Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - An Offer from a Gentleman: Bridgerton

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

An Offer from a Gentleman: Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

39 reviews

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Why...was this literally Cinderella for the entire first third of the book? And then a collection of an insufferable, unhealthy man trying to force a woman to be his f*ck buddy for the rest until the last like 30 pages. I did not enjoy this Bridgerton novel at all. Sophie was a really great character, Benedict was not. There was absolutely nothing redeeming about his character until the very end of the book - and for what? The conflict could have been so much more interesting and less misogynistic than him trying to convince her to be his mistress. Just utter buffoonery and sexism, even for that time.

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annahamburger's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.5

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lexnicole's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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cleotheo's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

"Sie hören sich an, wie die Heldin aus einem sehr schlechten Roman." Das war sicher von der Autorin nicht so beabsichtigt, aber es stimmt leider weitestgehend.
Ich habe dieses Buch gelesen, nachdem ich die Netflix Serie gesehen habe. Die Figur des Benedict ist nicht wiederzuerkennen. Die Dynamik der Figuren in der Familie Bridgerton ist vergleichbar: unterhaltsam. Leider hat dieses Buch aber Hauptfiguren.
Es handelt sich hier um eine Aschenputtel Geschichte. Das Machtungleichgewicht zwischen "Aschenputtel" und dem "Prinz" ist sehr prominent, allerdings wird sich nicht kritisch damit ausseinandergesetzt. Wem das in romantischen Beziehungen gefällt, wird hier sicher auf seine Kosten kommen. Andernfalls wird man wohl, wie ich, hoffen, dass "Aschenputtel" den "Prinzen" sitzen lässt und weit, weit wegrennt. Zusätzlich wären Konsequenzen für die Handlungen unseres "Prinzen" sehr willkommen. Aber das wäre wohl der Stoff für ein besseres Buch.
Am Schreibstil besonders störend fand ich die ständigen Wiederholungen, nichts wird nur angedeutet. Der Leser selbst muss keinerlei Verbindungen herstellen, man muss sich nichts merken, alles wird wiedergekäut.

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prashiie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

“It was strange, to find a woman who could make him happy just with her mere presence. He didn't even have to see her, or hear her voice, or even smell her scent. He just had to know that she was there. If that wasn't love, he didn't know what was.”

Very much like Cinderella, Sophie grows up with her stepmother and stepsisters who treat her very badly. Luckily, she gets the chance to go to a masked ball and takes it. This is where she meets Benedict and they fall in love. While she knew exactly who Benedict was, he didn’t know who the masked lady was who stole his heart. Years fly by and unexpectedly they meet again but under different circumstances.

Unlike the lords and ladies, servants have no freedom to do as they please. This story shows how badly they get treated by some people. From rape to becoming a gentleman’s mistress. It’s not easy, especially if you’re a woman on your own.

I loved Benedict and Sophie’s story! Even though Sophie experienced many hardships in life, her heart remains pure and I was so happy that she met some good people through Benedict. Again Violet was such a pleasant character. The way she loves her children and supports them is amazing. Also Eloise is a lovely character. She stands up for herself and demands to be treated equally.

“Just because we of the female gender are not allowed to study at places like Eton and Cambridge doesn't mean our educations are any less precious,” Eloise ranted, completely ignoring her brother's weak “I know.”

“I am of the opinion that the reason we are not allowed access is that if we were, we would trounce you men in all subjects!”

Overall, an easy read. There were moments where Julia Quinn’s writing puts me off, for example when she writes: “He seized the moment, tasting her, drinking her, breathing her.” Okay, calm down…

I did enjoy the last part of the story where Benedict and Violet get Sophie out of jail. Violet goes against Araminta and the entire time I was cheering her on! Don’t mess with Violet Bridgerton. Then Sophie and Posy stand united against Araminta, ugh so wholesome. I do think Araminta got off too easy. I could never understand how one can be so cruel towards children. Araminta does explain why she hated Sophie so much, but I didn’t find that a satisfying reason.

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meliemelo's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A very fun overall, once you leave aside all the ways Benedict can be infuriating (hopefully that'll be smoothed over in the adaptation) and that whole "you've known each other for FIVE MINUTES" debacle at the end of the first act. It does help that I'm a sucker for the Cinderella trope. Also Violet Bridgerton deserves her own spin-off (and her intervention is definitely the one thing I hope to see in the adaptation). Finally, having never read any other Bridgerton book, I really enjoyed the way Lady Whistledown's publications frame the story, giving it context we couldn't get from the main characters' points of view alone.

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caitlindutton's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.5

LOVED this book. Devoured it in a day. Thought the story was unique, loved the characters (although Ben kinda sucked, still loved him) and touched on some topics of substance and importance.

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