Reviews

The Benevolent Society Of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

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italianforrose's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

mimosaeyes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What a nifty library find this was! The short chapters and fast pacing make this easy reading, while some of the subject matter is a little hard to stomach. Knowing that the treatment of the girls and women they rescue in this book is based on historical reality is rather brutal. The time period seems well-researched, the characters are compelling, the cases have a feminist and queer-positive bent to them - all in all, this is a complete package. I'm glad that this is intended to be a series. I would absolutely read more about Gus' adventures.

sarah2's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense 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

4.0

Give me witty women with forceful personalities solving problems in a historic setting any day. The level of historical detail woven throughout the story helped given context and depth to the plot. The mystery and romance tropes included were utilized to great effect and I found myself really invested in the main characters, Lady Augusta and Lady Julia Colebrook. There were some issues with pacing, with some sections seeming to drag just a bit, but overall that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. I hope that Alison Goodman continues to write more for these characters.