Harkin‘s debut novel, Tell Me an Ending, was one of my top books of 2022. A quiet, dystopian-lite sci-fi. With The Pretender she‘s going back in time to the Tudor era. I‘ve had this book on hold since it was announced last year.
Alas! I am so overwhelmed with my reading lately—library due dates stress me out!—that I have made the tough decision to return it w/o a read.
I want it to be on people‘s radar though because Harkin has serious talent
pickGreat story of two brothers from Massachusetts who end up at Gettysburg during Civil War. Has poetic parts but also very gritty. Map is of second day of 3.
so-so#Read2025
This book get big bonus points for the descriptive writing about the food, fashion & especially design & decor. It also gave a good look at the fascinating history of the Greenbrier Resort & the work of designer Dorothy Draper. Why the so-so rating? The author tried too hard for a romance & HEA for Draper that just wasn‘t needed & required too many fictional liberties that took away from the rest. Also, much of pleasure I took from ⬇️
pickFinally finished this up today for the #SundayBuddyRead - I overall did enjoy the story & it was interesting reading all the real historical aspects of the story. But I didn‘t love it. The main character was not incredibly likable, & I also wasn‘t a fan of the dual timeline here (I don‘t mind when done correctly). I will say, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed the last few chapters. 3.5⭐️ Thanks for hosting @TheBookHippie
