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Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'
First Earl I See Tonight: A Debutante Diaries Novel by Anna Bennett
1 review
telemachus's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This started out so strong. I thought Anna Bennett might be a new fav historical author. I plan to continue reading her so maybe she will, but this was ultimately a let down.
Things I liked:
Fiona! She was a refreshing heroine & I loved how she was the one to pursue Gray. While still naive due to the standards of her day, she wasn't afraid to do what she had to and also to take the things she wanted in life.
Supportive grandma characters are the best and the dowager countess absolutely falls into this category. Could she have been utilized a bit more? Yeah. I'd love to have had more scenes of her bonding with Fiona but I appreciated every moment that we got.
The speech Gray made when he asked Fiona's father for her hand was just *chef's kiss*. Beautiful. And this man says he's not a poet.
Writing was compulsively readable. I liked the journal entries at the start but I did start skimming them in the latter half.
Things I didn't like:
Around the 50% mark, the book started to drag. Not too terribly but it was taking the wind out of my sails as I read. I think if Fiona got a third letter from her blackmailer around this point and started to suspect some in their group was the blackmailer, it would've helped with the pace not to mention the actual blackmailer plot which was a hot mess.
Gray's trauma was unnecessarily over the top. I feel bad saying that, but the purpose it served for the both the plot and the way it informed his character didn't match the scale and horror of the trauma. His internal monologue was also emotionally muddled in a way that felt inconsistent rather than realistic.
This book uses a slur: "[...] Over the course of three decades, it fell into disrepair. Thieves broke in and stole some of the furnishings. G*psies and other vagrants took shelter here for extended periods. [...]" This was dialogue from Gray's mouth, explaining the state of his manor to Fiona. While the use of that word would probably be historically accurate, that's not an excuse because a) this book isn't historically accurate, and b) it's a slur!!! It's only used a single time and the author + St. Martin's staff may not have known better but still. That's just not okay.
Things I liked:
Fiona! She was a refreshing heroine & I loved how she was the one to pursue Gray. While still naive due to the standards of her day, she wasn't afraid to do what she had to and also to take the things she wanted in life.
Supportive grandma characters are the best and the dowager countess absolutely falls into this category. Could she have been utilized a bit more? Yeah. I'd love to have had more scenes of her bonding with Fiona but I appreciated every moment that we got.
The speech Gray made when he asked Fiona's father for her hand was just *chef's kiss*. Beautiful. And this man says he's not a poet.
Writing was compulsively readable. I liked the journal entries at the start but I did start skimming them in the latter half.
Things I didn't like:
Around the 50% mark, the book started to drag. Not too terribly but it was taking the wind out of my sails as I read. I think if Fiona got a third letter from her blackmailer around this point and started to suspect some in their group was the blackmailer, it would've helped with the pace not to mention the actual blackmailer plot which was a hot mess.
Gray's trauma was unnecessarily over the top. I feel bad saying that, but the purpose it served for the both the plot and the way it informed his character didn't match the scale and horror of the trauma. His internal monologue was also emotionally muddled in a way that felt inconsistent rather than realistic.
This book uses a slur: "[...] Over the course of three decades, it fell into disrepair. Thieves broke in and stole some of the furnishings. G*psies and other vagrants took shelter here for extended periods. [...]" This was dialogue from Gray's mouth, explaining the state of his manor to Fiona. While the use of that word would probably be historically accurate, that's not an excuse because a) this book isn't historically accurate, and b) it's a slur!!! It's only used a single time and the author + St. Martin's staff may not have known better but still. That's just not okay.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
Uses the word g*psy in one sentence. The use is uncritical and derogatory.
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