I am more than a little embarrassed for the time it has taken to summarise our thoughts on this book. In all honesty, I struggled to put pen to paper because I did not enjoy this read AND I failed to finish the book. Usually, when I feel that way, other members of our group offer points of view that help me to find a way to represent the thoughts and feelings of us all and to offer a balanced review of our discussion. I just couldn't find a way to do that, this time.
So here is a list of the comments made at our meeting back in January in which nine of us sat down to a (short) chat about this read.
What did we feel about this book? "It wasn't doing anything for me." "I stopped reading, it was a waste of my time." "I kept going and I did enjoy it in the end." "I had to force myself to read it." "It could have been 100 pages shorter."
What about the story? "A weak and predictable plot." "It was unrealistic, I lost the plot." "I went up and down those stairs too many times!" "I didn't think it was authentic."
Which characters did we like? "I didn't care about any of the characters."
Any redeeming features? "I was a social commentary, the breakdown of class after WW1, the fall of the 'gentile woman' BUT then it turned into a costume drama!", "A well-bred woman was doing the work of a 'char'." "The elderly Victorian gentry were having to change." "Lodgers were paying guests without rules - that's how the upper-class could justify their fall from grace." "It was well written." "We have read worse!"
That's it - sorry Sarah Waters, of Tipping the Velvet fame, you didn't add much value to our lives with this book.
On the bright side, we can shut the door on that book and move on to our next read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and look forward to discussing that on Thursday 31st March, 8pm at The Hundred.
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