I didn't expect to like this book; it really didn't seem like my thing, but it was available on Libby and I'd heard good things about it, so I thought I'd give it a go. I have no idea how accurate the behind the scenes of the White House and the Royal Famiky is, but it seemed believable. Alex and Henry were likeable characters who had me rooting for them from the start, and the castvif supporting characters was great too. The politics and intrigue seemed real, and the final scene was tense. A little more "open door romance" than I would usually choose, but very enjoyable.

A lovely sweet (in more ways than one) novel with some of my favourite things - well-drawn characters, some of them (extremely) quirky); no black and white good and bad; magical realism; food and food magic (slightly reminiscent of Chocolat to me). And a healthy dose of romance, which until recently I would have said wasn't a favourite of mine, but is rapidly becoming so, as long as it isn't sugary or sappy - which this definitely isn't. I read this on holiday, and it was a perfect holiday read.

This was a re-read for me, and it's one of those books I'd like an amnesia pill for so that I could read it without knowing the premise (although that becomes obvious fairly early on) and what happens. A very conversational style, character-driven and meanders along with flashbacks and reports of conversations that draw you into the story. The story itself isn't fast, and the ending, when it comes, seems inevitable. My late mother described this book as "shattering", and she wasn't wrong. The characters' unquestioning acceptance of their fate was perhaps the most unnerving thing about it. What do we take for granted as "just the way things are"?

Wonderful Acevedo writes with the authentic voice of a teenager finding her way as a poet, as a young woman, as a person with her own thoughts and ideas separate from those of her family, particularly her domineering very religious mother. Believable characters, all very human. I particularly liked the priest, and X's Twin. Not a nice tidy ending, but life isn't like that.

A comforting re-read, which is a great thing in the middle of a pandemic. Familiarity does not breed contempt in this case - I like it more now than I ever did, second only to "Persuasion" of Austen's novels.
Great cast of characters. Emma herself means so well, and does so badly (some of the time), but she suffers for it and pays for it, and learns from her mistakes without becoming perfect. Mr Knightly is the consummate gentleman and almost too good to be true, but his jealousy of Frank Churchill reveals how human he is. Franks himself is a cad, but you have to forgive him because he is so likeable. "Emma calls me the child of fortune." He is that, and his father's true son, despite his father not having brought him up. Mr Woodhouse is a pest and a menace, and Emma's patience with him astounds me.
Great writing, wheels within wheels in the plot, and a happy ending for everyone. Fabulous.
(Read partly for the BOGUK Bookworm badge in conjunction with watching the film and TV versions. Unimpressed by the latest film version, loved the BBC series, yet to watch the version iwth Kate Beckinsale as Emma.)

A magical read, atmospheric and immersive. The author draws you into the world of the circus, with its colours (it feels colourful, even though it is largely black and white) and scents. And - most - of all - its people. There is a wonderful cast of characters, with their lives interweaving around the centre of the circus. Jim Dale's narration is wonderful. A re-read that I will read again and again.

Typical Allingham with the distinctive genius that is Campion complemented by the usual motley crowd of characters, notable Chief Inspector Oates at his melancholy best and the irrepressible Uncle William. I found this book enjoyable, but a little slow on this re-read, perhaps because I knew what was coming. This book is very much "of its time", and there is no denying the racism that pervades it, not at the heart of the story, but lurking at the edges all the while.

Probably more like a 3.5. I'm not sure what to write about this book. I definitely liked it, but I found it fascinating and confusing in equal measure. I kept thinking that if I read a bit further I might work out what was going on, but I never did. And that was okay - it's not that kind of book. The plot was meandering, and I found that it was quite slow and almost lost its way in the middle of the book. On the other hand, the imagery and language was amazing, and there was a collection of some of the oddest characters I've ever come across in a novel. Not believable, but entertaining. To be honest, there were rather too many minor characters to keep track of, and I gave up trying to after a while. Part of it was set in Whitby, which is just about my favourite place in the world, so that's a plus. Recommended, with reservations.

3 stars. "It was ok" about sums this book up.
I felt it was more a book about what would theoretically happen if a white girl and a black boy fell in love and got married in 1940s America than a story about real people. Everyone seemed fairly two-dimensional; it felt as if they were acting and speaking like someone in those circumstances would be expected to act and speak rather than reacting honestly. I didn't get why Robert fell for Isabelle. I understood why she fell for him - he was handsome and kind, he was there, she was bored and used to getting her own way. But a real black boy in that situation at that point in history would have run a mile. It didn't feel to me as if he loved her, and her love for him read more like a Romeo and Juliet teenage crush that she would and should have got over in six months than anything else.
Having said that, there were some good points - the characters of Isabelle's father, of Nell the young black maid who was Robert's sister, and of Dorrie, Isabelle's black hairdresser companion on her road trip seemed believable and more human than the rest. I enjoyed Dorrie's own story, running alongside the narration of Isabelle's from the past, although I never really believed the basic premise that Isabelle was telling Dorrie her story as they travelled. It read like a written report; it wasn't conversational at all. Isabelle and Robert's story should have been compelling and interesting, but the storytelling let it down. Disappointing.