Marion Prickett
One of the weakest books in the series. The characters have atrophied, the plot was predictable and I had all the mysteries solved far too soon. It is possible that the attempts to be historically accurate has led to sacrificing the spontaneity of the characters. Maybe have someone murder Lavina, she has almost no purpose and has been made annoying in a stereotypical way. Or to be kinder have her marry an aristocrat with a lot of money, then Cedric and Rose could perhaps expand their social circle.
Unfortunately despite my hope that this book would ber better than the blurb, it failed in this and most other respects, in my opinion every part of the plot and sub-plots were so predictable as to make the book barely worth reading, as another review said basic facts in a historical fiction book must be right, and the inclusion of the C.S. Lewis book as an example of her childhood reading was an obvous blunder. I think the book lost me when the unsympathetic knitting German woman on the train and the catholic nun did not draw Sophie to the attention of the Gestapo at the border. The incident in the butcher's queue was too brief and inconsequential, nothing of any depth; the way she told her life story on her first meeting with Juliet, a complete stranger, was not credible, she was a Jewish refugee who's precarious position is constantly referred to by Sophie and then out it all comes at the very first opportunity. Why did she need to turn to crime other than to set up the consequence? She could have at least tried other ways of raising the money she needed. There were far too many instances of the characters very easily by-passing what should have been insoluble problems and the end was far too happy for the times - everybody reunited. More likely ends could have involved the survival of less of the characters and more hardships. I found Juliet just too much like a perfect depiction of what a librarian should be. Mostly we are normal people without halos firmly balanced on our heads shining!
This book was a gift and so I feel that I should at least admit that I do not in the least like romances but felt obliged to read it. The person who gave it to me is not on Good Reads or this review would have remained unwritten.
If you want to read a really good account of the London blitz I suggest A Chelsea Concerto by Frances Faviell, brilliant writing, yes a little romance, no cloying sentimentality, gritty realism - the story was her account of her time in the blitz.
Definitely the best of the Falconer cases - of any length, that I have read so far - that's about 12. Short stories are not my favourite format but this one works very well, any longer and it would have been padding. This included all it needed to. I felt real empathy for the main character in this story. So much more than a who done it.
The long build up worked perfectly, and I like to think that if I ever encountered such a situation with a new neighbour I would not be so gullible as her existing neighbours were.
I like the parts of stories that include Davy Carmichael, but this time his almost total exclusion did not matter.
The denouement was perfect!
A fascinating to department stores which have mostly ceased to exist either at all or have become something else entirely, usually something less beautiful, innovative or interesting. Many of these dept stores were the first of their kind whenever they were built and fitted out. There is also a glimpse into the the lives of the staff that made these palaces of consumerism into what they were at their zenith of popularity.
This is a book written by an ardent enthusiast for other enthusiasts. It must also be taken for the time it was written and produced, I suspect, to a low budget, I wish all the postcards had been printed in colour (if they were colour originally). He is a font of knowledge on all things related to waterways beyond the extent of this book (1900-1930). Books are rarely written like this anymore and probably there are few people who will regret this. I will, there is something enchanting in a book written for such a niche audience.
