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lbyars99's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chgoange's review
4.0
A little cliche at times, but I gave it four stars because I didn't really know much about Du Marier (such as her relationship to the boys that were the inspiration for Peter Pan) and found that part of the story the most interesting.
kat_the_bookcat's review
2.0
I really was expecting more of a biography and instead got a kind of meh historical fiction book.
I would love for authors to quit with the whole modern girl tied to a historical figure trope. You always want to hear about one of them more than the other, and end up wanting to skip half the book.
I would love for authors to quit with the whole modern girl tied to a historical figure trope. You always want to hear about one of them more than the other, and end up wanting to skip half the book.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
3.0
Who doesn't love a juicy literary mystery? What happened to that poem? Who slept with whom? And really, why does she write about incest? Is it a ghost? And what's with him? It's no surprise that many books have been written about any literary mystery.
This book is somewhat like [b:Possession|41219|Possession|A.S. Byatt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311978255s/41219.jpg|2246190], but not as good. Picardie uses three characters - [author:Daphne du Maurier|2001717. Symington, and a grad student to explore the Brontes and who the Bronte brother was, you know that bloke who died.
Told partly in letter and partly in 3rd/1st person narrative, the story is somewhat predictable, but the language is compelling. What is extremely intersting is how Picardie weaves themes, motifs, and ideas from both Du Maurier and the Brontes into the book. The reader is inspired to read more of both Du Maurier and the Brontes, and in all this isn't a bad thing. An enjoyable, if not overly deep, read.
This book is somewhat like [b:Possession|41219|Possession|A.S. Byatt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311978255s/41219.jpg|2246190], but not as good. Picardie uses three characters - [author:Daphne du Maurier|2001717. Symington, and a grad student to explore the Brontes and who the Bronte brother was, you know that bloke who died.
Told partly in letter and partly in 3rd/1st person narrative, the story is somewhat predictable, but the language is compelling. What is extremely intersting is how Picardie weaves themes, motifs, and ideas from both Du Maurier and the Brontes into the book. The reader is inspired to read more of both Du Maurier and the Brontes, and in all this isn't a bad thing. An enjoyable, if not overly deep, read.
tillybh's review
3.0
While I absolutely loved the concept of this book, having adored Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, it actually turned out to be a bit of a slog to get through
this. I can't place exactly what it was - the execution? The writing? The characters...? Perhaps a bit of all of them. Either way, this book was a bit of a chore but one that was mostly enjoyable.
this. I can't place exactly what it was - the execution? The writing? The characters...? Perhaps a bit of all of them. Either way, this book was a bit of a chore but one that was mostly enjoyable.
ceeceerose's review
4.0
A great multi-time-period book for anyone who loves literature. Reminiscent of The Hours, this one will keep you reading into the early morning. Whether you love Du Maurier or the Brontes or not, as long as your love the classics, this one is for you!
sdbecque's review
3.0
Probably closer to a 3.5, as I was reading I thought - this can't be true, and yet as the author's note at the end acknolwedges, it is a mostly true story. There's obviously some license. I did like the three different viewpoints rotating throughout the book. And I mean, this is a fun book if you like "Rebecca" or other Daphne du Mariner books.
aalmade's review
3.0
This book goes between a modern-day grad student attempting to write a paper on Daphne du Maurier, du Marier herself, and Mr. Symington, a curator of Bronte relics who du Maurier roped into helping her write a book on Branwell Bronte. The Daphne parts were really interesting to me (I didn't know she was related to the Llewelyn Davies boys, and her relationships with her family and husband were all weirdly fascinating to me), but I hated reading the Symington chapters and while I sort of liked the main, modern-day character, she seemed a bit too pathetic to really enjoy (I know the author was trying to parallel her to the Narrator in Rebecca, but that chick was kinda lame, too). Basically this book just made me want to read a biography of Daphne du Maurier.