illidia316's review against another edition
5.0
The Way Of Beauty is a thing of beauty. The writing is gorgeous, the story is engaging, the characters are amazing. The amount of research that goes into historical fiction just astounds me. Add this to your tbr!
jeanniechambers's review against another edition
5.0
I won this book in a Facebook giveaway, and I’m so happy I did because based on the book cover, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up in a book store- NOT because the cover isn’t beautiful, but the blurb didn’t sound like something I’d be interested in reading about. Boy, was I wrong. The author wrote this book beautifully, and my heart was captured in the prologue!
It seems the last three books I’ve read had at least a portion about death or grieving, but it may be because I’d had it touch my family. One of my favorite lines is on page 26
“Why did people change their voices (an octave lower) when speaking to someone in sorrow?As if death were played on the left side of a piano while life was played on the right.”
We move on, sometimes we don’t want to move on, but we have to join the living. In this book, I loved the way we were not only taken through generations, but the evolution of architecture as well, and the effects a simple building can have on someone’s life. In this case, I learned about the sand hogs with a certain reverence and it made me think about my own small town and the sacrifices people gave in order for us to enjoy things today.
I’m ready to read anything else by this author. I didn’t want this story to end.
The only negative isn’t really a negative, but in response to other reviews about the second part not being needed, or that it was well developed. I, too was a little confused with that added generation, but that’s just me. I’m chronologically challenged, and I often get dates mixed up. I felt the characters WERE well developed and enough description of them was given in the first part (all except Emmett and Vera, with good reason)
I would recommend this book to anyone that loves family saga/drama, interested in the old NewYork (I didn’t think I was, but this book MADE me interested), love stories, strong female leads and family struggles.
katewilkins's review
emotional
sad
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
2.0
A quick, cute, rather unimpactful read. Based on previous reviews, I had higher hopes, but they were far from met. I would recommend to someone who is neither a stickler for historical details nor challenging literature. As far as the history goes, there are references to historical events at the time it takes place, but that’s where it ends. The characters speak like folks from the 2000s, and there’s little attention paid to social expectations and standards, as well as accurate references/figures of speech. If you don’t care about that, it’s a sweet story that ambles along, and I can see why some people love it. In my view, the writing is basic and unchallenging, often with far too much explanation for characters emotional states (I prefer an author to “show me” how someone is feeling rather than just tell me.) Overall, I wouldn’t read it again or likely recommend it to most people.
aliencats88's review against another edition
5.0
Just like memories, they (coffees) cooled in time, and fresh ones took their place. “The Way of Beauty” is a heartwarming story of Suffragettes, the brave women who illuminated the path for the women of future with possibilities.
jlpearce06's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
What an interesting book. The relationship between Pearl, Angelo, and Vera is complicated, same as the one between Alice, Emmett, and William; it's probably a little too forward-thinking to be truly accurate. This was more difficult to read than Before the Rain Falls, thus the lower rating. It's still a really good book though.
inliterarylove's review against another edition
5.0
Camille Di Maio’s books never fail to move me. Her talent for historical fiction has enraptured me from her very first book.
The Way of Beauty is no different. Starting at the turn of the century and then the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement, we follow the life of Vera, and later her daughter Alice, as they live and grow through these changing times. Choices they make and the lives they lead will have a butterfly effect that will shape them into the women they will become.
Taking place in the heart of New York City, the lives of these women are unsurprisingly relevant to issues women see today. To read and see these parallels was an experience I sincerely enjoyed, and The Way of Beauty is yet another beautiful work of fiction with elements of real history woven in. Another 5 star for di Maio.
I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are mine.
The Way of Beauty is no different. Starting at the turn of the century and then the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement, we follow the life of Vera, and later her daughter Alice, as they live and grow through these changing times. Choices they make and the lives they lead will have a butterfly effect that will shape them into the women they will become.
Taking place in the heart of New York City, the lives of these women are unsurprisingly relevant to issues women see today. To read and see these parallels was an experience I sincerely enjoyed, and The Way of Beauty is yet another beautiful work of fiction with elements of real history woven in. Another 5 star for di Maio.
I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are mine.
basicbsguide's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Get Red PR and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of The Way of Beauty in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
A historical romance that grabbed my heart from the first few pages. Camille Di Maio crafts a beautiful story about love, family, heartache and the women’s fight for the right to vote. The author brings Penn Station back to life where the story intersects.
