jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

I liked this- fairly traditional. Although, as the title alludes, there are faults in understanding, SO. Many. Misunderstandings. I struggle with misunderstandings in ANY book, when we/the reader, from a 3rd person omniscient perspective know the whole story ... it can be super frustrating. When it's a 1st person, and we only know what that character knows, we feel more like that characters. Knowing what both Darcy and Elizabeth are thinking, how they have both overheard things, misunderstood things, continue on under altered perceptions continuing the strain on the relationship. And this went on for SO long. 

I struggled at the start (sometimes happens, especially in audio if I get at all distracted). I had the text through KindleUnlimited, and the audio was available on Hoopla. I had to stop, and restart, and go to the text, as I got a little confused.

There was a prologue ( 9 December 1811) and then we went BACK for chapter 1 (26 Nov 1811) ... Chapter 2 & Chapter 3 follow chronologically, and then as Chapter 4 starts, we're back to the prologue. I often struggle with this little "future peek" and then the "a few weeks earlier" build up to that moment we've already seen. It's a technique used a lot in books and movies ... and I dislike it almost every time. Here also, I wasn't totally sold on Elizabeth agreeing to marry Darcy  ... even for Jane's sake (which was a gamble, not even a sure thing). And until I wrote this review, I didn't realize just how quickly it had all happened. From a completely unexpected proposal to a marriage, in 14 days?

While I was listening/reading this book, I was watching the Bridgerton prequel "Queen Charlotte" ... and felt some similarities. In the quick marriage between characters that didn't really know each other. The groom not consummating the marriage, a bit of a relief, but also a question to the poor bride. The new wife being kept in comfort, and in both cases ... might they not be relieved? Wouldn't this actually be more than they could have hoped for? No mistreatment, living in wealth and comfort, not having to deal with a man they don't love/don't really know? Just having some personal thoughts on it ...

It was interesting to get more background on Darcy (different background, being a second son) and a more personal look into his POV. Some shifts to the Bingley/Jane narrative, and the Lydia/Wickham one. Mary was mentioned a few times, Kitty was almost non-existent. There was a dog who played a much larger roll than Kitty ;) 

Words - dais was in there three times (pronounced the usual, with long A). Deign once. A couple scowls and smirks. Lots of "pray" (60 times). Mordantly: having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting. 

I'd read a couple other books by this author and liked them fine ... this was about the same. It was free, included in my KindleUnlimited subscription, text and audio. I mostly went with the audio, but was glad to have the kindle copy for some reference. 

This had a mix of past and present tense, mostly present tense for the current storyline, past for memories. First person, all from the POV of our Heartbreak Bunny, Billie. Simple/chronological chapters, no headers.  Lots of dialog without the "he says/she says" (the narrator did a good job keeping it straight with different voices, I think I might have had a few moments reading myself thinking "who is talking?")

I don't know how much I'll really remember the story ... even waiting a few days to write the review and I'm having to skim over the text to see what I remember. Dressing up as a bunny was memorable (but not really tied to the title - that's her catch phrase and name of her company). A little different in that our MC is over 60, and the discussion of "love/sex" in the older years was a bit interesting, not the traditional 20-something love story. Nothing really explicit. A little proFanity (x3). 

A strange pronunciation of Kiefer ... Kay-Fear ???
Word - cacophony. Not one I'd generally be tracking, but someone in a FB group mentioned seeing it in so many reads, and there it was ;)  It did have smirk and scowl. 

This one just wasn't for me. As I'd stop with the book, I didn't want to come back to it, and had to push to finish. It's not an issue of content, while domestic violence isn't a "fun" read, it's also not a trigger or anything (no personal connection to it at all).  The whole thing just felt a little awkward ... 1st person, present tense, I was always aware of the tense. It felt unnatural. None of the characters were that likeable or sympathetic ... which is real, it's all shades of gray. I mean, Gordon is BAD ... but he does have a few sweet moments. Jill, our MC ... in a horrible situation, but it is hard to go with her choices. Drew ... little boy, yet still some cringe-worthy stuff.  Quite a bit of violence, sexual situations/rape and proFanity (well, just 7x). Just a little over the top, not quite believable. I just wasn't able to get pulled in, I felt like I was questioning too much along the way. Too many "really???" moments throughout. 

Never really felt like the title connected.

I adored this author's "In An Instant" and liked "Where Butterflies Wander" ... but this one didn't work for me. Included in KU, text and audio.   

