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To Touch the Stars
From the author of LUXURY, a glossy, gripping epic blockbuster featuring the beautiful, wealthy but accursed Cavalley family. Renowned for style, glamour and sophistication, Cavalley’s creates the most luxurious millinery in the world. Talented and beautiful, Violet Cavalley has poured her heart and soul into building her multi-million-pound business and raising her three adored children. But behind the Cavalley family’s gilded façade lies a streak of darkness. Darkness that now threatens to destroy them all...
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 8, 2018
This was so incredibly boring that at one point I actually thought it would literally bore me to death. The characters were flat and one dimensional and absolutely drove me crazy, I couldn’t find one redeeming quality if I tried! I’m surprised that I managed to finish this book, apparently I’m a glutton for punishment!
January 20, 2021
One unexpected twist in the end. The stories are a bit disjointed and predictable. Ok book, took some time to hold and keep my interest.
This book took quite some time before I was fully vested and interested in it. Definitely not the type of read to sucker you in right away.
For the most part the story focuses around Violet and her rise to the top of the fashion world and how Cavalley came to be. I wish more about the children's stories were talked about, as not enough focus was spent on them. The flashbacks are a bit disjointed and all over the place, and on top of that was predictable. I really would have loved to hear more about Blue, he seems like such a sweetheart, even though he lost his twin
There was one very unexpected twist in the end
The story was a little all over the place. I thought it was simple a rags to riches, Cinderella type of story, but this is much more than that, however due to the writing, it was a little messy and boring.
This book took quite some time before I was fully vested and interested in it. Definitely not the type of read to sucker you in right away.
For the most part the story focuses around Violet and her rise to the top of the fashion world and how Cavalley came to be. I wish more about the children's stories were talked about, as not enough focus was spent on them. The flashbacks are a bit disjointed and all over the place, and on top of that was predictable. I really would have loved to hear more about Blue, he seems like such a sweetheart, even though he lost his twin
There was one very unexpected twist in the end
The story was a little all over the place. I thought it was simple a rags to riches, Cinderella type of story, but this is much more than that, however due to the writing, it was a little messy and boring.
December 15, 2020
The descriptive text does a marvelous job at painting pictures before your eyes & the numerous twists of taking you back & forth in time has made it even more perfect !
February 28, 2024
This review features spoilers!!
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ D E T A I L S
○ REVIEW WRITTEN ON: 4 July 2021
REVIEW TRANSCRIBED ON: 27/28 February 2024
○ HOURS TAKEN TO READ: Under 17 hours
RATING: ☆ ☆ ☆
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ R E V I E W
< P O S I T I V E S >:
○ I actually liked the multiple timelines. I also liked how the passage of time was written, especially at Fournier’s, it had a biography feel
○ I was pleasantly surprised by May’s nickname plot twist, and Bryce’s plot twist
○ Fran’s adoption scene and reveal was great.
○ Cressida and Jasper plot twists! The meal Flip organised that was in the wrong place at the wrong time!
○ Violet’s last thought was that Philip had died, which he hadn’t; Tillie’s pot twist was amazing
○ The way Violet covered up Sam’s death, because the reason was too sad, even though he was a bad person (Scarlett incident etc). If this was written by a different author it could’ve been five stars!
< N E G A T I V E S >:
○ The author writes in ridiculously long sentences; I mean ten lines at some points! The word ‘flesh’ was used to frequently for my liking, as I associate this word with zombies! Also, lots of descriptions of hands and fingers which almost made me self-conscious
○ Blue is an unusual name, Flip is a slightly weird nickname for Philip, but Boodle herself doesn’t know why stopped calling her… Caroline
○ Fran came from a ‘Beautiful Baby Shop’, but when she obtained a large scar she ‘had’ been ‘so perfect… flawless’. Similar, Philip’s baby face was ‘perfect’. I find the comments about people’s ‘attractiveness’ weird, especially given these are young children
○ Apparently I’m homophobic so don’t read this if you’re sensitive to that: Kalisto has a really quirky personality, name, dress style and interior design style. However, he has a non-native English accent, which is fake, so I can’t like him much. A word to refer to his minority sexuality was used in the context of his personality, so I assumed it was the old meaning, of ‘happy’. He later clarifies he ‘likes boys’. No, he must be in his forties at least, so he's ‘attracted to men’! This is Boodle referring to herself as a ‘girl’, but worse! When he went to explain to this parents that he would never have a ‘girlfriend’, they said they knew, because he liked acting as a child! Why is acting a 'feminine' interest? And even if it is a feminine interest, I don’t see why this would connect to his sexuality; he doesn’t have a female brain. Thank goodness Blue didn’t explain his minority sexuality in depth!
