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A review by brooke_review
The Glorious Guinness Girls by Emily Hourican
3.0
While many people have heard of the Guinness Brewery empire, they may not be aware of the family behind the name eponymous with dark stouts - the Guinnesses themselves. I certainly wasn't before reading Emily Hourican's latest novel, The Glorious Guinness Girls, which details the coming of age of the three Guinness sisters, Aileen, Maureen, and Oonagh, told through the eyes of a fictitious girl Felicity, sent to live with them when her mother can no longer care for her.
The "glorious Guinness girls," were part of the "Bright Young Things" crowd - that group of glittering gals and gents of the roaring 20s, known for living lavish lifestyles and throwing raucous parties. Their exciting lives whispered about and splashed across the press, the Guinness girls lived a life that only those who were a part of high society could aspire to. Felicity, their newfound friend, was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but even so, the Guinness girls embrace her and treat her like a sister, welcoming her into their fold and making her one of their own. However, as Felicity is strung from one party and debut to the next, she can't help but feel like an outsider looking in, a part of things, but not QUITE a part of it all. This puts her in the unique position to describe life with the Guinness girls, as is detailed in Hourican's novel.
As 100 years have now passed since the infamous roaring 20s, this time period has been getting a lot of attention in media lately, so I was excited to read Hourican's novel about a group of society girls whom I was not previously familiar. I quite enjoyed learning about the Guinness girls and their high brow lifestyle, as it is so different from anything I have ever been exposed to in my own.
This book draws comparisons to Downton Abbey, and I can see similarities - set in the same time period, featuring a wealthy family of three sisters, and showcasing the lives of both the rich and the poor - but where Downton Abbey shines and The Glorious Guinness Girls lacks is in utterly compelling storylines. The Glorious Guinness Girls lives to TELL us what life was like for the trio, as opposed to showing us through rich details and characterization. The Guinness girls are unfortunately flat, and much of this novel consists of conversations between the girls and Felicity about boys and parties. This book is not bad, per say - I did enjoy it - but I wasn't compelled to pick it up and did find myself bored at times, especially through the middle of the novel. There just isn't much plot here, and if a book doesn't have a plot, it needs to have strong, distinctive characters. Unfortunately, The Glorious Guinness Girls had neither.
Read this book if you are curious about the Guinness sisters and what it was like to be a part of the Bright Young Things societal circle, but don't expect to be blown away by the storyline.
The "glorious Guinness girls," were part of the "Bright Young Things" crowd - that group of glittering gals and gents of the roaring 20s, known for living lavish lifestyles and throwing raucous parties. Their exciting lives whispered about and splashed across the press, the Guinness girls lived a life that only those who were a part of high society could aspire to. Felicity, their newfound friend, was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but even so, the Guinness girls embrace her and treat her like a sister, welcoming her into their fold and making her one of their own. However, as Felicity is strung from one party and debut to the next, she can't help but feel like an outsider looking in, a part of things, but not QUITE a part of it all. This puts her in the unique position to describe life with the Guinness girls, as is detailed in Hourican's novel.
As 100 years have now passed since the infamous roaring 20s, this time period has been getting a lot of attention in media lately, so I was excited to read Hourican's novel about a group of society girls whom I was not previously familiar. I quite enjoyed learning about the Guinness girls and their high brow lifestyle, as it is so different from anything I have ever been exposed to in my own.
This book draws comparisons to Downton Abbey, and I can see similarities - set in the same time period, featuring a wealthy family of three sisters, and showcasing the lives of both the rich and the poor - but where Downton Abbey shines and The Glorious Guinness Girls lacks is in utterly compelling storylines. The Glorious Guinness Girls lives to TELL us what life was like for the trio, as opposed to showing us through rich details and characterization. The Guinness girls are unfortunately flat, and much of this novel consists of conversations between the girls and Felicity about boys and parties. This book is not bad, per say - I did enjoy it - but I wasn't compelled to pick it up and did find myself bored at times, especially through the middle of the novel. There just isn't much plot here, and if a book doesn't have a plot, it needs to have strong, distinctive characters. Unfortunately, The Glorious Guinness Girls had neither.
Read this book if you are curious about the Guinness sisters and what it was like to be a part of the Bright Young Things societal circle, but don't expect to be blown away by the storyline.