Scan barcode
cimorene1558's review
5.0
Oh my, how I do love these books. Funny, fantastic, one of my favourite historic periods, and two very fantastic young ladies!
jklbookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
It took a bit too long to get up to speed, but I enjoyed the last section. There are certainly some interesting travels and mysteries and whatnot, but the ancillary characters are more interesting than the main ones. The epistolary style which worked so well in the first book is replaced by an alternating diary/deposition format that isn't nearly as effective. The biggest problem, though, is that the four main characters are so indistinct that I can never remember who is who, who is married to whom, etc. Since each section lists their married name and I have no clue which last name goes with a first name, I'd have to skim until I found a phrase like, "Cecy and I headed over..." so I could say, "Ah, this is written by Kate!" I should have made a sticky note to help me keep track, but I expected it to get easier. It didn't. I'll read the third one, and hope it's more like the first one, but I'm disappointed.
amibunk's review
3.0
Not as good as the first in the series. I would give the beginning 4 stars and the ending 4 stars, but the middle dragged on a little bit. I hate to say this about Patricia Wrede, because I adore her, but it should have been about 50 pages less in the middle.
garnetofeden's review
3.0
Not quite as witty and clever as its predecessor, but enjoyable nonetheless. I'm hoping that some of the odd things introduced in this book that don't quite make sense (like the knitting) will be resolved in the next volume. I was interested that the authors included a reference to the League of the Pimpernel, which I believe to be entirely fictional, yet I didn't see any mention of Baroness Orczy. Not sure what to think about that yet.
Last finished May 2011. Rating reviewed 6/23/2023.
Last finished May 2011. Rating reviewed 6/23/2023.
savmhunter's review against another edition
4.0
What is interesting about this book in comparison to the first one, Sorcery and Cecelia, is that you can really tell the writing styles apart between the authors. Patricia Wrede, who writes as Cecelia, tends to move the story along adding new details and giving the important plot info. Whereas Caroline Stevermer, as Kate, is a much more romantic, and concentrates more on character building and relationships especially between Kate and Thomas. I found this book overall enjoyable but a little glad when it was over because the plot within was a little confusing. The ending resolution made sense but I feel like the middle portion dragged. But it was nice how the authors tied everything together at the end.
milkweedwitch's review
2.0
The Grand Tour is the sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia. I adored Sorcery and Cecilia. This book? Not so much. I’m not even sure why I finished it. It was very, very different than Sorcery and Cecelia. I suppose I just did not care about the characters anymore now that they were married.
What I think made Sorcery and Cecilia so delightful was the epistolary narrative. In this installment in the series, that device has been replaced by the Deposition testimony of Cecelia and the private diary of Kate. It’s not as enthralling or interesting as the letters between the characters had been. In S&C the characters interacted through their letters, but this narrative device does not allow for that sort of interaction.
Overall, reading this book felt like a chore. I will definitely NOT be reading the 3rd book in the series.
What I think made Sorcery and Cecilia so delightful was the epistolary narrative. In this installment in the series, that device has been replaced by the Deposition testimony of Cecelia and the private diary of Kate. It’s not as enthralling or interesting as the letters between the characters had been. In S&C the characters interacted through their letters, but this narrative device does not allow for that sort of interaction.
Overall, reading this book felt like a chore. I will definitely NOT be reading the 3rd book in the series.
booksnorkel's review
2.0
This book I liked better than the first. I prefer the diary format to the letter writing. I love hearing about the fashions, and the social aspect of that time period. I have a hard time keeping the two girls apart, and they don't make enough mention of their ages, and some of the finer details that I love in books. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, unless it's like a fourth grade girl who is into regency period books and magic.