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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This was... fine. It does not read like it was written by three different women, but it should have. It would have been more interesting if the three women the story is about had more unique voices. I often found myself checking to see which perspective I was reading, especially since all the names overlap. The "twists" were interesting enough for me to keep reading but left me very underwhelmed. Not for me.
I was interested in reading this book as I am a fan of Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series. I was not disappointed. I loved the connection of the characters through the generations. My only complaint was it was a bit difficult to keep the characters straight in my mind, especially when they were referring to their "mother" and "grandmother". Don't let that deter you from this tale of a journey of love through time. Well worth the read.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"The Forgotten Room" is a historical fiction book by three powerhouse authors and I was so excited to read it based on the authors alone. What I found in the book was a fantastic story line set in three different time periods that all center on an interwoven family and a building that has seen many lives.
In this book, we meet Olive, whose story takes place during the 1890s, Lucy, whose story takes place during the 1920s, and Kate, whose story takes place during the 1940s. Each of these women is connected in a surprising way. The authors do a great job of dropping little hints throughout the book to start making the connections between the main characters. It was enough to keep me reading to see what I would find out next. Each of the stories is a love story of sorts, which I loved.
The characters in this book are great. I especially loved Kate. Kate is a woman before her time. She becomes a doctor when it was not common for a woman to become a doctor. She always feels like she has to prove herself and prove herself she does. Although Kate was my favorite, the other main characters and the secondary characters were well drawn and interesting.
Overall, this is a great pick for historical fiction fans and fans of these fab authors!
In this book, we meet Olive, whose story takes place during the 1890s, Lucy, whose story takes place during the 1920s, and Kate, whose story takes place during the 1940s. Each of these women is connected in a surprising way. The authors do a great job of dropping little hints throughout the book to start making the connections between the main characters. It was enough to keep me reading to see what I would find out next. Each of the stories is a love story of sorts, which I loved.
The characters in this book are great. I especially loved Kate. Kate is a woman before her time. She becomes a doctor when it was not common for a woman to become a doctor. She always feels like she has to prove herself and prove herself she does. Although Kate was my favorite, the other main characters and the secondary characters were well drawn and interesting.
Overall, this is a great pick for historical fiction fans and fans of these fab authors!
So good! Witty, smart, intriguing, romance, and solving the case always makes for a fabulous Lauren Willig novel!
Read for 5410 class
Read for 5410 class
Actual rating 3.5 stars... it gets an extra half a star for that epilogue that made me bawl like a baby.
I really liked this book which is seamless and well-written enough that I forgot it had three authors! I enjoy Lauren Willig and Beatriz Williams, two of the authors, so I plan to check out Karen White.
The Forgotten Room is alright.
This is one of those multiple timeline/multiple POV books where I have a strong preference for a particular timeline, the most recent one set during WWII. Right from the first chapter I loved the voice of Kate, a female doctor struggling to be acknowledged for her talent and fending off the attentions of her lecherous boss. Even with my favorite plot line, though, the romance was super iffy.
Speaking of the romances, you basically get the same romance three times, as three generations of people fall for each other in the same way. I spent most of Olivia and Lucy's chapters really hoping this was not going to be an incest book.Thankfully, it's not. They were fairly interesting, but I'll admit I found the family connections really tough to follow, though maybe that would have been easier if I'd read a print edition rather than listening to the audio.
All of the romances are problematic. ALL. OF. THEM. In each case there's either a massive imbalance in power (member of the family/servant to the family, boss/employee) or infidelity. In some cases, it's both. Needless to say I did not invest in any of these romances, but on the plus side many of them are doomed.
It's also weird that two narrators were hired for three POVs. Like, I know what's happening when they hire ONE narrator for a host of POVs: they're saving money and time. But why hire multiple but not cast the third POV? The narrator who does double duty does a good job distinguishing the two, but I still maintain this would have been better with a third voice.
I was on board for the drama and curious to find out where the book would go, but ultimately I didn't end up caring much about the characters and had absolutely no investment in the titular forgotten room. Waffled between two and three on the rating, but decided that I don't like it quite enough for a three, since I'm pretty sure I'll forget it entirely in a couple of days.
This is one of those multiple timeline/multiple POV books where I have a strong preference for a particular timeline, the most recent one set during WWII. Right from the first chapter I loved the voice of Kate, a female doctor struggling to be acknowledged for her talent and fending off the attentions of her lecherous boss. Even with my favorite plot line, though, the romance was super iffy.
Speaking of the romances, you basically get the same romance three times, as three generations of people fall for each other in the same way. I spent most of Olivia and Lucy's chapters really hoping this was not going to be an incest book.
All of the romances are problematic. ALL. OF. THEM. In each case there's either a massive imbalance in power (member of the family/servant to the family, boss/employee) or infidelity. In some cases, it's both. Needless to say I did not invest in any of these romances, but on the plus side many of them are doomed.
It's also weird that two narrators were hired for three POVs. Like, I know what's happening when they hire ONE narrator for a host of POVs: they're saving money and time. But why hire multiple but not cast the third POV? The narrator who does double duty does a good job distinguishing the two, but I still maintain this would have been better with a third voice.
I was on board for the drama and curious to find out where the book would go, but ultimately I didn't end up caring much about the characters and had absolutely no investment in the titular forgotten room. Waffled between two and three on the rating, but decided that I don't like it quite enough for a three, since I'm pretty sure I'll forget it entirely in a couple of days.
It was good and entertaining but a little bit too sappy for my taste and I didn't love all three of the women's stories equally. I understand the point of the book was to compare the women and their choices when in a similar situation, but it felt repetitive at points.