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nutmeggerfromct's review against another edition
read the Kindle sample and also purchased the e-book for $4.99 - looking forward to reading it
vkadic's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The story is short and sweet and it made me really interested in Singapore and Singaporean culture which I knew next to nothing about before picking this book up. I do wish the characters had more depth and maybe that the story did explore some of the darker things it hinted at but overall a nice read.
rosenectur's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet coming of age story, set on the backdrop of a nation also coming of age. Singapore in the 1920’s is a place of tradition and change. The author sets up a rich backdrop and does a great job with the historical details. While sweet and endearing, this story didn’t particularly stand out as any kind of classic.
jj24's review against another edition
2.0
17-year old Aggie lives with her aging relatives and a series of boarders in a crumbling palace during 1920's Singapore. They family's claim to the castle is tenuous, and they struggle to maintain their very modest standard of living with a small pension and money from Aggie's job.
This book was utterly forgettable. The characters lack depth (I found myself going back and forwards in the book trying to remember who was who because many characters weren't distinctive). Aside from stating that the book takes place in the 1920's, nothing in the story gives insight into any specific time period, and I didn't get the feel of 1920's Singapore.
The book lacks build-up, conflict, and denoument. Plot tension appears out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly.
This is probably one to skip.
This book was utterly forgettable. The characters lack depth (I found myself going back and forwards in the book trying to remember who was who because many characters weren't distinctive). Aside from stating that the book takes place in the 1920's, nothing in the story gives insight into any specific time period, and I didn't get the feel of 1920's Singapore.
The book lacks build-up, conflict, and denoument. Plot tension appears out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly.
This is probably one to skip.
fiercefully's review against another edition
I had this on my Kindle already thanks to my grandma, and wanted to read it because of the setting, since I'd just finished Crazy Rich Asians and was interested in reading more books set in Singapore. I thought that the writing was overall good, but the plot was a little weak at times and I didn't really feel like I had any stakes in the characters or what happened to Agnes.
cdcsmith's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the style of the writing but I think it could have been longer. I want to know more about some of the people. I think if it had been meatier, I probably would have read it quicker. I know that sounds odd, but it would have made it harder to put down. I enjoyed reading this while I was reading it, but I didn't think about it when I wasn't.
The story was fairly predictable and not terribly deep but is still a pleasant read.
The story was fairly predictable and not terribly deep but is still a pleasant read.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
"The Moonlight Palace" is a historical fiction and coming-of-age story that surrounds Agnes, a seventeen year old girl who is coping with her family's slide into a lower status. Her family used to rule Singapore but that is no longer the case. It's the 1920s, when everything was changing all over the world very rapidly. Singapore was also changing quite rapidly. The story focuses on Agnes' family and I really enjoyed the quirky characters and the rich setting.
The setting of this book was great. Singapore is always a very interesting place for me to read about and the 1920s are definitely one of my favorite decades to read about so I really enjoyed these aspects of the story. Although this is not a particularly long book, the author infuses a lot of historical detail about the setting that will keep my fellow historical fiction lovers reading with vigor.
While the setting was great, the characters are really what makes up the book for me. Agnes herself is a very interesting character because she is not only growing up and coming into her own but learning to come to terms with the change in her family status. Her family is filled with some pretty eccentric characters, which made for some very great reading. All of the characters play along a backdrop of crumbly castle, which makes a fantastic setting all of the action.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and believe that those who are looking for a historical fiction book with a blood of really interesting characters will enjoy this one.
The setting of this book was great. Singapore is always a very interesting place for me to read about and the 1920s are definitely one of my favorite decades to read about so I really enjoyed these aspects of the story. Although this is not a particularly long book, the author infuses a lot of historical detail about the setting that will keep my fellow historical fiction lovers reading with vigor.
While the setting was great, the characters are really what makes up the book for me. Agnes herself is a very interesting character because she is not only growing up and coming into her own but learning to come to terms with the change in her family status. Her family is filled with some pretty eccentric characters, which made for some very great reading. All of the characters play along a backdrop of crumbly castle, which makes a fantastic setting all of the action.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and believe that those who are looking for a historical fiction book with a blood of really interesting characters will enjoy this one.
gabbyhm's review
3.0
Agnes Hussein, the protagonist of Liz Rosenberg's The Moonlight Palace, has a non-traditional family, but a loving one all the same. Her parents and brother all died in a flu epidemic, so she lives with her uncle and grandparents in a ramshackle palace in 1920s Singapore. You see, Agnes is the youngest descendant of the former sultan of Singapore, who gave control of the country over to the British and received a tenuously-legal grant of residency in a former royal palace, Kampong Glam, in return. The family is allowed to stay as long as a male of the royal line still lives there, which has created some problems. For one, Agnes's Uncle Chachi, no spring chicken, is the last remaining male of the line and Agnes is only a teenager, so she's not going to be having a baby anytime soon. Second, the family has virtually no income remaining but consider themselves too genteel to work, so the palace is deteriorating around them because they can't afford repairs.
They take on boarders to make ends meet, and their cozy, if perilously held together, little world begins to fall apart when one of those boarders, a young Muslim from Malaysia, is caught trying to carry out a bombing. One of the others, a shy Chinese math student, is caught up along with him and in order to protect him, Agnes induces her grandfather to make a bargain with the charming young British policeman who is investigating the crime. Although the cop and Agnes begin to see each other and she falls hard for him, he's more than she initially thinks he is.
There's more than happens after that, of course, but that should be enough to give you a general idea. The real strength of this book, to me, was the warmth of the family relationships that Rosenberg created. Agnes might have lost her parents, but she didn't lose out on the experience of family love. Their desire to protect her from the worst of the realities they faced, and her desire to help them as much as she could, felt true and sure. On the other hand, for a fairly slim volume, there were probably too many plots going on that were underdeveloped...there are side plots with several different love interests for Agnes, as well as the jobs she takes and the people she works with, that are only ever background noise. A more focused plot might have made for a more successful book, because while this was a pleasant enough read and got me interested enough in the time and place (I don't read a ton of books set in Asia) that I went looking for more information, it's not really more than just average. It's under 200 pages, so if you're interested in a relatively untaxing reading experience to introduce you to a setting you don't usually read about, it's enjoyable enough. But it's not so meritorious that I feel like recommending it without qualification.
They take on boarders to make ends meet, and their cozy, if perilously held together, little world begins to fall apart when one of those boarders, a young Muslim from Malaysia, is caught trying to carry out a bombing. One of the others, a shy Chinese math student, is caught up along with him and in order to protect him, Agnes induces her grandfather to make a bargain with the charming young British policeman who is investigating the crime. Although the cop and Agnes begin to see each other and she falls hard for him, he's more than she initially thinks he is.
There's more than happens after that, of course, but that should be enough to give you a general idea. The real strength of this book, to me, was the warmth of the family relationships that Rosenberg created. Agnes might have lost her parents, but she didn't lose out on the experience of family love. Their desire to protect her from the worst of the realities they faced, and her desire to help them as much as she could, felt true and sure. On the other hand, for a fairly slim volume, there were probably too many plots going on that were underdeveloped...there are side plots with several different love interests for Agnes, as well as the jobs she takes and the people she works with, that are only ever background noise. A more focused plot might have made for a more successful book, because while this was a pleasant enough read and got me interested enough in the time and place (I don't read a ton of books set in Asia) that I went looking for more information, it's not really more than just average. It's under 200 pages, so if you're interested in a relatively untaxing reading experience to introduce you to a setting you don't usually read about, it's enjoyable enough. But it's not so meritorious that I feel like recommending it without qualification.
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