I liked this fine, as far as learning some additional information about WW2 ... lots about bombs. Some said this read like a novel; I didn't find that to be the case. This felt more like a lecture, a school study. I had both the kindle copy (included in KU) and the audio (Hoopla) and switched a bit between the two formats. In audio, I could almost feel this as a university lecture. In print, all the notes to references made it feel academic. And does one stop, to check the reference during the initial read, or look at it after ... or not at all.  Other than Churchill ... I don't know that I will remember the names of the others involved. And most of the involvement I'll remember was bombs. Limpets. Clams. Hedgehogs. I guess I should remember Gubbins, as his name is even in the headers of a couple of the chapters (Gubbin's Trojan War, Operation Gubbins). 

I appreciated that this had a descriptive Table of Contents - even with that, it doesn't jog my memory much about what was contained in the chapters, except to remind that explosives were the subject matter for much of it (Ch7 The First Big Bang, Ch10 A Deadly Bang, Ch11 Masters of Sabotage etc). Guerrilla Warefare.

There wasn't really a "story" per se ... at least in my opinion. No "characters" (can't really call them that in non-fiction, yet in other nonfiction I've felt like I've gotten to know a certain person) that I cared about or will remember. In fact, I really don't think I'll remember much, maybe the odd tidbit here and there ... "didn't I hear something about that, in a book?"  "Heavy Water"  and delayed explosions (trains, airplanes, boats, bridges) ... The assassination of Heydrich by Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, Brickendonbury Manor, The Firs, Bletchley Park, Colin Grubbins, Cecil Clarke, George Rheam, Millis Jefferis, Stuart Macrae ...

There were some Acknowledgements in the Kindle copy (not in audio) that had some interesting information. There were also several photos, which were not only interesting, but also a great "recap" and reminder of what had been in the book. 

A single instance of proFanity (a quote).

I really enjoyed this. I think I just stumbled upon this one ... I currently have a KindleUnlimited membership and saw this had audio available via Hoopla (I like having the text and the audio). I'm not sure if I even read the blurb - so I went in blind.

Had I looked at the blurb, I wouldn't have been as surprised at the alternate timelines (which I figured out when Part 2/Stephen Thompson started up). I had glanced at the TOC, so I saw there were multiple sections, each showcasing the three tenant possibilities (Clara, Stephen, Mercy) plus a Prologue (with two chapters in it, rare!), a part for Agnes, and an Epilogue. 

I was a tad confused when Agnes chose Clara as the tenant, as the prologue focused more on Mercy ... I thought for sure she would be the pick. Which she was ... in part 3. 

There have been several favorite stories with alternate timelines, the "what if" possibilities, however they come about (the Middle Falls series, where a person dies and wakes up as their younger self to relive life and make different choices, The Midnight Library, where other life possibilities are viewed/lived, Dark Matter/alternate universes branching off). Here, there was no event or explanation ... just a "if this happened - this happened, if that happened - here's a slightly different story. As it says in the prologue as Agnes is wondering who she should pick "this simple decision could potentially alter the fates of everyone involved. Three very different choices. Three very different paths the lives of all at the house could take."  It was interesting to have the different paths come out in the story - nothing supernatural at all, and yet how much this choice could realistically affect all involved. While is seems a little overboard to say "she was playing God with these people's lives" ... it's really so true. 

I'm a TOC snob - I liked that the chapters ran chronologically, not starting over in each section. There were some chapter headings, giving a date or a tidbit of info, but that was only on a couple. Those extras WERE included in the audio TOC, but not the Kindle copy.  One of the early headers "The China Doll" on Chapter 7 strayed from Clara's story, to a flashback on Agnes's younger years. This happened a few times in the Stephen section - Chapter 32  "The Small Painting of a Coffee Plantation" (that header was NOT included in the audio TOC like "The China Doll" was ... inconsistent! Same for Ch38 "The Pile of Dusty Newspapers" ... if the TOC listed these, it would be easier to go back to quickly review the "Agnes inserts" in the other storylines, they really SHOULD be included in the TOC). 

All three tenants, Clara, Stephen and Mercy, have secrets. As their individual sections unfolded, we (the reader) learned what they were hiding. We got to know them, empathize a little with them. Complex characters, in that they weren't all bad or all good - so many shades of gray here. 

It was also interesting to see some of the background storylines, and how they changed in the different situations. 

This could make for an interesting book club discussion. 
I was mostly listening, but had the Kindle copy open at a few spots where I felt like highlighting passages ...

*pretending to be happy was the next best thing to actually being happy.
*It wasn’t that his path had come to an end, more that he had chosen to deliberately step from it.
*the simple act of lifting his cheeks to form a grin also lifted his heart
*I don’t have much time for those who consume excessive amounts of alcohol for it’s a self-destructive path
*the anticipation of giving a gift could outweigh the thrill of receiving one yourself

... and interesting discussion of telling lies to make people feel better (chapter 59) - saying religion does that too. 

