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debtat2's review
5.0
Set in the 1920’s and told in alternating points of view between Blue, Midge and Delphine, 3 women that are nothing alike but brought together through love, grief and above all else – family.
The story centres around Ishbel “Blue” Camberwell, a young woman on the cusp of adulthood as she tries to find her own way into the world. She wants more from life than becoming a wife, she wants to be a writer and although money has never been an issue for her and her family she still wants to work and hold her own as a journalist.
As we follow her through the trials and tribulations that come hand in hand with the courting world and the attentions of several young men she comes to the rescue of the quite, scared, stuttering Delphine.
Delphine has escaped an abusive marriage and has run away when she is rescued by Blue and her sisters. And as Delphine story unfolds she soon becomes fast friends with Blue, Midge and the Camberwell family.
Although the Camberwell’s appear the perfect family who want for nothing their lives have been anything but perfect. A family who have suffered tragic losses and 1 family member with a secret so great that it could shatter it all.
The three woman’s stories intertwine bringing them all closer and at the same time putting them all in danger, the story plays out full of courage, hope, love and grief into an unforgettable conclusion.
Be prepared to be swept off your feet and submerge yourself into a stunning setting as well as back in time to the 1920’s where women are finding their independence and a bobbed haircut was considered outlandish. Where writing becomes a life line and the past that won’t stay in the past.
I have read all of Tracy Rees’s books and whilst Amy Snow remains my favourite Darling Blue is a worthy runner-up! Beautifully written and researched this book will restore your faith in true love.
The story centres around Ishbel “Blue” Camberwell, a young woman on the cusp of adulthood as she tries to find her own way into the world. She wants more from life than becoming a wife, she wants to be a writer and although money has never been an issue for her and her family she still wants to work and hold her own as a journalist.
As we follow her through the trials and tribulations that come hand in hand with the courting world and the attentions of several young men she comes to the rescue of the quite, scared, stuttering Delphine.
Delphine has escaped an abusive marriage and has run away when she is rescued by Blue and her sisters. And as Delphine story unfolds she soon becomes fast friends with Blue, Midge and the Camberwell family.
Although the Camberwell’s appear the perfect family who want for nothing their lives have been anything but perfect. A family who have suffered tragic losses and 1 family member with a secret so great that it could shatter it all.
The three woman’s stories intertwine bringing them all closer and at the same time putting them all in danger, the story plays out full of courage, hope, love and grief into an unforgettable conclusion.
Be prepared to be swept off your feet and submerge yourself into a stunning setting as well as back in time to the 1920’s where women are finding their independence and a bobbed haircut was considered outlandish. Where writing becomes a life line and the past that won’t stay in the past.
I have read all of Tracy Rees’s books and whilst Amy Snow remains my favourite Darling Blue is a worthy runner-up! Beautifully written and researched this book will restore your faith in true love.
livres_de_bloss's review
5.0
4.5
This was such a delightful book! Despite its length, I read it in less than 24 hours. It was a wonderful place to spend time and a great cast to spend time with.
It gains points for its exceptional setting of 1920s Richmond, it’s likeable and authentic main character of Blue, the Foley element which added some adventure, and the family aspect. It was nice to see an Edwardian father that was kind, understanding and willing to embrace the future; Kenneth was one of my favourite characters within the book.
It loses points for losing though plot a bit after the Foley story concluded (it got a bit boring and saccharine for me), the one-dimensional element of some of the characters (the good were perfect and the bad were pre evil; there was no depth and they were rather caricatures as oppose to characters - I’m looking at Delphine, Foster, LW, Delphine’s employers, Dorian, Foley.), it was a bit saccharine and cutesy at times, and the Midge storyline (Midge was flat-out loopy!).
I really enjoy Tracy’s books. Now is quite like the other and each one tells a unique and interesting story. These books are portals to the past and very immersive. I recommend this book for anyone looking to spend some time with a likeable family in Edwardian London.
This was such a delightful book! Despite its length, I read it in less than 24 hours. It was a wonderful place to spend time and a great cast to spend time with.
It gains points for its exceptional setting of 1920s Richmond, it’s likeable and authentic main character of Blue, the Foley element which added some adventure, and the family aspect. It was nice to see an Edwardian father that was kind, understanding and willing to embrace the future; Kenneth was one of my favourite characters within the book.
It loses points for losing though plot a bit after the Foley story concluded (it got a bit boring and saccharine for me), the one-dimensional element of some of the characters (the good were perfect and the bad were pre evil; there was no depth and they were rather caricatures as oppose to characters - I’m looking at Delphine, Foster, LW, Delphine’s employers, Dorian, Foley.), it was a bit saccharine and cutesy at times, and the Midge storyline (Midge was flat-out loopy!).
I really enjoy Tracy’s books. Now is quite like the other and each one tells a unique and interesting story. These books are portals to the past and very immersive. I recommend this book for anyone looking to spend some time with a likeable family in Edwardian London.
jo_bookworm's review
4.0
It is 1923. The First World War is still in the minds of some people but life has moved on and this is the era of the “Bright Young Things” and we get to meet three very different women experiencing their own lives in very different ways but all been drawn together by Darling Blue.
Blue is the main character of the novel, as the title suggests, Ishbel known as Blue turns 21 and at her party, her father announces that the man who can capture Blue’s heart by love letter can have his permission to marry her. Blue is aghast at the statement but that does not stop her being intrigued by the men who do send the letters.