This is a generational family story in which I completely adored all the strong female characters. Vera is incredibly loyal, Pearl is full of passion, and finally we have Alice the dreamer.
The Way of Beauty is a memorable and lovely tale that will warm your heart. I highly recommend you pick it up.
A historical romance that grabbed my heart from the first few pages. Camille Di Maio crafts a beautiful story about love, family, heartache and the women’s fight for the right to vote. The author brings Penn Station back to life where the story intersects.
This is a generational family story in which I completely adored all the strong female characters. Vera is incredibly loyal, Pearl is full of passion, and finally we have Alice the dreamer.
The Way of Beauty is a memorable and lovely tale that will warm your heart. I highly recommend you pick it up.
shahnamarie's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first Camille Di Maio book but I've been following her for quite some time on my bookstagram account. She's super friendly and I've been looking forward to reading her upcoming book and I'm so glad that I did. I'll be picking up the other two now as soon as possible. I always find my favorites in Historical Fiction and this is no different. It'll be a book I think about for a long time and although I didn't shed tears like many other historical fiction books, I closed the book so satisfied, happy, and overwhelmed with a feeling of warmth for not only the characters but the history that the characters had saved in the future.
I gravitate towards historical fiction and this is my first historical fiction centering around the women's suffrage movement. I also was connected regionally living so close to NYC. Lastly, I was connected to the German heritage expressed in words and and customs as my grandpa came over from Germany after WWII. I loved the setting and plot.
The book is beautifully written. Nothing goes without beautiful yet useful descriptions that help paint a picture better than many other books I've recently read. It's also written so well that the characters are lifelike. Part one is Vera's story. I had already felt like I knew and understood Vera in a short two pages even when this portion highlighted her life only as a child first arriving in NYC. As her story continues, the character development is wonderful. You really get to know her, Angelo, and Pearl. I felt for Vera the entire time. Her love for Angelo is so genuine and I felt so sad for her while reading even the happiest of parts between her and him.
All the feels I've had while reading this have been amazing. It's so great to continue to feel these connections. I also found it so interesting that in the first couple pages of her section, she mentioned how Germans and Italians and Spaniards were starting to mix. It is this exact time period where my grandfather sailed over from Germany and married my Italian grandmother. And then their son, my father, married my Spanish mother. Being from immigrant families (on both sides) this book really spoke to me. Pearl's dedication not only helped women get votes but those who were not born here in America.
I absolutely adored the first section of the book highlighting Vera so I was very excited to jump into Alice's story but also very sad that I had to leave Vera behind. I had so many questions. The great thing is that those questions are answered as Vera and Alice's story obviously intertwine as a mother and daughter pair.
As for the second section, I was immediately hooked on Alice and Emmett. He was so sincere and his actions when we first met him made me feel butterflies for Alice. However, as the story continued, I began to favor him less. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with him but I felt his courting of Alice was confusing, kind of selfish, and cold. He also was a little strange for my liking; however all of this is for good reason and when his story continued to unfold, he redeemed himself. With that being said, I still favored William much more. He was sweet and always seemed to have Alice's best interests in mind. His relationship with Vera and Angelo was also sweet and although this dynamic and situation with Vera and Angelo was much different than Emmett 's, for obvious reasons, it was more appealing to me. William's character embodied unconditional love which I was drawn to.
As the book dwindled down, I began to feel like I was going to have unanswered questions and be given a rushed ending but that wasn't the case. Everything comes around full circle and questions are answered. The answers made me feel sad a little but happy as well as I felt like everything that occurred although unfortunate, was for the better.
Also, I'm sure that our author, Camille Di Maio may have already stumbled upon some requests to write a story about Libby and I'm jumping on that bandwagon! I think that would be most interesting as a sequel to the lineage of amazing women she comes from. And if there is never a sequel, I will be okay and will most likely find myself re-reading this beauty some day!
I highly highly recommend reading this book. Its entwined stories are beautiful while full of love and of the horrors of the past here in America. This is a story where you are truly connected to the characters and just don't want them to go away. I'm more than happy that I dove into this book when I did. It's a perfect beach read because you're more than invested and most likely won't shed any embarrassing tears. Maybe one or two but they can be easily hidden! Read it, you won't regret it!
