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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
Another lovely romance by Chesney! I'm enjoying Hannah's travels and matchmaking (I moved on to book 2 immediately), but I still find myself missing the larger casts of A House for the Season and Poor Relations).
A very fun story about a housekeeper turned lady who decides to use her newly acquired independence to travel. But of course, travel alone will not sake her thirst for adventure, she must cause chaos for those around her by matchmaking!
This book is primarily a "rom com" with the middle aged matchmaker tying together her couples. However, it also throws in a mystery so it kind of has that going for it.
I liked Miss Pym a great deal more than the Tribble sisters. Despite some shoe-horned 'ah, I'm a servant and not equal!' psychology, she is overall much more competent and less prone to stupid decisions.
Overall, though, this book melts like cotton candy. It tastes sweet and makes you smile but in the end has little else going for it. The mystery was...bad. Maybe I'm being overly harsh. I do like that the author added another element. It just seemed more than a little far fetched. Further, the main couple's relationship was.....ehhhh. I'm starting to recognize it as a pattern with Marion Chesney books. Cosseted young lady barely out of the school room meets charming older man who is perfectly kind to old spinsters but holds her in contempt. Young lady feels miffed. Older man feels desire. Wallah, romance. There is a lot about the formula I find uncomfortable. But for something fluffy to listen to while going about the day, this was pleasant. I'll definitely hunt up the sequel.
This book is primarily a "rom com" with the middle aged matchmaker tying together her couples. However, it also throws in a mystery so it kind of has that going for it.
I liked Miss Pym a great deal more than the Tribble sisters. Despite some shoe-horned 'ah, I'm a servant and not equal!' psychology, she is overall much more competent and less prone to stupid decisions.
Overall, though, this book melts like cotton candy. It tastes sweet and makes you smile but in the end has little else going for it. The mystery was...bad. Maybe I'm being overly harsh. I do like that the author added another element. It just seemed more than a little far fetched. Further, the main couple's relationship was.....ehhhh. I'm starting to recognize it as a pattern with Marion Chesney books. Cosseted young lady barely out of the school room meets charming older man who is perfectly kind to old spinsters but holds her in contempt. Young lady feels miffed. Older man feels desire. Wallah, romance. There is a lot about the formula I find uncomfortable. But for something fluffy to listen to while going about the day, this was pleasant. I'll definitely hunt up the sequel.
Reall enjoyed listening to this audiobook. At a glance I didn't think it would have been my thing but I am hooked on the series already! Bring on the next book!
I am not sure why I decided to read this book, as it is not really my type of reading. As the corny title and the name of the series suggests, this book does not exactly appear to be anything profound.
And no, it wasn't.
This is the story of Miss Hannah Pym, a middle aged woman who inherits a small fortune from her deceased employer. With her money, she decides that she would like to travel, in the hope of having adventures. On her journey to Exeter, she meets a young lady disguised as a man because she is running away from an arranged marriage. Her husband to be is also present, having tracked her down, but assures her that he has no wish to marry her. However, Miss Pym see otherwise, and does her best to pair the two together. She also comes across a widow who is traveling with her crude fiancee, who may not actually be her fiancee, and who also just might be capable of murder. All of this, and a blizzard interrupting their travels, are just some of the adventures that Miss Pym finds.
This little book was pretty much a fluff read, though at some points, I felt a little bit of that truly quaint, English countryside, Jane Austen atmosphere, which I love.
This book is really quite juvenile, and I am trying to think of a reason why I shouldn't recommend it to middle school girls.
Perhaps the only thing that younger readers may not appreciate would be the main character, Miss Pym, being older - about forty.
There are also some scenes in which sexual desire is described, but it is certainly far less prominent than some other teen books I have read.
The entire story is lighthearted, and, like in children's books, there are minor (and of course exciting) calamities that all get fixed up tidily by the brave heroine!
Also, I found the sub-plot about the blizzard so child-storybook, I liked it. There is a blizzard, and all of the travelers are staying at an inn. In the night, the servants go home, but the next morning, they are unable to come back to work due to the snow. So, Miss Pym, who was formerly a housekeeper, goes about ordering the wealthy and often snobby guests to work. A very juvenile theme.
