kleedc73's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rosiebp's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laura_storyteller's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
msvenner's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book frustrating. I wanted to like it but I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen. I think the modern timeline set the readers expectations for something that never materialized. What was Fliss looking for and why bother?
The timeline was interesting. There could be great stories in the Irish struggle for home rule and in the London social whirl of the 1920s, this just wasn’t it. The problem may have been, in part, the protagonist. I’m not sure what she brought to the story, beyond an attempt at a Downton Abby style look at upstairs downstairs, and even that didn’t exist because Fliss never really existed ‘downstairs’.
There were some interesting moments but, overall, the author just never made me care about the characters.
The timeline was interesting. There could be great stories in the Irish struggle for home rule and in the London social whirl of the 1920s, this just wasn’t it. The problem may have been, in part, the protagonist. I’m not sure what she brought to the story, beyond an attempt at a Downton Abby style look at upstairs downstairs, and even that didn’t exist because Fliss never really existed ‘downstairs’.
There were some interesting moments but, overall, the author just never made me care about the characters.
naterjane's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
3.0
For poor relation Fliss, the opportunity to go live with the Guinness family means she can get away from home, get an education and move on. Her beloved elder brother Hugh is away at school and Fliss grows up at the heart of a rich family. The Irish are in revolt and Hugh is in sympathy but when he disappears after a party Fliss just believes he has emigrated. Later she becomes an onlooker as the family moves to London and the three girls join the wild society of the Bright Young Things.
I wasn't sure what to make of the structure of this book. At first it jumped between the present day and the past but that model seemed to disappear after a while and everything was about the 1920s. The effects on the Anglo-Irish or the uprisings in Ireland were actually interesting but the rest just seemed to drag a little.
I wasn't sure what to make of the structure of this book. At first it jumped between the present day and the past but that model seemed to disappear after a while and everything was about the 1920s. The effects on the Anglo-Irish or the uprisings in Ireland were actually interesting but the rest just seemed to drag a little.
thebookishdogmom's review against another edition
2.0
The summary led me to think this would be an exciting tale about life in Ireland and the Guinness family and business. Unfortunately I found it to be a rambling slog the whole way through with no clear plot line even til the end. A disappointment.
rmurphy22002's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting to follow the roaring 20s in London with a backdrop of the Irish rebellion