A review by libs
Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson

emotional slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I love Eva Ibbotson, so when I found out through an episode of Sentimental Garbage that there was a reissued novel by her that I hadn't read, I was beyond excited. I'm obsessed with five other novels by her that are technically adult novels, but when I came across them in the early 2010s, had been rebranded as young adult. This book? It's definitely an adult novel. It has everything I love about her other books (European city settings, love of culture, very tender descriptions of eggs or leaves or dresses!) but without the charm. Maybe it's because the protagonist is old enough to have a daughter the age of Ibbotson's usual heroes, maybe it's the adultery that doesn't end in marriage, maybe it's historical awareness that a world war is imminent. It just felt a  bit bleaker - not to a huge degree, probably not for anyone who isn't obsessed with her other books for their fantasy and comfort, but - not what I was expecting.