David

Pretty slow and boring

Revisado: 05-27-24

The internal monologue of the main character doesn’t resemble how any person thinks. She is constantly making summary observations about her situation, rather than expressing genuine feelings. There is a lot of basic information about being a midwife, basic psychology, and life lessons , but it is the old problem of telling, not showing. The characters are stick figures

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Predictable

Revisado: 06-18-23

There are no nuances to these characters. The premise is pretty silly. There are definitely some good moments, but overall not great

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So very very slow

Revisado: 03-26-23

It is a bad sign when you keep thinking , “ okay. I get it. Move on.” This is really bad. Could that be because both authors felt they had to make the same point— or were paid by the word??

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Preachy and silly

Revisado: 01-25-23

If you want historical accuracy, this is not for you. If you want references to the books you had to read in high school , you’ll love it. If you enjoy books that stereotype rich people as shallow snobs and poor people as kind and loving Christian folk, then the preaching in this book will be right up your alley. If you can forgive all these things as long as the plot and character development pull you into the story , then you’ll be very disappointed in this one. Give it a miss.

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Not really historical fiction

Revisado: 01-22-23

The premise of this is great. I genuinely liked the main character. She felt like a person who was real and knowable. If you have loved the poem "My Last Duchess" there are references to it in the book that you will love. This starts out being historically accurate and then toward the end becomes increasingly fanciful. This is made possible partly by the author's willingness to cherry pick interesting bits of other historical figures' lives and blend them into the Duchess of Farrara's story, but also by the reality that no one really knows what happened to the Duke's wives. There are rumors, but nothing that can be substantiated. I can't say more without destroying the reading experience.
Other than that flaw (for me it is a flaw, but you may feel differently), this is high quality writing. It finishes up rather quickly in the end, but the build to the climax is great.

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Terrible

Revisado: 01-22-23

I often enjoy books about book lovers, but this really is not about that. There is not much about books in this. bleah.

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Tedious

Revisado: 08-19-22

This book is completely predictable. The author doesn’t trust the reader to pick up on foreshadowing or any nuances, so she is repetitious. It is very heavy handed. Also, characters that are difficult and abrasive throughout the story suddenly do an about face, becoming all sweetness and understanding at the end. maybe this would be okay for a young teen who did not have a lot of reading experience

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esto le resultó útil a 40 personas

Lots of laughs

Revisado: 06-01-22

Even though all the requisite elements of a romance are present , they are delivered with great humor. Also , the female protagonist is not the typical wilting stereotype one expects in this genre. This is especially fun for those who’ve read a lot of regency romances and found them a bit trying after a while. Good alternative for Heyerdahl fans who’ve run out of her books

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

A lot to think about

Revisado: 10-01-21

I was engrossed throughout , even though I have read this before. The characters feel very plausible and consistent in their development. Only the details about how the protagonist manages to overhear so many private conversations seemed somewhat forced at times. The story was heartbreaking at times but then other parts alleviated that feeling. I enjoyed the epilogue, too

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Makes you wish for annihilation

Revisado: 04-22-21

Just make it stop.
I've listened for hours. I have really enjoyed Kristin Hannah's work, so I feel I somehow owe this time to her. I should give it every chance of becoming the magical thing she is capable of creating--but I am not sure I can do it this time. In between listens I contemplate whether there is any horrible thing that could still happen. I make lists of possibilities, but I am sure she and her accomplice, Dust Bowl history, will find other more horrible and horribly boring things that I can't possibly imagine--and then when there is nothing else horrible left in the universe, we will all die and be buried under deep dunes of dust. At least it will be a cheap burial, and there will be love and loyalty and infinite boring goodness, out of which a single aster will bloom.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas