The End of an Age

The End of an Age

Aug 30, 2013

A Future Arrived by Phillip Rock

Release Date: February 2013 (Originally February 1985)
Publisher: HarperCollins | William Morrow
Pages: 450 pages
Series: Greville Family Saga #3
Source & Format: Bought; Paperback
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

The final installment of the saga of the Grevilles of Abingdon Pryory begins in the early 1930s, as the dizzy gaiety of the Jazz Age comes to a shattering end. What follows is a decade of change and uncertainty, as the younger generation, born during or just after the "war to end all wars," comes of age.

American writer Martin Rilke has made his journalistic mark, earning worldwide fame with his radio broadcasts, and young Albert Thaxton seeks to follow in his footsteps as a foreign correspondent. Derek Ramsey, born only weeks after his father fell in France, and Colin Ross, a dashing Yankee, leave their schoolboy days behind and enter fight pilot training as young men. The beautiful Wood-Lacy twins, Jennifer and Victoria, and their passionate younger sister, Kate, strive to forge independent paths, while learning to love - and to let go.

In their heady youth and bittersweet growth to adulthood, they are the future - but the shadows that touched the lives of the generation before are destined to reach out to their own.

Thoughts on A Future Arrived

The Greville family saga finally comes to a close in A Future Arrived. After really enjoying the first two books, I was looking forward to seeing how this family's journey would end. I was sad to say goodbye, but I was excited to see where Rock would take his characters. Although I did like this book, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Rather than focus on the characters that readers have already come to know and love, Rock spends almost the entire book devoted to the children of the younger generation of Grevilles and Wood-Lacys. So instead of seeing more from Alexandra, we are introduced to her son, Colin. The Wood-Lacy twins, Ivy's brother Albert, a young student at Charles' school... It's a whole new cast of characters!

What was a bit frustrating for me is that Rock doesn't actually drop the older characters completely, so you end up reading about an even larger group of people. Because of that, there is a ton of information covered in a really brief amount of time. I also didn't feel as strong of a connection to the younger characters, and I think it's in large part due to the fact that we've just fast forwarded and jumped into their lives. While I definitely still liked them all, it did leave the book feeling a little off in some respects.

There is also a rather large time jump in A Future Arrived - it opens in 1930 but then shifts to 1938-1940. It wasn't confusing, but it did seem a little more disjointed than the previous books. I think there was also this sense that Rock really wanted to cover the historical aspect, so he occasionally let the characters fall to the wayside in order to convey the setting and time period. I think both aspects are certainly important, but I don't necessarily want to break for a history lesson in the middle of my reading. There were way more info dumps in A Future Arrived than there were in the first two books.

I felt a little more incredulous about some things in this book, too. Everyone is being paired up with someone and, once again, the female characters take a backseat role in the whole thing. It began to feel like a bit much for me, and I was beginning to grow tired of the romantic entanglements. A Future Arrived also ends in a rather abrupt way, in my opinion. There's a loss in the family that seems completely brushed over as the book just sort of fades into black at the close. I don't know - it just felt more contrived than the first two books in this series I had come to love.

I know it sounds like I hated this book, but I promise that I didn't. Yes, I was disappointed that A Future Arrived seemed to be lacking some of the qualities that first drew me to this series. I wanted it to go out with a bang instead of a whimper! I wanted to see how these characters that I first met in 1914 have changed, grown, loved and lost. But, while it didn't really deliver for me, I still enjoyed the series as a whole and think that people who've read the first two books will certainly want to finish. Despite a lackluster ending, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Greville family saga. It was right up this historical fiction lover and Downton Abbey fan's alley!

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A Glimmer of Peace

A Glimmer of Peace

Aug 29, 2013

Circles of Time by Phillip Rock

Release Date: January 2013 (originally July 1981)
Publisher: HarperCollins | William Morrow
Pages: 425 pages
Series: Greville Family Saga #2
Source & Format: Bought; Paperback
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

A generation has been lost on the Western Front. The daed have been buried, a harsh peace forged, and the howl of shells replaced by the wail of saxophones as the Jazz Age begins. But ghosts linger - that long-ago golden summer of 1914 tugging at the memory of Martin Rilke and his British cousins, the Grevilles.

From the countess to the chauffeur, the inhabitants of Abingdon Pryory seek to forget the past and adjust their lives to a new era in which old values, social codes, and sexual mores have been irretrievably swept away. Martin Rilke throws himself into reporting, discovering unsettling political currents, as Fenton Wood-Lacy faces exile in faraway army outposts. Back at Abingdon, Charles Greville shows signs of recovery from shell shock and Alexandra is caught up in an unlikely romance.

