"This was a match which promised every hope of happiness." In The Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World (US release: The Terrible Lizard: The First Dinosaur Hunters and the Birth of a New Science) Ms Cadbury took this reader on a wondrous journey into the 19th century to experience the dawning of incredible discoveries, distinct examples of eccentricities of genius minds and even a New Year's Eve society dinner in the belly of an Iguanodon. That was quite a book I can assure you that has become a treasured reference on my shelves and introduced me to this author's supreme talent with narrative writing that paints a scene and uses the collected quotes of the past to make history come alive in the reader's mind. Well, she has done it again and no shame will be placed on the reader if you open Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe with only the vaguest memory of names from childhood lessons (that we as adults sorely sometimes wish we paid closer attention to or had different teachers at that crucial time of curiosity). Let Ms Cadbury be your guide as she takes you back to swirling balls, carriage rides into the rocky inclines and slippery slopes of matchmaking of Queen Victoria's extended family and learn a new connection of royalty or form your own opinion what led to the thunders of wars, revolt and fall of royal houses and empires. For this reader who admits to still catching up with the historic topics she missed in her younger days, Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe was a work I needed to complete my own history re-education. I may have started with historical fiction to form a simple picture of a figure of the past but with each non-fiction work, I can mentally add those same names to a growing list of understanding and recognition when I read their own preserved words and this only makes me want to continue onto other types of fiction and biographies. That's the final joy of reading such a comprehensive title and this book certainly provided that for me. I wish though there would have been some type of family tree added but then again that went oddly in my favor as I enjoyed exploring on my own and slowly piecing those remaining mysteries of connections together. In regards to everything presented, I did find a couple slow spots and (forgive me) I was more interested in getting to other sections or matches than others but patience was the key to unlocking my ultimate reward which came only a few weeks ago when I found the small screen movie The Lost Prince (an excellent poignant film I recommend to all interested in this era) and I knew every name, what role they played or what was to befall them in the first and last hours of WWI and how the grandmother of Europe helped to shape those displayed marriages and her ultimate lost efforts on peace. With thanks to NetGalley and Perseus Books, PublicAffairs who kindly sent me an Advanced Reader Copy. -EGP/January 2018 ...and fade to black While On a Cold Dark Sea opens with chapters of intriguing dramatic possibilities and provides the bits and always popular well-known information about the RMS Titanic and even plays respectively with some legends about its more illustrious passengers this book, unfortunately, lacked fluency as the loose frayed lines of connections between characters became an overly tangled story where emotions and outbursts seemed to take over and in the end did not convey a complete point but only faded to black after a long predictable sentimental scene. Thinking back that seemed to happen quite often in On a Cold Dark Sea. Characters would travel (or even show some type growth of understanding) and I cared to get to know the varying classes of passengers, their own painful secrets on that cold April night and what happened to them long after the smoke cleared from the snapping bulbs of ravenous reporters waiting to pounce on pier 59 and 54, but then this novel would just leave me in the dark waiting for a return or another mention as it set different characters adrift after reaching any excitement. Which is a shame because I honestly liked the beginning of this book and style of writing. I suppose I would say this novel is for those who are just looking for an escape that may seem extremely familiar in parts but are also happy to get lost in different Classes of lies and tides of romance. With thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing who kindly sent me an Advanced Reader Copy. Title released: April 10, 2018 -EGP/January 2018 |
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