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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting classic novel exploring industrialisation, labour rights, class and the north/south divide in England. Romance is a large part of the story, but this book only really features the slow burn build up, and Margarets family and friends also feature strongly. I do not have the practice in reading novels from the 1800s and so the language and styles of the time does often get a little in the way of my enjoyment. This did feel a little bloated to my taste with a few too many details of what they were doing, but listening to the audiobook on a slightly faster speed than I normally would remedied this slightly. I did enjoy the shape of this story, and many of the characters felt very real and helped the story explore the themes in an organic way. The main character Margaret didn't feel very memorable, although for the time she might have been very outside the mould of what a young woman was expected to be! There were also some scenes that felt very cinematic (particularly the riot scene). It was interesting for a romance storyline to have both character's POV, which added nicely to the story, and the secret/misunderstanding keeping them apart was in place for a very good reason which I appreciated! The ending was a touch abrupt and I would have liked a little more resolution on the romance plot. By the end, it was also starting to feel like the author wasn't sure how to add interest to a plot without killing off more characters close to Margaret! Generally, I liked this better than I expected, although I did struggle with losing interest at some points and with the writing style.
relaxing
slow-paced
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I tried reading it, but the narration style felt inconsistent, almost as if it didn’t know what it wanted to be, or like it was written by more than one person. I also found the story lacking in charm and not particularly engaging. I’ll still give the BBC series a try.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated