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A review by smuttymcbookface
First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Despite Mary Balogh's beautiful writing style, I found myself bored and unsympathetic to Elliot.
His demand that Vanessa accept his claim she's beautiful, despite his internal dialogue where he's not really sure himself, and his pushiness over her hesitation, was hard to read. Additionally, when he was annoyed and petty, taking it out on her by using her as a quick pump and dump was frustrating to read. He viewed himself as the model of society, and it felt as though poor Vanessa always had to live up to deserving him. I appreciate that this was a perfect representation of men at his time, but that didn't make it enjoyable to read about him.
In contrast, I loved Vanessa, her strength, and her insistence on making the best of everything. She was wonderfully good without being flawless, and was much kinder to many characters than they deserved. She was resilient, understanding of herself and what she gave as a person, and took way too much in her stride.
I found the plot quite slow, yet the writing was superb and truly evocative.Reading about poor Vanessa having making friends with Elliott's mistress, all because he didn't tell her, was so well-written and had your heart breaking for her.
Although I found this particular book too slow, I'm keen to try others from her.
His demand that Vanessa accept his claim she's beautiful, despite his internal dialogue where he's not really sure himself, and his pushiness over her hesitation, was hard to read. Additionally, when he was annoyed and petty, taking it out on her by using her as a quick pump and dump was frustrating to read. He viewed himself as the model of society, and it felt as though poor Vanessa always had to live up to deserving him. I appreciate that this was a perfect representation of men at his time, but that didn't make it enjoyable to read about him.
In contrast, I loved Vanessa, her strength, and her insistence on making the best of everything. She was wonderfully good without being flawless, and was much kinder to many characters than they deserved. She was resilient, understanding of herself and what she gave as a person, and took way too much in her stride.
I found the plot quite slow, yet the writing was superb and truly evocative.
Although I found this particular book too slow, I'm keen to try others from her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, and Violence