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**3.5 stars**
First of all, if you haven’t read Jane Eyre and intend to read it, please don’t read this book first. It gives Jane Eyre’s plot away.
Jane Eyre is mentioned in this book often and it’s clear to me that Ms. Setterfield attempted to create a similar atmosphere with her prose and gothic undertones. There are dilapidated houses, ghostly apparitions, visions that characters see from the corner of their eyes, nightly strolls in gardens, misty forests, etc. There IS a mystery and it’s extr ...more
First of all, if you haven’t read Jane Eyre and intend to read it, please don’t read this book first. It gives Jane Eyre’s plot away.
Jane Eyre is mentioned in this book often and it’s clear to me that Ms. Setterfield attempted to create a similar atmosphere with her prose and gothic undertones. There are dilapidated houses, ghostly apparitions, visions that characters see from the corner of their eyes, nightly strolls in gardens, misty forests, etc. There IS a mystery and it’s extr ...more
Really enjoyed this book. If, however, I was reading instead of listening, I may have found the pace tedious and may have taken a while to read it.
Great story. This author is excellent at the descriptive word. One sentence and I could picture exactly what she was talking about.
I would have given it 5 stars, but I was unmoved by the unrealistic obsession that Margaret had with her twin. It wasn't believable for me, and it was the only time in the story when I felt like rolling my eyes and yelling ...more
Great story. This author is excellent at the descriptive word. One sentence and I could picture exactly what she was talking about.
I would have given it 5 stars, but I was unmoved by the unrealistic obsession that Margaret had with her twin. It wasn't believable for me, and it was the only time in the story when I felt like rolling my eyes and yelling ...more
This book was chosen for two different book clubs-gotta love a two-fer. The story was great, eerie and totally engrossing. Margaret Lea is asked to write the biography of Vida Winter, a hugely successful but reclusive author. Vida's tale is dark to say the least but has some good plot twists.
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Interesting tale.
For some reason I expected to love this book, and I didn't quite get there. The mystery background of a best selling author was interesting, and I found it to be timeless. It alluded it modern elements, but the book really could have taken place anytime in the last fifty years, which I found somewhat disconcerting.
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Nov 14, 2007
Joanna
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
2008-read
This book was wonderful. The story was engaging and the characters were smart and interesting. The story is a bit hard to describe -- a story of twins; a biography of a fictional character; a "ghost" story, as one of the characters describes it. But the details of the strange family history are completely engrossing. The use of Jane Eyre throughout the story was well done.
Also, I highly recommend the narrators for the audio version -- it's narrated by two women with similar but distinct voices - ...more
Also, I highly recommend the narrators for the audio version -- it's narrated by two women with similar but distinct voices - ...more
Parts of this book I enhoyed immensely. And I really wanted to enjoy the whole thing since I heard nothing but good reviews. Unfortunately, I found parts to drag on and on. A lot of the paragraphs on Margaret's take on reading books were definitely "spot on". Other parts of the story just left me wanting to skip paragraphs.
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I wish I had read Jane Eyre before this book, but this at least finally got me interested enough to read it.
Loved it. Couldn't put it down.
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Feb 09, 2008
Katie
marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2008
Starcatcher
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009-winter-challenge
