Scan barcode
A review by melcanread
The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Set in Victorian England, we follow Lady Catriona Campbell as she and her friends fight against the English government in the early stages of the British suffragette movement. On the flipside, we meet Mr. Elias Khoury, a middle-eastern man who comes to England for nefarious reasons. When the two worlds collide in the most awkward of ways, boundaries get pushed, and minds get changed.
I want to begin by talking about how much I loved Dunmore's decision to include uncomfortable topics in this novel, specifically the role the British had in plundering foreign lands, stealing their goods, and hoarding them in the British Museum. I loved how there was so much emphasis put on the country benefitting from theft and international crime, and how the victims of these crimes were begging for their things back, and their cries were falling on deaf ears. It shames me to say, that even over 100 years later, nothing has changed. The British are still benefitting and displaying items that don't belong in our borders, and we're still arguing that they're better with us, despite numerous artifacts becoming damaged in our care.
Catriona was a perfect character, perhaps because I can relate to her in a way, or perhaps because she was realistic, I'm not entirely sure. But either way, it was wonderful watching her grow, adapt, and open herself up to Elias and her friends, and become one of the strongest female characters I have ever read. She was an insanely, hard-working woman, who fought for women's rights and won, despite all of the struggles she and her friends faced. Although, it did make me laugh when she was writing to an MP: "The letter felt concise and factual to her, which meant it was too blunt. She would have to soften it and dress it with a bow; make it appealing to a man's sense of honour..." Me, when writing to my local MP: I hope the war in Gaza lines your pockets well, sincerely, MY NAME STILL ISN'T MELANIE!! She truly walked so I could run. Well... she didn't, but the actual women who were in her position did.
Elias has single-handedly ruined men for me (not that that was a hard thing to do, of course. Men are, in fact, men). But, how am I supposed to find a man, and be happy with one that doesn't worship the ground I walk on, lift pieces of my hair to his mouth to kiss while I sleep, and just generally admire me so much that he's willing to start a brand new life away from his family just to have me? Answer: I'm not. The way Dunmore wrote him makes me realise why men made gossiping and women talking to one another "immoral", because they know they're never going to compete with the likes of Messieurs Elias Khoury, and Fitzwilliam Darcy.
And the spice was absolutely delicious - you could truly feel the tension dripping off every, single word they spoke from start to finish. Even during the final smut scene, their infatuation with one another was palpable. While I haven't read the other books in this series yet, I'm very much looking forward to it if this is the standard Dunmore has set.
I want to begin by talking about how much I loved Dunmore's decision to include uncomfortable topics in this novel, specifically the role the British had in plundering foreign lands, stealing their goods, and hoarding them in the British Museum. I loved how there was so much emphasis put on the country benefitting from theft and international crime, and how the victims of these crimes were begging for their things back, and their cries were falling on deaf ears. It shames me to say, that even over 100 years later, nothing has changed. The British are still benefitting and displaying items that don't belong in our borders, and we're still arguing that they're better with us, despite numerous artifacts becoming damaged in our care.
Catriona was a perfect character, perhaps because I can relate to her in a way, or perhaps because she was realistic, I'm not entirely sure. But either way, it was wonderful watching her grow, adapt, and open herself up to Elias and her friends, and become one of the strongest female characters I have ever read. She was an insanely, hard-working woman, who fought for women's rights and won, despite all of the struggles she and her friends faced. Although, it did make me laugh when she was writing to an MP: "The letter felt concise and factual to her, which meant it was too blunt. She would have to soften it and dress it with a bow; make it appealing to a man's sense of honour..." Me, when writing to my local MP: I hope the war in Gaza lines your pockets well, sincerely, MY NAME STILL ISN'T MELANIE!! She truly walked so I could run. Well... she didn't, but the actual women who were in her position did.
Elias has single-handedly ruined men for me (not that that was a hard thing to do, of course. Men are, in fact, men). But, how am I supposed to find a man, and be happy with one that doesn't worship the ground I walk on, lift pieces of my hair to his mouth to kiss while I sleep, and just generally admire me so much that he's willing to start a brand new life away from his family just to have me? Answer: I'm not. The way Dunmore wrote him makes me realise why men made gossiping and women talking to one another "immoral", because they know they're never going to compete with the likes of Messieurs Elias Khoury, and Fitzwilliam Darcy.
And the spice was absolutely delicious - you could truly feel the tension dripping off every, single word they spoke from start to finish. Even during the final smut scene, their infatuation with one another was palpable. While I haven't read the other books in this series yet, I'm very much looking forward to it if this is the standard Dunmore has set.