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thebookishhedgewitch 's review for:
The American Heiress
by Daisy Goodwin
I wanted to like this book more than I did, and I can't quite put my finger on why it was just an average book. I think I went in with high expectations (having absolutely adored Daisy Goodwin's Victoria). It took too long to get to the meat of what was going on with Ivo; and the character development for Cora felt painfully slow. My favorite character was Bertha - her perspective felt fresh and real; she grapples with what her skin tone means in both the US and the UK and we see the reality of both worlds, both with their positives and both with their negatives. She also grapples with the loyalty that she feels to Cora, even though she knows that Cora does not return her loyalty in an equal and fair way. Many of the secondary characters were fascinating, so a great deal of thought went into character development.
The author did a good job presenting the complexities of marriage and relationships. All the characters struggle with their past selves and actions in ways that are real, none of it felt fabricated or forced. I would have liked to see the perspective from inside Ivo's mind. More flashbacks into Ivo's past and the interaction between him and other characters would have heightened up the suspense surrounding his odd antics.
The author did a good job presenting the complexities of marriage and relationships. All the characters struggle with their past selves and actions in ways that are real, none of it felt fabricated or forced. I would have liked to see the perspective from inside Ivo's mind. More flashbacks into Ivo's past and the interaction between him and other characters would have heightened up the suspense surrounding his odd antics.