○ There were random French words which were not explained in the text, or a glossary, so they were lost on me. Small children were referred to as ‘it’. There were many references to smoking, which I found kind of gross. There were more than twenty characters which is far too many.
○ I found ‘Boodle’ infuriating:
1. She referred to herself as Mrs. (insert husband’s name), which confused me, I thought it was a typo, as I’d never heard of that before. So, we can’t be too surprised she later said it’s the ‘role of a wife’ to learn to make food. This is set in 2009/10, not a hundred years before
2. She refers to herself as a ‘girl’, despite this book specifying she was a ‘legal adult’ when she met her husband, never mind when she got married and, she even has a child of her own! She’s not a ‘girl’!
3. She kept changing the word to refer to something, such as ‘chapel’ one minute, and ‘church’ the next. Also, ‘knickers’ one minute, and ‘pants’ the next.
○ Despite this book being set in 2009/2010, the word ‘matron’ is used. Also, there was a line about ‘real men drink (alcohol)’! Stupid. As well as that, Willy, a forgettable and somewhat useless character, complains about his son’s lack of ‘masculine strength’. Blue’s partner was only mentioned at the start, so I don’t understand his purpose.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ D E T A I L S
○ REVIEW WRITTEN ON: 4 July 2021
REVIEW TRANSCRIBED ON: 27/28 February 2024
○ HOURS TAKEN TO READ: Under 17 hours
RATING: ☆ ☆ ☆
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ R E V I E W
< P O S I T I V E S >:
○ I actually liked the multiple timelines. I also liked how the passage of time was written, especially at Fournier’s, it had a biography feel
○ I was pleasantly surprised by May’s nickname plot twist, and Bryce’s plot twist
○ Fran’s adoption scene and reveal was great.
○ Cressida and Jasper plot twists! The meal Flip organised that was in the wrong place at the wrong time!
○ Violet’s last thought was that Philip had died, which he hadn’t; Tillie’s pot twist was amazing
○ The way Violet covered up Sam’s death, because the reason was too sad, even though he was a bad person (Scarlett incident etc). If this was written by a different author it could’ve been five stars!
< N E G A T I V E S >:
○ The author writes in ridiculously long sentences; I mean ten lines at some points! The word ‘flesh’ was used to frequently for my liking, as I associate this word with zombies! Also, lots of descriptions of hands and fingers which almost made me self-conscious
○ Blue is an unusual name, Flip is a slightly weird nickname for Philip, but Boodle herself doesn’t know why stopped calling her… Caroline
○ Fran came from a ‘Beautiful Baby Shop’, but when she obtained a large scar she ‘had’ been ‘so perfect… flawless’. Similar, Philip’s baby face was ‘perfect’. I find the comments about people’s ‘attractiveness’ weird, especially given these are young children
○ Apparently I’m homophobic so don’t read this if you’re sensitive to that: Kalisto has a really quirky personality, name, dress style and interior design style. However, he has a non-native English accent, which is fake, so I can’t like him much. A word to refer to his minority sexuality was used in the context of his personality, so I assumed it was the old meaning, of ‘happy’. He later clarifies he ‘likes boys’. No, he must be in his forties at least, so he's ‘attracted to men’! This is Boodle referring to herself as a ‘girl’, but worse! When he went to explain to this parents that he would never have a ‘girlfriend’, they said they knew, because he liked acting as a child! Why is acting a 'feminine' interest? And even if it is a feminine interest, I don’t see why this would connect to his sexuality; he doesn’t have a female brain. Thank goodness Blue didn’t explain his minority sexuality in depth!
○ There were random French words which were not explained in the text, or a glossary, so they were lost on me. Small children were referred to as ‘it’. There were many references to smoking, which I found kind of gross. There were more than twenty characters which is far too many.
○ I found ‘Boodle’ infuriating:
1. She referred to herself as Mrs. (insert husband’s name), which confused me, I thought it was a typo, as I’d never heard of that before. So, we can’t be too surprised she later said it’s the ‘role of a wife’ to learn to make food. This is set in 2009/10, not a hundred years before
2. She refers to herself as a ‘girl’, despite this book specifying she was a ‘legal adult’ when she met her husband, never mind when she got married and, she even has a child of her own! She’s not a ‘girl’!
3. She kept changing the word to refer to something, such as ‘chapel’ one minute, and ‘church’ the next. Also, ‘knickers’ one minute, and ‘pants’ the next.
