asourtelling's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
krismcd59's review
4.0
Cleverly written but darkish satire on English social manners, in which a French music master is bribed into attempting to seduce five young pupils before the concert at which they are to be presented to their future husbands. Wicked humor alternates with pathos and a gothic intensity of emotion. Very hard to categorize, but intriguing and original.
abookishtype's review
5.0
Historical fiction exists to answer the question, "What was life like when...?" Katherine Grant's Sedition takes us to 1794, to a time when daughters lives were ruled by their fathers until they were ruled by their husbands—at least until the daughters in this book turn the tables on everyone...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
beth_p_w's review
3.0
It was okay. The idea of the book takes over the story far more frequently than it ought to; the book seems very pleased with itself for having this idea and doesn't pay as much attention to natural character development as it should. It's an entertaining read and fun to watch the girls take the parlor and turn it on its head. But not spectacular.
luaucow's review
1.0
I'm sorry I took the time to read this book. It was truly bizarre. The characters were all flat, hardly drawn (except a bit more for Alathea). The scenes had no passion and stirred none in the reader. It was more of a clinical depiction of the goingson. And I don't mean just sexual passion, since there was a lot of sex, but everything was passionless. Without passion or further development of the characters and their motives (which seemed ridiculous), the whole thing, especially the sex, just left you feeling dirty. And no, I'm not a prude. I read plenty of books with sex, etc. and am not bothered. If the author had included that passion, I could have seen some of these circumstances working. As it was, it was just kind of gross.
laurenjamesauthor's review
5.0
Well, that was brilliantly, ridiculously mad. This book is the exact definition of a wild ride from start to finish.
majesdane's review
4.0
I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, but in the end decided on the latter.
This is ... a strange book. Grant has been compared a lot to [a:Sarah Waters|25334|Sarah Waters|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248454p2/25334.jpg], but I think her storytelling and writing style is much more similar to [a:Emma Donoghue|23613|Emma Donoghue|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1298686263p2/23613.jpg], to be honest -- however, I find Grant's writing more tolerable than Donoghue's to get through.
There's a lot packed into one little book (300 pages seems nearly scant for all that happens). Some of it works, some of it doesn't. Often times I was wondering what exactly was the point of everything ... not in a bad way, necessarily, but Grant's writing can be difficult at times to gauge. It's definitely Dickens-ish, though less so in scope and twisting narrative, and more so in terms of the mixing of satire, Serious Issues, and outrageous characters with genuine ones.
I can see this book sticking in my memory, but I can't say that I felt much while reading it. Most of the time I was just shaking my head and wondering what I'd gotten myself into.
This is ... a strange book. Grant has been compared a lot to [a:Sarah Waters|25334|Sarah Waters|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409248454p2/25334.jpg], but I think her storytelling and writing style is much more similar to [a:Emma Donoghue|23613|Emma Donoghue|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1298686263p2/23613.jpg], to be honest -- however, I find Grant's writing more tolerable than Donoghue's to get through.
There's a lot packed into one little book (300 pages seems nearly scant for all that happens). Some of it works, some of it doesn't. Often times I was wondering what exactly was the point of everything ... not in a bad way, necessarily, but Grant's writing can be difficult at times to gauge. It's definitely Dickens-ish, though less so in scope and twisting narrative, and more so in terms of the mixing of satire, Serious Issues, and outrageous characters with genuine ones.
I can see this book sticking in my memory, but I can't say that I felt much while reading it. Most of the time I was just shaking my head and wondering what I'd gotten myself into.
jamesflint's review
Rep: lesbian mcs
made it to page 40, not even the lesbians could convince me to continue
* it opens with one of the girls snogging the hangman out of the blue and telling him he should be the one to kiss the corpse
* i flicked through and found a scene where her father tries to rape her and she potentially cuts off his penis???
* her father......referring to her as his lover......
so yeah. no chance i was going further
made it to page 40, not even the lesbians could convince me to continue
* it opens with one of the girls snogging the hangman out of the blue and telling him he should be the one to kiss the corpse
* i flicked through and found a scene where her father tries to rape her and she potentially cuts off his penis???
* her father......referring to her as his lover......
so yeah. no chance i was going further
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