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nickeal1's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful evocation of the area around Walberswick, Southwold and Dunwich at the beginning of the 20th century. Inspired me to revisit the world of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and explore those of his wife. The ending threw me for a while, was it a dream , had he too passed on?
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
Charles Rennie Mackintosh is one of my all time favorite artists. I remember walking through an exhibit of his work in New York during the 90s? and being awestruck. I had no idea his wife was so much a part of his work and equally, if not more so, talented. It seems like another Bloomsbury set.
This book inspired me to get out my drawing supplies and remember to look again with an artist's eye.
This book inspired me to get out my drawing supplies and remember to look again with an artist's eye.
milly_in_the_library's review against another edition
2.0
i really enjoyed the setting of this book (Dunwich & Southwold) but feel this is due to happy childhood memories rather than because of the author's descriptions. i didn't dislike the characters, although they also weren't completely loveable. finally, i felt the story itself, although sweet, was rather slow. i wasn't unhappy when it ended, so just two stars!
bookherd's review against another edition
5.0
A friendship develops between Thomas Maggs, a young boy growing up in a seaside English village, and the Scottish artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who comes to the village for convalescence. War has just been declared between England and Germany (1915), and village life gets a little harder because of it. The Maggs family has its own difficulties, which weigh heavily on Thomas.
This is a quietly beautiful, moving book. I look forward to re-reading it in a year or so.
This is a quietly beautiful, moving book. I look forward to re-reading it in a year or so.
suebarsby's review against another edition
4.0
This is a slow burner but well worth it. If possible, try to find a quiet weekend with nothing else to do and immerse yourself in it. Fascinating tale, based on true events, of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife's stay in Southwold at the start of The First World War, as seen through the eyes of a local crippled boy. Beautifully told, full of local detail and a slow old time pace, this is a lovely book.
whoahknelly's review against another edition
3.0
This is a sweet book, that give you a good feel for life in a small village in England during WWI.
lesleyb60's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
ms_jennyd's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, but probably because I love Charles Rennie Mackintosh. And staring at the cover.
hollydunndesign's review against another edition
2.0
Esther Freud’s new novel is the story of a young boy living in a small town on the south-east coast of England during the First World War. One day a mysterious man and his wife appear in the town. They turn out to be Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret McDonald. It’s part coming-of-age story and part war novel. The perspective is interesting because it’s about those who stayed behind and the impact that the war has on them. They are living in constant fear of invasion from across the channel. The story was both interesting and heartfelt.
The problem for me was the writing. I just didn't find it engaging in the way I had hoped. I was also hoping for a little more about CRM's art, or more from his wife (who was a wonderful artist in her own right), but that's just a personal thing. Some of the twists and turns in the plot seemed a little sensational too. In a realistic novel like this I like to see a little less of the fantastical and coincidental.
A lot of people will enjoy this though, so please don't let my view of it stop you from reading it if the premise sounds interesting to you.
The problem for me was the writing. I just didn't find it engaging in the way I had hoped. I was also hoping for a little more about CRM's art, or more from his wife (who was a wonderful artist in her own right), but that's just a personal thing. Some of the twists and turns in the plot seemed a little sensational too. In a realistic novel like this I like to see a little less of the fantastical and coincidental.
A lot of people will enjoy this though, so please don't let my view of it stop you from reading it if the premise sounds interesting to you.
nnnamiko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25