rae607 's review for:

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

3.0

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"Shrines of Gaiety" contains some of Kate Atkinson's hallmark research and sparkling wit with an interesting focus on post-World War I London nightlife. But at times the sprawling cast of characters and constantly shifting point of view begin to detract from the narrative's ... let's say, buoyancy. I would have loved a book told from the perspective of Gwendolyn Kelling or Nellie Coker, or even a story they shared. But adding Freda and Ramsay and Frobisher and Niven and Edith and on and on ... just too much. The Shakespearean impulse to either kill off or neatly wrap up every single character and plot line at the end was also quite odd.