Jessica
I was really excited when I saw this book at the library. I'm always looking for books to add to my queue, and one of my librarian friends recommended the book to me. The problem, for me, with this sort of book, is that it all comes down to taste. My tastes don't really line up with the author's so it wasn't really that useful. In addition, I found it a bit frustrating that the blurbs about each recommendation were so short. I found myself having to look up every title, which isn't the most efficient use time! I wouldn't recommend this book, or its sequel (which I checked out at the same time.) There are far better recommendations available online!
My main problem with this book is the hero. A more dull, humorless character I have never seen! I suppose that I was supposed to see a warmer side of him towards the end of the book, but I never could figure out what Christine saw in him. And she was a little too perfect in that “men are always drawn to her” way. I haven't read the others in the series, but I hear they are better.
I suspect that whether you will love this book or not depends heavily on how much you enjoy literary criticism. I happen to love Victorian novels, so I had hopes for this one in spite of my dislike of literary criticism. Unfortunately, I found the modern characters to be irritating and pretentious, and the letters and poetry pretty uninteresting. I didn't care about anyone, and at 1/3 of the way through it seemed to be unending, so I skipped to the end.
You know, I can appreciate a good trashy novel. Sometimes it's nice to escape, and lord knows I am not a book snob. So when I saw the summary of this book - nobleman in regency England marries a female wizard - I thought “why not?” I like it when genres collide. Unfortunately, this succeeds as neither a paranormal romance nor a regency. None of the characters were particularly well written or interesting, and the magical system was pretty poorly explained. I didn't see the attraction between the main characters at all. The plot meandered and seemed pretty unlikely. It's too bad, because like I said I thought the book started out really well - it just didn't ever go anywhere interesting to me.
I'm a big fan of P.D. James, but this isn't her best novel. Most of her mysteries follow a formula of sorts - the victim doesn't die til quite a ways into the book, and for most of the novel we are treated more to stories about the inner lives of the characters than to mystery solving. I don't mind that it's not so much a mystery because at least (unlike many mysteries) the characters are well fleshed out. This one felt a little rushed, as though she suddenly decided the story needed to be over. I'd recommend checking out a different mystery if you are just starting out with her novels.
Not bad, but certainly not the author's best. The narrator of the book is a teacher at an exclusive private school for girls. She was an appealing character, and I also enjoyed many of the supporting cast. Unfortunately, the hero of the novel was completely unsympathetic. The plot twist at the end was easily guessed early on, but it still made for a nice light read.
I love victorian literature, and I'm always looking for new books set in my favorite era. Someone recommended Fingersmith to me after I mentioned how I loved gothic novels. I was honestly pretty disappointed. I think this book could have benefited from some editing. I was really enjoying it up to the point of the first plot twist, but the twist made me really upset. And then we go back in time to relive the events of the book so far from a different viewpoint. I felt that it really hurt the flow of the story. I also hated the ending, which felt odd and rushed, and most of all bleak. The two main characters never really seem to develop, perhaps because all the plot twists make you uncertain who they really are.
I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as the first in the series. While the first book was a nice balance of drama, mystery, and comedy, this book seemed much lighter in tone. The heroine is really delightful, but I find her relationship with Colin to be frustrating - I don't think we know much about him as a character, or why he is in love with her.
This was an interesting twist on the standard regency romantic mystery. I enjoyed the concept of a male lead, and I thought the mystery was nice, if a bit predictable in spots. I previously have read the first Outlander book, and I must confess that I didn't enjoy it at all, so I was surprised to like this book at all. It was a bit slow and lacking in character development, but it was interesting enough for me to want to read the next in the series.
I enjoyed the setting of this book, but felt there were too many odd modern references that pulled me out of the book. Maisie's detecting methods are odd - she verges on being a psychic detective, but the book stops short. I also thought the reference to the inventor of pilates was a bit silly.
I did enjoy all the details about the Great War. Maisie is a likeable character, if a bit too perfect sometimes. I might recommend this book, with a few reservations.
Look, I have nothing against romance novels. Nothing at all. It's just that I was expecting something more - some nice historical fiction with a mystery and some romance tossed in for good measure. Instead, the book is one romance novel cliche after another, “heaving bosoms” and all. In fact, as romance novels go, this isn't even a particularly good one. The heroine was maddeningly dense - she would leap to one conclusion after another, and her behavior made little sense to me. I saw the identity of the Pink Carnation coming from the very beginning, so no real mystery there. Not recommended, even as historical romance.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book (is it a mystery? romance? historical fiction?) Yes, the main character is somewhat incongruously forward and modern, but isn't that the case for most books of this genre? I found her interesting and three dimensional. The supporting characters were similarly well drawn, with the exception of the heroine's mother. I have to admit that I did find some of the passages about greek artifacts to be a bit trying, but they added a necessary character to the book. I would recommend this book to fans of this genre, especially anyone who enjoys the Victorian period as I do.
