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A review by bookmarking
Cecily by Annie Garthwaite
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The cover overplays the importance of Cecily. She is not a politician, but a a politician’s wife. Of course, there is a difference. In this book she is presented as politically engaged, astute and interested, but for large swathes of the book she is at home reading letters from her husband. Surprisingly, she doesn’t interact much with other women in this book - much more could have been made of that.
The book ends very abruptly. The last 50 pages felt rushed and crammed in, contrasting with the beginning which was a little slow. There was also very little character growth or reflection on her character. This is a shame, as she starts the book hard and calculating, and ends it the same way. In some ways, Marguerite has a better development, but that is not explored or reflected upon.
Overall, not a bad first novel, but the uneven pacing, lack of character growth and lack of interesting details of day to day medieval female living rendered this book uninspiring. I like the idea though, and would read a second novel by this author.
The book ends very abruptly. The last 50 pages felt rushed and crammed in, contrasting with the beginning which was a little slow. There was also very little character growth or reflection on her character. This is a shame, as she starts the book hard and calculating, and ends it the same way. In some ways, Marguerite has a better development, but that is not explored or reflected upon.
Overall, not a bad first novel, but the uneven pacing, lack of character growth and lack of interesting details of day to day medieval female living rendered this book uninspiring. I like the idea though, and would read a second novel by this author.