Reviews

The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak

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cass1699's review

2.0

[spongebob narrator voice] 5 years later…

i really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it just didn’t do it for me :( it took me just under three weeks to finish it (which is a LONG time by my standards) because it dragged so. damn. much. the beginning was slow, then it sort of picked up in the middle, and then it became slow again. at this point, i’m just glad that i managed to finish it because now i can move on to something else.

i WILL say though, stachniak’s prose is beautiful. her writing is very poetic and sophisticated, it’s just a shame that the book and its pacing fell flat.

geenyas's review against another edition

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3.0

A multigenerational story spanning the end of the Ancien Regime and the French Revolution. Detailed and descriptive, combines interesting fictional characters with well-known and lesser-known historical figures and events.

scribblingwoman's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

julieclair's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A fascinating, informative, and very sad book. But important to read. France, in the years surrounding the Revolution, was a frightening place in so many ways.