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bethgramon's review against another edition
4.0
It was a good beach book read, I could get into the story without being oblivious to my surroundings.
I liked this book, it fell a bit flat and I feel like lots of the story wasn't included but maybe that's reflective of real life, never knowing the whole story from an outsiders view. Anyway, I wouldn't read it again but im glad i read it.
I liked this book, it fell a bit flat and I feel like lots of the story wasn't included but maybe that's reflective of real life, never knowing the whole story from an outsiders view. Anyway, I wouldn't read it again but im glad i read it.
paulinemason's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book with its sharp, incisive character studies & underlying exploration of how a wardrobe can reveal & conceal.
The main character, Vivien, embarks on a search for her family history by talking with her father's estranged brother, Sandor, once convicted of being a slum lord. Sandor is a complex character - a slum lord, a pimp, a survivor of slave labor camps during WWII, an escapee from communist Hungary. He is by turns "the face of evil" & the soul of human kindness. I loved all the complex dualities captured in his character.
Equally interesting is the underlying story of London in the '70's - punk music & the rise of the National Front. It's interesting to think about how frightening the skinhead movement must have been to those who had survived the first go-round with Fascism.
This book is well written & literary without being overly conscious of its craft. The story is well-told, the characters fully realized and multidimensional. & the clothes - the joys to be had in costuming & re-costuming & all of the ways that clothes express who we are or who we wish we could be.
The main character, Vivien, embarks on a search for her family history by talking with her father's estranged brother, Sandor, once convicted of being a slum lord. Sandor is a complex character - a slum lord, a pimp, a survivor of slave labor camps during WWII, an escapee from communist Hungary. He is by turns "the face of evil" & the soul of human kindness. I loved all the complex dualities captured in his character.
Equally interesting is the underlying story of London in the '70's - punk music & the rise of the National Front. It's interesting to think about how frightening the skinhead movement must have been to those who had survived the first go-round with Fascism.
This book is well written & literary without being overly conscious of its craft. The story is well-told, the characters fully realized and multidimensional. & the clothes - the joys to be had in costuming & re-costuming & all of the ways that clothes express who we are or who we wish we could be.
til_'s review against another edition
4.0
Vivien was an interesting protagonist - boy did she change over the novel! A great insight into slum landlords and London.
scurfy's review against another edition
4.0
Good read. Interesting lens into how two brothers from same family can take such different paths.
jkrnomad's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time getting into this book. I loved the backdrop of London, but couldn't warm up to Vivien or her parent's decision to deny their past, their history, their religion and hermit away in anonymity.
emilyg's review against another edition
2.0
I can’t decide if I liked this book or not.
It is the story of a girl born to Hungarian refugees living in London. As a child she receives a visit from her uncle who she never knew existed however her parents are unkind to him and they don’t get to meet. However as she grows up she is curious of her parents past which they wont tell her and so she eventually comes to work for her uncle. During this time she learns a lot about him and her history and gets involved in living however it ends fatally.
The story is told by her after the death of her parents. She goes into a second hand clothes store were she runs into some history and buys a new dress. Throughout the book there is reference to her outfits and how they made her feel. I think the story is trying show how clothes can make us feel and remember.
The book was quite difficult for me to read as I don’t like books written for adults but there were some good idea’s in it.
It is the story of a girl born to Hungarian refugees living in London. As a child she receives a visit from her uncle who she never knew existed however her parents are unkind to him and they don’t get to meet. However as she grows up she is curious of her parents past which they wont tell her and so she eventually comes to work for her uncle. During this time she learns a lot about him and her history and gets involved in living however it ends fatally.
The story is told by her after the death of her parents. She goes into a second hand clothes store were she runs into some history and buys a new dress. Throughout the book there is reference to her outfits and how they made her feel. I think the story is trying show how clothes can make us feel and remember.
The book was quite difficult for me to read as I don’t like books written for adults but there were some good idea’s in it.
fattieflower's review against another edition
Started this, then decided to shelf for later... Intriguing start, though.
leialocks's review against another edition
3.0
Vivian, an only child of Hungarian refugees, finds herself a widow and unemployed at 24. With no direction and no drive, she patiently waits out her days at the house she grew up in. Will a chance (or was it?) meeting with her criminal uncle, Sandor, who used to be a slumlord be the event that turns her around? Will the connection to her parents' past help her through her struggles?
I'm still not sure what story this book was telling. Was it a story of Vivian overcoming her grief? Was it Sandor's redemption? Eunice's courage? Berta's and Ervin's quiet life? The characters are good; they just don't seem to do much. The secrets of the past are also not very shocking secrets. The clothes motif is very vague and not developed fully throughout the book. Overall, an average book.
I'm still not sure what story this book was telling. Was it a story of Vivian overcoming her grief? Was it Sandor's redemption? Eunice's courage? Berta's and Ervin's quiet life? The characters are good; they just don't seem to do much. The secrets of the past are also not very shocking secrets. The clothes motif is very vague and not developed fully throughout the book. Overall, an average book.