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avanders's review
3.0
It was cute and I thought it picked up the pace and ended well. I "saw it coming" pretty early, though I am definitely an adult reading a kid's book in this case ;) It's about a rich little girl in England and her cousin in America who's lost her fortune and is struggling. And the rich little girl in England (Betsy) knows that there are additional secrets, some good and some bad, that are being kept from her by her mother and, seemingly, her relatives and/or house-servants. So she sets out trying to discover the secrets before the adults deem it time for her to know them.
The little girl was headstrong (she is 11 going on 12) and entitled and unaware of real life, it seemed. But she was sincere in her desire to help those less fortunate than herself when presented with the opportunity. Her intentions were often misguided and, well, childish of course, but she seemed eager to do right and understand more so she could do more. I thought there were interesting morals at play here, but the overall story seemed to be ... I don't know, too black and white, too simple, too abrupt, even for the appropriate age.
But like I said, cute and sweet and an ok way to pass a little time. :)
THREE AND A HALF of five stars
The little girl was headstrong (she is 11 going on 12) and entitled and unaware of real life, it seemed. But she was sincere in her desire to help those less fortunate than herself when presented with the opportunity. Her intentions were often misguided and, well, childish of course, but she seemed eager to do right and understand more so she could do more. I thought there were interesting morals at play here, but the overall story seemed to be ... I don't know, too black and white, too simple, too abrupt, even for the appropriate age.
But like I said, cute and sweet and an ok way to pass a little time. :)
THREE AND A HALF of five stars
aria_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
3.0
it was good but not as good as the others. it’s so weird honestly to see the moms all grown up though.
i think that this one does start to bring a bit more realistic life examples into them, with financial struggles. it also give a glimpse for younger readers into the struggles of the great depression that affected everyone.
i also didn’t remember as much from this one which i consider to be a flaw in what my brain chose to remember. but then again, it isn’t as entertaining as the other books, though i did have fun with reading it again, after so many years.
i think that this one does start to bring a bit more realistic life examples into them, with financial struggles. it also give a glimpse for younger readers into the struggles of the great depression that affected everyone.
i also didn’t remember as much from this one which i consider to be a flaw in what my brain chose to remember. but then again, it isn’t as entertaining as the other books, though i did have fun with reading it again, after so many years.
smart_girls_love_trashy_books's review
4.0
-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
This was cute! These two were probably my favorite in the series, simply because it takes place in the Great Depression, and this is a time period which could always be explored. I liked how it explored the Depression in another country aside from America, since it did affect every country in its own way except the Baltic States. I liked how Betsy was headstrong yet naive, but she kept trying her hardest to help her cousins' family after finding out they were less-off than she.
I liked seeing Beth, the girl from the very first book again, and she's matured from her headstrong childish self to a more mature, serious mother. And Gabrielle is back!
As usual, I was unable to figure out the mystery, but I did guess the wrong person, so I was paying attention.
I feel bad for making these reviews so short, but there's nothing else I can really say at this point!
This was cute! These two were probably my favorite in the series, simply because it takes place in the Great Depression, and this is a time period which could always be explored. I liked how it explored the Depression in another country aside from America, since it did affect every country in its own way
I liked seeing Beth, the girl from the very first book again, and she's matured from her headstrong childish self to a more mature, serious mother. And Gabrielle is back!
As usual, I was unable to figure out the mystery, but I did guess the wrong person, so I was paying attention.
I feel bad for making these reviews so short, but there's nothing else I can really say at this point!
mrskatiefitz's review
3.0
Recently, I've been catching up on the Secrets of the Manor series. Today, I'm looking at the concluding books of the first story arc: Betsy's Story, 1934 (Book 5) and [b:Kay's Story, 1934|22546665|Kay's Story, 1934 (Secrets of the Manor, #6)|Adele Whitby|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421828611s/22546665.jpg|42003403] (Book 6).
In Betsy's Story, Betsy is about to turn twelve, and she and her mother are planning the traditional birthday ball at which Betsy is due to inherit the Elizabeth necklace. Unfortunately, news comes from America that Cousin Kay and her family have fallen on hard financial times and that they won't be able to come for Betsy's ball. Worse yet, the Katherine necklace has been sold, and Kay will not have the opportunity to receive it for her twelfth birthday. Betsy feels terrible for Kay, but she is also worried about her own family's financial situation. Her mother has been having many meetings with advisers behind closed doors, and members of the kitchen staff are whispering about unpaid bills. Is Betsy's mother struggling, or is someone at Chatswood Manor trying to sabotage the family?
