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eschaalman's review against another edition
4.0
This novel reminded me of The Crimson Petal and the White with a touch of Michelle Lovric perhaps. The story moved rather swiftly and the characters were brilliantly drawn- from the crazed pianoforte maker, to the lusty music tutor, to the silly girls taking the lessons. A somehow light hearted read, despite dealing with some hard circumstances that the characters need to deal with.
flyingleaps's review against another edition
2.0
I was so excited to get this book from the Early Reviewer program over on LibraryThing, and then it took me this long to read it (whoops), so I can hardly call this review Early any more, but let me tell you why:
I just. Didn't. Like it.
I can't tell if it's that there's far too much going on in the story (which there was) or if it was just a lack of a cohesive idea underpinning it all but it was tiresome to get through. It's taken me since April to get through the book because I kept picking it up and putting it down again for something different.
I won't rehash the plot (or rather, what's the plot claims to be), because that can read any number of other places. The basic conceit is hardly new: five nouveau riche girls are in need of husbands, with titles if possible. I suppose this is where one set of reviewers drew the Jane Austen parallel. The approach was what was supposed to set this novel apart: a "wicked...romp", a "fun, lascivious gambol", "rowdy, elegant and kick-ass".
I want to find every one of these reviewers and find out how dull their lives are that these were the words they chose. That, and to present them with both dictionary and thesaurus so that they might find better, more accurate descriptors. Of all the ones claiming it was witty, I can agree that were moments, single passages that caught my attention. Here and there in this 306-page novel, there were half a dozen pairs of sentences that caught me for a moment with the beauty of the writing.
The rest of it was simultaneously dull and jarring. Too much time was spent on minutiae and major plot points were rushed through. None of the characters were fully developed and most of all, I care not a bit about any of them. Nor did the author ever, EVER give me reason to. A physical deformity is not going to make me care, one way or the other. I don't give a damn who someone sleeps with so you're going to have to try harder than that, too.
This was an interesting idea poorly executed. With another round of hard edits, the deletion of secondary plotlines and a general splash of caffeine to the language, characters and story as a whole, it might be worth recommending. At least they could do enough to punch of the story to make it worth such an evocative title.
I just. Didn't. Like it.
I can't tell if it's that there's far too much going on in the story (which there was) or if it was just a lack of a cohesive idea underpinning it all but it was tiresome to get through. It's taken me since April to get through the book because I kept picking it up and putting it down again for something different.
I won't rehash the plot (or rather, what's the plot claims to be), because that can read any number of other places. The basic conceit is hardly new: five nouveau riche girls are in need of husbands, with titles if possible. I suppose this is where one set of reviewers drew the Jane Austen parallel. The approach was what was supposed to set this novel apart: a "wicked...romp", a "fun, lascivious gambol", "rowdy, elegant and kick-ass".
I want to find every one of these reviewers and find out how dull their lives are that these were the words they chose. That, and to present them with both dictionary and thesaurus so that they might find better, more accurate descriptors. Of all the ones claiming it was witty, I can agree that were moments, single passages that caught my attention. Here and there in this 306-page novel, there were half a dozen pairs of sentences that caught me for a moment with the beauty of the writing.
The rest of it was simultaneously dull and jarring. Too much time was spent on minutiae and major plot points were rushed through. None of the characters were fully developed and most of all, I care not a bit about any of them. Nor did the author ever, EVER give me reason to. A physical deformity is not going to make me care, one way or the other. I don't give a damn who someone sleeps with so you're going to have to try harder than that, too.
This was an interesting idea poorly executed. With another round of hard edits, the deletion of secondary plotlines and a general splash of caffeine to the language, characters and story as a whole, it might be worth recommending. At least they could do enough to punch of the story to make it worth such an evocative title.
stonypockets's review against another edition
4.0
Started off a bawdy, borderline banal tale of a music teacher trying to deflower some neauveau riche students. But the last 75 pages or so really bumped it up a star for me. The author threw some peeks into the futures of the girls in the final chapter… kind of the way 80's movies would tell you the funny fates of the characters during the closing credits. I almost feel like this book could be rewritten so that the recital was really the beginning of some interesting journeys, rather than the apex of the plot. Better than I expected.
alisonannk's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic book. Not an era that I normally read about but I loved the setting and the characterisation that reflected the ideas of the time.
The parallel storylines of alathea and Annie then the girls and the maestro are connected enough to make you wonder where they will clash but not so connected as to get complicated.
Some parts were rather shocking and extreme but handled well.
I liked that the characters fates were alluded to, or told, at the end. Some events displeased me but overall I found this a riveting book.
The parallel storylines of alathea and Annie then the girls and the maestro are connected enough to make you wonder where they will clash but not so connected as to get complicated.
Some parts were rather shocking and extreme but handled well.
I liked that the characters fates were alluded to, or told, at the end. Some events displeased me but overall I found this a riveting book.
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