Midge has found love quite late in life but she doesn’t think she deserves it. She is the second wife of Blue’s father and whilst she loves the man and his daughters wholeheartedly she does not think it is reciprocated.
Delphine, desperate to escape her trapped love falls into the path of Blue who takes her under her wing and sees that she never returns to the past she is trying to escape.
All three of these women are having different experiences of love, romance, marriage and life, Tracy Rees has woven a tale of differences and similarities by these three women in this novel.
Not wanting to shy away from matters which were not named in the 1920s but Tracy tackles domestic violence, homosexuality, postnatal depression and women trying to find their way in the world of work. Topics that perhaps some might find depressing, but it is far from that. It is a quiet book which tells a simple tale, with some perhaps rather interesting diversions and the odd little twist and thrill of a turn it is a read to be savoured and reflected on once complete.
Tracy Rees books change as each one is published, none of them fit into the genre box that many probably want it to, but that is the beauty we discover different stories told in many ways that affect us all so differently.
I will certainly be intrigued as to what comes next from Tracy.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Blue is the main character of the novel, as the title suggests, Ishbel known as Blue turns 21 and at her party, her father announces that the man who can capture Blue’s heart by love letter can have his permission to marry her. Blue is aghast at the statement but that does not stop her being intrigued by the men who do send the letters.
Midge has found love quite late in life but she doesn’t think she deserves it. She is the second wife of Blue’s father and whilst she loves the man and his daughters wholeheartedly she does not think it is reciprocated.
Delphine, desperate to escape her trapped love falls into the path of Blue who takes her under her wing and sees that she never returns to the past she is trying to escape.
All three of these women are having different experiences of love, romance, marriage and life, Tracy Rees has woven a tale of differences and similarities by these three women in this novel.
Not wanting to shy away from matters which were not named in the 1920s but Tracy tackles domestic violence, homosexuality, postnatal depression and women trying to find their way in the world of work. Topics that perhaps some might find depressing, but it is far from that. It is a quiet book which tells a simple tale, with some perhaps rather interesting diversions and the odd little twist and thrill of a turn it is a read to be savoured and reflected on once complete.
Tracy Rees books change as each one is published, none of them fit into the genre box that many probably want it to, but that is the beauty we discover different stories told in many ways that affect us all so differently.
I will certainly be intrigued as to what comes next from Tracy.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
saetereng's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
3.0
Set in Ryans Castle ,a fictional yet very grand home In Richmond near London, this is a story about a a very posh family and a girl forced to grow up according to the traditions of the time. Set in the 1920s, the book paints a fascinating and very colourful view of that time and place.
Blue is the nickname of Ishbel who at 21 is told who she should marry. Her father basically pimps her out and suggests that men should write letters to her in order to court her. She’s rather self-absorbed however and not very likeable yet she was being forced to do something against her will and have her life ruined, so fair play. To be forced into courtship and marriage, not to mention a certain patter of behaviour and social mores would have been horrific. Luckily she has Midge (Blue’s Stepmother) and Delphine whose background and life teaches Blue a thing or two. As Blue meets people along the way, we see the various facets of her character and inside struggles.
I would have liked the book to expand more on events and settings as opposed to character traits as the plot never really gets going in that sense. There are some feisty confrontation scenes and grand balls however and the book does paint an elaborate picture of 1920s England.
amothersmusings1's review against another edition
4.0
"Darling Blue" by Tracy Rees is darling by name and darling by nature. I've always enjoyed a good historical family saga and although I tend to enjoy the more grittier ones, there are times a cosy one does just as well. This book fits the bill perfectly for a relaxing and enjoyable read that takes you to the roaring 1920's where fashion was bobbed hairstyles, beaded flapper dresses and cloche hats and the author has captured the era spot on!
"Darling Blue" is the affectionate nickname for the main character Ishbel Camberwell, who at her twenty first birthday party finds her father making a speech and spontaneously announcing that potential suitors for his daughter's hand should attempt to win her affections through an anonymous love letter, with the winner announced next year. Lots of things happen in the story other than this thread and it was interesting to see it all come together at the end. I adored all the characters, they really were well portrayed and written to be very likeable. Delphine was probably my favourite due to her own particularly troubled storyline but Blue was strong and moral minded yet sensitive and caring and truly represented the young ladies of the era who wished to be more than just a wife and homemaker. The chapters are told through the seasons of the year, which was unique and this allowed for the development of the months to pass with atmospheric quality.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and I would happily read more by this author again and of course I have no hesitation in recommending "Darling Blue" to both young and old readers alike.
4 stars
"Darling Blue" is the affectionate nickname for the main character Ishbel Camberwell, who at her twenty first birthday party finds her father making a speech and spontaneously announcing that potential suitors for his daughter's hand should attempt to win her affections through an anonymous love letter, with the winner announced next year. Lots of things happen in the story other than this thread and it was interesting to see it all come together at the end. I adored all the characters, they really were well portrayed and written to be very likeable. Delphine was probably my favourite due to her own particularly troubled storyline but Blue was strong and moral minded yet sensitive and caring and truly represented the young ladies of the era who wished to be more than just a wife and homemaker. The chapters are told through the seasons of the year, which was unique and this allowed for the development of the months to pass with atmospheric quality.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and I would happily read more by this author again and of course I have no hesitation in recommending "Darling Blue" to both young and old readers alike.
4 stars
wilde's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
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