I adored this book, which sounds crazy since it's an entire book about the running of a Victorian household. Of course, it isn't just about the home - the author uses each chapter to focus on a different facet of Victorian life. As an owner of a Victorian home, I found the book really interesting (although I live in the US and the book focuses on England.) Highly recommended, especially for fans of victoriana.
A fascinating story, but a difficult read. I was very interested in learning how the Cholera outbreak was traced back to its source. To a certain extent I was interested in learning about how Londoners lived in the era. Unfortunately, the book can't seem to stay in one place for very long. It switches from the bits that advance the story, which are interesting, to long diatribes concerning the state of life for the poor at that time. These sections seem very repetitive, and do not advance the story. It definitely could have used some serious editing, and if that had occurred it would have rated more stars.
The idea behind this book is excellent, but it just didn't grab me. I'm willing to blame most of this on the translation -I usually avoid reading translated books, because I don't believe they are ever exactly the way the author intended. The characters in this book were not that well developed, especially Meggie and Mo. I felt that the world was not that well described. But most of all, I felt that the story dragged, and I had to force myself to keep reading. I would be interested in reading this one in German, perhaps I will...
This is the first novel by Neil Gaiman that I have read. I thought the idea of the story - that of an alternate London underneath - was very original and interesting. I found the book really fun and interesting up until the bit where they started wandering around. It just didn't seem that after that the book really went anywhere. I had a hard time picturing what was going on, and some of the characters seemed poorly developed.
On the other hand, the book had a healthy dose of humor, which is always appreciated. I liked that it was different from the typical fantasy setting (I could not be called a huge fantasy fan, to be honest...) I will read more novels by this author, and I would recommend this one with a few reservations. It is a reasonably quick and fun read.
I picked up this book at the library blind, based on the title and the word “Gothic” on the book jacket. Seven hours later, I finally went to bed. If you've read “Rebecca,” you have a pretty good idea of what to expect here - family secrets, locked rooms, and murder, all taking place in a tidy English village. Honestly, I enjoyed every second of it. Was it great literature? No. But the characters were well developed and (with a few exceptions) three dimensional. The setting was interesting (I especially loved trying to picture the library in my mind.) Recommended for fans of the genre. It isn't a mystery (the crime happens late in the book) but it still manages to be a page turning description of a very dysfunctional family.
I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I didn't find the main character's motivations so nonsensical. Admittedly, I haven't read the rest of the series... but when she kept complaining about her ex-husband and how she didn't trust the court system etc, I just wanted slap some sense into her. It's not like she was on the run from a wife beater, which would have made sense.
The mystery itself was ok. I figured out who the killer was on the first page they appeared, which isn't great for a mystery, but some of the supporting characters were fun.
This is a book that can't quite decide what it wants to be about. Is it about the history of the LDS church? Is it a true crime story? Is it a denouncement of polygamy? The book is all those things in a relatively superficial manner, but none in a substantial way. It's also scattered and difficult to read. I'm disappointed because I had high hopes for the book - I am interested in both historic and modern Mormons. I'm no fan of the church, so I didn't mind the slant, but somehow the book managed to be really boring. There are better books on the history of Mormonism, and as a true crime book this doesn't work at all. I would look elsewhere.
I really wanted to love this book, but in the end I was left disappointed. I guess I just don't enjoy my sci-fi mixed with other genres. I found the book a bit hard to follow, and I know I did not catch the majority of the victorian references. It was amusing and had funny bits, I guess I just expected more. I did enjoy the parts about cats, and I smiled in places, so this rates three stars from me.
I found this to be a very lackluster mystery with characters I had difficulty sympathizing with. I was hoping for something lighthearted and fun, but I found all the drama with the main character and her possible baby daddies to be trying. Maybe if I had read the other books in the series I would have more sympathy, but I think there are better mysteries in this genre.
This was a really wonderful novel. I loved the rich historical details and the way even the smallest characters were well drawn. I took away a star because I did not care for the time shift in the middle of the book - to me the second half felt rather rushed, and I was very invested in the original setting. Even so, I could not stop reading. Recommended for fans of historical mysteries.
