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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I love reading books by Dorothy Love. She quickly transports me to another place and time, and I become immersed in the story she is telling and feel like I am part of the story. Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray immediately captured my attention and held me captive from start to finish.
When I started reading this book I didn't know anything about Mrs. Lee and only knew about Mr. Lee from his role in the Civil War. It was interesting to read about the two and their love story which wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. I felt sorry for Mrs. Lee as she spent a lot of her married life separated from her husband due to his military duties. Raising seven children basically on her own seemed to be a daunting task and at times I felt she really had no control over her children.
I found the friendship between Mrs. Lee and Selina (who later becomes Mrs. Gray) to be interesting but maybe not so unusual. I can easily imagine other friendships such as this one occurring during this time between mistresses and those who served them. Even though Selina was Mrs. Lee's favorite I could still feel a distance between the two that seemed greater at times than others.
I love the way the story is told. The story switches back and forth between the women and the chapter headings of either "Mary" or "Selina" lets the reader know who they will be hearing from. Even though some events are told from both women's perspectives I never found the story to be boring or repetitive. Love does a wonderful job of keeping the story fresh and interesting as we hear both sides of the story from the storytellers.
Even though this book is 400 pages it is a quick read. The story is interesting and the descriptions are well-written. This is one of those books I found myself thinking about when I wasn't able to be reading it. I couldn't wait to get back to the story and what was going on in these ladies' lives. Fans of historical fiction are sure to enjoy this story of the woman behind Mr. Lee and the slave who was her friend. A book worth reading again and again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley inexchange for my honest opinion which I have given.
When I started reading this book I didn't know anything about Mrs. Lee and only knew about Mr. Lee from his role in the Civil War. It was interesting to read about the two and their love story which wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. I felt sorry for Mrs. Lee as she spent a lot of her married life separated from her husband due to his military duties. Raising seven children basically on her own seemed to be a daunting task and at times I felt she really had no control over her children.
I found the friendship between Mrs. Lee and Selina (who later becomes Mrs. Gray) to be interesting but maybe not so unusual. I can easily imagine other friendships such as this one occurring during this time between mistresses and those who served them. Even though Selina was Mrs. Lee's favorite I could still feel a distance between the two that seemed greater at times than others.
I love the way the story is told. The story switches back and forth between the women and the chapter headings of either "Mary" or "Selina" lets the reader know who they will be hearing from. Even though some events are told from both women's perspectives I never found the story to be boring or repetitive. Love does a wonderful job of keeping the story fresh and interesting as we hear both sides of the story from the storytellers.
Even though this book is 400 pages it is a quick read. The story is interesting and the descriptions are well-written. This is one of those books I found myself thinking about when I wasn't able to be reading it. I couldn't wait to get back to the story and what was going on in these ladies' lives. Fans of historical fiction are sure to enjoy this story of the woman behind Mr. Lee and the slave who was her friend. A book worth reading again and again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley inexchange for my honest opinion which I have given.
Having never read much about the Lee family, and certainly never about Selina Gray, I enjoyed this detailed look into both their lives.
I do feel that the purpose of the novel -the friendship between Mary and Selina - was not fully realized, perhaps because of all the detail in the story. Mary's entire life is narrated at length, which necessarily spreads the focus of the story widely over the lives of all in her immediate family. Although it was very interesting to read and learn about the Lee family, it did detract from the mistress/slave friendship story.
I also was occasionally confused by the timeline as the book went back and forth between two narrators with overlapping time segments.
There were a few big details left out of the story as well, like how exactly the Lees lost Arlington. Other big moments were mentioned rather casually.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and I found the details of the story fascinating.
I do feel that the purpose of the novel -the friendship between Mary and Selina - was not fully realized, perhaps because of all the detail in the story. Mary's entire life is narrated at length, which necessarily spreads the focus of the story widely over the lives of all in her immediate family. Although it was very interesting to read and learn about the Lee family, it did detract from the mistress/slave friendship story.
I also was occasionally confused by the timeline as the book went back and forth between two narrators with overlapping time segments.
There were a few big details left out of the story as well, like how exactly the Lees lost Arlington. Other big moments were mentioned rather casually.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and I found the details of the story fascinating.