Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed The Secret of the Nightingale Palace: A Novel on + 1726 more book reviews
I tried to get into and enjoy this story but the characters were very unlikable and hard to associate with.
The emotions that were constant in each and never seem to resolve were a drain on the overall story. So much potential for a great book but too much emotions and stress.
The emotions that were constant in each and never seem to resolve were a drain on the overall story. So much potential for a great book but too much emotions and stress.
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-secret-of-nightingale-palace.html
The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is the story of Goldie and her granddaughter Anna. Goldie and Anna were close during Anna's childhood, and yet, they have been estranged for five years since Anna entered into a marriage Goldie did not approve of. Now, Anna is a widow, and Goldie has asked for her help in a cross country journey to return artwork to an old friend.
Through this journey, the reader learns of Goldie's past and of Anna's past. The reader discovers many secrets not shared and a story that intermingles with the story of the Japanese in the United States during World War II.
The story had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it started to encompass way too many elements and became a bit like reading a soap opera. Estranged family. Terminal illness. Death. Forbidden love. Marriage of convenience. Affairs. War. Family obligations. Betrayals both real and perceived.
It becomes a story with too many emotional elements such that for me, it lost its reality.
*** Reviewed for LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program ***
The Secret of the Nightingale Palace is the story of Goldie and her granddaughter Anna. Goldie and Anna were close during Anna's childhood, and yet, they have been estranged for five years since Anna entered into a marriage Goldie did not approve of. Now, Anna is a widow, and Goldie has asked for her help in a cross country journey to return artwork to an old friend.
Through this journey, the reader learns of Goldie's past and of Anna's past. The reader discovers many secrets not shared and a story that intermingles with the story of the Japanese in the United States during World War II.
The story had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it started to encompass way too many elements and became a bit like reading a soap opera. Estranged family. Terminal illness. Death. Forbidden love. Marriage of convenience. Affairs. War. Family obligations. Betrayals both real and perceived.
It becomes a story with too many emotional elements such that for me, it lost its reality.
*** Reviewed for LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program ***
