Reviews

This book was not what I was expecting. The characters were fairly flat even though there was an effort to have them change. The setting was lovely, but it wasn't as descriptive as I was expecting either. If you've read Middlemarch by George Eliot and modern novels, this lands somewhere in between. There is more character development but you never get a sense of the character's emotions.

Questions I would like to talk to another reader about are
1. I felt distanced from the characters, did you? If so, why?
2. How would you describe the building they were staying in using your own words? Does your image match mine?

phoebemagdalena's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The descriptions of San Salvatore definitely made this book feel like a holiday. I was enveloped in scents and colours, courted by the sea and lured by the mountains in the distance.
Even the mesh of characters, with their sharp angles and personal histories, did not detract from the gloriousness of it all. Their animosity towards each other to begin with was just a source of amusement (for the most part), but as they grew on each other so did my fondness for them all.

of course any chaos (and resolution) arrived with the men. I feel a little peeved with the author about this: Mellersh is a big nuisance but the place softens him, Frederick doesn't even think of his wife until she is there to remind him of security in his old age, and Briggs - who instantly turns into an idiot upon seeing a pretty face - somehow ends up winning over (or so we're led to imagine) the lovely and unobtainable Lady Caroline. The only chracter whose ending I do not resent is Mrs Fisher's, who arguably was the most irksome of them all.

In spite of my extensive complaining, this was a fantastic read, and one I'll be recommending for a long time.

christinemaschine's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

adommas's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

windmillofwords's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.0

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