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bookishwendy's review against another edition
3.0
I really got into the first half of this (rather one-sided) love story set against class differences in the idyllic English countryside between the wars. Orphaned teenaged Jan is cheerfully used and emotionally wrung dry by the brash heiress of an investment magnate. She inspires him to better himself, enlists him in harebrained adventures about the country, drops him in at every shifting whim, and still he comes back for more. It reminded me a bit of [book:The Forsyte Saga|103159] in reverse, but a more apt comparison is probably season one of Downton Abbey. It cleverly alternates between subtle and scandalous, and kept me coming back for more. If only the book had ended with Dunkirk, I would have been satisfied with a bittersweet ending.
But it doesn't end there, and there's a noticeable shift in the story around 60% that made me wonder if the last part had been written much later and tacked on--the lengthy recap at the start of a new section suggests this may have been written as a sequel, as does the fact that Diana's mare Sioux suddenly becomes a "he". If the first part was season one of Downton, then the last 40% is season two: there's a war on now, shifting away from subtlety to high melodrama while the characters become caricatures of their former selves. Suddenly our main leads are leading improbable spy missions in occupied France, murdering without remorse. I admit that I started skimming.
I considered dropping my review to two stars because by the time I finished this I was longing for THE END, but I still experienced a burst of emotion in the final pages despite myself. If not for the unnecessary and interminable war section I would have given this four stars. Still, I keep thinking fondly about the first half and am tempted to check out the BBC adaptation to see if it holds up in translation to screen.
But it doesn't end there, and there's a noticeable shift in the story around 60% that made me wonder if the last part had been written much later and tacked on--the lengthy recap at the start of a new section suggests this may have been written as a sequel, as does the fact that Diana's mare Sioux suddenly becomes a "he". If the first part was season one of Downton, then the last 40% is season two: there's a war on now, shifting away from subtlety to high melodrama while the characters become caricatures of their former selves. Suddenly our main leads are leading improbable spy missions in occupied France, murdering without remorse. I admit that I started skimming.
I considered dropping my review to two stars because by the time I finished this I was longing for THE END, but I still experienced a burst of emotion in the final pages despite myself. If not for the unnecessary and interminable war section I would have given this four stars. Still, I keep thinking fondly about the first half and am tempted to check out the BBC adaptation to see if it holds up in translation to screen.
accidentalmuse's review against another edition
2.0
I read well over 100 pages and just couldn't get into it.
For those of you who haven't read this book it's basically about this fourteen year old girl that meats a fifteen year old guy, she's wealthy he's not. And really all it is is them meeting up and stuff.
Don't get me wrong it's a well written book just not the type I usually read. If you like other books by Delderfield then you should like this one but I think it's a bit out of date.
There is absolutely no plot in this book, it just seemed to be going no where. There were no big 'events' or anything that would keep your interest for the next few chapters.
I give it a 3 stars because I just wasn't interested enough to finish it.
For those of you who haven't read this book it's basically about this fourteen year old girl that meats a fifteen year old guy, she's wealthy he's not. And really all it is is them meeting up and stuff.
Don't get me wrong it's a well written book just not the type I usually read. If you like other books by Delderfield then you should like this one but I think it's a bit out of date.
There is absolutely no plot in this book, it just seemed to be going no where. There were no big 'events' or anything that would keep your interest for the next few chapters.
I give it a 3 stars because I just wasn't interested enough to finish it.
accidentalmuse's review
2.0
I read well over 100 pages and just couldn't get into it.
For those of you who haven't read this book it's basically about this fourteen year old girl that meats a fifteen year old guy, she's wealthy he's not. And really all it is is them meeting up and stuff.
Don't get me wrong it's a well written book just not the type I usually read. If you like other books by Delderfield then you should like this one but I think it's a bit out of date.
There is absolutely no plot in this book, it just seemed to be going no where. There were no big 'events' or anything that would keep your interest for the next few chapters.
I give it a 3 stars because I just wasn't interested enough to finish it.
For those of you who haven't read this book it's basically about this fourteen year old girl that meats a fifteen year old guy, she's wealthy he's not. And really all it is is them meeting up and stuff.
Don't get me wrong it's a well written book just not the type I usually read. If you like other books by Delderfield then you should like this one but I think it's a bit out of date.
There is absolutely no plot in this book, it just seemed to be going no where. There were no big 'events' or anything that would keep your interest for the next few chapters.
I give it a 3 stars because I just wasn't interested enough to finish it.
bbshepherd's review
3.0
It's so funny; I was talking to a friend about books just a couple of days ago and was trying to describe this book but couldn't remember the title or the author. Today I was browsing something else and a book by Delderfield was one of the recommendations. Yes! That's the author! Browsing through his books brought me to Diana, though the title still didn't mean anything to me, the description sounded about right. The only other thing I could remember about it was a quote at the beginning from a poem: Sennacherib. After a little investigation (Amazon look-inside, LOL) I found that this was, indeed, the book.
Why the long explanation? Well, I read this book in my early twenties (a very long time ago) and it has stuck with me. I think it was a book that I found at my husband's parents house. Anyway, it was one of those books that I didn't really like but I couldn't stop reading, and was just SO sure that it was going to have this great, culminating ending...and it didn't. Well-written? Absolutely. Interesting? I guess it must have been or I wouldn't have kept reading. But I found it ultimately depressing and anti-climactic. I have a lingering uneasiness about this book. I may have to read it again as a more mature woman and perhaps my rating will change.
Why the long explanation? Well, I read this book in my early twenties (a very long time ago) and it has stuck with me. I think it was a book that I found at my husband's parents house. Anyway, it was one of those books that I didn't really like but I couldn't stop reading, and was just SO sure that it was going to have this great, culminating ending...and it didn't. Well-written? Absolutely. Interesting? I guess it must have been or I wouldn't have kept reading. But I found it ultimately depressing and anti-climactic. I have a lingering uneasiness about this book. I may have to read it again as a more mature woman and perhaps my rating will change.
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