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stinkysylvie69's review
5.0
ok wtf Jacqueline Wilson didn't have me actually sitting in my room crying at 2am because I stayed up specifically to read this and the surprise appearance of an old character made me so nostalgic and full of warmth and love I couldn't physically take it
elliereadsss's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was such a cute and fun read! I absolutely loved the setting- I listened to the audiobook and the narrators accent really added to my reading experience. There was a wide cast of characters who all shared complex relationships, so this took some getting used to but I felt they were described very well and I quickly came to grips with it. There weren't any characters I really disliked in this book, as I felt their flaws made them very well fleshed out and I appreciated them even more. My favourite part of the book was definitely the intense last few chapters, there was a subtle mystery building throughout the story and the pay off was very satisfying. I just loved the feeling of comfort and warmth I was left with when I finished reading, in part due to the 'easter egg' towards the end that I especially loved. My only complaint was that I don't understand the title as it hardly tied into the story at all and was therefore very misleading, but I'd definitely recommend this book if you ever need something comforting and light hearted!
hr1245's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
aditi_1992's review against another edition
3.0
I'll go for a 3.5 because it left me wanting a lot more. I wanted to see much more of what happened in the future and how Mona goes to school.
This is the story of Mona who lives with her Aunt in a cottage. Her Aunt is a dressmaker and Mona is an orphan. They live in the cottage on the grounds of Somerset Manor, a large palatial home owned by the Somerset family. Mona's aunt is the dressmaker for Lady Somerset and they make a decent living out of what they have, until Lady Somerset passes away and they have to fear for dear life as to where they're gonna go. But Lady Somerset turns out to be better than that and leaves an allowance for Mona.
Mona is a bright girl, who loves to read and playing with her dolls. She has a friend in Maggie, who I despised towards the end simce she turned out to be mean and jealous and plain wicked.
Mr. Benjamin inherits the manor from her mother and I loved the depiction of queer in the book, the queer being Mr. Benjamin. He's such a lovely man, full of love and life and flamboyance and he really takes a shine to Mona for reasons known later in the book. But he's a great guy who is nice to everyone.
We see some other characters in the book like the Somerset children who are all lovely to read about except Cedric and Ada. And Peter who is sweet on Mona initially but turns out to be a jerk later.
Finally there's the secret which comes out in the end.
All in all it was good but I felt unsatiated in the end. Also I didn't understand why the book was named Dancing the Charleston. There wasn't so much Charleston in it.
This is the story of Mona who lives with her Aunt in a cottage. Her Aunt is a dressmaker and Mona is an orphan. They live in the cottage on the grounds of Somerset Manor, a large palatial home owned by the Somerset family. Mona's aunt is the dressmaker for Lady Somerset and they make a decent living out of what they have, until Lady Somerset passes away and they have to fear for dear life as to where they're gonna go. But Lady Somerset turns out to be better than that and leaves an allowance for Mona.
Mona is a bright girl, who loves to read and playing with her dolls. She has a friend in Maggie, who I despised towards the end simce she turned out to be mean and jealous and plain wicked.
Mr. Benjamin inherits the manor from her mother and I loved the depiction of queer in the book, the queer being Mr. Benjamin. He's such a lovely man, full of love and life and flamboyance and he really takes a shine to Mona for reasons known later in the book. But he's a great guy who is nice to everyone.
We see some other characters in the book like the Somerset children who are all lovely to read about except Cedric and Ada. And Peter who is sweet on Mona initially but turns out to be a jerk later.
Finally there's the secret which comes out in the end.
All in all it was good but I felt unsatiated in the end. Also I didn't understand why the book was named Dancing the Charleston. There wasn't so much Charleston in it.
lucychanning's review against another edition
4.0
*4.5 stars
Jacqueline Wilson is purely amazing at writing children's characters and captures them so well. She also has a brillaint talent for writing Children's historical ficition. It's been a while since I read a Jacqueline Wilson book, probably about 5-8 years ago, so I was a little worried going into this that I wasn't going to enjoy this as much as I would have years ago when I was a child. But I am pleased to say I enjoyed it. A lot. I really enjoyed Mona's character. She was flawed but still incredibly likeable. And Mr Benjamin was a great charcater too! Generally, all the characters were well developed.