Even at the end, when there are graver matters to pursue such as attempted murder and poisoning, everything remains cutesy and entertaining rather than suspenseful or serious.
I won't even go into what about the plot was badly written, or how realistic the characters were, because, well... Look at the title. Would you expect them to be anything but average?
All in all, this is a cute little story that would be good for a quick read when you want something to cheer you up.
And no, it wasn't.
This is the story of Miss Hannah Pym, a middle aged woman who inherits a small fortune from her deceased employer. With her money, she decides that she would like to travel, in the hope of having adventures. On her journey to Exeter, she meets a young lady disguised as a man because she is running away from an arranged marriage. Her husband to be is also present, having tracked her down, but assures her that he has no wish to marry her. However, Miss Pym see otherwise, and does her best to pair the two together. She also comes across a widow who is traveling with her crude fiancee, who may not actually be her fiancee, and who also just might be capable of murder. All of this, and a blizzard interrupting their travels, are just some of the adventures that Miss Pym finds.
This little book was pretty much a fluff read, though at some points, I felt a little bit of that truly quaint, English countryside, Jane Austen atmosphere, which I love.
This book is really quite juvenile, and I am trying to think of a reason why I shouldn't recommend it to middle school girls.
Perhaps the only thing that younger readers may not appreciate would be the main character, Miss Pym, being older - about forty.
There are also some scenes in which sexual desire is described, but it is certainly far less prominent than some other teen books I have read.
The entire story is lighthearted, and, like in children's books, there are minor (and of course exciting) calamities that all get fixed up tidily by the brave heroine!
Also, I found the sub-plot about the blizzard so child-storybook, I liked it. There is a blizzard, and all of the travelers are staying at an inn. In the night, the servants go home, but the next morning, they are unable to come back to work due to the snow. So, Miss Pym, who was formerly a housekeeper, goes about ordering the wealthy and often snobby guests to work. A very juvenile theme.
Even at the end, when there are graver matters to pursue such as attempted murder and poisoning, everything remains cutesy and entertaining rather than suspenseful or serious.
I won't even go into what about the plot was badly written, or how realistic the characters were, because, well... Look at the title. Would you expect them to be anything but average?
All in all, this is a cute little story that would be good for a quick read when you want something to cheer you up.
This was a fun, light, easy-to-read regency romp.
Miss Pym is a sweet, kind, good-hearted busy-body who is determined to match-make for all the people around her.
I love this author's perspective and sense of humour. She creates wonderful, charming characters of the Regency period, and gives them entertaining, amusing situations to navigate. Here she gives us a mixed bag of people who would normally have nothing whatsoever to do with one another forced to spend time together, and interact. Naturally, drama, angst and eventually romance ensues!
This was a short book, but I enjoyed it. The characters are, well, characters! And they are fun to read about.
Miss Pym is a sweet, kind, good-hearted busy-body who is determined to match-make for all the people around her.
I love this author's perspective and sense of humour. She creates wonderful, charming characters of the Regency period, and gives them entertaining, amusing situations to navigate. Here she gives us a mixed bag of people who would normally have nothing whatsoever to do with one another forced to spend time together, and interact. Naturally, drama, angst and eventually romance ensues!
This was a short book, but I enjoyed it. The characters are, well, characters! And they are fun to read about.
A book group easy read, this is a rather predictable story.
I picked this one up because i like Regency and this new-to-me author has written a decent collection with a reputation for being well-liked. It was an enjoyable read and had some unique aspects - i appreciated how the author uses the unique person and circumstances of a Miss Hannah Pym to both narrate and execute the plot. She's a main character who is central to the story, although most of it is not really about her.
However, i felt the dialogue was not as witty and sparkling as i have come to expect from a really good Regency novel, and i found the characters to be flat and one-dimensional.
In the end, i think this is author is a solid option for me when i need a quick, light read.
However, i felt the dialogue was not as witty and sparkling as i have come to expect from a really good Regency novel, and i found the characters to be flat and one-dimensional.
In the end, i think this is author is a solid option for me when i need a quick, light read.
