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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I found this book on the shelf in my library, and I'm so glad I picked it up. This was a book that I couldn't wait to get back to, especially once the story really started to come together. The story is spread across three generations, but is tied together seamlessly. This was a very fun read!
3.5 i love stories that combine different time periods and connect them in some way but I think i convinced myself that a big twist must be coming because it all seemed so laid out and predictable that i think I ruined a little for myself. Not a bad story I liked it I just think I expected more. Still for a collaboration by 3 authors it flowed very well and was well written.
mysterious
slow-paced
I have been highly anticipating this book for ages. And it was awesome. I have to admit that I spent awhile trying to figure out who wrote which part. I settled on Williams - Kate, White - Olive, and Willig - Lucy, though I could be totally wrong. They did an excellent job of using a unified style so that the transitions are smooth while still having each time period and character feel individual. In fact, rather than spending the whole time longing to get back to one character's story, I found myself equally excited at the beginning of each chapter. Really well done.
As usual for Williams's books (I've never read White and only a couple Willigs), I felt absolutely transported to a different time and place, and the characters felt like people I knew, despite being somehow more. I don't know how else to describe it other than to say the characters sparkle. That's how it always seems to me. But anyway. I also loved the historic settings, particularly the multiple transformations of the room at the top of the mansion, as an 1890s painter's atelier, 1920s boarding house storage, and 1940s hospital ward. Under its beautiful glass dome romance and mystery unfold. What will happen to the various pairs of star crossed lovers? Who is each woman's father? And combining the two, is incest a threat? All this seemingly over the top plot, soap opera-type plot feels far from melodramatic, a gift of Williams's that has long impressed me - apparently her co-writers possess the same skill.
Probably the only reason I went with 4 instead of 5 stars is because I am greedy and wanted more! Plus, I ended up having to draw myself a little character map to keep track or who was related to who, which seemed a bit much for a novel that was otherwise the literary equivalent of sipping champagne!
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
As usual for Williams's books (I've never read White and only a couple Willigs), I felt absolutely transported to a different time and place, and the characters felt like people I knew, despite being somehow more. I don't know how else to describe it other than to say the characters sparkle. That's how it always seems to me. But anyway. I also loved the historic settings, particularly the multiple transformations of the room at the top of the mansion, as an 1890s painter's atelier, 1920s boarding house storage, and 1940s hospital ward. Under its beautiful glass dome romance and mystery unfold. What will happen to the various pairs of star crossed lovers? Who is each woman's father? And combining the two, is incest a threat? All this seemingly over the top plot, soap opera-type plot feels far from melodramatic, a gift of Williams's that has long impressed me - apparently her co-writers possess the same skill.
Probably the only reason I went with 4 instead of 5 stars is because I am greedy and wanted more! Plus, I ended up having to draw myself a little character map to keep track or who was related to who, which seemed a bit much for a novel that was otherwise the literary equivalent of sipping champagne!
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fascinating story. I loved how it all came together in the end. Having said that, this book also solidified with me that I do not care for a story that goes back and forth in time. In this book, each chapter took place in one of three eras. I confuse easily, not remembering who is who.
An enjoyable read, but disappointing. I had higher hopes for the book based on the genre (hf) and the authors. the story was told by three different characters, all related, from three different generations. Trying to track all the people who were related and intertwined in the three stories was initially confusing... especially because the story switched between the characters so often. About 1/2 way thru I finally "mapped" out the relationships and in doing so very quickly figured it the "mystery". I breezed thru the remainder of the story predicting the ending long before the book ended.
I received a free copy of this ARC from Penguin First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This book takes place across three generations--the 1890s, 1920s, and 1940s. The stories are told in an interweaving fashion, skipping from one to the other. I can't describe them too much without giving things away, but each generation's stories are strikingly similar.
The parallels, in fact, were where this book failed to connect with me. The conclusion of the older two sections is forgone once you can tell the shape of the story--how the end happens is unknown until you read to the end of the book, but the end itself is obvious. And the end of the final section is pretty easy to guess, too, a sort of redemption of the struggles before.
This makes the secrets each protagonist is investigating lose their punch, and the sameness of the story lines blurs together. There's also a remarkable amount of coincidences to make the plot work--one after the other, and a single one would make the whole thing fall through. Each story takes place in the same house, though it changes drastically over time. The house itself is almost another character, looming large in each character's life.
If you're willing to forgive sentimentality, an inevitable plot (which is fairly standard in romance, anyway), and a pile of coincidences, then this book is a sweet, if unremarkable romance.
This book takes place across three generations--the 1890s, 1920s, and 1940s. The stories are told in an interweaving fashion, skipping from one to the other. I can't describe them too much without giving things away, but each generation's stories are strikingly similar.
The parallels, in fact, were where this book failed to connect with me. The conclusion of the older two sections is forgone once you can tell the shape of the story--how the end happens is unknown until you read to the end of the book, but the end itself is obvious. And the end of the final section is pretty easy to guess, too, a sort of redemption of the struggles before.
This makes the secrets each protagonist is investigating lose their punch, and the sameness of the story lines blurs together. There's also a remarkable amount of coincidences to make the plot work--one after the other, and a single one would make the whole thing fall through. Each story takes place in the same house, though it changes drastically over time. The house itself is almost another character, looming large in each character's life.
If you're willing to forgive sentimentality, an inevitable plot (which is fairly standard in romance, anyway), and a pile of coincidences, then this book is a sweet, if unremarkable romance.
When I saw that three of my favorite authors were collaborating on a book together, I was thrilled. When I won an advanced review copy from the publisher, I was absolutely ecstatic.
This book has three points-of-view beautifully and tightly woven together; a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter each tell their story, which centers around a special room and a necklace. Love, betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness tie these women and their stories together. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction, and I hope that these three authors plan to collaborate with each other again on a new novel. This book was brilliant!
This book has three points-of-view beautifully and tightly woven together; a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter each tell their story, which centers around a special room and a necklace. Love, betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness tie these women and their stories together. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction, and I hope that these three authors plan to collaborate with each other again on a new novel. This book was brilliant!