Диамантът на Венеция

The Aviary Gate #2

by Кейти Хикман, Katie Hickman

История за порок и хазарт, за алчност и благородство и за любовта, която преодолява всички препятствия – дори и смъртта...

„Синевата на султана“. Никога на този свят не е имало диамант като този... той притежава много сили - ако е даден доброволно, предоставя огромна защита на приносителя си, на добрия човек прави големи добрини и сбъдва желанието на сърцето на този, който го притежава.

Венеция, 1604 г.
Из средите на комарджиите и куртизанките в града плъзват слухове за рядък и безценен диамант, дошъл от Константинопол. Търговецът Пол Пиндар е убеден, че има връзка между скъпоценния камък и съдбата на изчезналата му годеница Силия Лампри. А единственото желание на Пол е да намери своята любима! Обсебен от тайнствения диамант, той успява да си осигури място в игра на карти с високи залози и награда – „Синевата на Султана“, като пренебрегва предупрежденията за опасност на своя служител Джон Карю и на куртизанката Констанца.

В богат манастир на един от островите във венецианската лагуна сестра Анета, новопостъпила монахиня, е единствената, която е виждала „Синевата на султана” и знае как се е озовал във Венеция. Един ден тя се сблъсква с Джон Карю, който обича да съблазнява млади монахини и тайно ги посещава в килиите им. В негово лице Анета вижда човек, който може да я отведе до Пол, за да изпълни тя последното желание на приятелката си Силия, а Карю открива в манастира повече от това, което е очаквал...

К. Хикман продължава историята, започната в „Тайната порта“, с ярки, изпълнени с живот, описания и умело преплетени сюжетни линии. Действието води от куртизански покои до тайни игрални зали във Венеция, от султанския харем до уединен манастир, по следите на пътуваща трупа акробати и носена от тях неподозирана тайна.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Italy, Mystery, 17th Century, Romance

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh I'm sad that this has finished but also happy because one part of the story has been resolved and all the questions that first started The Avairy Gate answered.

As with the Avairy Gate, The Pinder Diamond is full of mystery, intrigue and plain raw emotion. I loved both the emotional and actual journey that Ms Hickman takes the reader on, and the wonderful charcters we meet along the way, from the ladies of the tumbling troupe, to beautiful, sad Constanza with own intriguing story to tell.
Venice was the perfect setting for this story as we follow Paul Pinder as he stumbles tragically through what remains of his broken life until he faces a final choice which could be his final downfall. There to help is his long term employee and confidant John Carew, whose own story develops in this book.
I loved this story, for me Ms Hickman made Venice come alive, I could visualize every scene, smell the smells and feel the heat. A beautifully told story which made me cry at all the right places.

After note:- I've just been to visit Katies Blog and there's going to be a sequel to The Pinder Diamond *yay*

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

After The Aviary Gate I was interested to read this sequel - but generally found it less engaging, though it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why. Hickman writes lush and sensuous prose, and plots well, but somehow never manages to exceed the boundaries of the historical romance genre.

Set in sixteenth century Venice, this does exactly what we would expect: throws in voluptuous courtesans, discontented nuns, traders on the make, separated lovers and legendary jewels. The whole thing is fragranced and sumptuous, full of opulent interiors and baroque emotion. It's pure escapism - but, like eating too much Turkish delight, by the end I craved something savoury and with bite. I see a 3rd novel is being published and hope Hickman raises her games as she does at the end of Aviary Gate.

[Tova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually 2.5. Okay, well that was mildly disappointing compared to The Aviary Gate. Am I surprised? Not really. I'm going to be salty in a corner and eat pasta. I hate Paul Pindar, and Annetta sucked to and it was very historically inaccurate and that bothered me. RTC.

I need this book so badly. This is actually set in Venice, but it has the answers and I must get answers ASAP!

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I never read the Aviary Gate. As a matter of fact, until a friend of mine read and reviewed this, I had no idea it was a sequel. The summary and the back of the book doesn't say it is a sequel. So... maybe part of the reason I disliked this so much was I didn't really know what the heck was going on..?

