karaklos's review against another edition
3.0
I loved My Dear Hamilton and America’s First Daughter and eagerly anticipated the release of The Women of Chateau Lafayette. I’m sad to say that I didn’t love it. It’s written well with lots of really interesting history and unusual fun tidbits (e.g., women taking tea with their husband’s mistress, Grandma having a penchant for stealing holy relics). Dray does a nice job of putting the reader into the different time periods and bringing the characters to life.
With three time periods though (1774, 1914, and 1939), each with their own set of characters, it was difficult to really engage with any of the stories. I would be engrossed with one character and the next chapter would switch to another time period and character. I would have to reset my mind with each chapter change.
I think this would have been better as two or three separate books. I wanted to learn more about the orphanage and delve a little deeper into the different groups at play during Lafayette’s time. Also, I wanted more connection between 1913 and 1939...I wanted to hear Beatrice and Emily’s voices in 1939. Lastly, for some reason it bugged me that the 1939 character Marthe was fictional while the other two time periods were based on real people. I felt misled lol.
I enjoyed the author’s note and appreciate the tremendous amount of research Dray did.
With three time periods though (1774, 1914, and 1939), each with their own set of characters, it was difficult to really engage with any of the stories. I would be engrossed with one character and the next chapter would switch to another time period and character. I would have to reset my mind with each chapter change.
I think this would have been better as two or three separate books. I wanted to learn more about the orphanage and delve a little deeper into the different groups at play during Lafayette’s time. Also, I wanted more connection between 1913 and 1939...I wanted to hear Beatrice and Emily’s voices in 1939. Lastly, for some reason it bugged me that the 1939 character Marthe was fictional while the other two time periods were based on real people. I felt misled lol.
I enjoyed the author’s note and appreciate the tremendous amount of research Dray did.
rrickman33's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this thick book so much. It’s been a minute since I have read a historical fiction and this was what I needed. I LOVED Adrienne’s story and couldn’t get enough of her, what a life she lived!!
goosegirl26's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emmaschmelzle's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
heidirgorecki's review
4.0
So fascinating to learn of little-known, courageous, and inspiring women in history. So often history has been told almost entirely with men as the heroes and focal point but I’m finding more and more books that show how much influence women have given to historical events, quite often behind the scenes but were no less influential.
I absolutely loved Ms Dray’s book My Dear Hamilton and in The Women of Chateau Lafayette, with its female-driven and heroic story, was again well done. I love how Ms Dray gives this glimpse into the incredible life of the wife of the infamous Lafayette most of all. Gosh she was amazing, wise, and inspiring and I’ve never even heard of her before this book.
I appreciated that the characters were flawed as life always is, that they struggled with their own decisions, hopes, doubts, etc, but they persevered against such intense odds at great cost to themselves for the good of others. Hopefully we will continue to unearth more female heroes, who are just as valuable and influential as their male counterparts we’ve known about for so long. Great read, and very well written.
I absolutely loved Ms Dray’s book My Dear Hamilton and in The Women of Chateau Lafayette, with its female-driven and heroic story, was again well done. I love how Ms Dray gives this glimpse into the incredible life of the wife of the infamous Lafayette most of all. Gosh she was amazing, wise, and inspiring and I’ve never even heard of her before this book.
I appreciated that the characters were flawed as life always is, that they struggled with their own decisions, hopes, doubts, etc, but they persevered against such intense odds at great cost to themselves for the good of others. Hopefully we will continue to unearth more female heroes, who are just as valuable and influential as their male counterparts we’ve known about for so long. Great read, and very well written.
christinahill's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sydsmith23's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
eabd's review against another edition
5.0
Stephanie Dray is known for her meticulous research and detail in her historic fiction works. This one is no exception. The book moves back and forth in time (not as in time travel, but in telling three different protagonists' lives and their connection to each other) seamlessly. I could easily picture the settings and action, and I felt like I really knew the characters, even the secondary ones. I particularly appreciated that at the end of the book, Dray explains the facts behind the characters and the event, as she has done in previous books.
jkggarrett67's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75