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What Members Thought
Everyone says that Donoghue's historical fiction is good, but I am not always crazy about historical fiction and I really did not like Room, so I went into this with a chip on my shoulder. #mybias
But it won me over. It's a breakneck spree through a 1876 San Francisco heat wave, telling the story of the murder of Jenny Bonnet and her surviving friend, fancy French dancer slash sex worker, Blanche Beunon. There is queer and feminist content. There is female cross-dressing, which I love. I just lov ...more
But it won me over. It's a breakneck spree through a 1876 San Francisco heat wave, telling the story of the murder of Jenny Bonnet and her surviving friend, fancy French dancer slash sex worker, Blanche Beunon. There is queer and feminist content. There is female cross-dressing, which I love. I just lov ...more
This is a difficult book for me to review. I loved the beginning and was drawn in again towards the end; however, in the middle I was struggling to keep at it. The characters and setting are fascinating. The timeline of the book and time shifts could be jarring. But after finishing it, I can see how the author was trying to tell Blanche's story from the start and Jenny's story in reverse. The author's characters will stay with you long after you finish the book. Jenny is particularly haunting. O
...more
Hmm this was a very strange story. I wanted to finish it to find out the ending and the characters were interesting, so it kept me enthralled, but there are a few graphic (sex) parts. She is a good writer and very creative, but the story was not my favorite and many other great books I would spend my time reading instead.
1st read: November 14, 2014. 4 stars.
2nd read: April 23, 2016.
2nd read: April 23, 2016.
Apr 04, 2014
Brenda
rated it
really liked it
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Shelves:
historical-fiction