Besides that, I loathed the characters. Paul is a jerk. Annetta.. I just don't understand her. Carew is disgusting and I don't see what Annetta sees in him. I could go on...

I thought the story was mostly about a crippled, mute woman with a possibly mermaid baby washed up on the coast of Italy. The beginning of the novel introduces this fascinating tale.. and then the traveling woman's troupe and the mute cripple and the mermaid baby drop off the pages on page 15 and don't appear again till page 123. These were the characters I liked and this was the story I most wanted to hear and there was too little of it.

Not a winner for me and I'm not rushing out to read the first one either.

[Djali · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Ricordo con molto affetto la lettura di questo libro.

[Диана · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

[Alessandra Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi rattrista dare a questo romanzo solo 2 stelline, ma purtroppo non mi è sembrato all'altezza del precedente, il giardino delle favorite, romanzo che ho amato moltissimo.

Mi aspettavo davvero molto e personalmente sono rimasta piuttosto delusa dalla continuazione della storia sia dal punto di vista della narrazione che per quanto riguarda lo stile narrativo.

Mi è mancata la magia del primo romanzo, e ho avuto l'impressione di troppi colpi di scena e coincidenze che stonavano nell'intreccio narrativo.

Di seguito vari spoilers, saltate lo stacco se non avete letto il libro!

****************SPOILERS**************








Non ho apprezzato il fatto che la protagonista, Celia, rimanga quasi in secondo piano per tutto il romanzo, e per tutta la lettura ho sperato che non si rivelasse lei la creatura riportata dal mare. Avrei preferito più azione da parte sua, non mi è piaciuto per niente la scelta di lasciarla in balia degli eventi. Lo stesso Paul Pindar, completamente cambiato rispetto al primo romanzo, è anch'esso imbrigliato in un ruolo che risulta quasi antipatico (comprendo che creda di aver perso il suo amore, ma nel suo comportamento quasi sconsiderato non si crea empatia col lettore!).
Per non parlare del personaggio di Annetta, nel mondo dell'harem pareva una ragazza di mondo alla stregua di una cortigiana, mentre ora messi i panni di una monaca sembra quasi spaurita e incerta e la sua storia con Carew è alquanto improbabile.
Per quanto riguarda il romanzo (per dirla in parole povere) c'è troppa carne al fuoco, e i vari intrecci tra i personaggi sono poco plausibili. Avrei personalmente evitato la storia del bambino-sirena di Celia, i cui particolari macabri non mi sono proprio andati giù...Per non parlare del finale, precipitoso e che lascia ancora molto da capire.





*************** Fine Spoilers******************

In conclusione non posso dire che questo sia un brutto romanzo, forse le mie aspettative erano troppo alte, posso dire di aver preferito di gran lunga il finale del primo libro che per quanto lasciasse aperta la vicenda allo stesso tempo la chiudeva in modo originale, lasciando al lettore quella sensazione bitter sweet. Ho letto che la scrittrice sta lavorando a un seguito, quindi un terzo romanzo della saga che dovrebbe uscire quest'anno, spero vivamente in qualcosa di meglio :)

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 2.5 stars. I won this book from a First Reads giveaway and was excited to dive into the world of 17th century Italy. This book features a number of characters and their various lives - nuns at a convent (some more willing than others to forego all material items), a gambler longing for his lost love, the gambler's friends and enemies, an aging prostitute, and a troupe of women performers who, at the beginning of the novel, are paid to take a woman and her mermaid-baby away from the coast and to Venice. The string that ties all these characters together is a diamond - the Sultan's Blue - that has reappeared after many rumors about its existence have gone around. Paul Pindar, the gambler, believes that if he wins the diamond in a poker game, he will manage to regain his lost love, Celia.

It took a while to get into the book, since there were so many characters whose lives seemingly did not intersect. Because I didn't spend much time with any of them, I didn't feel like I fully connected with anyone, nor did I truly care about their plight. Probably the most interesting thread of the book had to do with a young woman in the convent who continued to be obsessed with material things and the ways of the world. She felt more fleshed-out than the other characters, although she too lacked the sort of magic that could have brought her part of the story fully alive.

