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vusvos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is an emotional whirlwind. It's like afternoon tea and gossip in book form. And the suspense is insane. I loved this book so much, so emotional and the twists were insane. I laughed, I cried, I got angry and excited. This book is everything I never wanted it to end.
readwithhugo's review against another edition
4.0
with interwoven dual timelines - one set in the current day and the other set in the 1970s - this book was a little witchy, very charming, and a whole lot of fun to read. though it does take a while for the plot to get going, as is the case for many character-driven books, it’s beautifully written and is something that’ll easily keep your attention the whole way through.
i received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
i received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
meesha84's review against another edition
3.0
I previously read The Keeper Of Lost Things in July 2020 after a recommendation from one of my friends, however, this is the first time I’ve seen another one of Ruth Hogan’s books. I was unaware that she’s written another two books in addition to this and Keeper.
There seem to be a couple of different titles floating around for this book, it’s possible that the author changed her mind, as there is also “The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova.” I’m not sure this is the best title, or the majority of the cover really matches the book description.
It is a good little story, although is a bit overwhelming at first, as quite a few characters are introduced at once and apart from the odd one or two, are well fleshed out. It is based around Billie, who is about to learn a big secret (a secret that keeps you guessing until the very end) and is told between the 1970s in Brighton and the present day.
Billie and Madame Burova are beloved characters and it’s obvious that a lot of thought has gone into them. There’s a whole cast of insanely quirky characters surrounding them, but they’re distinguishable from the crowd and really got into my head.
This also has quite short chapters, so don’t sit down to read it for a short amount of time, I promise you won’t be able to. I finished this over the course of two nights and you will fairly tank through it, trying to second guess the secret. I didn’t predict it, although I got quite close.
There is something missing though - some of the side character storylines could have been a bit more expanded upon and I don’t feel that the childhood racism storyline around Treasure really got resolved. It seemed to be forgotten about when Star came along, but perhaps that was the way it was intended. Also a couple of the characters who appeared in Larkins suffered similar fates, almost like their storylines were going somewhere (Sarah-Jade, the mermaids) and were then forgotten about.
It’s a fluffy and easy to read book, I’m not sure it will be as particularly memorable as Keeper but should keep the boredom at bay for a little while.
There seem to be a couple of different titles floating around for this book, it’s possible that the author changed her mind, as there is also “The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova.” I’m not sure this is the best title, or the majority of the cover really matches the book description.
It is a good little story, although is a bit overwhelming at first, as quite a few characters are introduced at once and apart from the odd one or two, are well fleshed out. It is based around Billie, who is about to learn a big secret (a secret that keeps you guessing until the very end) and is told between the 1970s in Brighton and the present day.
Billie and Madame Burova are beloved characters and it’s obvious that a lot of thought has gone into them. There’s a whole cast of insanely quirky characters surrounding them, but they’re distinguishable from the crowd and really got into my head.
This also has quite short chapters, so don’t sit down to read it for a short amount of time, I promise you won’t be able to. I finished this over the course of two nights and you will fairly tank through it, trying to second guess the secret. I didn’t predict it, although I got quite close.
There is something missing though - some of the side character storylines could have been a bit more expanded upon and I don’t feel that the childhood racism storyline around Treasure really got resolved. It seemed to be forgotten about when Star came along, but perhaps that was the way it was intended. Also a couple of the characters who appeared in Larkins suffered similar fates, almost like their storylines were going somewhere (Sarah-Jade, the mermaids) and were then forgotten about.
It’s a fluffy and easy to read book, I’m not sure it will be as particularly memorable as Keeper but should keep the boredom at bay for a little while.
chrissys's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kaarolkaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
As the book goes back and forth between now and 1970s it was confusing at the beginning and I was ready to DNF this book. I’m glad I gave this book another go. It might be predictable at times but overall is a good read.
cemell's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
horsley123's review against another edition
5.0
A tale narrated in the ever popular 'Now and Then' format - a woman whose life has collapsed around her finds out that her beloved recently departed parents, weren't actually her birth parents. A mysterious letter leads her to Brighton and a fortune teller's caravan - all very exciting, yet reassuringly familiar.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the holiday camp setting and the satisfying tying up up threads. A jolly good, warm bath of a read which gives you the sense that it will all be alright in the end.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the holiday camp setting and the satisfying tying up up threads. A jolly good, warm bath of a read which gives you the sense that it will all be alright in the end.