Circles of Time captures the age as these strongly drawn characters experience it, unfolding against England's most gracious manor house, the steamy nightclubs of London's Soho, and the despair of Germany caught in the nightmare of anarchy and inflation. Lives are renewed, new loves found, and a future of peace and happiness is glimpsed - for the moment.

Thoughts on Circles of Time

I started reading Circles of Time almost as soon as I'd finished The Passing Bells. As I've previously mentioned, I'm addicted to series and actually love being able to binge read the books in a series all at once. Although the previous book reached a satisfactory conclusion, I was really excited about diving right back into this world.

Circles of Time is set in England during 1921-1923. The Great War is over, but the world is still reeling from the loss and devastation that resulted. What I immediately liked about this book was the focus on this time period. It's relatively easy to find books set during either of the World Wars, but I don't think I've really seen many books that focus on those years in between from the British perspective.

Like in The Passing Bells, this book focuses on a really large cast of characters. Since there is a time jump from the previous book, there have been some developments in the characters' lives that are introduced in the first few chapters. So, the book then focuses on how each character comes to terms with what they've lost and finds their way to a new normal.

The variety of settings was something I liked about Circles of Time. In the previous book, much attention was spent on the battlefield or in other political arenas. In this one, it felt like there was even more going on while I was reading. From jazz clubs to army outposts, this book paints a really vivid and interesting picture of post-wartime England.

I felt that Martin Rilke, the American journalist cousin, really served as the center for the story (as I'd noted in my review for the previous book). I liked seeing many of the events through his eyes - since he had a newspaperman's attention to detail and the "poor relation" outsider view to offer a unique look at everything that happens.

Another aspect of the aftermath of war is that the social codes are beginning to change. Gone are the strict social mores that dictate each action of society - and the older generation struggles with this new freedom and break from tradition. I loved this aspect of the series because I thought it was portrayed very realistically. I could just picture Lord Stanmore struggling against his upbringing and beliefs when his children make decidedly unconventional life choices.

Without the war, I thought the book began to feel more personal. It focused more on the emotion and rebuilding (of lives, relationships, homes, fortunes, etc.), which led to a more heartwarming and moving plot in many instances. However, political tension does begin to crop back up towards the end of the novel when Martin discovers the unrest and tension in Germany. I feel like a lot of historical fiction focuses on World War II but doesn't necessarily highlight the economic and political turmoil that led up to that point. Germany was floundering and desperation caused its people to put their hope in the wrong person. As a history lover, I was fascinated by this aspect of the book.

As I said in my review of The Passing Bells, I think fans of historical fiction will find much to love in this series. While the book did shift its focus from the relationship aspect to a more historical viewpoint toward the end, I still enjoyed every minute of it. Some of the same things I said previously still apply - the focus on male characters, the lack of depth to characters due to the sheer number of them, etc. - but it didn't detract from my reading experience. If you liked The Passing Bells, you'll definitely want Circles of Time on your To Be Read pile!

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Before There Was Downton Abbey...

Before There Was Downton Abbey...

Aug 28, 2013

The Passing Bells by Phillip Rock

Release Date: December 2012 (Originally January 1978)
Publisher: HarperCollins | William Morrow
Pages: 544 pages
Series: Greville Family Saga #1
Source & Format: Bought; Paperback
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

The guns of August are rumbling throughout Europe in the summer of 1914, but war has not yet touched Abingdon Pryory. Here, at the grand home of the Greville family, the parties, dances, and romances play on. Alexandra Greville embarks on her debutante season while her brother Charles remains hopelessly in love with the beautiful, untitled Lydia Foxe, knowing that his father, the Earl of Stanmore, will never approve of the match. Downstairs the new servant, Ivy, struggles to adjust to the routines of the well-oiled household staff, as the arrival of American cousin Martin Rilke, a Chicago newspaperman, causes a stir.

But, ultimately, the Great War will not be denied, as what begins for the high-bred Grevilles as a glorious adventure soon takes its toll - shattering the household's tranquility, crumbling class barriers, and bringing its myriad horrors home.

Thoughts on The Passing Bells

Billed as the perfect series for fans of Downton Abbey, I was absolutely intrigued by the cover when I first saw this book on the shelves at Target. I purchased it soon after, but I let time go by without reading it. It kept making my list of books to read soon, but I obviously needed the Summer Series Challenge to finally get into gear and start reading this book.

At 544 pages, this is no small read. However, I was shocked once I started reading it at how quickly it flew by. First published in 1978, The Passing Bells was recently reissued by William Morrow and I'm assuming it's in no small part due to Downton Abbey craze.

The Passing Bells follows the Grevilles, an aristocratic English family, during World War I. There is definitely an upstairs/downstairs aspect to this book as it follows not only the central family, but also the servants at Abingdon Pryory and several other key people in the lives of the Greville family members.