It felt like the plot of the story - Paul trying to win the diamond and be reunited with Celia (at least this is the most "main" of the plots in the novel!) - was rather weak and so the action went slowly because there was no urgency behind the plot. The writing was good and the attention to historical detail kept me entertained, but I wish there would have been more of a drive behind these characters instead of it feeling like I was simply reading about a slice in their lives.

[Allie_oco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Goodreads for the FirstReads win!

This is quite a story in a small book. A story of passion, love, loss, betrayal, mermaids, giants, magic, gambling and a priceless diamond. It all seemed a little far fetched at times, like a fable or tall tale.

Hickman kept me reading though, quite a mystery. I think if I had read The Aviary Gate first then perhaps I would have been more attached to the characters? I did want to yell at them sometimes for acting quite silly.

I enoyed this book, but everything seemed a little much and I never got attached to the characters. I enjoyed the setting of Venice, with the canals and alleyways. Good light easy read!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seconda parte della storia di Celia e del suo beneamato Paul, riesce a coinvolgere solo nel finale dove alcuni colpi di scena movimentano la narrazione. Per il resto la trama è un pò troppo tirata ma anche abbastanza prevedibile...pure l'amore tra due personaggi da cui non ci si aspettava questo sentimento non riesce a dare la svolta. Troppi elementi "stupefacenti" annullano l'effetto sembrando appunto "tirati". Nulla a che vedere con le atmosfere magiche e quasi incantate della prima parte, anche se nel complesso rimane un buon libro.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non all'altezza de "Il giardino delle favorite", ma davvero ben scritto e interessante. Solo... mi sarei aspettata che alcune situazioni non si risolvessero così in fretta. Pindar resta il personaggio più realistico, sembra davvero di vederlo, con i suoi abiti scuri e la barba incolta, disperato e inconsolabile, dedito al vizio. Il personaggio di Annetta è quello che mi ha maggiormente sorpreso e, forse, è diventata la vera protagonista a scapito di Celia. Molto bello.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too overstuffed. This historical fiction set in 17th century Venice had some nice moments, but there was just too much: harems and convents and underground gambling dens and plague and traveling female tumblers (!), not to mention mermaids (!!) and priceless gems that are lost. and then found. and lost. and found.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

In questo secondo episodio che segue Il giardino delle favorite calano drasticamente il fascino, la suspence, la narrazione parallela, lo struggente tormento di Paul e Celia, la poesia e lo charme delle ambientazioni. È vero, vengono svelati alcuni particolari che nel precedente episodio parevano irrisolti ma a mio avviso il romanzo non è all’altezza del primo.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ Won on First-Reads!

I absolutely loved this book! Once I started I simply couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading The Aviary Gate and reimmersing myself in the evocative and haunting world Katie Hickman has created.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich tapestry of a novel, with interesting characters and many twists and turns of the plot. Pure escapism, but nonetheless I found it a pleasure to read.

[Sergio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Penoso seguito del "Giardino delle favorite" senza capo né coda, un terribile errore da parte mia credere in questa scrittrice senza idee

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tale set in 1600's Venice.. Fascinating love stories, unrequited love, a perfect diamond,
A ship wreck and a mermaid baby.. Never a dull moment...

[Monica. A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuazione de “Il giardino delle favorite”.
Lo scenario si sposta a Venezia focalizzandosi sul fidanzato di Celia, Paul Pindar.
Non bello come il primo ma in ogni caso una trama avvincente.

