I wasn't able to sign in on Monday so I'm leaving my review here if that's OK?
THOUGHTS
I thought the writing was quite good on the whole and I end up getting quite invested in the characters and their story. I liked that you got to see the main story from the two main characters' points of view and I thought that gave a well rounded feel to the story. I liked that we got to see what the characters were hiding from one another as that added an element of tension as you weren't sure when or if it would all suddenly come crashing down!
I liked the main character Evelyn – she was resourceful, determined and clever and was willing to do whatever she needed to to support herself and her mother.
I quite enjoyed reading about the disagreements between William and Evelyn. They were a feisty pair and I enjoyed their verbal sparring.
I was intrigued to find out what secrets everyone was keeping, particularly William’s as we know most of what Evelyn is trying to keep hidden from the start. I also wondered what would happen when everyone was finally truthful with each other.
The chapters were fairly long and I often had to read them in stages which sometimes meant that I'd forgotten what I'd previously read (menopausal brain!) and had to reread so it was slow going at times. I can't say that I was riveted and couldn't put it down until I d finished the chapter.
The characters displayed a mix of personalities and it highlighted the social difficulties of the time and showed how the rules differed depending on your social class and standing.
The descriptions of the settings were light as I suppose this was a character focused story but, having lived in York, I was looking forward to it featuring a bit more. I did like that the bookshop itself was a character in its own right. However, there were hints of magic which never really materialised and I think that’s one of the things that I was disappointed in. Mr Morton, the bookshop owner, suggests near the beginning that the bookshop has a mind of its own and I somehow thought there would be something more about that.
Overall an interesting story but not sure I'd recommend as it was middle of the road.
6/10 FLOAT
