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misajane79 's review for:
Egy asszony három élete
by Rachel Field
I went through many different emotions whie I was reading this book. Several things I had read about it previously mentioned the main character's, Henriette Desportes', involvement in a famous murder in 19th century France. Said murder occurs almost halway through the book and then doesn't take much to resolve. This all annoyed me, and I kept wondering if should just give up.
But even as I kept flipping forward, trying to figure out when someone was going to die (you can see where my priorities are), I became completely charmed by this book, and the annoyance vanished. This is not a book about a murder, but about a woman making her own way in the mid-19th century. Henriette is a wonderful character--a smart, single woman who doesn't have many options in 1840s Europe. She comes to the Praslin household, one where the marriage is rocky at best. But she is governess extraordinaire (Mary Poppins has nothing on her!), charming the children, much to the mother's anger.
After the scandal, she finds her way to the US, eventually finding love. And her husband is part of a fascinating family--friends with the movers and shakers and thinkers of the mid-19th century.
Through it all, Henriette is just fascinating, made all the more intriguing because this book has its roots in history. Though the book is long (my copy was 600 pages), it reads quickly. This is a wonderful glimpse into women's history--the limited options single women had and what a bit of gossip could do to a womann's reputation. I am completely in love with Henriette.
This book also left me wanting more--more information on 19th century French politics (there's something I'm rarely interested in!) and a biography of the Field family.
Highly recommended
PS Fans of fashion will love all the period details about clothing--Henriette was quite the reserved (well, she was a governess!) fashion plate.
PPS If you like this book, highly recommend Love is a Wild Assault by Elithe Hamilton Kirkland. Roughly the same time period, more scandalous women ultimately finding love, but with a Texas twist.
But even as I kept flipping forward, trying to figure out when someone was going to die (you can see where my priorities are), I became completely charmed by this book, and the annoyance vanished. This is not a book about a murder, but about a woman making her own way in the mid-19th century. Henriette is a wonderful character--a smart, single woman who doesn't have many options in 1840s Europe. She comes to the Praslin household, one where the marriage is rocky at best. But she is governess extraordinaire (Mary Poppins has nothing on her!), charming the children, much to the mother's anger.
After the scandal, she finds her way to the US, eventually finding love. And her husband is part of a fascinating family--friends with the movers and shakers and thinkers of the mid-19th century.
Through it all, Henriette is just fascinating, made all the more intriguing because this book has its roots in history. Though the book is long (my copy was 600 pages), it reads quickly. This is a wonderful glimpse into women's history--the limited options single women had and what a bit of gossip could do to a womann's reputation. I am completely in love with Henriette.
This book also left me wanting more--more information on 19th century French politics (there's something I'm rarely interested in!) and a biography of the Field family.
Highly recommended
PS Fans of fashion will love all the period details about clothing--Henriette was quite the reserved (well, she was a governess!) fashion plate.
PPS If you like this book, highly recommend Love is a Wild Assault by Elithe Hamilton Kirkland. Roughly the same time period, more scandalous women ultimately finding love, but with a Texas twist.