The pace was good. For the majority of the book, it went at a good pace and I never once felt bored and like things were dragging.
However, my two problems I found with this book were due to the ending. One of those problems was that it felt a little bit rushed. I can't state the specific amount of pages in which the 'secret' came out, but it didn't feel like a lot. At all. (I actually guessed the 'secret' at one pint but this didn't hinder my enjoyment. I think as a child, I wouldn't have seen this coming at all.) My second problem was the fact Mona's friends were heavily prominent throughout the story and then at the end, they weren't mentioned at all? I wouldn't have minded whether they stayed friends or not, but it just felt odd not having them mentioned in the conclusions.
Overall, though, this was thoroughly enjoyable book and would definitely recommend!
Jacqueline Wilson is purely amazing at writing children's characters and captures them so well. She also has a brillaint talent for writing Children's historical ficition. It's been a while since I read a Jacqueline Wilson book, probably about 5-8 years ago, so I was a little worried going into this that I wasn't going to enjoy this as much as I would have years ago when I was a child. But I am pleased to say I enjoyed it. A lot. I really enjoyed Mona's character. She was flawed but still incredibly likeable. And Mr Benjamin was a great charcater too! Generally, all the characters were well developed.
The pace was good. For the majority of the book, it went at a good pace and I never once felt bored and like things were dragging.
However, my two problems I found with this book were due to the ending. One of those problems was that it felt a little bit rushed. I can't state the specific amount of pages in which the 'secret' came out, but it didn't feel like a lot. At all. (I actually guessed the 'secret' at one pint but this didn't hinder my enjoyment. I think as a child, I wouldn't have seen this coming at all.) My second problem was the fact Mona's friends were heavily prominent throughout the story and then at the end, they weren't mentioned at all? I wouldn't have minded whether they stayed friends or not, but it just felt odd not having them mentioned in the conclusions.
Overall, though, this was thoroughly enjoyable book and would definitely recommend!
wordsofclover's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Mona lives with her aunt on the grounds of a great house in the village, owned by the Somerset family. When Lady Somerset dies, Mona's aunt fears they will soon be without a home but when the new homeowner takes over, he treats the women like family and soon Mona is introduced to a whole new world of dancing the Charleston, fine dining and family secrets.
This was a sweet book and a good audiobook listen. I definitely think it would be a good one for a middle grade reader to read or listen to on a long car journey as it's lengthy enough (about 12 hours long). Mona was a sweet character to follow, and has ups and downs with friendships, her relationship with herself and her aunt. I enjoyed the little adventures she went on and the build up to her summer with the Somersets.
I actually think this book could have been a tad shorter as by the time we got to the last few chapters, my attention had definitely wavered a bit. I also would have liked the 'reveal' about Mona's family to have come a bit sooner, as it definitely felt like she found out and then the book was over and there wasn't a real chance for her to really take it all in. I also would have liked to have seen a proper make-up between Mona, Maggie and Peter.
I liked reading one of Jacqueline Wilson's newer novels as up until now I've read a lot of her older ones from when I was a child and teen. The writing in this wasn't incredibly childish and could be enjoyed by adults as well which is one of the reasons why I think Jacqueline Wilson's books are so good!
This was a sweet book and a good audiobook listen. I definitely think it would be a good one for a middle grade reader to read or listen to on a long car journey as it's lengthy enough (about 12 hours long). Mona was a sweet character to follow, and has ups and downs with friendships, her relationship with herself and her aunt. I enjoyed the little adventures she went on and the build up to her summer with the Somersets.
I actually think this book could have been a tad shorter as by the time we got to the last few chapters, my attention had definitely wavered a bit. I also would have liked the 'reveal' about Mona's family to have come a bit sooner, as it definitely felt like she found out and then the book was over and there wasn't a real chance for her to really take it all in. I also would have liked to have seen a proper make-up between Mona, Maggie and Peter.
I liked reading one of Jacqueline Wilson's newer novels as up until now I've read a lot of her older ones from when I was a child and teen. The writing in this wasn't incredibly childish and could be enjoyed by adults as well which is one of the reasons why I think Jacqueline Wilson's books are so good!
theverybookish's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aoifeprettypurplepolkadots's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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