a nice job during the research process into a near adventure story.