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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Loved this book!
This was a really good book. I loved the character and, if I'd had one wish, it would have been an epilogue to see if Violet gets what she's always wanted. I hope she did.
This was a really good book. I loved the character and, if I'd had one wish, it would have been an epilogue to see if Violet gets what she's always wanted. I hope she did.
I am starting to really like the "vintage" genre romance and chick-lit novels that are coming out lately. I think it's because most of the clothes, appliances, dishes, harkens back to an earlier time and people like imaging themselves as debutantes at a ball.
This novel focuses on three women who come into contact due to a vintage store, Hourglass Vintage, that is located in Madison, Wisconsin. These women are Violet, April, and Amithi.
Violet owns Hourglass Vintage, but due to an unexpected development by the owner of her building may found herself without a home or store in a few short months. April is 18 years old, pregnant, and alone. Dealing with the death of her mother a few months earlier and her fiancee breaking off her wedding, she interns at Violet's store. Amithi comes into Violet's store trying her best to give away clothes that she feels are tainted by her husband's betrayal.
I loved all three of these women as characters. However, Amithi's storyline really did not flow with the rest of the story lines in this novel. I think her storyline would have made a great standalone novel or a sequel to Vintage: A Novel. April and Violet's story lines are more closely entwined since they both are working at the store and becoming closer to each other. Amithi would drop in here and there but was not really involved with them at all. A side character, in this novel, Lane, was more interesting to me and actually would have fit in nicely with Violet and April's storyline. I found myself more interested in Lane since she seemed to have such a surreal life as an actress that had her giving that up to be a wife and mother.
I can't wait to see what Susan Gloss writes next.
This novel focuses on three women who come into contact due to a vintage store, Hourglass Vintage, that is located in Madison, Wisconsin. These women are Violet, April, and Amithi.
Violet owns Hourglass Vintage, but due to an unexpected development by the owner of her building may found herself without a home or store in a few short months. April is 18 years old, pregnant, and alone. Dealing with the death of her mother a few months earlier and her fiancee breaking off her wedding, she interns at Violet's store. Amithi comes into Violet's store trying her best to give away clothes that she feels are tainted by her husband's betrayal.
I loved all three of these women as characters. However, Amithi's storyline really did not flow with the rest of the story lines in this novel. I think her storyline would have made a great standalone novel or a sequel to Vintage: A Novel. April and Violet's story lines are more closely entwined since they both are working at the store and becoming closer to each other. Amithi would drop in here and there but was not really involved with them at all. A side character, in this novel, Lane, was more interesting to me and actually would have fit in nicely with Violet and April's storyline. I found myself more interested in Lane since she seemed to have such a surreal life as an actress that had her giving that up to be a wife and mother.
I can't wait to see what Susan Gloss writes next.
I couldn’t put this book down. The story showcases wonderful examples of friendships between women. How they uplift and support each other in subtle or not so subtle ways. I loved how this portrayed women in each stage of life from many different backgrounds and incorporated their stories so flawlessly!
Vintage is a pleasant and enjoyable read and follows a pattern of heartwarming tidiness that millions of readers love. For the review, visit The Book Wheel.
I could not put this book down. It wasn't a mystery...or a spine chilling thriller, nor was it written so beautifully, that I had continue to let the words fill my conscious....it was just a sweet story, in a nice world, and I wanted to get lost in it. Maybe that is an indicator of the mood I am in lately? :) I am not sure where I found this book...but it was on my "to read" list....so I grabbed a copy of the library.
This book is definitely of the "hobby/newest trend" variety--- where a bunch of woman form a bond and then there is sadness, but their friendship helps them overcome their struggles and unicorns and butterflies explode at the last page. This is the story of a vintage shop in Madison, WI that becomes a home for the owner who is single, but wants children (and of course has a broken back ground story), a young pregnant girl who is struggling to overcome her mother's death, and an Indian woman who has never fit into American culture--- but reaches out because she is overcoming some problems in her own marriage. Every chapter follows one of these characters and searches for some resolution and happiness....all while a vintage clothing store holds up the stage for the events.
My complaint? I felt like the typed blurb about a vintage piece of clothing was unnecessary (and often forced)....it could have been left out and no one would have been the wiser.
Read--- if you are looking for a lovely world to hang out in, a place that allows you to feel safe because nothing bad will ever happen.
This book is definitely of the "hobby/newest trend" variety--- where a bunch of woman form a bond and then there is sadness, but their friendship helps them overcome their struggles and unicorns and butterflies explode at the last page. This is the story of a vintage shop in Madison, WI that becomes a home for the owner who is single, but wants children (and of course has a broken back ground story), a young pregnant girl who is struggling to overcome her mother's death, and an Indian woman who has never fit into American culture--- but reaches out because she is overcoming some problems in her own marriage. Every chapter follows one of these characters and searches for some resolution and happiness....all while a vintage clothing store holds up the stage for the events.
My complaint? I felt like the typed blurb about a vintage piece of clothing was unnecessary (and often forced)....it could have been left out and no one would have been the wiser.
Read--- if you are looking for a lovely world to hang out in, a place that allows you to feel safe because nothing bad will ever happen.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story was intriguing - and the tie-ins to vintage clothing was fun as well. I was interested in the storyline - two women each coming from different circumstances - drawn together in their love of a vintage clothing store. But I thought it was predictable...I had it figured out quite early on and that is always a bummer! Otherwise - probably a fun beach read.
Ugh. That's all I can say after finishing this book.
I read both "The Secret Life of Dresses" and "A Vintage Affair" and they were both fantastic. I was really hoping this would be as good but alas...
Firstly, I wasn't prepared for how baby-obsessed everyone was. I wanted to read about the vintage clothes and the eviction, not the desperate need to have a baby.
Another problem was there were far too many storylines for such a short book (example: I didn't see how Amithi's sections added to the story).
The ending was painful. I liked Sam up until the ending. Like FFS it's totally okay to not want to have a kid. I can't stand this trop that after years of not being interested he suddenly wanted kids just because someone he met three months ago does. Seriously? No. Ugh.
To avoid an entirely scathing review I'd like to add that I enjoyed the little descriptions of the clothes at the beginning of each chapter. I really wish that this had been more about the clothes and the shoppe!
I read both "The Secret Life of Dresses" and "A Vintage Affair" and they were both fantastic. I was really hoping this would be as good but alas...
Firstly, I wasn't prepared for how baby-obsessed everyone was. I wanted to read about the vintage clothes and the eviction, not the desperate need to have a baby.
Another problem was there were far too many storylines for such a short book (example: I didn't see how Amithi's sections added to the story).
The ending was painful. I liked Sam up until the ending. Like FFS it's totally okay to not want to have a kid. I can't stand this trop that after years of not being interested he suddenly wanted kids just because someone he met three months ago does. Seriously? No. Ugh.
To avoid an entirely scathing review I'd like to add that I enjoyed the little descriptions of the clothes at the beginning of each chapter. I really wish that this had been more about the clothes and the shoppe!
I liked the stories of the different women and how they came together. I felt that the flow between present and past was good. There was some swearing in it, the f word mostly.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes