melanie_books's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was delightful! It is the story of two young women, Mary Oliver and Heather Jenner, who start a marriage bureau in pre-war London and matched thousands of people through the next ten years. As you can imagine, it was a fascinating read - fast-paced book and thoroughly enjoyable!!

rocketbride's review

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3.0

It was ok. Not as charming as it wants to be.

popolover's review

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3.0

A quick, light read that seemed to gloss over a lot of what was happening in London before, during, and after WW2. The writer seemed confused - is this a book about Mary and Heather or the clients, or maybe Ms. Bottle, because it seemed to switch gears several times. The general idea was intriguing and unique, but the writing style (far too many adjectives) was a bit elementary. I feel like I still only got half the story of all the stories even after reading this book.

sarah_reading_party's review

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3.0

Interesting premise/service... Kind of like a predecessor to online dating services! The book overall could be slow at times, but I enjoyed the letters and learning more about this little slice of history.

karen62's review

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4.0

Brief glimpses of the more interesting clients from the first marriage bureau in England. Some strange, some heartbreaking, lots of happily ever afters, all told with a dry British wit.

labtracks's review

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4.0

Gifted from a family member, this was a delightful read, a nice break from some heavy things I was reading. The story of two women that saw an opportunity and were able to make success for themselves while bringing delight to others. Their passion and talent for their work surely showed to their clients because it came through in this book.

cpalisa's review

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4.0

This was a really fun book about a real life "marriage bureau" in London pre/during/post WWII. The stories about the clients were fun and interesting (and a few sad ones, too) but the best part for me was all the color it added about wartime London. It was a little hard to keep track of all the people but was a really fun and interesting book.

enigmadame's review

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4.0

 What a delightful book! I don't remember requesting it from the library, but I'm glad I got it. An easy, entertaining, true story about the matchmaking business to English women started before WWII. 

renaplays's review

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2.0

Tried the audiobook. Boring. Did not finish.

momreaderh's review

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2.0

Just not terribly engaging as a story. Kind of boring in places. A few cute stories here and there, but this book never really drew me in.