[Zołza_czyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Postanowiłam sięgnąć po „Brylant Pindara”, bo zainteresował mnie opis na okładce, a na dodatek przyciągnęła mnie siedemnastowieczna Wenecja. Jednak, gdy tak przeglądałam sobie stronę lubimyczytac.pl, aby znaleźć informacje o dacie wydania książki to okazało się, że jest to kontynuacja „Drzwi do ptaszarni’, a nigdzie na książce nie ma o tym wzmianki. Czytanie, więc zaczęłam z nutką irytacji, a także obawy, że nie ogarnę treści bez znajomości poprzedniej książki.
W książce pojawiły się trzy wątki, które początkowo nijak się wydaję ze sobą połączone. Pierwszym z nich jest garstka wędrownych kobiet – akrobatek, które za namową niejakiego Bocelliego docierają do opuszczonej przez Boga i ludzi wioski. Signor Bocelli chce, aby zabrały dziewczynę z połamanymi nogami i jej dziecko, które wygląda jak syrena. Kobieta została wyłowiona przez wieśniaków podczas połowu i nikt nie spodziewał się, że przeżyje następne kilka dni, a co dopiero, poród. Kolejny wątek dotyczy Paula Pindara, który jest uzależniony od hazardu od momentu, gdy wrócił z Konstantynopola po utracie narzeczonej, która miała do niego tam dołączyć, ale statek, którym płynęła został zaatakowany przez korsarzy. Gra on również podwójną rolę w mrocznej Wenecji, gdy pewnego dnia na swojej drodze spotyka osławiony niebieski brylant sułtana. W jaki sposób to łączy się z jego ukochaną? W co uwikłał się Paul? Ostatni wątek dotyczy młodej Annette, która swego czasu była niewolnicą – matki sułtana Sahfije. Wolność odzyskała po jej śmierci, a gdy wróciła do Wenecji wstąpiła do jednego z klasztorów, do którego przyjęto ją ze względu na wiano, jakie wniosła. Skąd je miała? Kim jest dla niej Celia Lamprey? I co łączy ją z brylantem sułtana?
Mimo obaw, że bez znajomości wcześniejszej historii pogubię się w tej opowieści to nic takiego nie miało miejsca. Autorka w sposób zwinny i umiejętny przywoływała czytelnikowi potrzebne informacje, tak, aby ten myślał, że wcześniejszej książki nie było. Widać nie jest konieczne czytanie „Drzwi do ptaszarni”, żeby móc w spokoju poznać „Brylant Pindara”.
Historia wciąga od pierwszych stron, co uważam za duży plus, bo zazwyczaj mam problem z tym, żeby wbić się w fabułę książki. Tu od początku byłam ciekawa, co będzie działo się dalej. Autorka nie podaje wszystkiego na tacy, chociaż pewną kwestię rozwiązałam mniej więcej w połowie książki, co z pewnością dla tych, co lubią być zaskakiwani na końcu, że ich tok myślenia nie był prawidłowy będą lekko zawiedzeni. W tym wypadku sprawiło mi to frajdę, bo pamiętam, że gdy czytałam
„Dziewczynę z pociągu” i po 50 stronach wiedziałam, kto zabił poczułam się rozczarowana, bo dla mnie to było za szybko. W „Brylancie Pindara” było to idealnie wyważone.
Podobała mi się ta książka. Mało było troszkę tej siedemnastowiecznej Wenecji. Można było to lepiej rozbudować, ale może autorka obawiała się, że zanudzi czytelnika? Nie mogę też powiedzieć, że opisów było mało. Gdy Paul szedł ulicami Wenecji można było wypośrodkować jego przemyślenia z opisami miejsca.
Z pewnością będę polować na „Drzwi do ptaszarni”, bo jestem ogromnie ciekawa początku tej historii. Na dodatek polubiłam styl Katie Hickman, więc to będzie czysta przyjemność. Moim zdaniem warto zapoznać się z tą książką.

„- Szczęście? - […] uśmiechnął się gorzko. - Szczęście to złudzenie.”~ Katie Hickman, Brylant Pindara, Warszawa 2011, s. 108.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Pindar Diamond" was a book that I was greatly looking forward to reading. It just sounds so exciting! A mysterious woman washes up out of the sea, a supposedly cursed diamond is being tracked down, with which some nuns may be involved, and it's set in Venice. What could go wrong?

The opening lines, in which the mystery woman describes drowning, really caught my attention. I got the impression that the author carefully thought about what such an awful thing must be like, and the short section of a chapter, less than a page long, seemed almost poetic in how terrible it was.
In the next chapter, we are introduced to two traveling circus acrobats, Maryam and Elena. I loved the first descriptions of the characters, and the description of the tired little village that they come across had me reading the words in admiration. Hickman really brought to life the setting, and all on the first few pages!
I settled in, eager to get to know these characters.