No proFanity. Possible Triggers ... I read this in June/PrideMonth, and GoodReads does have an LGBTQ tag on it, as that is a pretty big part of one of the storylines. Some discussion of war injuries. Suicide. 

Other words I note - Deign, Seldom, Scowl

I've enjoyed many of Amy Harmon's novels. A couple are favorites. This one ... I struggled with a bit. It wasn't bad, I just wasn't feeling pulled into the story, the characters. I liked how it wrapped up though, and the author's notes (although listening to the audio ... I really wish the author would give the author's notes rather than the narrator we already heard tell the story. It would be so much more personal). I think my reflecting on the book is more favorable than while I was in it. 

3rd person/Past tense. Omniscient narrator, so we got to see/feel the POVs of several different characters. 

Of course I've heard of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but that's about it ... just that they were outlaws/cowboy types.  It was interesting to have UTAH so represented. I guess "Butch" was born and grew up here (I'm in Utah, it's something I note). Sometimes I really like that personal connection, here, it seemed too much. Then there was the talk of Mormonism (Jack Mormon), interesting.

Butch Cassidy wasn't our MC's real name. That was Robert Leroy Parker. Sometimes in the book he was referred to as Robert, other times Robert Leroy, other times Parker, then of course Butch Cassidy ... and then, Noble Salt. I have to admit it was a bit hard to follow for sure at times, and all the name switching got a little annoying.

Van, Van, Van ... I really just wanted to SLAP Van so many times! I guess that's good, if a book can draw out that type of emotion. 

There were a couple "reveals" ... of which I totally could see coming. 

TOC - I'm a Table of Contents gal. I had both the audio and the Kindle copy (KU - read and listen). In Audible, the Chapters included the little "header/quote" ... but I would have found it more helpful to have the dates listed (Preface - November 1908, Chapter 1 - September 1900, Chapter 3 - February 1901, Chapter 5 - July 1 1907 ...) I guess not every chapter had a date listed, but during a read/listen, I don't always register the date, how important is the date, is there going to be a test? Should I memorize it? I like just being able to glance at the TOC and see (does the timeline stay chronological or jump around, how much time passes?) Chapter 27 - July 1907 ... (most of the story took place in 1907).

One of the words I note - Carnegie. In audio, I note its pronunciation. Here, it was inconsistent, and said both ways (the traditional "Car-nu-gee" when talking of Carnegie Hall or library ... the "correct" way "Car-NEG-ee" when speaking of the man himself. Although once it seemed to also say Car-NEG-ee Hall, so ... 

Another word - Haiku (a "poem game" the characters played) ... it was pronounce H-Oh-coo (long O instead of long I). Until I shifted to the Kindle version for a bit, I didn't realize it had an alternate spelling here too ... hokku. Said "just" fourteen times, but it felt like a lot. 

Dais, smirk, scowl, roil - other words I note.
No proFanity though. Some sex, nothing explicit, but not closed door either. It felt off to me, I don't know if it's because I'm usually reading from the woman's POV?

I don't  know if I just never really connected with the Butch/Noble character, or if it was the narration (the few times I shifted to reading, was perhaps better? But I don't have much eye time, lots of ear time). 

While there were the couple of characters (Butch and Sundance) ... this doesn't even fit into my "not-nonfiction but based on true events" because while some of the Butch/Sundance basics were based on actual information ... all the other characters and happenings were all invented by the author. Just basic historical fiction with a couple recognizable names. 

I liked this a lot ... just shy of that elusive 5* rating, but it would be one I would recommend. I was able to snag the text from KindleUnlimited, and found the audio on Hoopla. Did a mix of both, mostly audio. Good narration.

This was first person/present tense ... two timelines though, Now/Then (no dates given, but contemporary, with the "then" varying in time ... first one our MC is six years old). The THEN is still in present tense. This seems like it would have been a perfect use of both. It would have helped me keep the two timelines more distinct (especially as they got closer to the present/same characters, sometimes, even though it had been labeled at the start of the chapter, I'd forget if we were in the present or the past).  I'm a Table of Contents nerd ... the audio TOC had the Now/Then listed next to each chapter (which makes it easy to do a quick look - yes, then alternate consistently, with NOW being odd chapters, THEN being even. In the Kindle copy though, just a basic (not very helpful) TOC. Why not add the Now/Then to the TOC in the Kindle copy? WHY????

I liked the story and the characters ... it was a bit predictable, at least I was expecting pretty much every twist and reveal. In fact, it dragged on a little too long, I got a bit annoyed, just verify my suspicion already. Thank you!

Definitely some triggers for Domestic Violence ... happily something I have no personal experience with at all. There was some proFanity (x17), I'm not really remembering the sexual content (mentioned a bit, but nothing explicit/descriptive/smut). 