Anthony Greville, Earl of Stanmore, and Hanna Rilke Greville, Countess of Stanmore, are the parents of three bright and quickly maturing children: Charles, Alexandra and William. The book also introduces the reader to a large and varied cast of characters. Hanna's American nephew, Martin Rilke, plays a crucial role throughout the book and often becomes a person whose path intersects with all the other characters. As an outsider, he offers valuable perspective on the customs and cares of the English people (and the wealthy in particular).

The novel covers 1914 - 1920, and it flits around between all the characters' lives during that time period. With such an enormous cast, it's a huge task to fulfill! Surprisingly, I was able to keep up once I got acquainted with everyone and never felt confused. The only thing that I disliked with having so many characters is that there isn't a lot of character development because no one person receives enough time, attention or page space to become really fleshed out. The Passing Bells is definitely a book that focuses on action and events, which made the pacing really quick.

While I think the Downton Abbey comparison is fitting, I don't think the book will appeal to every Downton Abbey fan. The Passing Bells does mirror the ensemble cast aspect of the show, but it digs much deeper into the grittier issues of life during wartime. The show is ultimately about entertainment, and it definitely glossed over many aspects of World War I that are more fully fleshed out in Rock's novel. It's a book that is absolutely focused on the war - the event that has served as the catalyst for almost everything that takes place on the book's pages.

There are many female characters, but men take the lead in this book. I was surprised by the fact that the men are really the focal point of this novel - the females are mostly introduced in relation to them rather than having independent story lines of their own (with the exception of Alexandra). I don't think it detracted from my enjoyment of the book, but I did find it surprising that it is almost exclusively focused on the male experience. The cover seems very feminine to me, but the best read as something very masculine (particularly with the focus on men and their experiences with war and politics).

The Passing Bells was rich with historical detail, and Rock definitely knows how to set a scene. There were numerous instances where I felt as though I could clearly picture the horror, devastation and futility of what was taking place. I'd never realized just how mismanaged certain aspects of World War I were, and it was fascinating to take a step back in time with these characters on that journey.

If you're looking for a historical fiction book that reads like a movie, I think you'll enjoy The Passing Bells. The wide range of characters made for an exciting and intriguing read, even if I did feel that they weren't fully developed due to sheer number of moving parts in this story. With fascinating historical detail and fast-paced action scenes, I would definitely recommend The Passing Bells to fans of historical fiction. It may not be the perfect fit for every Downton Abbey fan, but I certainly think the comparison is deserved. It's the first in a series, but it stands nicely on its own for those who aren't ready to commit to more time spent with these books. All in all, I very much enjoyed this read!

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Remember Me?

Remember Me?

Aug 27, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!

Top Ten Memorable Secondary Characters

One Reason (Among Many) J.K. Rowling Is Amazing

Source

I started working on this post in the same way I always do - browsing Goodreads and my bookshelves to jog my memory and inspire my list. But I kept coming back to the same issue. While there are so many memorable secondary characters in literature, all I wanted to talk about was how impressed I am that J.K. Rowling managed to create so many secondary characters that I'll never forget.

If you've read my blog before, you may know that I was really late to the whole Harry Potter thing. In fact, it wasn't until late 2011 that I finally got to know this world and the people that inhabit it. I spent the next few months making me way through the series, falling in love with these characters in a way I'd never anticipated. I finished the last book at the very beginning of 2012 - a fitting way to ring in the New Year, if you ask me.

But that's the only time I've read these books. I didn't grow up with them. I didn't spend years re-reading each copy before the new one came out. I didn't attend the movie premieres or even pay attention to when a new book was being released. I've read these books once, but once was all it took for me to be hooked.

And I'm still shocked at how clearly these characters stand out in my mind. Some may argue that creating memorable characters is easier when you've got seven books to allow your readers to get to know them, but I'd argue that even characters who only appear in one book are incredibly well-drawn. I mean, think about Cedric Diggory. That's a character who only appears in one book, but I didn't have to go check Goodreads or flip through the book to try and remember his name.

One of the many reasons I fell in love with this series is because of the secondary characters. Rowling creates people who have flaws, likes and dislikes, personalities... Her attention to detail when it comes to her characters is unlike anything I've ever read before. Within one paragraph, she can tell you a few seemingly tiny things that speak volumes about the entire character. Need an example? Read the very beginning of the very first book, and tell me you don't have a pretty clear picture of the Dursleys after those couple of opening paragraphs.

I already know I'll be reading these books again and again in the coming years. There's something about them that's so magical - and it's not just because of Hogwarts. Ask anyone who has read these books who their favorite character is and I can almost guarantee that you'll get a whole range of answers. You'd think everyone would automatically say Harry Potter, right? But no, there's a favorite for everyone in these books. 

