How to rate this book ... I really liked it but I might be biased because parts of the story hit close to home. And I know that's not a good thing if you've read this book but there are some things you grow fond of if only for the fact that it reminds you of something from the past.
I randomly picked this up because I was curious about the cover and the title. And then I read the teaser at the back ... I thought it was Jane Eyre-ish and I really liked that one so I went ahead and bought it but I think the only similarity is that they are both Victorian gothic. Still, I'm a fan of the Victorian era so the setting fascinates me.
This is tagged as historical fiction by a lot of people but I don't quite agree. The only historical part here are the references to violence against Jews but I'm not even sure the dates are accurate. I'm no expert but I think those years were when Jews are actually given civil rights (?) and citizenship in most parts of Europe and the violence didn't start again until early 1900's up to the holocaust. If I'm wrong then I'd love to be enlightened (anyway I'll just read about that history later on lol). As for the other parts, I think every story has some sort of history to it. If you chose a specific decade for the story that is not the present (that is from the past) then it's already a history. It's just a setting. I think the genre is mostly mystery, family drama, intrigue and romance.
The story telling is mostly first person, with the main character narrating but there are parts told thru a third person which is kind of confusing at first and when I got over the confusion it turned awkward. It's as if it was just plastered there just because. I guess it's because the distribution isn't even.
As for the story it was so obvious from the very beginning what Phoebe's identity was but I suppose that's what the author wants. It's not like a real secret because everyone around her knows except her. It's the consequences of hiding her identity that's actually heavier and there are other buried secrets that are more disturbing than that and that caught my attention as well. I don't think that it was stupid that she didn't know (as per the other reviews I've read) when everyone does because that's the point. Everyone else is hiding it from her.
I liked the characters, the intrigue, the setting and I guess the story overall. I'd like to read her next books too. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment