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A review by waytoomanybooks
The Glorious Guinness Girls by Emily Hourican
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I adore books that are told through a first person narrator looking back over their life, but this isn't really a good example of that.
Felicity looks back over her time with the Guinness family as a time of in-between: childhood and adulthood, rich and poor, alone yet in a crowd. Felicity is down-to-earth, honest, moral, and sensible, and yet, it doesn't really get her anywhere. She's like a rock in a stream: life flows past her, around her, shapes her. She leaves little impact as she lives her life on the fringe. And yet, she accepts this as an unchangeable fact. She will make do because what other choice does she have?
I can't help but wish she had had a happier ending, or at least a life that felt fleshed out while staying true to her character and storyline. But as this historical fiction, it is based on real people and real events, so I suppose Hourican wrote Felicity as someone of her station, upbringing, and background would act, think, feel, etc. She is out of place, and so her narrative is as well. I assume that that is on purpose.
Though Felicity herself is hardly more than an observer, Hourican gives her a keen eye for detail. Through her, we get to enjoy a rich narrative of parties, political upheaval, and emotional turmoil. Hourican's writing kept me hooked on every midnight treasure hunt, alcoholic bender, and the inevitable morning after. Readers have the pleasure of feeling the emotions in the book as deeply as the characters do. They're all merry, acting as though the world might end tomorrow, not caring a bit that their hard partying and lack of care will ultimately hurt them in the long-run.
One issue I had is that the "twist" was revealed far too late into the book for it to have had an impact on me...or Felicity for that matter. It fell flat, and over all, the story ended abruptly. Although, to be fair, the Jazz Age of the Bright Young Things also ended abruptly when the stock market crashed.
Over all, I' say it's...okay. If you're looking for a series with a similar tone and mood, but since well, I'd recommend the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, which easy summer read that is easy to pick up and put down without feeling like I've missed something important.
Felicity looks back over her time with the Guinness family as a time of in-between: childhood and adulthood, rich and poor, alone yet in a crowd. Felicity is down-to-earth, honest, moral, and sensible, and yet, it doesn't really get her anywhere. She's like a rock in a stream: life flows past her, around her, shapes her. She leaves little impact as she lives her life on the fringe. And yet, she accepts this as an unchangeable fact. She will make do because what other choice does she have?
I can't help but wish she had had a happier ending, or at least a life that felt fleshed out while staying true to her character and storyline. But as this historical fiction, it is based on real people and real events, so I suppose Hourican wrote Felicity as someone of her station, upbringing, and background would act, think, feel, etc. She is out of place, and so her narrative is as well. I assume that that is on purpose.
Though Felicity herself is hardly more than an observer, Hourican gives her a keen eye for detail. Through her, we get to enjoy a rich narrative of parties, political upheaval, and emotional turmoil. Hourican's writing kept me hooked on every midnight treasure hunt, alcoholic bender, and the inevitable morning after. Readers have the pleasure of feeling the emotions in the book as deeply as the characters do. They're all merry, acting as though the world might end tomorrow, not caring a bit that their hard partying and lack of care will ultimately hurt them in the long-run.
One issue I had is that the "twist" was revealed far too late into the book for it to have had an impact on me...or Felicity for that matter. It fell flat, and over all, the story ended abruptly. Although, to be fair, the Jazz Age of the Bright Young Things also ended abruptly when the stock market crashed.
Over all, I' say it's...okay. If you're looking for a series with a similar tone and mood, but since well, I'd recommend the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, which easy summer read that is easy to pick up and put down without feeling like I've missed something important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Alcohol