In Kay's Story, Betsy and her mother have traveled to America for Kay's twelfth birthday, with plans to help their cousins get back on their feet as they struggle to keep their home. Kay has already seen her mother part with many family heirlooms, which makes her sad, but also raises her curiosity when it comes to the family's attention that one of the buyers has been paying significantly more for Vandermeer Manor items than they are worth. In the meantime, Kay and Betsy wait to be told the big family secret that has been kept from them their entire lives.
This pair of books provides an enjoyable, albeit predictable, ending to the Chatswood/Vandermeer saga. Though it was a bit confusing trying to keep track of all the characters and which generations they belong to, and how they are related to each other, the inter-connectedness of all six books, and the jumps back in forth in time over the course of the series are an effective way to hook readers and keep them coming back. I figured out the big family secret before even reading these two books, and a huge hint at the end of Betsy's Story made it very easy to guess, but it's possible that kids with less life experience, and less experience reading mystery stories, could still be surprised.
It is disappointing, though, that Kay and Betsy don't really solve a mystery on their own the way that Elizabeth and Katherine and Beth and Kate do. Instead, so much time has passed that their mothers just flat-out tell them the family secret, and their other problems can't really be resolved without the help of adults, either.The other major disappointment is the over-the-top happy ending. Instead of just revealing the secret and resolving the family's financial problems, the last chapter of Kay's story provides a highly unrealistic and overly romanticized resolution, which comes out of nowhere and does not really match the mood of the rest of the series. Kids will probably like it, but it made me groan and roll my eyes.
If you've started the series, you should definitely read these two to finish out the story arc. If you're looking to quit the series, you can stop after these, as the next two are only tangentially connected.
In Betsy's Story, Betsy is about to turn twelve, and she and her mother are planning the traditional birthday ball at which Betsy is due to inherit the Elizabeth necklace. Unfortunately, news comes from America that Cousin Kay and her family have fallen on hard financial times and that they won't be able to come for Betsy's ball. Worse yet, the Katherine necklace has been sold, and Kay will not have the opportunity to receive it for her twelfth birthday. Betsy feels terrible for Kay, but she is also worried about her own family's financial situation. Her mother has been having many meetings with advisers behind closed doors, and members of the kitchen staff are whispering about unpaid bills. Is Betsy's mother struggling, or is someone at Chatswood Manor trying to sabotage the family?
In Kay's Story, Betsy and her mother have traveled to America for Kay's twelfth birthday, with plans to help their cousins get back on their feet as they struggle to keep their home. Kay has already seen her mother part with many family heirlooms, which makes her sad, but also raises her curiosity when it comes to the family's attention that one of the buyers has been paying significantly more for Vandermeer Manor items than they are worth. In the meantime, Kay and Betsy wait to be told the big family secret that has been kept from them their entire lives.
This pair of books provides an enjoyable, albeit predictable, ending to the Chatswood/Vandermeer saga. Though it was a bit confusing trying to keep track of all the characters and which generations they belong to, and how they are related to each other, the inter-connectedness of all six books, and the jumps back in forth in time over the course of the series are an effective way to hook readers and keep them coming back. I figured out the big family secret before even reading these two books, and a huge hint at the end of Betsy's Story made it very easy to guess, but it's possible that kids with less life experience, and less experience reading mystery stories, could still be surprised.
It is disappointing, though, that Kay and Betsy don't really solve a mystery on their own the way that Elizabeth and Katherine and Beth and Kate do. Instead, so much time has passed that their mothers just flat-out tell them the family secret, and their other problems can't really be resolved without the help of adults, either.The other major disappointment is the over-the-top happy ending. Instead of just revealing the secret and resolving the family's financial problems, the last chapter of Kay's story provides a highly unrealistic and overly romanticized resolution, which comes out of nowhere and does not really match the mood of the rest of the series. Kids will probably like it, but it made me groan and roll my eyes.
If you've started the series, you should definitely read these two to finish out the story arc. If you're looking to quit the series, you can stop after these, as the next two are only tangentially connected.
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