Scan barcode
chelseaviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.75
I think back on the feeling this book gave me often, it was so sad and haunting. Knowing now that Helen was terminal when she wrote it makes so much sense as you can feel her pour her emotions into this book.
needagoodbook's review against another edition
3.0
The last 10% got interesting & kind of tied everything up but it was a bit of a slog to get there.
cemoses's review against another edition
4.0
liked the book despite its leaving many questions unresolved. The book reminded me at times of lesser known books by Daphne du Maurier. The action takes place in England during the French revolution.
Lizzie's mother Julia Fawkes is a radical. These radicals want to end the class system in England and they closely watched by the British authorities. From a distance, they watch the revolution in France.
While Lizzie is attached to her mother, she marries John Diner Tredevant a property developer with big plans. He is at odds with Lizzie's mother and the radicals.
I wished the novel had stopped here. The book raises interesting questions while not answering them. Who becomes a radical and why? The novel starts but telling us that Julia Fawkes while well known in her time has been forgotten. We never find out the answer of why she was forgotten. The daughter Lizzie while very fond of her mother seems to want a different kind of life from her mother and one that is more materialistic and in the mainstream of society.
However, as the novel progresses the people become more stereotypically good or bad people. I wish the novel more stuck to the issue of radicals and how they relate to the community about them.
While it was not a perfect book, it held me interest and I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Lizzie's mother Julia Fawkes is a radical. These radicals want to end the class system in England and they closely watched by the British authorities. From a distance, they watch the revolution in France.
While Lizzie is attached to her mother, she marries John Diner Tredevant a property developer with big plans. He is at odds with Lizzie's mother and the radicals.
I wished the novel had stopped here. The book raises interesting questions while not answering them. Who becomes a radical and why? The novel starts but telling us that Julia Fawkes while well known in her time has been forgotten. We never find out the answer of why she was forgotten. The daughter Lizzie while very fond of her mother seems to want a different kind of life from her mother and one that is more materialistic and in the mainstream of society.
However, as the novel progresses the people become more stereotypically good or bad people. I wish the novel more stuck to the issue of radicals and how they relate to the community about them.
While it was not a perfect book, it held me interest and I enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
lucyi's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/day-1146-birdcage-walk/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/day-1146-birdcage-walk/
jlynnoh5's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Grove Atlantic through Netgalley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Birdcage Walk is set in Bristol, England during the French Revolution. It tells the story of Lizzie Fawkes, newly married to widower John Diner, despite her family's uncertainty of him. Diner is a near ruined builder with dreams of becoming a real estate mogul through the construction of a new housing community in Bristol.
In all honesty, I struggled with this book. The plot moved quite slowly and never really developed. There is an opening prologue set in the present day that is never revisited and seems misplaced with the rest of the novel. The opening chapter, set three years before the rest of the novel, details a murder and the burial of a body, a plot point which deserved more attention. 2.5/5
Full review on my blog: thismomreadsblog.wordpress.com
Birdcage Walk is set in Bristol, England during the French Revolution. It tells the story of Lizzie Fawkes, newly married to widower John Diner, despite her family's uncertainty of him. Diner is a near ruined builder with dreams of becoming a real estate mogul through the construction of a new housing community in Bristol.
In all honesty, I struggled with this book. The plot moved quite slowly and never really developed. There is an opening prologue set in the present day that is never revisited and seems misplaced with the rest of the novel. The opening chapter, set three years before the rest of the novel, details a murder and the burial of a body, a plot point which deserved more attention. 2.5/5
Full review on my blog: thismomreadsblog.wordpress.com
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book. I have really liked other books by Helen Dunmore and knowing that she is unwell and considers this likely to be her final book makes it extra dear to me. But I just...didn't. The story took forever to go anywhere and unlike her last two books, none of the characters became real to me. I didn't really have any sense of who Julia, Lizzie, Augustus or Diner were. I couldn't imagine what they looked like or how they would behave if I were in a room with them.
Dunmore explains in her afterword that the story is in part about what remains of us after we die - what impact our lives have on those who are left behind and on the generations that follow. It's a good premise. Birdcage Walk begins in the present day, as a dog walker stumbles on a grave and starts to wonder about the long dead individual. This first chapter was lively and engaging and I felt optimistic about what was to come.