I gravitate towards historical fiction and this is my first historical fiction centering around the women's suffrage movement. I also was connected regionally living so close to NYC. Lastly, I was connected to the German heritage expressed in words and and customs as my grandpa came over from Germany after WWII. I loved the setting and plot.
The book is beautifully written. Nothing goes without beautiful yet useful descriptions that help paint a picture better than many other books I've recently read. It's also written so well that the characters are lifelike. Part one is Vera's story. I had already felt like I knew and understood Vera in a short two pages even when this portion highlighted her life only as a child first arriving in NYC. As her story continues, the character development is wonderful. You really get to know her, Angelo, and Pearl. I felt for Vera the entire time. Her love for Angelo is so genuine and I felt so sad for her while reading even the happiest of parts between her and him.
All the feels I've had while reading this have been amazing. It's so great to continue to feel these connections. I also found it so interesting that in the first couple pages of her section, she mentioned how Germans and Italians and Spaniards were starting to mix. It is this exact time period where my grandfather sailed over from Germany and married my Italian grandmother. And then their son, my father, married my Spanish mother. Being from immigrant families (on both sides) this book really spoke to me. Pearl's dedication not only helped women get votes but those who were not born here in America.
I absolutely adored the first section of the book highlighting Vera so I was very excited to jump into Alice's story but also very sad that I had to leave Vera behind. I had so many questions. The great thing is that those questions are answered as Vera and Alice's story obviously intertwine as a mother and daughter pair.
As for the second section, I was immediately hooked on Alice and Emmett. He was so sincere and his actions when we first met him made me feel butterflies for Alice. However, as the story continued, I began to favor him less. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with him but I felt his courting of Alice was confusing, kind of selfish, and cold. He also was a little strange for my liking; however all of this is for good reason and when his story continued to unfold, he redeemed himself. With that being said, I still favored William much more. He was sweet and always seemed to have Alice's best interests in mind. His relationship with Vera and Angelo was also sweet and although this dynamic and situation with Vera and Angelo was much different than Emmett 's, for obvious reasons, it was more appealing to me. William's character embodied unconditional love which I was drawn to.
As the book dwindled down, I began to feel like I was going to have unanswered questions and be given a rushed ending but that wasn't the case. Everything comes around full circle and questions are answered. The answers made me feel sad a little but happy as well as I felt like everything that occurred although unfortunate, was for the better.
Also, I'm sure that our author, Camille Di Maio may have already stumbled upon some requests to write a story about Libby and I'm jumping on that bandwagon! I think that would be most interesting as a sequel to the lineage of amazing women she comes from. And if there is never a sequel, I will be okay and will most likely find myself re-reading this beauty some day!
I highly highly recommend reading this book. Its entwined stories are beautiful while full of love and of the horrors of the past here in America. This is a story where you are truly connected to the characters and just don't want them to go away. I'm more than happy that I dove into this book when I did. It's a perfect beach read because you're more than invested and most likely won't shed any embarrassing tears. Maybe one or two but they can be easily hidden! Read it, you won't regret it!
joanne_f77's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this story
I really loved this story. I couldn't out it down I'm glad I saw it on Amazon First. Knowing what I do now I'd pay full price. Will be looking out for more by Camile di maio
I really loved this story. I couldn't out it down I'm glad I saw it on Amazon First. Knowing what I do now I'd pay full price. Will be looking out for more by Camile di maio
suzannefine's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first of Camille Di Maio's books I have read, and it won't be the last.
The Way of Beauty pulls you in immediately, into the WWI and WWII periods, though this is not a book about the wars. This is a book about the beauty of friendship and love - tied in with rich descriptions of early 1900's New York which make you feel like you are right there in Penn Station.
The characters are easy to follow along with, and equally as easy to fall in love with. Vera is a selfless woman who cares for her sick father, falls in love with Angelo. I don't want to ruin this story for anyone by spoiling the story lines.
I would strongly recommend this to any of my book loving friends who enjoy Historical Fiction.
The Way of Beauty pulls you in immediately, into the WWI and WWII periods, though this is not a book about the wars. This is a book about the beauty of friendship and love - tied in with rich descriptions of early 1900's New York which make you feel like you are right there in Penn Station.
The characters are easy to follow along with, and equally as easy to fall in love with. Vera is a selfless woman who cares for her sick father, falls in love with Angelo. I don't want to ruin this story for anyone by spoiling the story lines.
I would strongly recommend this to any of my book loving friends who enjoy Historical Fiction.