○ Despite this book being set in 2009/2010, the word ‘matron’ is used. Also, there was a line about ‘real men drink (alcohol)’! Stupid. As well as that, Willy, a forgettable and somewhat useless character, complains about his son’s lack of ‘masculine strength’. Blue’s partner was only mentioned at the start, so I don’t understand his purpose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2012
This book was the most worthless piece of crap I've ever read. Granted, I didn't expect it to be a deep meaningful read, but boy was it a stinker. The timelines are all messed up...the book talks about Violet being a sixteen year old having a baby and then a little while later she is suddenly thirty years old, but her son is still a baby and there is no mention of any of her other 3 kids that the book later claims she has had by this point. Later on it says her kids are 8 and 6 when she has her twins, but then at a different point in the book, the age difference between the twins and the former 6 year old is only 2 years. The book talks about Fran being around before Scarlet dies, but then when the tale of Scarlet's death is told, Fran isn't even born yet and Sebastian has not gone into hiding. The book is FULL of these kinds of errors - I haven't even broken the surface here. Also, it never explains how Violet goes from being so broke that she needs donations to continue her business (even after she's allegedly super successful with rock stars lining up to buy her hats) to being this gajillionaire with a house in Capri. All the secrets that people are being blackmailed for, it never explains why these are such shameful things (like Violet coming from a poor family with a violent dad - why does she let herself be blackmailed about that?) I brought this book with me on a vacation to the French Riviera, hoping for a fun beach/plane read, and instead found myself dying to finish the stupid thing. If I were the type of person who didn't mind not finishing books that I started, I would have quit this one around page 20.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2013
I'm actually more at a 4.5 stars for this one haha.
Wow this is such a gripping book, so many so many twists and turns, so many secrets, so many unexpected spin-offs of decisions seemingly so small.
But the culture of blame in the Cavalley family is disturbing though. Why is it always somebody's fault? Why are they always looking for someone to attribute the cause of their misfortune to? Are people always at the heart of divine coincidences and misfortune? I think this is what stopped me from being emotionally involved with the characters which would have really made this book 5 stars for me.
But it is a very very glamorous, rags-to-riches story of Violet Cavalley. Almost somewhat Great Gatsby-esque (funny how there is a Great Gatsby reference right in the book) and it is a very luxurious story of deceit because of love.
Wow this is such a gripping book, so many so many twists and turns, so many secrets, so many unexpected spin-offs of decisions seemingly so small.
But the culture of blame in the Cavalley family is disturbing though. Why is it always somebody's fault? Why are they always looking for someone to attribute the cause of their misfortune to? Are people always at the heart of divine coincidences and misfortune? I think this is what stopped me from being emotionally involved with the characters which would have really made this book 5 stars for me.
But it is a very very glamorous, rags-to-riches story of Violet Cavalley. Almost somewhat Great Gatsby-esque (funny how there is a Great Gatsby reference right in the book) and it is a very luxurious story of deceit because of love.
December 14, 2011
Though I really enjoyed the story and writing style of this book I found it wasn't as gripping or emotional as I thought it was going to be.
Interesting read though and fairly quick and straightforward. This story had a mystery about the family in it and it was one story that was impossible, in my opinion, to guess at the twist in the story.
In terms of the style of the story rather than anything happening in it, this book is written in such a way that the back story unravels rather than a story progresses.
Thinking back on the story it was as if nothing happened for a very long time, then you were bombarded with lots of action and revelations at the very end. This is not to say the story was bad however, because the family that Ruston writes is do pleasing to read.
Interesting read though and fairly quick and straightforward. This story had a mystery about the family in it and it was one story that was impossible, in my opinion, to guess at the twist in the story.
In terms of the style of the story rather than anything happening in it, this book is written in such a way that the back story unravels rather than a story progresses.
Thinking back on the story it was as if nothing happened for a very long time, then you were bombarded with lots of action and revelations at the very end. This is not to say the story was bad however, because the family that Ruston writes is do pleasing to read.
January 23, 2012
After having read Luxury last week and really enjoying it, Jessica Ruston's second book didn't disappoint! I sped through this book, reading about 80% in one day. It's definitely a page turner, and just like Luxury, you really feel like you are being drawn into the world, you can really imagine yourself there with the characters.
I loved how the story unfolded in this book, and how you get flashbacks to events in the past.
Jessica Ruston is definitely one of my new favourite authors, I cannot wait for her next book to come out :)
I loved how the story unfolded in this book, and how you get flashbacks to events in the past.
Jessica Ruston is definitely one of my new favourite authors, I cannot wait for her next book to come out :)
July 31, 2019
I did the enjoy the story and admired the main character VIOLET. Amazing what a determined woman can, and did, do.
Felt sorry for BLUE and FRANGIPANI. So many other good characters - fell in love with the character of KALLISTO, what a beautiful man!
Sometimes I got a little lost when going back in time and not expecting it, but soon caught up with 'where' I was.
A great read.
Thank you, Jessica Ruston
Felt sorry for BLUE and FRANGIPANI. So many other good characters - fell in love with the character of KALLISTO, what a beautiful man!
