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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise of the book is promising but it falls flat. The protagonist is one-dimensional and just plain dumb.
So i was entranced by this story. I felt like i was in San Francisco in the early 1900s.
A Well written story highlighting historical truths of asylums and the 1905 Earthquake that devastated San Francisco
I would recommend this to people who are looking for a quick, interesting historical read.
A Well written story highlighting historical truths of asylums and the 1905 Earthquake that devastated San Francisco
I would recommend this to people who are looking for a quick, interesting historical read.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story follows May Kimble, who loses her mother in 1904 and moves to San Francisco to live with her wealthy aunt. But instead of finding comfort, she walks into a web of family secrets.
The first half of the book kept me guessing. Why does May's cousin sneak out at night? What's behind her aunt's addiction to laudanum? Just when you think things can't get worse, May's uncle has her locked up in an asylum. Then the 1906 earthquake hits, and everything changes.
Robbins does a good job bringing the characters to life, especially as May changes from a helpless young woman to someone fighting for justice. The story moves between fancy ballrooms and dark opium dens, showing both the glitter and grime of old San Francisco.
While some twists were predictable, I stayed interested because I wanted to see May succeed. It's a solid historical drama about survival and revenge, even if it follows some familiar patterns.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Death of parent, Classism
The twists were good. The evolution of May was good. The ending tied it all up a little too neatly and politely.
Absolutely loved this story. Great characters, felt like I was there with her.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I thought it was going to be a book about society and balls, about half way through I was very surprised ha! Did not see it coming and loved this book. It got better every chapter and ended perfectly! The details and story behind the earthquake were so interesting. Definitely reading more of her books
A compelling novel set against the backdrop of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. It's an engaging tale of loss, greed, deception, betrayal, survival, opulence and ruin.
I struggled to read this book and I am also struggling to write a review that describes how I feel about it. I really enjoy historical fiction, and the backdrop of 1906 San Francisco makes for a compelling story, but there was just something about this book that didn't work well for me. The main character May is likable enough, but the entire first half of the book was constantly foreboding, alluding to some big mystery, it actually got very tiresome. The descriptions of the asylum and her treatment there were so brutal and graphic that I felt uncomfortable just reading it and had to rush through that section. The use of the earthquake as her chance to get free was well done, and here is where the author really shined. Her details of the smoke burning their eyes and lungs, the fear and desperation of people after the quake was realistic and compelling. After enduring everything that May went through, the ending wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped. Overall this book was mixed for me.