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A review by meezcarrie
The Marriage Bureau: The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London by Penrose Halson
3.0
When I first heard about The Marriage Bureau by Penrose Halson, I was immediately drawn to the concept and to the cover. As a fan of mail order bride/marriage of convenience stories, a true account of a couple of friends who decide to start a matchmaking service during WW2 London sounded right up my alley!
It’s written in a light style which really feels like a novel most of the time, a trait that both adds to the enjoyment and takes away at the same time. On the one hand, it’s easy reading. Nothing too heavy. Perfect for a beach read on your upcoming summer vacation, even if it is a nonfiction book. On the other hand, there’s not a lot of historical depth. Maybe I just had a different idea in mind of what the book was going to be about, but I lost interest in the biographical-novel feel fairly quickly.
Bottom Line: The premise of The Marriage Bureau is so fascinating – a look at what amounted to the roots, really, of modern dating sites and matchmaking services. The stories of the matches are charming with dashes of humor, but I felt too much time was spent telling us what Heather and Mary and Picot’s personalities were like instead of showing us (which the style of the book opened me up to expect). However, overall, this is definitely worth a read especially if you love mail-order-bride stories, WW2 history, and happily ever afters.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
see my review at Reading Is My SuperPower
It’s written in a light style which really feels like a novel most of the time, a trait that both adds to the enjoyment and takes away at the same time. On the one hand, it’s easy reading. Nothing too heavy. Perfect for a beach read on your upcoming summer vacation, even if it is a nonfiction book. On the other hand, there’s not a lot of historical depth. Maybe I just had a different idea in mind of what the book was going to be about, but I lost interest in the biographical-novel feel fairly quickly.
Bottom Line: The premise of The Marriage Bureau is so fascinating – a look at what amounted to the roots, really, of modern dating sites and matchmaking services. The stories of the matches are charming with dashes of humor, but I felt too much time was spent telling us what Heather and Mary and Picot’s personalities were like instead of showing us (which the style of the book opened me up to expect). However, overall, this is definitely worth a read especially if you love mail-order-bride stories, WW2 history, and happily ever afters.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
see my review at Reading Is My SuperPower