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funktious's review
3.0
Well, that was... interesting!
The first half is sweet, like a dull Eva Ibbotson (the heroine may be similarly lovely and good and naive, but Ibbotson makes it less sickly by adding a lot of humour) but entertaining nevertheless, and you do warm to Emily.
But the second half, well, I don't know which was worse - the racism or the sheer dullness of the melodrama. I'll probably plump for the latter as the former can be explained (but never excused) by the time period. Maybe the latter can as well - I've never read any victorian melodrama and maybe this is standard for the genre, but MY GOD it was dull. The plot was interesting enough, it was the execution that let it down, the many paragraphs to describe the actually rather pedestrian murder attempts (a piece of WOOD on the STAIRS! My God, I need to lie down for a moment!) and the sheer amount of time it took for anything to happen. Thank goodness for Jane Cupp, at least, and Hester too.
And much as I liked Emily in the first half, I could have strangled her for her naivety and credulousness in the second. And Walderhurst for not pointing out that having the Osborns nearby while he was away was a Bad Idea.
Oh and the descriptions of Emily as "large" and "dumb" really started to wear on me after a while.
3 stars, should probably be 2 but I'm being kind.
The first half is sweet, like a dull Eva Ibbotson (the heroine may be similarly lovely and good and naive, but Ibbotson makes it less sickly by adding a lot of humour) but entertaining nevertheless, and you do warm to Emily.
But the second half, well, I don't know which was worse - the racism or the sheer dullness of the melodrama. I'll probably plump for the latter as the former can be explained (but never excused) by the time period. Maybe the latter can as well - I've never read any victorian melodrama and maybe this is standard for the genre, but MY GOD it was dull. The plot was interesting enough, it was the execution that let it down, the many paragraphs to describe the actually rather pedestrian murder attempts (a piece of WOOD on the STAIRS! My God, I need to lie down for a moment!) and the sheer amount of time it took for anything to happen. Thank goodness for Jane Cupp, at least, and Hester too.
And much as I liked Emily in the first half, I could have strangled her for her naivety and credulousness in the second. And Walderhurst for not pointing out that having the Osborns nearby while he was away was a Bad Idea.
Oh and the descriptions of Emily as "large" and "dumb" really started to wear on me after a while.
3 stars, should probably be 2 but I'm being kind.
sprinklesugarbunbun's review
4.0
I enjoyed this story so much that I stayed up throughout the night reading up until the end. The first part was fluffy and saccharine, much like the season it took place in: summer. The second part was suspenseful! I hadn't anticipated the shift in feeling, but it was interesting.
I liked Emily as a character. A warm, compassionate woman with the dearest heart and great expanse for positivity. Although the continued emphasis of her "simple-mindedness" was unnecessary and slightly annoying.
The biggest issue I had with the novel, despite enjoying the sweetness of Emily, was the racism toward the Indian characters. Although it was nice to see that Emily had a more open mind than most of the characters in the book did toward them, it was still a bit cringe-worthy. As another reviewer suggested, because of Emily's attitude toward the Indian women, perhaps the novel is commenting on the racism prevalent at the time? However, I make no excuse for it; the racism is there, in comments and portrayals. It was an unfortunate blemish upon the novel, but I still enjoyed the story overall. It's flawed but entertaining.
I liked Emily as a character. A warm, compassionate woman with the dearest heart and great expanse for positivity. Although the continued emphasis of her "simple-mindedness" was unnecessary and slightly annoying.
The biggest issue I had with the novel, despite enjoying the sweetness of Emily, was the racism toward the Indian characters. Although it was nice to see that Emily had a more open mind than most of the characters in the book did toward them, it was still a bit cringe-worthy. As another reviewer suggested, because of Emily's attitude toward the Indian women, perhaps the novel is commenting on the racism prevalent at the time? However, I make no excuse for it; the racism is there, in comments and portrayals. It was an unfortunate blemish upon the novel, but I still enjoyed the story overall. It's flawed but entertaining.
lizziethereader's review
3.0
This was a nice little romance. I was pleasantly surprised by the suspense that was introduced in the second half of the book, and I thought the writing was quite nice.
giddypony's review
3.0
often unintentionally hilarious. the two books are different in tone, the second reading like a vain attempt to be Wilkie Collins. the heroine is stupid. and it is thevirtue of this that leads to her good fortune. racist and classist, plus phrenology.
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