This novel surpassed all of my expectations. Cartier’s Hope is of beautiful imagery and set in the fascinating world of New York’s city high society iThis novel surpassed all of my expectations. Cartier’s Hope is of beautiful imagery and set in the fascinating world of New York’s city high society in 1910, shortly Cartier’s acquirement of the Hope Diamond. I remember seeing the diamond in Washington DC during my middle school field trip there, but I don’t think I knew much about the legends and mystery surrounding it until reading this novel. The diamond, while essential for the plot, is only a small facet of this story. What I didn’t expect from this book, was such an intriguing main character, Vera Garland. She is a not only an active member of New York’s high society, but also an heiress. From her first person point of view, we see also the Woman’s Suffrage moment as she cleverly uses her privilege to create an alter ego, investigative journalist “Vee Swann.”
“And I didn’t think I’d ever been kissed quite like that before. It would have been brutal if it wasn’t shared. It would have been harsh if it wasn’t so passionate. It would have been foreign if we both hadn’t been through the same war.”
What I also didn’t expect from this book was Rose’s skill at romance. It is woven into the plot without being overdone or cheesy. I think I will have to look into M. J. Rose’s other books. ...more
I think 10 year old me would have really loved this book, but 30 year old me did not. I selected an ARC of this book on NetGalley as this series of faI think 10 year old me would have really loved this book, but 30 year old me did not. I selected an ARC of this book on NetGalley as this series of fairytale retelling keeps popping up on my recommendations over and over again. After finally realizing that although they are set in the same world, each novel is stand alone which made me choose to start with A Piper’s Pursuit. The story itself was not bad, and was a unique and interesting spin on the tale of The Pied Piper. In the hands of a better writer, this would have been a fantastic book. The writing in this book is not stellar, and makes me wonder how Melanie Dickerson has been so successful thus far. There are frequent religious references, so maybe the Christian community is keeping her afloat? Personally, I don’t mind religious undertones, but I found a lot of it had minimal contribution to the story, and the prayers/confessions were frequently used to explain a character’s thoughts and motives which was unnecessary. This book had a lot of “telling” instead of “showing,” which to me is the mark of poor writing. I think the author was trying to write a strong heroine in Katerina, the main character, but the weak love story and total reliance on Steffan, the love interest, undermined that.
Again, 10 year old me would probably have liked the combination of love story and fairy tale retailing without minding the bad writing. This book is suitable for young readers as the religious love story requires everything to be G-rated (seriously, Steffan thinks he has to confess because he thinks wanting to kiss Kat is a sin...). ...more
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mrs. Everything is a must read for every woman. The publishers seriously missed a mI received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mrs. Everything is a must read for every woman. The publishers seriously missed a marketing opportunity by not releasing this book by Mother’s Day since I can’t wait to send my mom a copy. The novel begins in 1950s Detroit and follows the lives of sisters Jo and Bethie through changes in society, feminism, LGBT rights, racism, and ends in the modern time. It is such a great and important perspective to see where we’ve came from and how things have changed.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Therefore, I must honestly admit that I am adding it to my “Did Not Finish” list atI received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Therefore, I must honestly admit that I am adding it to my “Did Not Finish” list at 40%. This I was my first Tea Obreht book, and I think my hopes were set rather high... I wasn’t entirely sure that this book would be my cup of tea from the description, but since I live in Arizona and like historical fiction (also there was supposed to be a hint of magic...) I applied for it anyway and was approved. At 40% I am still not relating to any of the characters or invested in the story at all... This book is as dry as the Sonora Desert. My apologies if it gets better in the second half, please let me know and maybe one day I’ll try again....more
Taylor Caitlin
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Books:
historical-fiction
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