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bibliobrandie's review against another edition
I am halfway through and am throwing in the towel. Not as interesting as I had hoped.
nickeal1's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing group of women and this book tells their stories with honesty even their dark sides
suebarsby's review against another edition
4.0
Further proof, if more were needed, that the upper classes are absolutely potty. Nevertheless an honest and engaging portrait of occasionally difficult and irritating women and the ludicrous expectations that accompany ‘privilege’.
louise56637's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this history told from the point of view of a woman looking at the women who came before her. Uncomfortable truths and all.
ingerlouise's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A masterfully written story of the lives of five generations of women. Touching, heartbreaking, fascinating, inspiring — wonderful! I loved it.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
Engrossing account of seven generations of Nicolson's family, starting with her impoverished but talented great-great grandmother, born in 1830, and progressing through her most famous relative, her grandmother Vita Sackville-West, to the present day. Good reading for anglophiles, those who liked her grandfather Nigel Nicolson's memoir "Portrait of a Marriage," and anyone interested in mother-daughter relationships.
juliwi's review against another edition
3.0
The title was the first thing that intrigued me about A House Full of Daughters as did the idea of bringing together seven generations, spanning decades upon decades of family history. So I was very excited when I got the chance to read it and am very glad I did. Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Family history is absolutely fascinating, especially when it is conducted by a family member themselves. I myself have been fascinated by the history of my family, the way in which the different generations interacted with each other and where potential roots can be found. And since Nicolson comes from a fascinating family, one which started in Spain, stopped over in Washington before becoming nobility in England , A House Full of Daughters is quite an intriguing read. What immediately endeared Nicolson and her book to me, however, was that she purposefully looked at the women in her family and their roles and relationships with each other. History is largely man-made and hence full of men doing interesting things that we're all taught about, with women too often sidelined and invisible. What Nicolson shows in A House Full of Daughters is that women have always led equally fascinating lives, even if they haven't been as reported about, as men and that these deserve as much attention. The emphasis upon daughterhood as well, a singular concept which shows how women never truly lose their ties to family, provided Nicolson with an interesting perspective to approach her family history.
I thoroughly enjoyed A House Full of Daughters but I don't think it's necessarily for everyone to read about the ups and downs of a single family, even if it is an interesting one. I'd recommend this both to fans of Historical Fiction and Biographies.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/review-house-full-of-daughters-memoir.html
Family history is absolutely fascinating, especially when it is conducted by a family member themselves. I myself have been fascinated by the history of my family, the way in which the different generations interacted with each other and where potential roots can be found. And since Nicolson comes from a fascinating family, one which started in Spain, stopped over in Washington before becoming nobility in England , A House Full of Daughters is quite an intriguing read. What immediately endeared Nicolson and her book to me, however, was that she purposefully looked at the women in her family and their roles and relationships with each other. History is largely man-made and hence full of men doing interesting things that we're all taught about, with women too often sidelined and invisible. What Nicolson shows in A House Full of Daughters is that women have always led equally fascinating lives, even if they haven't been as reported about, as men and that these deserve as much attention. The emphasis upon daughterhood as well, a singular concept which shows how women never truly lose their ties to family, provided Nicolson with an interesting perspective to approach her family history.
I thoroughly enjoyed A House Full of Daughters but I don't think it's necessarily for everyone to read about the ups and downs of a single family, even if it is an interesting one. I'd recommend this both to fans of Historical Fiction and Biographies.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/review-house-full-of-daughters-memoir.html
pierke's review
4.0
An unflinching look at the women in Juliet Nicolson’s own family, starting with her great-great-grandmother Pepita, the Spanish dancer and closing her story with the birth of her granddaughter Imogen.
For one with an ongoing interest in Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, the first part of the story was familiar territory. The story picks up when she tells about the marriage of her parents, Nigel Nicolson (Vita and Harold’s son) and Phillipa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt and her own childhood. Her honest and compelling account of being a mother and battling with alcoholism is admirable.
The book reminded me of Margaret Forster’s [b:Hidden Lives: A Family Memoir|115432|Hidden Lives A Family Memoir|Margaret Forster|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408926212s/115432.jpg|111158]. Also a story centered on the women in one family. It’s a story that I will savour for a long time.
For one with an ongoing interest in Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, the first part of the story was familiar territory. The story picks up when she tells about the marriage of her parents, Nigel Nicolson (Vita and Harold’s son) and Phillipa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt and her own childhood. Her honest and compelling account of being a mother and battling with alcoholism is admirable.
The book reminded me of Margaret Forster’s [b:Hidden Lives: A Family Memoir|115432|Hidden Lives A Family Memoir|Margaret Forster|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408926212s/115432.jpg|111158]. Also a story centered on the women in one family. It’s a story that I will savour for a long time.
verityw's review against another edition
2.0
This has a ridiculously long length of time given for my reading of it - but what happened was I started it as a bedtime book and then it got lost somewhere under the bed and slightly forgotten about. In the end I blitzed the vast majority of it in a day to get it finished. I actually hadn't realised how long it had been sitting on the list until I came to write this.
And to be honest the only reason that I finished it was because I knew it had been on here as in progress for months and I didn't want to admit defeat and give up. The premise is really interesting - and I thought it might be a nice way into Vita Sackville-West's life (she and the set that she was part of are on my list of topics that I want to read more about) but the reality was disappointing -to me at least and I see tht I'm in the minority here.
In the main the past generations are not massively likeable and despite the author's obvious fondness for some of them I found it hard to work up any sympathy with them as they repeated the previous generations' mistakes over and over. I also found the organisation of the book a little haphazard - it's billed as a memoir, but there's a distinct lack of dates and detail here and some people appear and then disappear off into the ether never to be heard of again.
An interesting concept, but flawed in the execution.
And to be honest the only reason that I finished it was because I knew it had been on here as in progress for months and I didn't want to admit defeat and give up. The premise is really interesting - and I thought it might be a nice way into Vita Sackville-West's life (she and the set that she was part of are on my list of topics that I want to read more about) but the reality was disappointing -to me at least and I see tht I'm in the minority here.
In the main the past generations are not massively likeable and despite the author's obvious fondness for some of them I found it hard to work up any sympathy with them as they repeated the previous generations' mistakes over and over. I also found the organisation of the book a little haphazard - it's billed as a memoir, but there's a distinct lack of dates and detail here and some people appear and then disappear off into the ether never to be heard of again.
An interesting concept, but flawed in the execution.