Anny P. (wolfnme) reviewed on 6/5/2006 + 3389 more book reviews

Noelle, daughter of London musical theatre celebrity Desiree, narrates the story. The settings range from England's London, Kent & Cornell, to France's Paris and its countryside. Set in the 1860's, the story does capture the excitement of theatre first nights, discovery of past civilizations (Roman ruins in Kent), and heritage. Deceit and manipulation, and their motives, are woven throughout the plot without judgement by the author, or the narrator. In my opinion, the global theme is that every action, regardless of the decision behind it, impacts others. The characters never come alive for me, but the sounds of the cities, the haunting loneliness of areas outside large cities, and the excitement of discoveries sustained my interest. I found myself wanting to research London theatrical history, France under the Bonapartes, and Roman forays into England. Narrator Noelle, for all her innocence, does have a cynical component to her personality, which she tries to suppress. Characters gain depth (but not life) through Noelle's faithful recounting of conversations with the other characters; everyone she knows has something to say about someone else she knows. In addition to these filtered reports, Noelle adds her own impressions of each character. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, and found myself looking forward to reading it, although I would not classify it a page-turner. Setting and theme were more provocative than character and story.

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