I chose to DNF this due to some continuos misogynistic/ offensive swearing and comments in the chapter about the Tribune. Mostly bath house talk.
I thI chose to DNF this due to some continuos misogynistic/ offensive swearing and comments in the chapter about the Tribune. Mostly bath house talk.
I thought I’d skip it and go on to the next chapter but it just carried on.
I am disappointed because I enjoyed the first book, A Day of Fire. I did have to skip over some offensive language in the brothel chapter, but the rest was bearable.
It all depends on what you can handle!
I also think that I may have been able to read it in physical form and easily skip but the audio was assaulting my ears! ...more
The way Kate Quinn let each of her main characters tell their story was nice. Everything rolling along until the big reveal!
II liked The Briar Club.
The way Kate Quinn let each of her main characters tell their story was nice. Everything rolling along until the big reveal!
I liked Nora’s storyline the best. I thought that adding women from all parts of the world with very different life experiences made the book very interesting
The period setting she used was interesting to me. I don’t know a lot about. When I think of the 1950’s I think of Leave it to Beaver. The “wholesome”American family era. But permeating it all was misogyny, inequality, racism. Right in your face! I was shocked that there were situations where women had to remain passive while male bosses patted their arms or backs and shoulders!! That few white women would be secretary to a black male because it was beneath them. There is so much more I learned but I don’t want to spoil things.
I really enjoyed this book. The only thing that put me off was the sexual encounters but that’s just me. I don’t like them in any book.
I wanted to read this book because Kate Quinn wrote oneof the stories and I love her writing. I also don’t know much about the history of Pompeii so iI wanted to read this book because Kate Quinn wrote oneof the stories and I love her writing. I also don’t know much about the history of Pompeii so it intrigued me.
The book was much different than I expected. I thought it would be a chronological retelling of Mt. Vesuvius’ eruption and what people may have experienced but it was much more. Each author used an archeological finding and historical figure to build their story. The stories all blend together so that they create a rich story from six points of view.
I liked that even though the stories are short, you get to know each character. I learned about the customs of classes of people. What they owned and how they lived. Overall it was very interesting and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
The only downside is that there is lot of swearing and detailed sexual activity. ...more
**spoiler alert** The Phoenix Crown was an interesting read. The San Fransisco earthquake and subsequent fire of 1906 is not an event I have read abou**spoiler alert** The Phoenix Crown was an interesting read. The San Fransisco earthquake and subsequent fire of 1906 is not an event I have read about before. I had no idea that San Fransisco was absolutely destroyed and that so many people died. The fact that, even though the city lies next to the ocean, they couldn't use its water to douse the fire because all of the water lines were destroyed by the massive earthquake was a shock to me.
The story begins with Gemma, a budding opera singer, and Suling, a Chinese laundress, both pursuing their own dreams, when they meet and decide to help one another. Gemma wants to be a famous opera singer and Suling wants to escape Chinatown to live a better life. Influencing them both is Henry Thornton, the wealthy owner of the famous Phoenix Crown, an exquisite relic that has been looted from China.
I was immediately drawn to the plight of both characters but didn't like the romantic drama. I was taken aback when I realized Suling was a lesbian because the whole time the authors purposely led me to believe her lover was a man. I wasn't mad she was a lesbian but a bit chagrined that the authors used this as a way to disguise the plot. When things started to make sense, the story became unbelievable. A bit over the top. Then there was a sudden halt, and the story skips five years ahead. At that point I lost interest but continued reading because I wanted to know the outcome. To me the ending felt a bit over the top as well.
I am a big Kate Quinn fan but have not read anything by Janie Chang. That may be why this felt different than Kate's previous books. I felt like all the characters had the same voice, that some of the stuff could never happen and that the ending was too perfect. But as I read the authors notes I learned that some of the things did indeed happen! I really appreciated the ending notes. They separated the fact from the fiction and explained why they added certain plot elements. Overall, it was interesting. 3.5 rounded up.
Many thanks to Kate Quinn, Jenie Chang and William Morrow for the ARC via NetGalley!...more
What an amazing novel! Kate Quinn never fails to educate and entertain me with her fabulous stories! I enjoyed listening to all 19 hours of the The HunWhat an amazing novel! Kate Quinn never fails to educate and entertain me with her fabulous stories! I enjoyed listening to all 19 hours of the The Huntress on audiobook. It never got boring to me.
My favorite character was Nina, The Huntress. I love how Kate always has strong female MC’s and Nina is tough as nails. She is a bomber pilot during WW2 and flies with an all female regiment called the Night Witches. Although, Nina is fiction, the Night Witches weren’t and it was great to follow up the book by reading about them.
Nina’s backstory is hair raising and alternates between past and present. In the present she meets, Ian, an Englishman who tracks down Nazi war criminals. She joins forces with him when they find out that they have a common enemy. The reveals that bring their lives together made my heart skip a beat!
At the same time, in the present, an American young woman named, Jordan, is up against some big life decisions when her father marries a beautiful Austrian woman with a child. That’s when things start really picking up and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! The ending was dramatically suspenseful!!
I really love Kate Quinn’s writing. My goal is to slowly read all of her books.
Trigger warnings: violence, murder, sex/same-sex scenes (some mildly detailed) and lots of F-bombs ( courtesy of Nina)
An added plus to the audiobook was an interview with Kate where she talked a bit about her research for the book and answered some personal questions. Nice surprise! ...more
An amazing book! I found Mila Pavlichenko an interesting hero of a woman through whose eyes I learned about the Russian battle at the beginning of WWlAn amazing book! I found Mila Pavlichenko an interesting hero of a woman through whose eyes I learned about the Russian battle at the beginning of WWll. I appreciate that Kate Quinn used the actual memoir of this young female sniper to create The Diamond Eye and that in the epilogue Kate explains fact vs fiction and how she wove it together.
This was a very enjoyable and informative read!...more