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A review by birdkeeperklink
The Black Velvet Gown by Catherine Cookson
5.0
I absolutely loved this book, and I really didn't expect to. Based on the cover and various descriptions of it and its author, I really expected another shallow, crappy 'historical fiction' (really a romance in pseudo-intellectual clothes). This, to my mind, was nothing of the sort. No, nothing sweeping or epic happens--none of the characters change the world. But they do change their worlds, and that alone was enjoyable enough to read. It really gave you a sense of the conditions of the time period.
The real draw for me was the characters, though. I loved how deeply drawn they were--no major characters here are one-dimensional. The jerks had softer, gentler sides, the kind ones had mean streaks and were capable of resentment and bitterness. People like the wrong people and dismiss the good ones mistakenly, they make mistakes. Biddy, the arguable main character, gets herself into trouble because she's got a temper and doesn't hold her tongue when that temper is high. Mr Miller is deeply, deeply complex, and I went through different shades with him. By the end of the book, I still wasn't quite sure what to make of him. They felt like real people with real struggles, and for that I adore this book.
No earth-shattering plots or anything like that here, but if you want a genuine human drama, this is for you. I highly recommend it.
The real draw for me was the characters, though. I loved how deeply drawn they were--no major characters here are one-dimensional. The jerks had softer, gentler sides, the kind ones had mean streaks and were capable of resentment and bitterness. People like the wrong people and dismiss the good ones mistakenly, they make mistakes. Biddy, the arguable main character, gets herself into trouble because she's got a temper and doesn't hold her tongue when that temper is high. Mr Miller is deeply, deeply complex, and I went through different shades with him. By the end of the book, I still wasn't quite sure what to make of him. They felt like real people with real struggles, and for that I adore this book.
No earth-shattering plots or anything like that here, but if you want a genuine human drama, this is for you. I highly recommend it.