Helpful Score: 1
I came across this book here on PBS when the cover caught my eye one day. I was drawn to the color of the dress and, based on the presentation and blurbs, expected it to be a proper period drama, which it was not. I think the book suffers from misleading packaging.
Initially, the piece opens as packaged, and I really enjoyed the serious tone it struck making me concerned for young Anne after the sudden loss of her mother and the cold, manipulative behavior of her father. I was so relieved to see her mother's friend step in to fill the void and enlist a young admirer's help to protect Anne's.
But then the tone took a turn for the dramedic, and continued on into a full-blown "Three's Company"-style farce made of silly misunderstandings, shallow assumptions and petty jealousies, with an almost tongue-in-cheek whodunnit mystery element thrown in. Once I accepted that change in tone, I must admit I still found it entertaining!
This book is certainly not what it presents itself to be, but still, I thought it was interesting and comical enough to hold my attention the way a comedic stage play might.
Would I read more from this author? I don't think so, because overall I think LISZT'S KISS missed the mark (and the note) in many ways. The set up between Anne and Franz Liszt, referenced in the synopsis, was BEGGING to be so much more substantive.
This just didn't live up to the musical note the author tried to strike, and the "villain" of the piece was not very well written and therefore terribly unconvincing, which made the "big reveal" in the end feel much more contrived than clever. B-/C+
Initially, the piece opens as packaged, and I really enjoyed the serious tone it struck making me concerned for young Anne after the sudden loss of her mother and the cold, manipulative behavior of her father. I was so relieved to see her mother's friend step in to fill the void and enlist a young admirer's help to protect Anne's.
But then the tone took a turn for the dramedic, and continued on into a full-blown "Three's Company"-style farce made of silly misunderstandings, shallow assumptions and petty jealousies, with an almost tongue-in-cheek whodunnit mystery element thrown in. Once I accepted that change in tone, I must admit I still found it entertaining!
This book is certainly not what it presents itself to be, but still, I thought it was interesting and comical enough to hold my attention the way a comedic stage play might.
Would I read more from this author? I don't think so, because overall I think LISZT'S KISS missed the mark (and the note) in many ways. The set up between Anne and Franz Liszt, referenced in the synopsis, was BEGGING to be so much more substantive.
This just didn't live up to the musical note the author tried to strike, and the "villain" of the piece was not very well written and therefore terribly unconvincing, which made the "big reveal" in the end feel much more contrived than clever. B-/C+
