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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Just couldn’t get into it. Whether it’s a bit of the dry start or not the right mood… I couldn’t bring myself to pick this one up.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book really crept up on me. It’s definitely a slow burn, but I fell in love along the way.
I’d consider this a challenging read. There’s a lot of characters and information to keep track of, and each page contains a lot of information.
I’d consider this a challenging read. There’s a lot of characters and information to keep track of, and each page contains a lot of information.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A wonderful tribute to the power of women and female friendship.
Also very happy that Vivian did not end up with Alec!
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Things wrapped up a little to easily at the end, but overall a good read. Last 100 pages went by quickly
Three excellently written female characters: Grace, Vivien and Evie all work for Bloomsbury Books - a bookshop in London in 1950. Store Manager Mr Dutton has established 51 rules for the shop - and the story is told through chapters based on each rule. In a time where women were considered to be lucky to be working and where their working lives were ruled by men, the three friends find solace in each other. Grace, Vivien and Evie are all very different - Grace is working to support her family after her husband came back from WWII with PTSD. Viv is working to support herself after her fiance was killed during the war. And Evie is in the first class of women to graduate from Cambridge - she is working at Bloomsbury Books to uncover a very rare book. One thing I really enjoyed was that the women got to meet some of the literary figures of the time: Daphne du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Samuel Beckett, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell) and Peggy Guggenheim. And of course what's not to love about a book set in a bookshop!
This elegant historical fiction read was greatly enhanced by listening to the audio version. Juliet Stevenson narrates and does an exceptional job of bringing the stories and characters to life.
I picked this up because I loved the author's debut novel - The Jane Austen Society. For me, this book did not quite live up to that one, but I still found it delightful and immersive. I felt like a few of the relationships and storylines could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but I understand why the author handled things the way that she did. The switch between focusing on each of the ensemble cast of characters allows the author to give a wider view of the story, but does not allow the reader to get quite as deep with each character.
I picked this up because I loved the author's debut novel - The Jane Austen Society. For me, this book did not quite live up to that one, but I still found it delightful and immersive. I felt like a few of the relationships and storylines could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but I understand why the author handled things the way that she did. The switch between focusing on each of the ensemble cast of characters allows the author to give a wider view of the story, but does not allow the reader to get quite as deep with each character.