Then we step back in time, to Bristol in 1792. Across the Channel, France is in chaos as the Revolution plays out, whereas in Bristol there is fear about what impact it will all have. Our narrator is Lizzie, the young second wife to a property developer, John Diner. She is curious about his first wife, whom he never speaks about. The uncertain economy is affecting Diner's business and creating tensions within their marriage. Gradually, the tension will grow, but it's a slow build during which Lizzie's passive nature becomes irritating.
I found the setting interesting and I love the way that Dunmore writes, but the characters felt incomplete to me and the pace too languid.
Dunmore explains in her afterword that the story is in part about what remains of us after we die - what impact our lives have on those who are left behind and on the generations that follow. It's a good premise. Birdcage Walk begins in the present day, as a dog walker stumbles on a grave and starts to wonder about the long dead individual. This first chapter was lively and engaging and I felt optimistic about what was to come.
Then we step back in time, to Bristol in 1792. Across the Channel, France is in chaos as the Revolution plays out, whereas in Bristol there is fear about what impact it will all have. Our narrator is Lizzie, the young second wife to a property developer, John Diner. She is curious about his first wife, whom he never speaks about. The uncertain economy is affecting Diner's business and creating tensions within their marriage. Gradually, the tension will grow, but it's a slow build during which Lizzie's passive nature becomes irritating.
I found the setting interesting and I love the way that Dunmore writes, but the characters felt incomplete to me and the pace too languid.
anusha_natesh's review against another edition
3.0
I felt the character development wasn’t good; and rushed. There was a great premise for John but it did not develop as expected. Overall, when I came to the end, I wasn’t sure if that was it!
milly_in_the_library's review against another edition
4.0
I do love Helen Dunmore! I really enjoyed this story (though got a little bogged down somewhere in the middle, hence 4* review). I really liked the main character, Lizzie & the man - Diner - sent shivers down my spine!
luellen1990's review against another edition
1.0
Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore
Title: Birdcage Walk
Author: Helen Dunmore
Published: Nov 17
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Pages: 416
Price on Amazon: Paperback: £3.85 Kindle: £4.99
ISBN: 97808021227143
She is his property, law and custom says so.
It's 1972, the French Revolution is well underway and Lizzie Fawkes has grown up in radical circles. Recently married to John Diner Tredevant who is a property developer heavily invested in the Bristol housing boom and is set to lose everything with the social upheaval from the prospect of war on the horizon.
Diner is determined to squish his wives independent and questioning nature by coercion and forcing her to live as he wishes. His passion for Lizzie deepens to the darkest parts of the human soul and soon Lizzie finds herself in grave danger.
I got the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To be honest I got half way through this book felt nothing had happened yet. I must admit I was bored by this point. I gave up on the book so therefore am unable to give a full review.
This book was an extremely slow book and it did not engage me in any way. I found I kept waiting for something to happen but it never did. therefore I am only able to give this book a single star rating as I won't be recommending this book nor will I be rereading it again.
Reviews for this book can be found on:
Amazon under Lu's Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley,
My Blogs at www.lu-ellensreadingandreviewingblog.co.uk
www.lusreviewsblog.wordpress.com
Links to this review can be found on:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
Tumblr: lusreviewsblog
Flikr: Lu's Reviews
Title: Birdcage Walk
Author: Helen Dunmore
Published: Nov 17
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Pages: 416
Price on Amazon: Paperback: £3.85 Kindle: £4.99
ISBN: 97808021227143
She is his property, law and custom says so.
It's 1972, the French Revolution is well underway and Lizzie Fawkes has grown up in radical circles. Recently married to John Diner Tredevant who is a property developer heavily invested in the Bristol housing boom and is set to lose everything with the social upheaval from the prospect of war on the horizon.
Diner is determined to squish his wives independent and questioning nature by coercion and forcing her to live as he wishes. His passion for Lizzie deepens to the darkest parts of the human soul and soon Lizzie finds herself in grave danger.
I got the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. To be honest I got half way through this book felt nothing had happened yet. I must admit I was bored by this point. I gave up on the book so therefore am unable to give a full review.
This book was an extremely slow book and it did not engage me in any way. I found I kept waiting for something to happen but it never did. therefore I am only able to give this book a single star rating as I won't be recommending this book nor will I be rereading it again.
Reviews for this book can be found on:
Amazon under Lu's Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley,
My Blogs at www.lu-ellensreadingandreviewingblog.co.uk
www.lusreviewsblog.wordpress.com
Links to this review can be found on:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
Tumblr: lusreviewsblog
Flikr: Lu's Reviews