Review: Palace Circle

Palace Circle, by Rebecca Dean




The first thing A Reader's Respite noticed about Rebecca Dean's new novel, Palace Circle, was that the woman on the cover appears to have her head (and all other pertinent body parts) intact.

Plus one on the scoreboard.

The next thing A Reader's Respite noticed was the big, obnoxious blurb on the cover.

Minus one on the scoreboard.


So now that we're back to a level playing field, it all comes down to what resides in between the front and back cover of the book.

Palace Circle is a historical novel trying very, very hard to be a historical family saga and falling short of this goal. Spanning the years just prior to WWI all the way through to WWII, the novel originally centers on Delia Chandler, a young Southern belle who marries minor British aristrocracy.

Delia is a bit of a caricature, a headstong young belle with a streak of independence and the ability to ride tempermental horses as good as a man. It is, of course, this wild nature that attracts Lord Ivor Conisborough who naturally wants to marry her, then tame her wild ways so she won't be an embarassment at Court.

You can see where this is going, right?

We were ready to forgive the cliches as the novel progressed because, frankly, the writing is pretty darned good. Delia and Ivor's marriage proved interesting as time went on and the eruption of WWI added an interesting twist.

But just as we were becoming downright interested, someone hit the fast forward button, the years flew by in a few pages and the story flopped to Delia's daughter's point of view. This is where the family-saga-wannabe comes into play.

At only 405 pages, Palace Circle simply isn't long enough to develop each generation's characters. One wants to care about the characters, but with no real time to get to know and understand them it just ain't happening. Which is a shame because the novel has a solid premise and has highly entertaining moments with some very recognizable historical personages. (A Reader's Respite has a thing for Wallis Simpson.)

The Duchess of Windsor: Misunderstood Lovebird or Raging Bitch? Either way, we love her.

Despite it's flaws, if you love this period of history, the novel is worth your time. Just don't expect a saga on the level of The Thorn Birds (the family saga by which all other sagas are measured, in our considered opinion).



What about you? Want to give this one a try? Leave us a comment saying so and on July 16th, we'll draw one random winner! (International entrants always welcome).

More reviews worth noting:

Debbie's World of Books
Fyrefly's Book Blog
The Literate Housewife Review
Raging Bibliomania
Devourer of Books
Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Retroredux's Reviews
Ratskellar Reads
Reading and Ruminations
The Burton Review

40 comments:

  1. I'd be interested in having a look at this one. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  2. Came here from HT
    And yes I would sure love to give this one a try :)

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  3. Please add my name to the drawing. I enjoy early 20th century settings.

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  4. I'm still wondering if I want to read this. I adore big fat sagas but if this doesn't qualify I might have to pass. Funny about the Thornbirds. I loved it when it first came out but read it a couple of years ago and it was a bit meh. Susan Howatch and Celeste De Blasis can write some pretty good sagas though.

    PS, leave me off the list. I can get this from the library if I decide to try it :)

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  5. Love your review, as always. I think I'll skip this one.

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  6. Great review -- I think I'll pass on this one for now. Despite the good writing, it's not a time period I'm particularly fascinated with (my grandparents and parents lived it, so it's a bit close for "historical" for me).

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  7. I'd like to be included, count me in! tWarner419@aol.com

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  8. I'd like to give this one a go. Sounds like something I'd enjoy.

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  9. Thanks for the honest review Michele. I would have liked to enter your giveaway but since it's not my favourite time period..and you didn't sound so wrapped up by it- I'll pass this time,Thanks though:)

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  10. Don't enter me, Michelle, I already have this one. Glad to hear you thought it was bearable, some of the reviews have not been so forgiving. I was almost afraid to start it, but your review has made me feel a bit better! I'll have to dust it off and get started someday soon.

    Carey

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  11. I loved Thorn Birds :) :) Loved it! But then I love this period of time too.
    Enter me :)
    Thanks a lot Michelle for the giveaway!

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  12. eeek I was scared that you linked to my review .. It was one of the first ones I'd written so it is not well formed, but my opinions are still the same now that I've had a few months to think about it.
    I must say I hated the Blurby Blob on the cover too. Especially if you don't like Nora Roberts.. that kind of thing should be relegated to the back cover in a neat sentence. Not taking over the front cover like that.

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  13. It is hard to top The Thorn Birds!! Thanks for the chance to win a copy!

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  14. No need to enter me, just dropping by to tell you I've posted this on Win A Book.

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  15. I would be intersted in reading this, please enter me!!

    lavery328 at yahoo dot com

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  16. Looks like a good read, please enter me into this drawing.

    Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
    jake.lsewhere[at]gmail.com

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  17. I'd love a chance to win. :)

    Valorie
    morbidromantic@gmail.com

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  18. Please include me! tWarner419@aol.com

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  19. Please enter me in the contest. Thanks.

    avalonne83 [at] yahoo [dot] it

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  20. I enjoy this genre of books so I'd like to give it a try thanks

    msboatgal at aol.com

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  21. Just for the cover, I would love to take a reading, and your review added to that!

    Best wishes from Portugal!

    carlos_durao @ hotmail.com

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  22. I will take a chance!

    carlos_durao @ hotmail.com

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  23. Nice review. It looks interesting. Please enter me.
    linna.hsu(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. I would be interested in giving this book a try solely for the fact that I enjoy reading about the time period (although after reading your review I am a bit leery on how well I will like it!)

    Please add my name to the pile!
    Cheers,
    julie.sherritt[at]gmail.com

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  25. Great review! I think the switching of narrators is what made this seem so average to me. I liked Delia and I missed her after the narrator switched. I'm curious about what you thought about the underlying secret. I feel this is something she would have known if not from the first, then certainly shortly thereafter.

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  26. The cover looks like a bodice ripper in training. lol.

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  27. The switching of narrators lost me too. Just when I got interested, the perspective would switch and the story I was interested in would drop to the background.

    I enjoyed your review, so I linked to you here.

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  28. i'd like to be included in this list! Thanks for all the giveaways! it makes life a little more fun!

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  29. I would love to give this one a try, it looks very interesting!

    marielay@gmail.com

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  30. I'd love a chance to read this book - please count me in!

    Thanks,
    megalon22[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  31. Maybe I can get lucky!
    ;)

    dr.strangelove.vs.citizen.kane [at] gmail.com

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  32. I would like to be entered, thanks!!!
    dag888888[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  33. count me in please!!
    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

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  34. Would really love reading this one.
    Thanks!
    ;)

    o_rei_de_havana AT hotmail DOT com

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  35. Count me in, please!

    catarina.magoito AT gmail DOT com

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  36. You say Giveaway and you have my full attention!
    :D

    39.5susy AT gmail DOT com

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  37. goncalo.mil AT gmail DOT com
    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  38. If you don't try, youd don't wwin, right?

    joanapatriciadias AT gmail DOT com

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  39. Still on time I think
    ;)

    educhico AT gmail DOT com

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  40. It looks good. Thanks for sharing~

    s.mickelson at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete

Fire away!