Scan barcode
esmeemay96's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A short and staccato novel of a young girls first foray into Society.
A darker take on Nancy Mitford,with a melancholic aspect.
I especially enjoyed the closely observed detail of domestic life,e,g the make up and clothes descriptions.
A darker take on Nancy Mitford,with a melancholic aspect.
I especially enjoyed the closely observed detail of domestic life,e,g the make up and clothes descriptions.
cosmopsis's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Minor: War, Sexual harassment, and Racial slurs
annabelws23's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful book, I kept thinking it wouldn't be as good as I wanted it to be by the end, but it was even better, in fact! About growing up, and different kinds of people, and a way of life that is long gone (modest gentry, 1920s, in the English countryside).
mrswythe89's review against another edition
4.0
Thought this was good -- sensitive, very readable style. Was impressed by the evocation of Olivia's moods and vulnerability.
sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
A vividly drawn portrait of a young girl on the verge of adulthood and her first dance, and all the daydreams and heartbreaks that come along with it. Technically, this is limited in scope but it captures Olivia's thoughts and feelings so perfectly that it feels expansive. Lehmann's writing sweeps you up and carries you along with Olivia and I just felt for her so deeply.
siria's review against another edition
3.0
Not much happens in this book, but then nothing is really supposed to happen: it's just a snapshot of a moment in the life of a young girl who was living at a time of immense social change in Britain, one of the last generation of upper-middle-class girls who would be educated at home by a governess, have a brief coming out season, and then be married off to a nice young man. Very light and charming, a quick and pleasurable read.
cehknight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
But a very high four. I wavered close to 5, but then worried that perhaps Joanna Lumley's excellent delivery (I listened via Audible) might have nudged it up a bit.
There was a time when stuff had to happen for people to bother writing about it: murdered Danish kings, ordinary girls marrying fabulously wealthy men, foundlings reunited with long-lost family members, Chancery court cases and spontaneous combustion. Eventually some writers dabbled in more ordinary concerns (especially the French, I hear) ... somebody overspends, or has an unhappy marriage. Finally we have those daring folk in the earliest 20th century who decided even if nothing in particular happens, it's still worth writing about. This is one of those books.
It's still a lovely, gratifying read, and I say that as someone who thrills to the cruel, sarcastic melodrama of a Vanity Fair, or the hilarious twists and turns of a To Say Nothing of the Dog--even I can appreciate this beautifully-written account of, basically, one day and one (later) evening. Not much happens, but the very little that does is splendidly written, with an absolute precision of perfect details and nuances to make each character seem just exactly as if you were to meet them in life.
Further, the author is a bit wiser and cleverer than her characters. I think this ought to be a prerequisite to publication--so many books are ruined when average thinkers with mediocre taste start writing about the most Amazing! Brilliant! Wonderful! characters ever, but they can't make them come off. There's a reason it's often suggested to "write what you know."
Anyhow, I digress. This is a perfectly lovely, charming book, beautifully written. It will not excite, but it will comfort (it's a perfect read after a death, say, when you want to escape but in the other direction from where escapist fiction normally takes you).
In case you're wondering (because the first part takes up quite a bit of time) yes, the characters do get to waltz in the second half. And it turns out that prior to dance clubs, very much the same sort of thing was held in grand homes from time to time, with much the same environment and only slightly different rules (you ask people to dance ahead of time, and book which song in your matching cards). The behaviour may have changed a bit since then, but people are people, and the writing's as fresh as if it were written yesterday.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
There was a time when stuff had to happen for people to bother writing about it: murdered Danish kings, ordinary girls marrying fabulously wealthy men, foundlings reunited with long-lost family members, Chancery court cases and spontaneous combustion. Eventually some writers dabbled in more ordinary concerns (especially the French, I hear) ... somebody overspends, or has an unhappy marriage. Finally we have those daring folk in the earliest 20th century who decided even if nothing in particular happens, it's still worth writing about. This is one of those books.
It's still a lovely, gratifying read, and I say that as someone who thrills to the cruel, sarcastic melodrama of a Vanity Fair, or the hilarious twists and turns of a To Say Nothing of the Dog--even I can appreciate this beautifully-written account of, basically, one day and one (later) evening. Not much happens, but the very little that does is splendidly written, with an absolute precision of perfect details and nuances to make each character seem just exactly as if you were to meet them in life.
Further, the author is a bit wiser and cleverer than her characters. I think this ought to be a prerequisite to publication--so many books are ruined when average thinkers with mediocre taste start writing about the most Amazing! Brilliant! Wonderful! characters ever, but they can't make them come off. There's a reason it's often suggested to "write what you know."
Anyhow, I digress. This is a perfectly lovely, charming book, beautifully written. It will not excite, but it will comfort (it's a perfect read after a death, say, when you want to escape but in the other direction from where escapist fiction normally takes you).
In case you're wondering (because the first part takes up quite a bit of time) yes, the characters do get to waltz in the second half. And it turns out that prior to dance clubs, very much the same sort of thing was held in grand homes from time to time, with much the same environment and only slightly different rules (you ask people to dance ahead of time, and book which song in your matching cards). The behaviour may have changed a bit since then, but people are people, and the writing's as fresh as if it were written yesterday.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).