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vyhurz's review against another edition
3.0
This story follows naive May Kimble who leaves New York when her mother dies to be with rich relatives in San Francisco at the turn of the 20th century. The first part of the story has May being overwhelmed, and then bored, by all the glamour of society. There are a couple of big twists, so I'm not going to give much more away about the plot. May goes through a lot throughout the story, and the narrative tells me she's a changed person by the end, but I frankly didn't believe it. This book is a good example of plot driving the story, of plot happening to a character, instead of the character taking action. I found myself rather annoyed at several instances, and I can think of only a couple times where May makes a decision for herself. Still, the story intrigued me enough to want to know how everything would end. I admit I was rather let down. The end seemed to fizzle out in the third act. There was really nothing remarkable here, but it wasn't a bad read.
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mcczaw's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
deniseaz2021's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chloe_truxton's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded up.
This book was free to me on my kindle. In my opinion/experience there is often a reason why free Kindle books are free!
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved the world building - I really felt like I could see early San Francisco in my mind as I read. Historical fiction can be tricky for me - I need details but I don't want to feel like I'm reading a book report. The details in this book were woven beautifully throughout the story.
And the story itself was very engaging! I love a good revenge story and I did not feel this book disapointed...until the very end. I didn't LOVE the way the loose ends were tied up. It felt a little rushed and a little almost too modern for the time period. Hence the 0.5 star deduction.
Otherwise, a very solid, enjoyable read.
This book was free to me on my kindle. In my opinion/experience there is often a reason why free Kindle books are free!
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved the world building - I really felt like I could see early San Francisco in my mind as I read. Historical fiction can be tricky for me - I need details but I don't want to feel like I'm reading a book report. The details in this book were woven beautifully throughout the story.
And the story itself was very engaging! I love a good revenge story and I did not feel this book disapointed...until the very end. I didn't LOVE the way the loose ends were tied up. It felt a little rushed and a little almost too modern for the time period. Hence the 0.5 star deduction.
Otherwise, a very solid, enjoyable read.
bridgetwf's review against another edition
4.0
I always love reading Megan chance! Fun, page-turning piece of historical fiction, which was exactly what I was looking for.
flowerowl's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Racism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Classism
hcmcmains's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ciraabi's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
4.0
A Splendid Ruin is a compelling story of a young woman with nothing to her name who may have more than she knows; her mother kept secrets, and her newfound family aren’t enlightening her, either. As a woman in the early 1900s, she is limited with what she can do to take care of herself, but she uses the skills she does have and some keen observation to survive and even thrive. It works well drawing a picture of society life in that era and depicting just how devastating the earthquake was, with several thousand dead and half the city (rich and poor) left without homes. I liked seeing May go from somewhat naïve to take-back-her-life strong.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/splendid-ruin-fiction-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/splendid-ruin-fiction-book-review/
ikandree's review against another edition
3.0
This was good. I’d give it 3.5 stars if Goodreads did half stars. The book was slow until about halfway through. Then it was full of some interesting twists. Overall I liked it.