A review by madamelacy
Lily by Rose Tremain

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The story is set in the Suffolk countryside and London in the 19th Century.

I’ve visited the Foundling Museum a couple of times, and found Lily’s experiences there sadly unsurprising. The resilience she showed, and her chosen paths for vengeance and healing, made for an emotional read. 

I did feel like there were quite a lot of loose ends in the story which was a bit unsatisfying. Sam was unconvincing MC. There were echoes of Dickens in the story, but with none of his gentle humour.

Overall an interesting read but a little unsatisfying. 
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