Reviews

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

westofmars's review

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challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
 Surprised myself with a DNF at 269. I mean, less than a hundred pages left! I'd seen this book around for eons and was eager to read it and... 

archernaelra's review

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5.0

laughed and smiled thru the while book. Banter and writing was excellent. Only a small amount of heat which was perfect for this book.

music768's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

sallyavena's review

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2.0

It was okay but a little too pg-13(meaning I skipped paragraphs and at times pages and I think I missed some things) for me at times and the 2 story lines made it a little confusing.

aliena_jackson's review

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1.0

What an absolutely atrocious "historical" romance. This book could have been set during a reenactment of these events, circa 2022. No propriety, period vocabulary was off, and don't get me started on the slang. The writing was poor to mediocre.

In the end, this was not a "history of the pink carnation" it was a history of two horny idiots who mess everything up for those around them. We all know Richard "Dick" Selwick is a figurehead who does nothing more than take credit for his employees' work, all the while making their lives harder because of what an utter nincompoop he is. And Amy- UGH! "Pick me. Choose me. Love me." and "Not like other girls." Energy POURS off of Amy in DROVES.

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. This entire book should have been about Jane. Jesus Christ, I hate it.

jackiehorne's review

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3.0

A fun premise, but far too silly/fluffy for my tastes

sarahanne8382's review

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3.0

a little too predictable, but Willig still brings freshness to this cute fictional story of a history grad student researching the story of the The Pink Carnation, a contemporary of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Most of the story focuses on the Pink Carnation, but the modern story is alright, as well. And just because I don't know how else to mention it in my review without giving away too much of the plot, this is definitely a romance novel, as well as fun adventurous historical fiction full of political intrigue. Looking this up on Amazon I also see that there's now a sequel called The Masque of the Black Tulip ... hmm, may have to check it out. Definitely fluff, but quasi-historical fluff, so I shouldn't feel as guilty for liking it, right?

tmm80's review

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3.0

3.5 stars. It started slow, the middle was great but I didn't really like the end.

labwa_0712's review against another edition

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1.0

How was Richard even the purple gentian? he was too stupid

oddsbodikins7's review

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5.0

It took me awhile to get into this book, but as soon as I did, I couldn't put it down! Advice for those looking to pick this up: completely ignore the synopsis on the back cover. The story touches on that sub-plot maybe 20 pages out of the book, and really it could have been removed completely.

I will definitely be looking at the next book, I hope it's as good as this one!