You want to find ten of my favorite secondary characters? Just open these books. You can find so many of them there. And that's just one (of many) reasons why I'm now a J.K. Rowling fangirl.

To complete this week's list, here are ten secondary characters in Harry Potter that immediately come to mind:

1. Hermione Granger. My husband telling me that I'm just like her is the best compliment ever.

2. Fred & George Weasley. I just can't even with these two. Don't get me started. 

3. Luna Lovegood. Gotta root for the girl who does her own thing!

4. Dobby. The house-elf I'll never forget.

5. Severus Snape. Always.

6. Sirius Black. Would my list be complete without this beloved character?

7. Draco Malfoy. Oh, Draco. Your family really didn't do you any favors.

8. Remus Lupin. Only one of the best teachers ever at Hogwarts... and so much more!

9. Dolores Umbridge. My blood boils just thinking about her!

10. Hedwig. Only Rowling could make me love an owl.

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Lost & Found

Lost & Found

Aug 26, 2013

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons

Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Penguin | Plume
Pages: 352 pages
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

London, 1958. It's the eve of the sexual revolution, but in Juliet Montague's conservative Jewish community where only men can divorce women, she finds herself a living widow, invisible, Ever since her husband disappeared seven years ago, Juliet has been a hardworking single mother of two and unnaturally practical. But on her thirtieth birthday, that's all about to change. A wealthy young artist asks to paint her portrait, and Juliet, moved by the powerful desire to be seen, enters into the burgeoning art world of 1960s London, which will bring her fame, fortune, and a life-long love affair.

Thoughts on The Gallery of Vanished Husbands

I read Natasha Solomons' The House at Tyneford last summer and absolutely fell in love with it. Something about the writing just captured me - I had so many quotes and phrases underlined. So, I was really excited when I spotted Solomons' new book, The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, on NetGalley. The cover is eye-catching and lovely, and the description sounded so unique. It's not a setting or time period that I've read much about, so I was really curious about it.

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands tells the story of Juliet Montague, a mother of two living in London. As part of a conservative Jewish community, she's expected to live a certain way. But there's a problem. Her husband, George, disappeared one day and hasn't been heard from since. She's a woman caught in transition. She's no longer single, but she also hardly counts as married. The leaders in her community make a decision - she must live as if she's a widow because only her husband can initiate a divorce.

Juliet decides to do as she's told. She works hard in her father's store to support her children, and she remains practical to her core. She's saving up money to buy herself something useful for her thirtieth birthday, until she's struck one day by the desire to do something different. She spots a piece of art that she wants to call her own, and she's willing to spend all she's saved to purchase it. The artist is unwilling to sell because he wants to paint Juliet's portrait instead. This one small decision, having her portrait painted, thrusts Juliet into an entirely new world. While she is not artistic, she has a critical and judicious eye. She knows good art when she sees it, and this skill helps her enter the London art scene.

The entire book centers around Juliet's life, including her love for art and her rebellion against the conservative community that wants to dictate her actions. While I liked the idea of the story, there was just something lacking for me in the execution. Solomons' characters were unique and well-developed, and the writing was still descriptive and evocative. My problem? I trudged through most of this book. I love books with a slower pace, but this one was really a struggle for me at times.

It didn't feel like there was any build-up or conflict leading to a climax and resolution. While there are certainly conflicts along the way, there wasn't any excitement or passion in the story. For a book that is focusing on a woman who is fighting against her upbringing, I found it frustrating that the book lacked that depth of feeling. I wasn't very invested in Juliet's story, and the whole thing was just a little lackluster.

As much as I love the title, I even thought that was a bit misleading. The disappearance of Juliet's husband helps spark her rebellion, but it's not really a crucial element of the plot. The phrase comes from a section in the newspaper that prints the photos and descriptions of husbands who have run off in the hopes that someone can tell their families where they've gone. It seemed like such a minor element to me, especially considering the fact that book focuses much more on a collection of portraits of Juliet (every artist she works with ends up painting her somehow). It's not about the fact that her husband has vanished - it's about a woman who has lived in the shadows finally coming into her own.

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands is the story of a woman who dares to be different, to be bold and to choose her own future. While I was disappointed in the pacing, the writing was descriptive and the focus on the art world was intriguing. I wanted a little bit more from the story, but it was still an enjoyable read and offered a new perspective that I haven't read heard much about until now.

So Quotable

"... she could feel the tug of the invisible chain tying her to George. He mad her not quite respectable. While Juliet no longer had an interest in respectability, she wanted to select the method of her own notoriety."

*I received a copy of this book from Penguin/Plume in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for this review.

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