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Liked It “A highly enjoyable read, and highly realistic. It feels like the characters are plucked straight out of Henry Mayhew's _London Labour and the London Poor_.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Book group entry - I didn't finish this book so maybe my rating is unfair. I didn't like the author's style of having a narrator. I wasn't interested in any of the characters or the details of English life in the mid-1800s.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“A highly enjoyable read, and highly realistic. It feels like the characters are plucked straight out of Henry Mayhew's _London Labour and the London Poor_.”
Liz Q wrote this review 11 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“19th century England brought to life with all the realities of the period. Interesting sympathetic characters facing horrific challenges to maintain a livelihood.
Belinda E wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Well crafted writing that draws the reader into the era.”
“A really interesting read chock full of history and accurate character profiles back in the old English city. Really neat story!”
Lauren C wrote this review Tuesday, October 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“In 1831 England is decimated by cholera. The story follows Gustine, a 15-year-old "dress lodger," prostitute, and her relationship to Dr Henry Chiver, a surgeon and anatomy professor. They strike an unlikely bargain born of frustration and desperation. Their hopes are ultimately shattered.
F Tessa B wrote this review Sunday, September 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book itself is somewhat odd, with a strange style of writing. The story is comeplling in a a macabre way. One person I recommended it to really liked it. Another avid readon couldn't get past the first few pages. ”“Book group entry - I didn't finish this book so maybe my rating is unfair. I didn't like the author's style of having a narrator. I wasn't interested in any of the characters or the details of English life in the mid-1800s. ”
Cathy E wrote this review Friday, September 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Wanted to like it...just didn't resonate with me.”
Kelly D wrote this review Thursday, September 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Comparisons to 'The Crimson Petal and the White' abounded, as well as our amazement at the grimness of life in the Victorian slums. Don't read this one over lunch, especially if you like avacados! As we always ask, did this have a hopeful ending? Well, there was some disagreement over that!”
Words & Flava wrote this review Saturday, August 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“What a great story - the first novel I've read in the historical fiction genre as far as I know. I hope to get another of this author's books today when I take it back to the library. The relationship between the dress lodger and her shadow is fascinating even to the very end - I loved the ending. The character development was really good.”
Kathy G wrote this review Thursday, June 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Review: 15 year old Gustine has had a very hard life. Living in a hotel of sorts for the rough side of life, she works by day carrying clay for a local potter, and at night she earns her rent and a little extra by wearing the fancy dress "rented" to her by her landlord so that she can attract wealthier clients for a quick poke in a dark alley. With an ill child at home, born with his heart outside his chest cavity, Gustine feels she has no choice but to do what she does to survive and take care of her son. When she learns that a heart surgeon frequents a local tavern with his students because he cannot obtain dead bodies for their anatomy lessons, Gustine figures out a way to help him with what he needs in order to get what she needs: a heart doctor.
Jen M wrote this review Sunday, June 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This was a very odd book for me to judge. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it; the writing style is done a bit unusually in the sense that the author takes a narration tone, almost as if directing a play but it's not a play. The voice of her narrator serves as a tour guide, in a sense, providing information about what might have happened if this character or that had made a different decision, or telling us about activities happening elsewhere from her main characters. At first, I didn't care for this, and I struggled a bit with it. However, about 50 pages in, the book suddenly took off for me and I flew through the rest of it.
This isn't a pretty book; there aren't any happy endings. But it's a fascinating mix of circumstances in history: the cholera epidemic combined with a form of prostitution practiced by young girls whose only other choice is to die in the streets offers a glimpse at a historical past not often explored in fiction.”
