You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Completely melodramatic, easy to consume. Listened to the audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, and she was excellent, so that’s why the 4 stars.
First, I shall state that I, unlike many other reviewers who enjoyed this book in serialized form, listened to the audiobook version. I read that the app created for this novel contains lots of historical background to the real-life Cubitt, so I don't know if reading the book through the app would have been more enjoyable.
Juliet Stevenson did an excellent job giving voices to each character, which is no surprise as she is a delightful actress. Her performance is the reason I give 2 stars to Julian Fellowes' Belgravia instead of just one.
This book is really quite tedious. While the book starts off with a decent premise (following the stories of some of the people pictured in "The Duchess of Richmond's Ball" capturing the gliterati the night before Waterloo. But, the plot devolves into a drawn-out story filled with cardboard characters. The novel starts out slow, stays slow, and is dullsville even during big reveals. Every thought characters have is spelled out ad infinitum, even though it is clear what they are thinking from their actions or reactions.
Even worse, the characters generally do not speak or act as their live counterparts would have in the 1840s Victorian London. Perhaps, the author was attempting to create an Austen/Gaskell/Eliot mashup that could appeal to modern readers. And that is a failing; I find it hard to believe, for example, that anyone in the upper middle to upper classes would spend ages talking about wanting to be a parent and teach their child how to hunt; it was much more about having an heir in place so their lovely estates wouldn't be entailed away.
Of course, there's some "Upstairs, Downstairs" in this novel, which I find to be a useful technique missing in Austen and Gaskell. But the two servants who turn against the Trenchards seem to do so with little encouragement or motivation.
The big reveal at the end made no sense whatsoever. Do you mean to tell me that Lady Caroline Brockenhurst would not at least give her husband an inkling that they have a grandson and heir before telling nearly the entire cast of the novel? It was sort of like a Hercule Poirot murder-solution and just did not work.
I will end by saying that I really wanted to enjoy "Belgravia." I think there is a place for this type of story in today's fiction offerings and have enjoyed some of Fellowes' work in the past (especially the brilliant "Gosford Park" screenplay).
Juliet Stevenson did an excellent job giving voices to each character, which is no surprise as she is a delightful actress. Her performance is the reason I give 2 stars to Julian Fellowes' Belgravia instead of just one.
This book is really quite tedious. While the book starts off with a decent premise (following the stories of some of the people pictured in "The Duchess of Richmond's Ball" capturing the gliterati the night before Waterloo. But, the plot devolves into a drawn-out story filled with cardboard characters. The novel starts out slow, stays slow, and is dullsville even during big reveals. Every thought characters have is spelled out ad infinitum, even though it is clear what they are thinking from their actions or reactions.
Even worse, the characters generally do not speak or act as their live counterparts would have in the 1840s Victorian London. Perhaps, the author was attempting to create an Austen/Gaskell/Eliot mashup that could appeal to modern readers. And that is a failing; I find it hard to believe, for example, that anyone in the upper middle to upper classes would spend ages talking about wanting to be a parent and teach their child how to hunt; it was much more about having an heir in place so their lovely estates wouldn't be entailed away.
Of course, there's some "Upstairs, Downstairs" in this novel, which I find to be a useful technique missing in Austen and Gaskell. But the two servants who turn against the Trenchards seem to do so with little encouragement or motivation.
The big reveal at the end made no sense whatsoever. Do you mean to tell me that Lady Caroline Brockenhurst would not at least give her husband an inkling that they have a grandson and heir before telling nearly the entire cast of the novel? It was sort of like a Hercule Poirot murder-solution and just did not work.
I will end by saying that I really wanted to enjoy "Belgravia." I think there is a place for this type of story in today's fiction offerings and have enjoyed some of Fellowes' work in the past (especially the brilliant "Gosford Park" screenplay).
I usually reserve five stars for books that are particularly thought-provoking; that make a shift in the way that I view the world; that challenge me; that I know will stay with me for a long time, or are just incredibly beautifully written. This book is none of these but I have still given it five stars because it was a really good read. I came to it with fairly low expectations based on the views of the person who lent it to me,and maybe that has coloured my view as my expectations were far surpassed. It was a great story whose twists and turns meant the ending wasn’t inevitable. The characters were either good or bad in true Victorian fashion and it did have that lovely “Downton” feel. I was taken in by it, swept away and loved it. So...five stars!
I wish Fellowes wrote more books. I found this work enchanting on so many levels. It was fascinating
Very Downton Abbey (as you might expect from the creator of Downton Abbey), but without the luxury of those beautiful visuals. Basically a British "Society" soap opera. Fine, easy reading, but not my favorite book ever.
Solid 4 stars. I felt it lagged a bit in the middle but the end really picked up and I found myself looking forward to my commute so I could continue the audiobook. The story is a bit fluffy but sometimes that's what you need and want.
This is an engrossing visit to the Great Britain of the mid-1800s, where a prosperous tradesman and a very wealthy Duke, and their respective families, find their paths intertwined. Oddly enough their futures hinge on a ball held in Brussels, as Napoleon approached Waterloo, 26 years earlier. The passage of time has not made things clearer; rather it has obscured certain facts that propriety has further encouraged the parties to overlook. So begins our tale of manners and basic emotions that create a juicy mix of characters, bad behaviors and lost opportunities. It's hard to stop reading once you have begun. In many ways, this book feels more modern than Downton Abbey only because of the addition of the tradesman. In fact, it is older in setting but has a very similar feeling. I read the book in one sitting and am happy to have had that option. I learned the book had been serialized in other settings. It was wonderful, charming and addictive. - Suzanne R.
I really wanted to like this given my deep and abiding love for Downton Abbey. But...
...there was way, WAY to much "tell", and not enough "show."
...the POV shifted from person to person from sentence to sentence, which was incredibly distracting.
...the characters were unlikable and by the time they showed any likable characteristics, I didn't care about them.
I really had to force myself to finish. I love you, Julian Fellowes!! But no.
...there was way, WAY to much "tell", and not enough "show."
...the POV shifted from person to person from sentence to sentence, which was incredibly distracting.
...the characters were unlikable and by the time they showed any likable characteristics, I didn't care about them.
I really had to force myself to finish. I love you, Julian Fellowes!! But no.
I loved this book so much. Sometimes you need a book like this with amazing, stubborn women, wanting to do whatever they want to and there's nothing bad about happy endings either. Once you get into the plot, there's no way out and suddenly you are in the middle of all the scheming and it's all so perfect.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mostly predictable plot, with a couple of divergences. But basically an enjoyable variation of Downton Abbey.