METROPOLIS, Elizabeth Gaffney

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Enter the world of New York City in the late 19th century. Cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge ... Life isn't easy, especially for an immigrant. This imaginative story gives an in-depth view of what life was like in the city at that time.

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Synopsis: Frank Harris has lived many lives and carried different names. From his childhood in Germany to his arrival in New York City to his unfortunate association with the Whyo gang ... with each turn of bad luck, he enters a new chapter of his life. We identify with his desire to live an honest life, but things keep getting complicated.

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My Thoughts: This is such an interesting book! From the beginning, I felt immersed in the daily life of New York at the cusp of its greatness. I was with the main character through his turns of luck ... his accomplishments and his setbacks. There is quite a cast of characters, some charming and others dispicable. Reading this book made me want to see Gangs of New York again, because although I saw it several years ago, I have some images in my mind of the setting, which is the same. And although it's a different time and place from my life, it's easy to identify with the root of the story.

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rating: ****
read: December 2008 - January 2009
source: English Language Library in Angers (borrowed)

WIDEACRE, Philippa Gregory

I wanted to read "The Other Boleyn Girl" by the same author, but someone had already borrowed it from the library. So I took this one instead. I wish I had waited for the other one.

Synopsis: Beatrice Lacey is has a privileged life growing up on the Wideacre estate. Rather than her sickly, bookish brother, she spends her days at the side of her father in the fields. She loves the land and estate above all, but it's the 18th century, and she will never inherit Wideacre. Her life becomes a web of sin and deception as she does whatever she can to gain the land she loves so much.

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My Thoughts: I was hoping for an intriguing piece of historical fiction, but this turned out to be little more than a glorified romance novel. Aspects of the story were so disturbing, it was hard to get past them. Unfortunately, a character was introduced early on, and it was clear that he would return, and I was curious to see how things would turn out. 622 pages later, I wasn't very surprised ... but I was relieved to finally be finished with the book! There are two others in the series, but I won't waste my time on them. As for "The Other Boleyn Girl" ... I think I'll just see the movie.

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rating: *

read: November - December 2008

source: English Language Library in Angers (borrowed)