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A review by jlees007
The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan
3.0
Firstly, I love new authors and I LOVE historical fiction. Secondly, I also love all things London (I lived there for just shy of a year in 2019-2020). I had really high hopes for this book. When I first picked it up and read the synopsis I thought it was a unique time to be set - just after WW2 and the formation of the Cold War - when most historical fiction tends to be centred around large historical events (and as much as I love WW2 era fiction, it’s a little overdone). It had the whiff of romance and espionage and intrigue. I liked it…but that’s it. Just liked. I give it the book equivalent of friend-zoning, without any hopes of more.
If you’re a historical fiction nut, you might want to give this one a read if you’re looking for a languid walk through some literature, but if you’re looking for a book to be your gateway to historical fiction keep on walking. Reading this felt like a gentle saunter through a couples joint timeline as they fall apart and together during and after WW2. Even at its most intense parts though, it still read as a gentle saunter. Nothing felt too high emotion, despite what we are told are highly emotive/controversial feelings for the characters to be experiencing. One positive I felt strongly throughout the book was I enjoyed Diana’s realization that she wanted Brent, not necessarily needed him. She became an independent woman in her own right but still loved just as strongly. There were moments I enjoyed (Diana and Brent’s meet-cute, finally addressing their demons together) but overall I felt like the book lingered for just a little too long. An inoffensive, safe and fairly predictable story that just settles as ‘okay’ in my books.
If you’re a historical fiction nut, you might want to give this one a read if you’re looking for a languid walk through some literature, but if you’re looking for a book to be your gateway to historical fiction keep on walking. Reading this felt like a gentle saunter through a couples joint timeline as they fall apart and together during and after WW2. Even at its most intense parts though, it still read as a gentle saunter. Nothing felt too high emotion, despite what we are told are highly emotive/controversial feelings for the characters to be experiencing. One positive I felt strongly throughout the book was I enjoyed Diana’s realization that she wanted Brent, not necessarily needed him. She became an independent woman in her own right but still loved just as strongly. There were moments I enjoyed (Diana and Brent’s meet-cute, finally addressing their demons together) but overall I felt like the book lingered for just a little too long. An inoffensive, safe and fairly predictable story that just settles as ‘okay’ in my books.