However, it was not to be. The scene switches almost immediately to an entirely different set of the characters - who are the predominant ones in the story.
They were quite confusing, especially in the beginning. But even toward the end, I was still a bit confused about what was going on with them.
The author calls all the characters by both their first and last names at random. It wasn't until pretty far along in the book that I realized that "Pindar" and "Paul" were actually the same person, Paul Pindar.
Also, the characters relied almost solely on dialogue when first introduced. They dive right in to talking about some very in depth, weighty matters, which I only found confused me more.

Still bewildered and trying to figure out exactly who was doing what with which person, and what last name went with what first name, I was whisked away to another setting.

In this one, we meet a young, pretty nun in training named Annetta. She has trouble following all of the rules, such as not having friends and giving up her embroidered slippers.
Annetta was one of my favorite characters, even though I could never really manage to feel close to her.

This book was extremely good for about five to ten pages. The author does an extraordinarily praiseworthy job of setting up the scenery, describing the details, and really giving us a feeling of the place she has introduced.
However, the rest of this book was not so amazing.

There were many problems, the most important of which being: by the time I was a bit over 75% finished with the book, I looked at the number of pages and thought incredulously "When EVER will the actual plot be introduced?"
Well, it never was.
Before beginning the book, I read and savored the description on the back cover (something I do when I'm anticipating a very good book). I had thought to myself that it sounded like an amazing story, but when I went back and looked over it, I realized that it was in fact relatively vague. The only possible plot lines I could make out were: A troupe of acrobats trying to care for a mysterious woman, or a man trying to find his beloved.
Both of these were involved in the story, but no, they certainly couldn't be called a plot.
It's a shame, because there were really a lot of great elements here. Venice! My favorite city, especially when set in historical fiction, and in the 1600's, no less! I was very disappointed to find that the city itself was barely mentioned, much less described.

The acrobats and the woman from the sea show up again over halfway through the book, just in time to neatly deliver a shocking secret about the woman's identity (an extremely obvious and predictable secret, that is). However, even if I hadn't guessed this by the fifth chapter, I wouldn't have really cared. The reader never gets a chance to know the mystery woman, or to wonder who she is. So, when we do find out, it's no revelation.

In the reading guide of this book, it describes a certain character as "a sinister villain." I thought "huh? He was a villain?" Sure, he makes some sort of evil speech at the end, but he wasn't a very prominent character.

Even with a handful of other exciting plot elements thrown in (stolen diamonds, escaped Arabian harem girls, the gambling underworld, dept collectors, courtesans of fading beauty), the author still couldn't draw up a plot.

There were also some things that didn't make sense in the book, which I'll list briefly here. (SPOILERS ahead!)

- A jewel buyer is talking about how he would pay a fortune just to touch the famous "Sultan's Blue" diamond, but on the next page he is vehemently saying that he wouldn't even touch it, because it can bring only trouble.

- Carew is looking Annetta over, and is somehow able to tell that she has a slender waist and a "nice rump." But wouldn't her nun's habit make this impossible?

- I hate badly written romances. And there was definitely one here. Annetta meets Carew rather pleasantly - he grabs her, pretends to try to strangle her in the dark, and then offers to "service her" there in the abbey garden. After that, she hates him, which really just means that she is crazy over him, and by the end, they are weeping, falling down at each others feet, presumably hopelessly in love. What? They were only in each others company for a total of about 15 minutes, over three visits!

- When Annetta stays out late, there is a convenient cover-up about the nuns ALL having "slept late." All of them. This is hundreds of women. And they all over slept. The author obviously just didn't want Annetta to get caught, but couldn't think of a logical way to go about this.

- The entire thing with "The Aviary Gate." I didn't know that this was a sequel, or I would have read the other book first. No where does it say that this is a sequel - but it should have! You really have to have read the first book in order to understand a lot of what happens in this one, especially toward the end.

- (SPOILERS) Maryam and the "mermaid" baby are killed? How did the baby die? And why? Oh, let me guess... They will turn out to be alive in the sequel. Just wait and see.

