- How good is this book - it’s remarkable. So satisfying in every way - the story, the characters, the setting, the period.
- It’s the late 19th century transitioning to the first decade of the new 20th century. Horses and buggies are giving way to automobiles. Electricity and sewerage are transforming ordinary domestic life and society. Boyd brings it all to life.
- This is a story of music, love, family tensions, hate and passion. Boyd is a master at this sort of social and domestic drama. Notwithstanding the historical timeframe, all the issues dealt with are significant, contemporary, and powerful, all propelled by rich and invigorating dialogue.
- I particularly loved the Paris setting. We walk and travel with the characters; we share their hotels and residences; we travel in their carriages and trains. And they stay for long periods in other French and European cities, including Russian.
- The food, the restaurants, the cafes, the dinner parties, the clothes, the shops, the factories - all are magnificently brought to life. As are the often difficult personal and work relationships.
- And the illicit, highly sexual, and as it turns out, dangerous love affair between the two characters at the dramatic core of the book is superbly handled by Boyd. Their stories are absorbing.
- This is a book you simply can’t wait to get back to. It sucks you in. Just right for reading during the forthcoming holiday period. Put it on your list.
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