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eileen_daly_boas's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this little story. It’s a bit predictable, but nonetheless, a good yarn. I love that part of the story takes place in early 1970s England, and all the characters are fully formed. I’d read a whole novel about nearly any of the characters. I’m a sucker for any novel with a bit of mystery and a bit of magic (This one has a fortuneteller), and while there is one bit about animal abuse, the smallest of spoilers: the dogs are fine. (If they hadn’t been, I would have not finished the book.) the audiobook was really well narrated, although my brain wouldn’t always catch when the story was in 1971 or “now,” which meant I had a few moments of confusion. Not the audiobook’s fault, just my own lack of concentration.
crayolabird's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
By the time Madame Burova - Imelda - is ready to retire from her life of reading palms and telling her clients the stories she sees in her tarot cards, she feels the weight of the secrets she's kept. She knows it is time to let some of them go - fully aware of the ripples such a move will cause. As she's grown in the seaside town of Brighton, Imelda has watched people come and go from her booth on the pier and while most people flit in an out, those that stay will make a lasting impression, so much so that a few of them will change her stars.
Billie middle-aged and floundering in the wake of her father's death, gets the kind of news that upends everything and leads her from her London world to a pier in Brighton where, while unlikely, the answers she needs just might be waiting.
Told in two time periods, Imelda's and Billie's lives are intricately linked both both choice and providence. The 1970s storyline of Imelda's youth delves into some tricky issues with compassion and while the modern storyline requires just a LOT of suspending my disbelief with all the amazing coincidences, there is a coziness here that worked for me. It's a make-your-own-family kind of story, with the special kind of vibe that exists at a touristy seaside town, but with a backstage look as we spend our time with the locals and seasonal staff. It didn't require much of my brain and left me feeling good, even if I had a hard time believing it all. I liked it.
By the time Madame Burova - Imelda - is ready to retire from her life of reading palms and telling her clients the stories she sees in her tarot cards, she feels the weight of the secrets she's kept. She knows it is time to let some of them go - fully aware of the ripples such a move will cause. As she's grown in the seaside town of Brighton, Imelda has watched people come and go from her booth on the pier and while most people flit in an out, those that stay will make a lasting impression, so much so that a few of them will change her stars.
Billie middle-aged and floundering in the wake of her father's death, gets the kind of news that upends everything and leads her from her London world to a pier in Brighton where, while unlikely, the answers she needs just might be waiting.
Told in two time periods, Imelda's and Billie's lives are intricately linked both both choice and providence. The 1970s storyline of Imelda's youth delves into some tricky issues with compassion and while the modern storyline requires just a LOT of suspending my disbelief with all the amazing coincidences, there is a coziness here that worked for me. It's a make-your-own-family kind of story, with the special kind of vibe that exists at a touristy seaside town, but with a backstage look as we spend our time with the locals and seasonal staff. It didn't require much of my brain and left me feeling good, even if I had a hard time believing it all. I liked it.
emw2024's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this light read
It is dual story line set in the 1970s in a holiday park in Brighton and then present day.
In present day Billie discovered she is adopted
Madame Burova holds the secret
The book lead you to think Madam Burova was her mother for a long while but it was Vivienne the rich girl they disliked but I had worked this out much earlier
The twist was her father
The characters were gentle and I enjoyed the story
The side characters if Treasure / Clive were part if the story
It is dual story line set in the 1970s in a holiday park in Brighton and then present day.
In present day Billie discovered she is adopted
Madame Burova holds the secret
The book lead you to think Madam Burova was her mother for a long while but it was Vivienne the rich girl they disliked but I had worked this out much earlier
The twist was her father
The characters were gentle and I enjoyed the story
The side characters if Treasure / Clive were part if the story
witchymom23's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
trippalli's review against another edition
3.0
A historic style story with a women in her 20s discovering she's adopted and going into a deep investigation with friends and community to discover who were her birth parents and the drama of teen pregnancies and one night stands and flings and the drama they produced I'm the past same the lengths ambitious young women would go to not have their ambitions and life curtailed... And the community that take in and raise those children like the narrator of this historical investigative drama
mcmbennett's review against another edition
4.0
I am new to Ruth Hogan, but I am definitely putting her on my list to read. She has developed a lovely story with such vibrant and unique characters. There are quite a few characters, but they are so well done. She deftly weaves her story through the intersection of the storylines of two main characters and dual timelines. There is a bit of a mystery as Billie is searching for her biological parents, and there are themes throughout the book regarding honoring promises and keeping secrets, racism and bullying, finding identity and love. I really enjoyed her creativity, and the book had some dogs as characters which is always a plus for me. This magical and ultimately uplifting book was a delight to read.
jonisayin's review against another edition
2.0
Billie, divorced, jobless and summoned to Brighton, learns her birth mother has left her a substantial inheritance. She decides to hang around the Larken fair grounds to solve the mystery of her fathers identity. In the mean time, clairvoyant Imelda Burova has spent the past 50 years believing she was jilted by her love. The story unfolds and progresses with a happy ending. Only 2 stars. It was pleasant enough, but it just wasn't gripping.
jennitarheelreader's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve become a huge fan of Ruth Hogan’s whimsical and insightful books! The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova is her newest.
You just have to meet Madame Imelda Burova, a fortune teller reading Tarot cards and palms in Brighton. I remember seeing fortune telling businesses on the side of the road while I was growing up, but I don’t often see them now? Anyone else? Imelda inherits her gift, as well as her business, from her mother.
Now she’s ready to retire after a lifetime of work, but there’s one last item on her to-do list, and it has to do with a promise she made in the 1970s.
You also have to meet Billie, a character to love and cherish who has a history that connects to the fortune teller.
This rich story takes place over 50 years. I loved the seaside and holiday setting. I also enjoyed the important theme of it never being too late to right a mistake. There’s a light mystery, adding building tension to the story. Overall, this delivered exactly what I’ve come to expect from Ruth Hogan, and I cannot wait for her next book. Also, I love how all her cover designs complement each other.
You just have to meet Madame Imelda Burova, a fortune teller reading Tarot cards and palms in Brighton. I remember seeing fortune telling businesses on the side of the road while I was growing up, but I don’t often see them now? Anyone else? Imelda inherits her gift, as well as her business, from her mother.
Now she’s ready to retire after a lifetime of work, but there’s one last item on her to-do list, and it has to do with a promise she made in the 1970s.
You also have to meet Billie, a character to love and cherish who has a history that connects to the fortune teller.
This rich story takes place over 50 years. I loved the seaside and holiday setting. I also enjoyed the important theme of it never being too late to right a mistake. There’s a light mystery, adding building tension to the story. Overall, this delivered exactly what I’ve come to expect from Ruth Hogan, and I cannot wait for her next book. Also, I love how all her cover designs complement each other.
ewagner484's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for an ARC of The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova.
I really enjoyed Ruth Hogan's Keeper of Lost Things, so I was excited to read this title. Admittedly, I almost DNF about 1/3 of the way through, because it got off to a bit of a slow start. However, I stuck with it and I am SO glad I did. Ruth Hogan has done it again with an outstanding conclusion to this beautiful story of love, loss, reunions, and lasting friendships.
I really enjoyed Ruth Hogan's Keeper of Lost Things, so I was excited to read this title. Admittedly, I almost DNF about 1/3 of the way through, because it got off to a bit of a slow start. However, I stuck with it and I am SO glad I did. Ruth Hogan has done it again with an outstanding conclusion to this beautiful story of love, loss, reunions, and lasting friendships.