Through a Glass Darkly

Royally motivated niece. 18th century England. The series continues not with dear old Alice Verney, but with her niece, Barbara Alderley. Young, impulsive, and fragile, but with the resolute spirit inherited of her grandmother Alice, Dutchess of Tamworth. Barbara will try to make her own path in l......more

Seeing the various 1 and 2 star reviews for this brilliant novel and its sequel, Now Face to Face, confirms me in the belief, growing over the past year, that a certain proportion of today's readers are so poorly educated and emotionally blunted that great historical fiction is completely wasted on......more

After some grappling and soul-searching, I have finally decided not to finish this book. As Karen said in her review, there's nothing wrong with indulging in a trashy novel occasionally, but 750 pages is a big investment for trash. This book reminded me of some of the Philippa Gregory books I've trie......more

It’s epic. The up and downs of a big family, the deception and seductiveness of a royal court, the glories, the scandal, the love, the desire, the tragedy, the inevitable. And the drama. Yes. The drama. Always the drama. The world is so ugly, darling, and it’s cruelly beautiful. Earth to earth, ashes to......more

My wife is reading this and since she is not a GR member I am posting this. She must like it as she is still reading it even though after page 184 the next page is 153, and that is followed by consecutive pages up to 184 again, which is followed by page 217. So she has no idea what happened in those......more