- So Paul sees Celia, but doesn't recognize her, he just thinks that she resembles Celia. Then, he is certain it is her. It just really didn't seem to make sense to me, how one minute he was certain it wasn't her, and the next minute he is, without giving a reason.

And the characters also disappointed me. I felt that I only got to touch upon them briefly, and there was no one in the story that I ever particularly was rooting for, or cared about. Maryam is the only character who I really sympathized with, but this was not so much because Hickman wrote a good character, but because she wrote us such a sad background for the giantess. Even when she died, I felt no remorse.
John Carew was cast as the the typical roguish bad boy that all the women go crazy over. What is this with men assaulting the heroine and getting rewarded with eternal love? He sneaks up behind her, grabs her, and strangles her! Later, he says that he did this because he "wanted to frighten her." Does this sound like an honorable man? And yet, he is cast as very much the hero.

So, there were obviously many problems with this story.
However, for some reason, I did enjoy it. It always compelled me to read on, and I may even keep it.
Despite so horribly ruining her plot, the author is good at describing things (when she bothers), and at keeping events moving along at a good pace.

This book had a lot of potential, but sadly, it did not live up to it. I will read "The Aviary Gate" in hopes that it will be better, but this one was nothing special.

[Bronwyn Mcloughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's sort of like a less intense Niccolo story, and in that comparison it will always be lacking. The Pindar Diamond seems to be the aim of the game - its location explains what has happened to the chief characters, but in the end, it seems that it is not worth having. If you didn't come by it honestly, it brings bad fortune. You can't sell it - no one can afford it. Unless you are fabulously wealthy and just like looking at it, it is of no earthly use. I liked the depiction of the nuns and their convent, and the unholy way it all operated. But the story of Celia took so long to unfold, and the mermaid child seemed so disjointed .....

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow up to The Aviary Gate which I read a few years back, The Pindar Diamond is set in early 17th century Venice. Paul Pindar still hasn’t accepted that his lost love Celia Lamprey is dead. He hears about a gambling den where a large diamond The Sultan’s Blue is the top prize and feels compelled to compete. Meanwhile, in an island convent, Annetta, Celia’s friend from the harem is reluctantly trying to fit in. There are lots of references to the first book, but also plenty of back story which I think would help if this was read as a stand-alone. There is a third book in the series which I’ll look out for.

[KSG · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. I wasn't really impressed with the first book, but I hate to leave a series unfinished so I read this reluctantly. It took longer to finish than a book twice it's size would take me. The writing was ok, but the plot didn't hold my attention. Another book I read mearly to finish, not enjoy.

[Gaye Sencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this exotic love story of mermaids, nuns, slaves, courtesans and gaming. Set in Venice this continues on from the Aviary Gate a story of slaves and harems in the sultans Constantinople .
The heroine of this book Annetta , a nun, is resourceful and brave and clever - a good page turner, but a gentle book. Just what I needed!

[Maddie Scho Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason I’ve had this book in my personal library for a while now (I have no clue where it came from lol). I’ll rate this one 2.5 stars because it wasn’t my favorite & I feel like there were a lot of parts of the plot that never really were cleared up. But the last 1/3 of the book kept me interested!

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was most decidedly filler, for the middle of a trilogy, nothing very much happens, to characters we are supposed to know from the first book, but I only know from the final one, because I read it out of order.

[Veselina Bakalova-Mihaylovska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Малко твърде разтеглена беше във времето и можеше да се събере всичко в сигурно половин обем.
Иначе си обичам да си чета книги за Италия и никога няма да ми омръзне да се разхождам чрез думите по малките улички!

[Alice Yong · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much promise yet it’s a slow, plodding story I nearly gave up reading. Too much focus on men with different agendas and not enough on the mysterious woman. Luckily the nuns’ backstories surface to break the monotony.

[Robbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not read the first book in the series and, after reading this, I doubt I will ever read the other two. The story was OK but somehow left me cold, not interested in finding out more.

[Robin Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is completely the opposite to another I read recently in that I found much of it to be disagreeable but the end was very satisfactory and I think made me feel more kindly toward the rest.