Sometimes I got a little lost when going back in time and not expecting it, but soon caught up with 'where' I was.
A great read.
Thank you, Jessica Ruston
January 20, 2012
Unfortunately got to page 200 and gave up. Can't connect with these characters and don't really care what happens to them. Hate giving up on a book but at the same time need to look forward to picking it up to read ! Sorry Jessica you are not for me
April 4, 2011
An enjoyable "glitz and glamour" saga that really keeps you turning the pages.
November 5, 2011
Fantastic read....wasn't too sure what to expect as first book by JR for me...so many twists had me gripped right till the end,Luxury is now def on my to read list.
Recommend.
Recommend.
Read
June 28, 2012Nice read. had quite some plot twists that I didnt expect. Will be checking out more of Ms Ruston her books.
September 2, 2012
To a while to really get into it but once I did I was hooked. I liked finding out about the family gradually and the ending was a complete twist.
September 29, 2013
Enjoyed it very much.
July 30, 2014
I couldn't put this one down. It didn't quite go the way I thought it would. I loved how she told the story of Violet and her family.
February 6, 2016
Too many people died. I didn't really like the way the chapters were so long and some of the chapter was in the past with some of the chapter in the future. Not a bad read though
April 7, 2017
I've been struggling so much to write this review. I found this book compelling. I wanted to finish it. I wanted to see the stories rounded off. But did I actually like it? Not really.
If you like tragic stories then this one is for you. It's heartbreak then glamour then heartbreak then glamour again. I loved Violet and Fran. They were stunning characters. The story is about Violet Cavalley, on her deathbed giving up all her secrets to her large family. The stories are compelling but so absolutely tragic. I feel like it's almost impossible to have that much happen in your life.
There are two main people I want to talk about in this review - the first being Sebastian. Please don't read on after this if you haven't read the book. Basically they think he's dead and he comes back to life later. You find out Violet has hid him to stop him going to jail after accidentally killing his wife/girlfriend. Fine. I could have forgiven him if he was a good character... if he was in anyway likeable... we hear a lot from Violet how likeable he is, but does it ever come out? Does it ever shine through the pages? No. Then we find out he caused his sisters death too, and tricks his mentally impaired brother into thinking it was his fault so he doesn't tell anyone. Boy Sebastian, I bet you can get anyone to sleep with you, you're just so likeable. Finally when Tillie was in with Violet at the end, pretending that her eldest son had died in a plane crash, Sebastian is just 'Hey, no problems - you just owe me one now.' Whhhhat? Surely he'd be at least a little bit mad or at least grateful to his mother?! What a disgusting character.
There was so much wrong. So much happening. I just don't see the point of the story? I still am upset about the story. I guess if that's what she wanted, me still thinking about it 3 days later it worked. I am. That's why she the book gets 3 stars. I read it, I'm still thinking about how much I didn't like it.
There was a fair number of grammatical errors too. Violet switches from saying Mattie is her older brother to saying she is the oldest. Some of the sentences were the same. They said the same thing in a different way. The sentences were similar.
But rant over. I hope you enjoy the book more than I did!
If you like tragic stories then this one is for you. It's heartbreak then glamour then heartbreak then glamour again. I loved Violet and Fran. They were stunning characters. The story is about Violet Cavalley, on her deathbed giving up all her secrets to her large family. The stories are compelling but so absolutely tragic. I feel like it's almost impossible to have that much happen in your life.
There are two main people I want to talk about in this review - the first being Sebastian. Please don't read on after this if you haven't read the book. Basically they think he's dead and he comes back to life later. You find out Violet has hid him to stop him going to jail after accidentally killing his wife/girlfriend. Fine. I could have forgiven him if he was a good character... if he was in anyway likeable... we hear a lot from Violet how likeable he is, but does it ever come out? Does it ever shine through the pages? No. Then we find out he caused his sisters death too, and tricks his mentally impaired brother into thinking it was his fault so he doesn't tell anyone. Boy Sebastian, I bet you can get anyone to sleep with you, you're just so likeable. Finally when Tillie was in with Violet at the end, pretending that her eldest son had died in a plane crash, Sebastian is just 'Hey, no problems - you just owe me one now.' Whhhhat? Surely he'd be at least a little bit mad or at least grateful to his mother?! What a disgusting character.
There was so much wrong. So much happening. I just don't see the point of the story? I still am upset about the story. I guess if that's what she wanted, me still thinking about it 3 days later it worked. I am. That's why she the book gets 3 stars. I read it, I'm still thinking about how much I didn't like it.
There was a fair number of grammatical errors too. Violet switches from saying Mattie is her older brother to saying she is the oldest. Some of the sentences were the same. They said the same thing in a different way. The sentences were similar.
But rant over. I hope you enjoy the book more than I did!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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