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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This was an emotional roller coaster and I loved every page.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this novel. As a fan of the Miniaturist duology, I'd expect nothing less from Jessie Burton, but I didn't even realize she had other books! This alternated timelines but in a unique way-- instead of flip flopping characters every chapter, Burton alternates large segments of each period across five parts, and maintains the first person/third person perspective across these switches. I found myself totally absorbed in one story and then left with a bit of a cliffhanger when she switched to the other time period, but that was enjoyable.... especially as the two stories truly collided at the end. So rich in imagery and I couldn't put it down.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this-- I loved the setting of two timelines-- then having the timelines collide; I loved the parallels made between characters, the history of the onset of the war in Spain at that time, romantic interest that added to the plot and strengthened the novel. I know I'm leaving things out but... in summation, I really really enjoyed this reading experience. I have recently been even more so tailoring my reading choices exclusively to books I am thoroughly psyched to read (as opposed to forcing myself to read a Man Booker novel which may not actually pique my interest). Furthermore, it's attributed to my increasing love of reading overall.
(4.5)
I really enjoy Jessie Burton’s writing, and consider her an author I would like to emulate. It feels like she slips in a simile or metaphor here and there, and while sometimes romantic/ fanciful, I dwould my find the language jarring.
I get why people might not enjoy this, or her FIRST NOVEL [b:The Miniaturist|18498569|The Miniaturist|Jessie Burton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392415313s/18498569.jpg|25328659]. There’s a lot of character development, against an historic background (or 2).
I love this writing style. Flipping between Spain on the verge of WWII and 1967 London. A plot that’s not obvious, and intriguing to boot!
I wasn’t completely in love with the ending, but I loved the journey. Great job setting the historical scenes and tones of both eras, and the affects of WWII still reverberating through the ‘60’s.
I really enjoy Jessie Burton’s writing, and consider her an author I would like to emulate. It feels like she slips in a simile or metaphor here and there, and while sometimes romantic/ fanciful, I dwould my find the language jarring.
I get why people might not enjoy this, or her FIRST NOVEL [b:The Miniaturist|18498569|The Miniaturist|Jessie Burton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392415313s/18498569.jpg|25328659]. There’s a lot of character development, against an historic background (or 2).
I love this writing style. Flipping between Spain on the verge of WWII and 1967 London. A plot that’s not obvious, and intriguing to boot!
I wasn’t completely in love with the ending, but I loved the journey. Great job setting the historical scenes and tones of both eras, and the affects of WWII still reverberating through the ‘60’s.
Bored. The pacing is so sluggish, the characters basic and cliched. It picks up once in Spain, but felt terribly predictable - and a post DNF skim to the end of the book confirmed it was! So along with lacking genuine intrigue, it lacked depth of character or political commentary… ie nothing going for it.
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
While the final section was quite exciting as the secrets began to unravel, I found myself too irritated with several characters to feel truly satisfied by the end. Weirdly tedious at parts, but over-all, quite beautifully written while exploring interesting themes.