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95 reviews for:
De dochter van de ambassadeur: Een prachtig verhaal over moed, verlangen en liefde in bewogen tijden
Pam Jenoff
3.44 AVERAGE
95 reviews for:
De dochter van de ambassadeur: Een prachtig verhaal over moed, verlangen en liefde in bewogen tijden
Pam Jenoff
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
http://www.girllostinabook.com/2013/02/review-ambassadors-daughter-by-pam.html
I have a Pam Jenoff fan who likes to donate her books to our Little Free Library Shed.
So, for some reason, I keep thinking I will give her books a try…again. They look interesting. They are historical fiction, and when I am in the mood for historical fiction, I am hopeful.
So, this is my third Pam Jenoff book.
I have reviewed, Almost Home and The Lost Girls of Paris. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5704456738 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5046539344
According to the author, this book is a prequel to her books The Kommandant’s Girl and The Diplomat’s Wife. I haven’t read those two. Do I want to? There is another book of hers that was also dropped off, The Orphan’s Tale…it is in my pile…I will let you know.
Anyway, back to this one.
The story takes place after World War I and focuses largely on human emotions rather than the political changes taking place in Europe as the continent begins to recover.
To be honest it felt more like a silly fluff of a romance novel with a not very easy to like heroine.
There are a lot of different plot strands weaving in and out, but none of them are fully explored or developed.
Potential? Yes.
Did it meet it?
So, for some reason, I keep thinking I will give her books a try…again. They look interesting. They are historical fiction, and when I am in the mood for historical fiction, I am hopeful.
So, this is my third Pam Jenoff book.
I have reviewed, Almost Home and The Lost Girls of Paris. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5704456738 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5046539344
According to the author, this book is a prequel to her books The Kommandant’s Girl and The Diplomat’s Wife. I haven’t read those two. Do I want to? There is another book of hers that was also dropped off, The Orphan’s Tale…it is in my pile…I will let you know.
Anyway, back to this one.
The story takes place after World War I and focuses largely on human emotions rather than the political changes taking place in Europe as the continent begins to recover.
To be honest it felt more like a silly fluff of a romance novel with a not very easy to like heroine.
There are a lot of different plot strands weaving in and out, but none of them are fully explored or developed.
Potential? Yes.
Did it meet it?
Probably more 2.5 stars for me. I thought the story was fine but after reading it I was left thinking there could have been so much more to the story of Germans at the WWI treaty conference than just the doomed (or is it) love story. That part got predictable.
The prequel to The Kommandant's girl, I found fascinating, mainly because I didn't realize it had anything to do with that to begin with. I simply enjoyed the story. It held flavors of one of my favorites by her, "The Diplomat's wife", but lacked the intriguing storyline. It was good, but not amazing.
Oh, Margot. If only you'd read The Kommandant's Girl. I don't think I've ever read a prequel... it was strange and the "main guy" didn't appear for 80 pages, but it was GOOD! Knowing what was going to happen in the future was interesting. I'm thinking there will be another book squeezed between #.5 and #1. Enjoyed the three I've read so far. Same nice character development as the others. Nice job Pam Jenoff!
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Borrowed this from the library based on the cover and blurb. That's always a bit of a treasure hunt/gamble - and this one didn't deliver.
The protagonist is a naive, sheltered, indecisive idiot. She, a German who's been living in the UK during WWI, reacts with disbelief and shock to the fact that people have been starving in Germany because of the blockade. Really? A vital document goes missing from her room, and she freaks out but never thinks about the reason for that, because if she had, she would've realized in about two seconds who was responsible. Come on. The author wants the final 'twist' of her being blindsided by it being a friend, but c'mon. A five-year-old would've known that already.
And don't even get me started on how the author wants us to root for the ~so romantic instalove between the protagonist and the dashing naval officer, while the protagonist waffles sadly the whole book about her preexisting commitment to the third side of this love triangle. I guess it's supposed to be ~extra tragic that a German Jew is falling in love with a budding Nazi. But 'love at first sight' doesn't work for me, and neither did the frankly unbelievable way she conducted herself. (Her father is protective, but only when it serves the author's goals; I absolutely don't believe that he would've been so blind to the way his unmarried, vulnerable daughter was behaving.)
It's not just the protagonist, either. The writing is shoddy too. I love unreliable narrators, but only when they MAKE SENSE. Having a protagonist lie to their internal narration for no reason in order to develop a twist later on isn't fun, it's just bullshit writing. There's no reason for. Zero.
Sigh. I thought a book in this time period sounded like a great idea. And I still do. Just - not this book.
The protagonist is a naive, sheltered, indecisive idiot. She, a German who's been living in the UK during WWI, reacts with disbelief and shock to the fact that people have been starving in Germany because of the blockade. Really? A vital document goes missing from her room, and she freaks out but never thinks about the reason for that, because if she had, she would've realized in about two seconds who was responsible. Come on. The author wants the final 'twist' of her being blindsided by it being a friend, but c'mon. A five-year-old would've known that already.
And don't even get me started on how the author wants us to root for the ~so romantic instalove between the protagonist and the dashing naval officer, while the protagonist waffles sadly the whole book about her preexisting commitment to the third side of this love triangle. I guess it's supposed to be ~extra tragic that a German Jew is falling in love with a budding Nazi. But 'love at first sight' doesn't work for me, and neither did the frankly unbelievable way she conducted herself. (Her father is protective, but only when it serves the author's goals; I absolutely don't believe that he would've been so blind to the way his unmarried, vulnerable daughter was behaving.)
It's not just the protagonist, either. The writing is shoddy too. I love unreliable narrators, but only when they MAKE SENSE. Having a protagonist lie to their internal narration for no reason in order to develop a twist later on isn't fun, it's just bullshit writing. There's no reason for
Spoiler
the protagonist to refer to her husband as her fiance in her own thoughts for most of the book until the author feels like revealing it, then instantly switching overSigh. I thought a book in this time period sounded like a great idea. And I still do. Just - not this book.
Good storyline. Good to see WW1 from another perspective, and great at creating the scene. However there has been one too many books set in the 20th century wars
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated