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• This is a thick book and therefore was heavy to hold when you curled up to read it. However it was worth it. A light read , but still very interesting. You get involved with the main characters and want to know what happens to them. I could hardly put it down while I was reading about the solution to the main problem being solved. Would this happen? Or maybe this? Or this? I was very tempted to look toward the end. I liked the final solution although it was nothing like I had anticipated.

  5.00 out of 5

  cookiemo

• I received an Early Reviewer copy of the book. It was perfect escapist reading, very fast and entertaining. It would be a great vacation read, but it also has some substance. There are interesting issues with British society in the 60’s and 70’s, feminism, etc. I usually don't like long books, but Penny Vincenzi's are an exception. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this book and all her previous ones.

  5.00 out of 5

  Loried

• I love Penny Vincenzi, though I can’t tell you exactly why.Part of it is the rich world she delivers. I know little about London in the 1960s, or about fashion magazines, or about real estate, but I was immediately drawn into Eliza and Matt’s lives. I enjoyed reading about how they flit in and out of each others’ lives before they marry. I also liked seeing the social changes happening in the world during that time period.A larger part of it is the dialogue. Vincenzi relies heavily upon dialogue to tell her story, with some sections having no exposition at all. It can get confusing at times — there were a few sections where it took a paragraph or two before I was certain who was speaking — but her dialogue is so natural and effortless that I couldn’t summon a care.As for the characters, there are definitely a lot. Not only are there Eliza and Matt and their respective families, but several friends, acquaintances, and coworkers. Each of them works to show a different aspect of the story; no one is superfluous. I liked both Eliza and Matt, and could see each of their points of view, but I definitely thought Matt was a bit too boorish. I understand that Vincenzi was trying to root him solidly in out-dated mid-century views, but sometimes his bull-headedness was a bit overdone. But I guess it balances out when you consider how ridiculously helpless Eliza is at times. You can see why they were attracted to each other, but you can also see that it was doomed from the start.That all may sound like I really have a beef with the book, but I definitely did not. I loved this, from beginning to end. It was an absolute joy to read. It made me think, and it made me feel, and I’m not sure what more you can ask for.

  4.50 out of 5

  miyurose

• I'm a fan of Penny Vincenzi's work, and this novel did not disappoint. It is basically the story of a marriage. In the 60s a couple falls in love and marries, despite their differences in class, background, life goals, and personalities. The marriage is stormy, like the decade.The story unfolds leisurely and slowly, but I found it suspensful and satisfying. It is long, almost 600 pages, but I read it quickly, couldn't wait to see what would happen next.Reminded me of the novels my mom used to read in the 70s. Loved it.

  4.00 out of 5

  kgallagher625

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