Krystyna Ziach itibaren Bytytsya, Sums'ka oblast, Ukraine

krystynaziach

04/29/2024

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Krystyna Ziach Kitabın yeniden yazılması (11)

2019-01-27 13:40

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This weighty paperback contains the traumas & triumphs of three generations throughout the 19th century. Originally published in the 1950s, the prose is that of a vintage bodice-ripper. I'm sure it was considered torrid female reading back in the day, though by today's standards -- or even the 1970s -- the violence & sex is veiled in description. But there's certainly no shortage of sensational elements in each section, so I wouldn't call it "clean." Book 1 (circa 1800) opens with young Fauna discovered in the below-deck carnage of an African slave trader. A slave-peddler immediately recognizes her cash value (he knows a white-skinned, golden-haired quadroon will fetch big bucks in the world of overindulged nobility), & he sells her to a clueless (though not unkind) master, whose bitchy wife abuses Fauna for several years. Our teenaged heroine finally manages to escape, begging protection from a young rake named Harry. They fall in love, of course...but disaster tosses Fauna back to the selling block & nearly kills Harry in the process. Meanwhile, Fauna is purchased by a bored nobleman known as The Satyr, who for reasons of his own agrees to help her take revenge. He carefully educates her in the arts of learning & etiquette, molding her into his idea of perfection. But as she begins to triumph over her enemies (including Harry), Fauna has second thoughts & must decide which man is her true benefactor. Book 2 (circa 1840) is the story of Fauna'a daughter Fleur. Unlike the first installment, this one has somewhat gothic flavors of innocence in constant peril & isolated misery in a sprawling estate. It's a relatively simple story in terms of plot. Taking advantage of Fleur's unprotected social status, the vile villain St Cheviot rapes our young heroine & forces her to become his wife. Fleur's marriage is hellacious -- but it becomes moreso when she gives birth to a throwback dark-skinned child, courtesy of her unknown strain of black blood. As you'd imagine, that goes over like a lead balloon. The child dies moments after birth, but Fleur is kept prisoner by her nasty husband & evil housekeeper until the long-suffering beta-hero champion attempts to set her free. (This was my favorite of the three generations.) Book 3 (circa 1870) switches to an orphan named Charlotte. This particular section is somewhat reminiscent of Victorian sensation novels in that Charlotte, the sweet-and-beautiful (but not terribly bright) ward of a rich lady, is seduced by Vivian, the lady's randy young son. Charlotte becomes pregnant & her benefactor forces Vivian to reap the fruits of his seduction -- that is, to marry the poor girl. What the well-intentioned lady doesn't realize is that this is a Really Bad Idea. Charlotte & Vivian's marriage is pure hell by any standards, & the heroine's rescue is nothing better than an accidentally merciful murder. Overall, this is a book where good characters are GOOD & bad characters are BAD. There's little gray area for anyone; Fauna herself is the lone character that might be classified as straddling the border between light & dark. That doesn't mean they're flat characters, though, at least in the first two books. Each person has reasons for doing what they do, & the narrative explores them all. Even St Cheviot -- a douche by anyone's standards -- had moments of enlightenment that endear him to the reader (at least in a twisted "I <3 to hate you" kind of way). But in the last section, we're not treated to the same depth of character. Instead we spend pages & pages watching Charlotte fall for the same crapola from her wanky husband, then wailing & moaning when her life sucks -- after allowing her benefactor to make such a dumb decision & force the marriage to begin with. Whereas Fauna had the gumption to flee her shackles & Fleur maintained her icy pride no matter what St Cheviot dragged her though, Charlotte is a wuss. She cries. She begs. She stupidly believes the possibility of reconciliation time after time, then is repeatedly disappointed. If she'd had the courage to demand raising the child as a bastard (with appropriate recompense, of course), she'd not have lived such a miserable life. But she refuses to admit that until the end, so her angst is constant & unrelenting. Needless to say, this is very frustrating. Alas, compensations are few; we spend few pages with Dominic, who's little better than a bland cipher, & there's not even a token attempt to make Vivian anything more than an insane OTT villain. (At one point he actually shows up with a mustache, a gun, & a monocle. I LOL'd.) As you can tell, I didn't particularly enjoy the third section. By that point the patterns in DR's plotting had became somewhat evident, & until Fleur appears (this time as an elder society matron) I wasn't sure why it was included. Despite these annoyances, my brain might not have shifted into Speed-Reading Mode if I hadn't already enjoyed 550+ pages of innocent girls being shat upon to the limit of their sanity, then miraculously saved at the last possible minute by Goodness & Light. Having three separate generations worth of misery lumped into one tome was emotionally draining to this poor reader, especially combined with Vivian's loony-tunes villainy. The last 150 pages were especially difficult to slog through, & I can honestly say I didn't like anyone except Fleur, her husband, & Gertrude the maid. That said, the first two stories are very good, especially if you like pulled-from-the-fire HEAs. But if you must read the third installment for a sense of completion, take my advice -- do not read them straight through. Take a break between parts 2 & 3. Trust me. It will help cleanse your brain & prepare for the psychotic onslaught. (But honestly? I'd recommend skipping Book 3 entirely.) Averaged to 4 stars. (Book 1: 4 stars. Book 2: 5 stars. Book 3: 3 stars.) N.B.: This was a buddy read with fellow vintage romance fangirl Karla. Her review is here, with similar reactions (plus Buster Keaton picspam).

Okuyucu Krystyna Ziach itibaren Bytytsya, Sums&#039;ka oblast, Ukraine

Kullanıcı, bu kitapları portalın yayın kurulu olan 2017-2018'de en ilginç olarak değerlendirdi "TrendKitaplar Kütüphanesi" Tüm okuyucuların bu literatürü tanımalarını tavsiye eder.