OK but not great
I was intrigued by the premise--retelling the story of Age of Innocence in a modern setting. Even though we have such a fascination with scandal, it seemed like it would be a stretch to make such a scenario seem believable in the 21st century, but Francesca Segal seems to have pulled it off. Despite a turn toward melodrama at the end, the situation seems realistic enough. I don't know enough about the London Jewish community to know whether the portrayal is an accurate one. As Adam struggles with his feelings toward his fiancee and her cousin, I wanted to smack him and tell him to get over it. Despite that or maybe even because of it, I found that I didn't really care whom he chose, because I didn't particularly like Rachel or Ellie. The book was a relatively quick read, and it was OK but not great.
Rated of 5
by Lynn R. (Wautoma, WI)
The Innocents
I enjoyed reading about different Jewish traditions and the different perspective of these traditions from the old and young. I really felt that the characters in the book were weak, I couldn't get an image in my mind of who they were and what they looked like. I feel this book could be good for book clubs that enjoy reading about different cultures and traditions. This was a book I could put down and then later have a hard time picking up.
Rated of 5
by Pamela F. (Grants Pass, OR)
The Innocents
For me this book was a slow starter. I think it was because I did not attach to the characters that much and that was a problem throughout for me. I enjoyed reading about the Jewish culture, but the characters kind of annoyed me. It was an interesting concept to take a classic and put it in today's world...I finished it, I didn't dislike it, but not one of my favorites.
Rated of 5
by Susan M. (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
Tries but in the end...
This book peaked my interest by the second chapter and as I read I thought this might be a good book for my book group. Unfortunately midway through part 2 I began to doubt that this book would be a good book group book. Reading part 3 sealed the deal. Midway through part 2 the author throws in a family crisis which was vaguely foreshadowed on page 18, but never really explored. Part 3 was just a quick tying together of loose ends. I gave the book a 3 because I thought the writing was quite good and I found myself caring about the characters. Unfortunately the plot lines strayed and weakened. With additional editing and rewriting I would say that this book has strong potential.
Rated of 5
by Tillie H. (Baltimore, MD)
Just so-so
This book has an interesting storyline, but there is so much extraneous material in it that it became a chore to get through it. The plot intrigued me, but I just couldn't get through the entire thing because of how things moved so slowly.
A very large book - in number of pages and in content - and every page worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and her first book on the...
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Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
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Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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News Corp will officially split into two companies June 28(May 24 2013) As expected, News Corp has announced it will officially split its publishing and entertainment businesses on 28 June.
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Its board approved the...
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of 5
by Celia A. (Takoma Park, MD)
