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A review by jacki_f
The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
2.0
I really liked Anna Mazzola's first two novels but this one didn't work for me. They have all been historical and feel well researched with lots of atmospheric detail. The Clockwork Girl is set in Paris in 1750 and the plot draws from real events, although it uses them as a starting point rather than as the plot.
The novel is about a young woman who goes to work for a clock maker who is suspected of conducting strange experiments. She is tasked with finding out what he is doing. The story alternates between her perspective, the clockmaker's daughter and also a character called Jeanne who will turn out to be the famous Madame de Pompadour.
Having three narrators didn't work for me. I was most interested in Madeleine the maid and I think the story could have been told purely from her perspective. Initially I liked the gothic atmosphere but the plot was too drawn out and became silly. I was bored at the halfway point, forced myself to stick with it but it didn't get better.
The novel is about a young woman who goes to work for a clock maker who is suspected of conducting strange experiments. She is tasked with finding out what he is doing. The story alternates between her perspective, the clockmaker's daughter and also a character called Jeanne who will turn out to be the famous Madame de Pompadour.
Having three narrators didn't work for me. I was most interested in Madeleine the maid and I think the story could have been told purely from her perspective. Initially I liked the gothic atmosphere but the plot was too drawn out and became silly. I was bored at the halfway point, forced myself to stick with it but it didn't get better.