You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
holtfan 's review for:
Silent in the Grave
by Deanna Raybourn
2.5 stars
After the first quarter of the book, I was willing to recommend it to anyone. Half way through and my appreciation started slipping, but I assumed it would clear 3 stars. Three fourths through and I wondered if I should bother finishing. By the time I reached the end, I wanted to throw it at some(one)thing
Sigh.
I think I just expected more. I expected more after that intriguing beginning and delightful introduction to characters. Having just muddled through a few heavy-handed books, I appreciated Raybourn's clear writing style. If her foreshadowing got a little much, it at least helped create a sense of suspense. I guessed the villain almost immediately but (initially) enjoyed puzzling out the motives. The book has action, too, and varying scenes around London, from townhouses to brothels to Gypsy camps. I really liked Julia (initially). She had character change and I am a sucker for anyone from a big family. I even (initially) found quite some chemistry between her and Brisbane.
When did it go wrong?
I'm not sure. After page 200 maybe? Lady Julia would be clever and intelligent and then do something utterly stupid or miss a huge clue. And she just continued to do dumb things as the plot progressed. She moons over men and excuses everything by the fact that she hasn't been touched/loved/kissed in a while. I got sick of her "modern" sentiments. Her entire family is progressive and unbelievable. A Father who believes in educating daughters, etc. is one thing, but one who encourages his daughter to take a lover? After a while the book strained even my sense of credulity. Basically every social issue gets hit on, including abortion, homosexuality, racism, women's rights and prostitution. Almost Every. Bloody. Character. takes an open, sweeping view on everything. You can't sweep that all under "eccentricity." Frankly, it wasn't the historical inaccuracy that bugged me as much as the lack of diversity in opinions (unless, of course, you are Evil and Bigoted) found among all the characters. Everyone is pretentiously enlightened and understanding.
Brisbane...well, I liked him at first. Right up until he gets sick. Maybe. He's just so melodramatic. His secret was obvious from the beginning. He is too much. Tall and dark and handsome and brooding with an intense past and secret pains and loyal friends and a serious inability to control his temper. Like seriously. While initially I could play it off as chemistry with Lady Julia, he has serious anger management issues. He's constantly making threats and behaving badly. That is the sort of person you don't want to hang around and certainly not someone you should be romantically involved with.
Now, there are some truly excellent side characters in this novel and I don't have a complaint with them. Particularly Aquinas. That man was fantastic. I like Morag and Magda and even Monk. This book is populated with secondary characters and for the most part they are distinct and add to the story. My biggest issues are really with the 'enlightened understanding' of the Marches, but even they are easy to like. I look forward to meeting more of them (because, yes, despite all my complaints I'm going to give the sequel a try.)
The mystery and resolution however...were pretty awful.
The house went up in flames WAY TOO FAST. Like, Simon throws a lantern and suddenly everything is on fire? A convenient way to dispose of things, perhaps, and move Lady Julia on but really, is this house made and filled with dry wood? Why did she dismiss all the servants when she confronted Simon?
I am left with so many questions. Was Lady Julia really that dense that she missed all the love affairs happening in her own house? But really, even genders aside, I find the entire thing distasteful and not something I want to read about.
Not a book I recommend because of that melodramatic, random ending. However, I will probably look up the sequel as I continue my never ending search for lived-up-to-potential.
After the first quarter of the book, I was willing to recommend it to anyone. Half way through and my appreciation started slipping, but I assumed it would clear 3 stars. Three fourths through and I wondered if I should bother finishing. By the time I reached the end, I wanted to throw it at some(
Sigh.
I think I just expected more. I expected more after that intriguing beginning and delightful introduction to characters. Having just muddled through a few heavy-handed books, I appreciated Raybourn's clear writing style. If her foreshadowing got a little much, it at least helped create a sense of suspense. I guessed the villain almost immediately but (initially) enjoyed puzzling out the motives. The book has action, too, and varying scenes around London, from townhouses to brothels to Gypsy camps. I really liked Julia (initially). She had character change and I am a sucker for anyone from a big family. I even (initially) found quite some chemistry between her and Brisbane.
When did it go wrong?
I'm not sure. After page 200 maybe? Lady Julia would be clever and intelligent and then do something utterly stupid or miss a huge clue. And she just continued to do dumb things as the plot progressed. She moons over men and excuses everything by the fact that she hasn't been touched/loved/kissed in a while. I got sick of her "modern" sentiments. Her entire family is progressive and unbelievable. A Father who believes in educating daughters, etc. is one thing, but one who encourages his daughter to take a lover? After a while the book strained even my sense of credulity. Basically every social issue gets hit on, including abortion, homosexuality, racism, women's rights and prostitution. Almost Every. Bloody. Character. takes an open, sweeping view on everything. You can't sweep that all under "eccentricity." Frankly, it wasn't the historical inaccuracy that bugged me as much as the lack of diversity in opinions (unless, of course, you are Evil and Bigoted) found among all the characters. Everyone is pretentiously enlightened and understanding.
Brisbane...well, I liked him at first. Right up until he gets sick. Maybe. He's just so melodramatic. His secret was obvious from the beginning. He is too much. Tall and dark and handsome and brooding with an intense past and secret pains and loyal friends and a serious inability to control his temper. Like seriously. While initially I could play it off as chemistry with Lady Julia, he has serious anger management issues. He's constantly making threats and behaving badly. That is the sort of person you don't want to hang around and certainly not someone you should be romantically involved with.
Now, there are some truly excellent side characters in this novel and I don't have a complaint with them. Particularly Aquinas. That man was fantastic. I like Morag and Magda and even Monk. This book is populated with secondary characters and for the most part they are distinct and add to the story. My biggest issues are really with the 'enlightened understanding' of the Marches, but even they are easy to like. I look forward to meeting more of them (because, yes, despite all my complaints I'm going to give the sequel a try.)
The mystery and resolution however...were pretty awful.
Spoiler
The ending gets so sordid and melodramatic! The actions of the characters did not fit the way they were portrayed at all. Of course I knew it was Simon but I thought it might be for some noble(r) reason, like he loved Lady Julia and couldn't stand the fact that Edward cheated on her with prostitutes. Edward's STD and male lovers come out of nowhere and fit nowhere. Simon goes from being some mild mannered, dying man to a fiend and crazy, crossed lover and his taunting over their one never-again-mentioned kiss makes no bloody sense. Talk about extreme personality change. The footman sending the notes makes no sense either. The constant references to condoms near the end was rather crass and unneeded. Perhaps that is how I would define the entire conclusion, crass and unneeded.The house went up in flames WAY TOO FAST. Like, Simon throws a lantern and suddenly everything is on fire? A convenient way to dispose of things, perhaps, and move Lady Julia on but really, is this house made and filled with dry wood? Why did she dismiss all the servants when she confronted Simon?
I am left with so many questions. Was Lady Julia really that dense that she missed all the love affairs happening in her own house? But really, even genders aside, I find the entire thing distasteful and not something I want to read about.
Not a book I recommend because of that melodramatic, random ending. However, I will probably look up the sequel as I continue my never ending search for lived-up-to-potential.