The Kindle copy had some bookclub questions - but they were the pretty obvious ones, not really anything that made me really think back, dig deeper. 

I liked this ... but, I'm sorry Mary, it was a little bland. I feel badly saying that! Poor Mary. This stayed fairly true to cannon for the most part ( during the same time frame), but we got the different POV, and also earlier events (years earlier) and then events afterward. 

This did give some possible insight into Mary's, and some of the other character's behaviors in the familiar story. I got a little muddled starting SO much earlier, and then having yet another George in the picture (there's Wickham and Georgiana, now an earlier resident of Netherfield was also George?)

Justine Eyre is a good narrator, but some of the presentation (like Mary) was a little bland. Sounds of sighing ...  Not sure if it's the writing itself, just not a lot of emotion? I struggled a bit to keep interested and to press on to the end.

It was interesting to have one possibility of Mary's future (not typical!) and get little peeks at the other characters lives afterward too (Darcy and Jane naming their firstborn "Bennet" ... super cute!)

Traditional, same time frame/setting - no language, closed door bedroom scenes.

The audio was included in AudiblePlus, and I was able to snag the Kindle copy from KindleUnlimited (have a 3-month subscription). I was a bit annoyed at the lack of consistency in the Table of Contents between formats. The audio had simple chronological chapters listed, 1-90. The Kindle copy had five parts, each with several chapters which restarted chronologically in each. So in Audible ... Chapter 18, is Part 2/Chapter 1.  As I heard something I wanted to double check in the text, I noted "chapter 43" ... which, was not really helpful at all to find my spot in the Kindle copy.  I think I would have appreciated headers or something, so I could quickly look back and remember what each "part" was about (time/setting). 

 I liked this ... I have book 2 on hold at the library (I actually own the audio, purchased during a sale, but I like to have a kindle copy on hand too).

This reminded me of something else ... but I can't place the memory. A little similar to several others, in that we have a group of teens training to save the world. There's the usual hate/admiration relationship between the MC girl and the leader boy. An AI with personality. Aliens attempting to exterminate them while the humans fight back. Not a lot that felt completely original, but was still enjoyable.

I'm a Table of Contents nerd ... this was pretty basic (and even included in the physical book?) ... a prologue, happening when our MC is a child. Five "parts" with chronological chapters (55), and an epilogue. There were a few "interludes" too, during the transitions between the later parts, shifting from 1st person (past tense) and our MC's POV, to 3rd person (past tense) of Admiral Judy "Ironsides" Ivan's POV.

There were some twists and turns I wasn't quite expecting. There were some deaths that I hadn't anticipated. I got pulled into the story, cared about the characters ... but I also feel like I probably need to continue quickly, more for memory, than because I'm uber anxious to find out what happens next. I'm a little afraid this won't stick strongly in my memory.

Content Concerns - none really, no language/sex ... some violence/death. They had their own "swear word" ... SCUD (and that was in there 105 times per Kindle search). 

 I liked this - a contemporary variation, all texts. This might have seemed more unique if I hadn't watched (and LOVED) the youtube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which was a modern retelling through a vlog. That series was so in my head, that I think I was superimposing some of this with those visuals. The LBD just featured three Bennett girls (Jane, Lizzie and Lydia ... there was a cousin Mary, small role, and Kitty ... was a cat). We saw Charlotte, Bing Lee (and I've never been able to find anything I loved more than the conversion of his name that way!) Darcy, Caroline, Wickham, Collins, Georgiana. No Mr. and Mrs. Bennett officially though. Almost all with Lizzie leading the way.

Here, there was quite a bit from the parents and all five sisters, and we got to see conversations between Darcy/Bingley (Will and Charlie, much more casual) and Caroline. Add in Charlotte and Collins and George Wickham. More insight than we see in the original or the LBD.

While some of the texts DID seem like texts between other individuals, others seemed to stretch that possibility, at least for me. Funny little quirks, like lack of punctuation from Mrs. Bennett, and ALL CAPS FROM KITTY. Can you save drafts in text? I know you can in email, but I don't have drafts in text as far as I know. The saved drafts were a great insight into Elizabeth's thought process. The relationship between Lizzie and Darcy didn't seem as true to the original (with Darcy being interested much earlier on, with quite a bit of interaction and "flirtation" ... he thinks she's flirting, and so did I, based on her texts. Elizabeth wasn't as likeable here in this installment than in other variations. The Georgie/Lydia situation was a bit of a shift. Mary and Collins still come off as not speaking (texting) quite normally (their language still a little dated, but then they are odd).

So - I liked it, it was cute, a fun updated presentation.
Available on KindleUnlimited, text only. Even though it's fairly short, it took me a while to get through, as I just don't have as much "eye" time for books. I wonder how this would adapt to audio ...