You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
Na het zien van Bridgerton op Netflix wilde ik me graag laten verrassen door meer van deze tijd, en dat is schrijfster Suzanne Allain zeker gelukt met dit boek. 'Mr. Malcolms lijst' is kort, krachtig, romantisch, dramacvol en vooral luchtig geschreven. Je wordt namelijk sowieso heerlijk meespeelt door het verhaal en voordat je her weet ben je alweer op het einde.
Ik merkte wel dat met name het einde wat teveel van hetzelfde is - je wacht op een bepaald moment, maar het wordt opgevuld met veel van hetzelfde. En dat is jammer. Maar al met al zeker wel een paar uurtjes plezier aan beleefd.
Ik merkte wel dat met name het einde wat teveel van hetzelfde is - je wacht op een bepaald moment, maar het wordt opgevuld met veel van hetzelfde. En dat is jammer. Maar al met al zeker wel een paar uurtjes plezier aan beleefd.
I was really looking forward to this book and I was so disappointed. Some of the reviews mention the book vs the film but I am not interested in the film so can't comment on any of that, although I believe it predates Bridgerton. If you are wondering whether to bother with the film, abookolive gives an excellent comparison which may help you decide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e7SOmn6cm0&t=3s
What I can say that is that the book was bad. The author appears to have about as much knowledge of Regency England as I do of the Antebellum South. She has taken many popular Regency tropes and smothered them to death. I was looking forward to two really unreasonable, offensive list of requirements for a partner but did not get them - the titular list was ridiculous, not to mention perfectly reasonable and perfectly boring. The second promised list (Selina's) simply did not exist. There was no character development, they were barely characters, everyone behaved as the author needed them to regardless of circumstances or logic.
The author seems to have an obsession with water - I guess one brief scene in 1995 P&P has a lot to answer for. The main set piece is both embarrassing and boring; the final effort at some excitement is just plain pointless, although also embarrassing. The characters, such as they were, were bland and uninvolving. From my personal perspective, my sole involvement with the plot was wishing Selina would but then I don't like tall, dark and handsome I prefer blondes. Every character seemed to be portrayed as 'nice' (except Julia) until the plot demands that you just want to kill them. Everybody is horrid to Selina at some point even though they all apparently adore her. I will admit, against the tide of opinion, to a soft spot for Cassie; I think the author hasn't really understood this Regency/Victorian trope, the idiot friend is certainly a thing but he is not usually an actual idiot whereas poor Cassie is hardly fit to allow out in public.
I have given two stars because the book is very light and easy to read and I really can't see it seriously offending anyone. I read it in two days and probably could have finished it it in a single day is I hadn't kept falling asleep (tiredness, not boredom, although I think a more gripping story could have kept me awake).
What I can say that is that the book was bad. The author appears to have about as much knowledge of Regency England as I do of the Antebellum South. She has taken many popular Regency tropes and smothered them to death. I was looking forward to two really unreasonable, offensive list of requirements for a partner but did not get them - the titular list was ridiculous, not to mention perfectly reasonable and perfectly boring. The second promised list (Selina's) simply did not exist. There was no character development, they were barely characters, everyone behaved as the author needed them to regardless of circumstances or logic.
The author seems to have an obsession with water - I guess one brief scene in 1995 P&P has a lot to answer for. The main set piece
Spoiler
in the conservatorySpoiler
the carriage accidentSpoiler
ditch Jeremy and marry the lovely HenryI have given two stars because the book is very light and easy to read and I really can't see it seriously offending anyone. I read it in two days and probably could have finished it it in a single day is I hadn't kept falling asleep (tiredness, not boredom, although I think a more gripping story could have kept me awake).
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
I was hooked from the beginning and read this all in one sitting. I liked that it was a short read but actually found myself wishing that it was longer so that events didn’t seem so rushed. The narrator was very detached from the characters and showed everyone’s pov at once which was confusing, I would have enjoyed a more personal book a bit more. But it was by all means a good book.
I loved the 2022 film adaptation of this novel, but the book didn't work for me in the same way. Suzanne Allain describes herself as a screenwriter, and Mr. Malcolm's List seems like a perfect affirmation of that description. Most of the movie's dialogue follows the book word for word, but it works on screen because it has all the extra elements of that medium to give it the emphasis it needs. On paper, Allain writes fairly minimally, and therefore leaves out much of the pacing and emotional weight captured on screen.