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Liked It “This book was heartily enjoyed by everyone at the bookclub. Although we weren't sure we understood all the twists and turns before discussing them, the characters were inteesting and lively, the information about measuring heads creepy and we are glad to be out of Victorian London! Give us a...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “The Dark Lantern is set in Victorian London. Its central focus is the Bentley family, especially Robert and Mina Bentley, who are basically sitting around waiting for Robert's mother to pass away. Robert and his brother Henry will be sharing quite an inheritance, and this is something that...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“I was looking forward to reading this book and although I enjoyed parts of it, I didn't love it. The author captured the suspicion and the paranoia so well that it seeped from the book and made me uncomfortable. The ending wrapped the novel up well.”
Susan F wrote this review Wednesday, November 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book was heartily enjoyed by everyone at the bookclub. Although we weren't sure we understood all the twists and turns before discussing them, the characters were inteesting and lively, the information about measuring heads creepy and we are glad to be out of Victorian London! Give us a seaside village! Our feast of 'Food you would serve' came out on the dessert-y side but we were happily sugared”
Words & Flava wrote this review Tuesday, October 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A complex and satisfying mystery that takes place upstairs and downstairs in a posh Victorian London home, where it seems everyone has a secret. Readers enter 32 Cursitor Road along with Jane, the newly arrived 15-year-old housemaid, who desperately tries to conceal her shameful background while trying to unravel the intricate web of lies in which the household is shrouded. As a devoted fan of the Masterpiece Theater series Upstairs, Downstairs when I was a teen, this book was precisely my cup of tea. ”
Sassy Librarian wrote this review Sunday, October 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Not very interesting and I don't really see the point of the story at all.”
Czarina wrote this review Friday, June 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked it...kept my interest....the "hired" help sure is nosey. :)
Inkberry wrote this review Saturday, April 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I was confused by the end...if anyone can explain if that was really Mrs. Mina Bently at the end and what actually happened to her, please let me know via private message or note.
THANKS.”
“This mystery set in Victorian London grew on me. It was enjoyable reading the unfolding of the story and the secrets of some of the main characters. I liked the ending too, tied up the loose ends.”
Karen J wrote this review Wednesday, April 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A historical fiction mystery with lots of twists and turns. A young wife returned from Paris has been keeping secrets from her husband, a shipwreck that leaves a woman claiming to be a widow, a new servant that is learning the ropes and has lied to get the job. In addition there is discussions about anthropometry vs. fingerprinting. An book that kept me guessing and kept my interest.”
i.should.b.reading wrote this review Friday, March 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“The Dark Lantern is set in Victorian London. Its central focus is the Bentley family, especially Robert and Mina Bentley, who are basically sitting around waiting for Robert's mother to pass away. Robert and his brother Henry will be sharing quite an inheritance, and this is something that Robert's wife Mina is looking forward to. Robert is a leading proponent of anthropometry for identifying criminals at a time when fingerprinting is also being bandied about as an identification tool. Aside from these people, there are the downstairs contingent: the servants, cook, scullery, butler, and two housemaids. The story begins with Jane's arrival; she is already trying to live down her past, and is taken in by Mina as second housemaid. She finds herself in a household where nothing feels right and is put into a helpless situation from the outset from more than one of the inhabitants. There's also a widow, a newcomer, who says she was married to Robert's brother before the ship he was on sank and killed him. Throughout the story, it seems that there are hidden pasts and dark secrets just waiting to be uncovered.
quinnsmom wrote this review Saturday, March 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I am a true fan of period pieces, especially fiction set in the Victorian-period, but I have to say that this was just not a book I could get that involved with. The characters were all just a bit flat, and frankly, I could have cared less about any of them. The plot moved very slow and the author really didn't give a chance for any one storyline to develop with any depth. When the ending came, I was just relieved to have finished the book...no suspense, too many loose ends and by that time I just didn't care any more. Others may really like it, but I just wasn't that into it.
Recommend it? I don't know... I suppose with the number of 4/5 star reader reviews at Amazon someone might enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.”
“Things I liked about this book:
Joyce D wrote this review Wednesday, March 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1. Learning about anthropometry as an alternative to fingerprinting in the 18th Century.
2. The characters were well drawn enough to hold my attention, though I liked some characters better than others.
3. I enjoyed the mystery angle, though not necessarily all of the mystery "solutions".
Things I disliked about this book:
1. Really not interested in the state of various characters' bladders throughout the story.
2. Could have done without the sex scenes. The fact that they were mostly easily skipped over tells me they really weren't essential to the plot.
3. There was a disturbing near-rape scene near the end of the book, and an overly graphic description of a human corpse.
Things I was ambivalent about:
1. The present-tense narration.
2. The leisurely pace of the book.
3. One important mystery was left unsolved at the end of the book.
Is this a book I would want to read again? Sadly, no. The negatives for me outweighed the positives by far. And the biggest negative of all was more a reflection of my own reading taste than it was of the author’s talent. Plain and simple: I like a happy ending with my books. While some of the characters achieved that, others did not. Regrettably for me, the characters who did have “happy endings” were the characters I least personally cared about, while those that I had found myself rooting for were the ones who were left miserable in the end. However, since each reader will likely find herself/himself attracted to different characters, you may find yourself quite satisfied where I was disappointed.
Would I recommend The Dark Lantern? Well, I wouldn’t not recommend it. If you like literary novels, you will probably like this book. If you bond with different characters than I did, you may like this book. If you can overlook the bladder scenes and sex scenes and the unusual narration tense and just kind of float above it all as an interesting story, you may very well like this book. I enjoyed learning about anthropometry, and expect most readers would find the subject interesting, too.
You can read a more detailed review of The Dark Lantern on my JDP NEWS blog at http://jdp-news.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-of-dark-lantern-by-gerri.html”
“Jane takes a new position in London, leaving the vicarage where there is pinched, grudging charity, to become second housemaid to Mrs. Bentley. But when Jane arrives, nothing is as it seems, she sees odd behaviors in the servants and the mistress of this new place. Nothing is as it seems and everyone seems to have secrets!
Carol R wrote this review Friday, November 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Good story with lots of twists and turns, I wasn't sure what would happen, right up to the last minute! good!!”
