Official Review: And I Love Her by Suzanne Elliott

[miztree46]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "And I Love Her" by Suzanne Elliott.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Set in the mid nineteenth century, And I Loved Her follows the lives of two women, Caroline and Felicity. Caroline is part of the English upper class society and Felicity works for Caroline as a maid. The story compares and contrasts the different life experiences that the two women have due to the class structure of their society.

The major themes in the book deal with societal expectations, social stigmas, family turmoil, and how social standing affects one’s life when faced with certain circumstances. Minor themes deal with substance abuse and post traumatic stress disorder. These themes are examined through the male characters’ experiences, revealing the difference between the ideals and realities of war. The minor themes complement the major themes and enhance the story-line.

I give And I Love Her 2 out of 4 stars. Many of the characters were underdeveloped, some of the scenes seemed to be unrelated to the main story-line, and important parts of the story were missing.

Because the author tells most of the story from the third person point of view, it is difficult to identify with most of the characters. Although this is the case, Felicity is depicted as strong woman because she continues to live her life despite her circumstances. Unfortunately there is not much character development of the male characters, and many readers may have a difficult time connecting with them.

Dramatic scenes would have had more of an impact if the characters had dialogue that showed the intensity of the situations they experienced. Also, there are not enough details about world the characters inhabited.

The most distracting aspect about the book was that the author chose to separate her story into three parts instead of dividing it into chapters. The switch from one scene to another was jarring, and it is more than likely that most readers will be bothered by the story’s structure. The book ends on a positive note, but the lack of detail about what specifically happened in the last scenes may leave many readers unsatisfied when they reach final page.

Although the book has numerous flaws, it has some good messages about family, perseverance and the importance of living and striving for a better life despite difficult circumstances. It also sends good messages about social expectations and stigmas.

This book is for readers who enjoy stories about English society and will appeal to fans of this genre. It is evident that the author wrote this story for readers who like books that are an alternative to traditional fairy tales.

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And I Love Her
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Like miztree46's review? Post a comment saying so!

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review!

[Suzielou]

Thank you. Great and fair review with plenty of things to work on - all of which I agree with.