Circle of Pearls (G K Hall Large Print General Series)

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely edge-of-your-seat-can't-put-it-down-intriguing
Review: Circle of Pearls was one of my favorite books of all time! I started reading and I could not put it down! (literally, I read until 5:00 am in the morning!) It takes place in the early/mid 1600's during the Civil War in England. I would explain the entire book to you, but that would ruin it. Let me just say that it reminds me of Gone With the Wind, but with a happy ending. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: Untitled
Review: I believe this book was more romantic fiction than historical fiction however the novel itself was still enjoyable. The characters were vividly described but I would still like to know how things would have worked between Christiopher and Julia besides the perspective given by Katherine in the novel. How would the whole plot change? I would like to see companion book written. If you're a big fan of historical romance, this is a must.

Rating:
Summary: One of my top-5 favorites!
Review: In one word this book is epic. It is a family-saga/ historical fiction wonder. Absolutely must read!

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Summary: Historical readers delight.
Review: This book is an historical fiction readers dream,set in England just prior to the Restoration period and then during it.
Julia Pallister lives with her feisty grandmother..a former lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth 1, and her mother,Anne, a gentle mild-mannered woman who just lives for the time when her Cavalier husband returns home from his service with the exiled Prince Charles.Their home has been saved from sequestration by the Parliamentarians because of an old love affair between Julia's grandmother and the neighbouring land owner,a Cromwell supporter.Upon his death,the order is revoked and their home taken over by a tyrannical Parliamentarian,Makepeace Walker who was one of the signators of the death warrant of Charles 1.After Julia's father is shot and killed by the Roundheads,Makepeace forces Anne into marriage by threatening to put the entire household out on to the streets.The story continues and takes in the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666,Julia's youthful adoration of childhood friend Christopher Wren and her eventual happy marriage to the grandson of the lover of her grandmother.I just loved this book which was similar in time and setting to the great "Forever Amber".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent social History novel
Review: This book ties in the memory of a great Queen - Elizabeth I with the problems in England that ensued under her successors. This social picture is seen within the context of a particular family who are loyal to the King and not to Parliament. In particular it is the story of one of the family and how she retains her independence, her loyalty to her Grandmother and family name and begins to love someone who politically is her opposite. The thread is a Gown of Queen Elizabeth's. Only problem is that it hasn't a sequel. A very good novel.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical novel
Review: This is a very interesting historical novel, dealing with the Restoration period of English history and Charles II. The characters were very believable, although l was a little disappointed with the character of Adam, who started off doing anything to win her, but showed only little 'spark' after that. On the whole, a very informative and enjoyable book.

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Summary: The characters are so engrossing!
Review: This is my favorite book by Mrs. Laker. The historical family saga is very interesting and kept me turning the pages. She applys all aspects of human suffering and romantic love in a different way than most historical romances. Wonderfully written.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and informatvie Restoration-era romance
Review: This was my second book by Rosalind Laker and I liked it almost as much as the first, "To Dance With Kings". Historically, this novel is extremely accurate and vividly described. You can feel the atmosphere and clearly imagine how everything was at that time. My problem with this novel is the same as in "To Dance With Kings" -- Ms. Laker changes her pace in the last third of the novel and hurries through events and characters to reach a happy ending. In "Circle of Pearls", Ms. Laker takes her time to describe the Cromwell years and the state of Sotherleigh during the time Makepeace Walker lived there. But after he leaves, she manages to draw everything to a close, including Charles II's restoration and coronation, the plague and the fire of London, in half the space she allotted to the preceding events. Her characters suffer as a result. Although Christopher and Julia continue to be well-realized, Adam is only briefly sketched. Sophie is not given room to show what she is about but the author just tells us what state she is in and how other characters perceive her. There is no mention of what happened to Patience. Certain characters, such as Nell, abrutly exit until a hint of what happened to them appears in the epilogue. Other characters, such as Katy, are added only with a purpose to enhance certain people's personality. I would have also appreciated more detail about the life of Jean-Robert. Another problem in "Circle of Pearls" is that Julia and Christopher, although interesting characters, are not that lovable and I felt more invested in the character of Adam but Ms. Laker did not focus on him enough. I liked Mary and wished that Ms. Laker would have transferred some of the enterprising spirit that Julia possessed onto her. Anne's plight was especially poignant and tragic and Katherine's past could have made up a book in itself. Basically, my problem is that Ms. Laker did not double the size of this book so that the story would have been more complete. I understand that the novel could only be a certain size, but if Ms. Laker spent so much time on Julia's childhood, she should have spent as much time on her adulthood.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and informatvie Restoration-era romance
Review: This was my second book by Rosalind Laker and I liked it almost as much as the first, "To Dance With Kings". Historically, this novel is extremely accurate and vividly described. You can feel the atmosphere and clearly imagine how everything was at that time. My problem with this novel is the same as in "To Dance With Kings" -- Ms. Laker changes her pace in the last third of the novel and hurries through events and characters to reach a happy ending. In "Circle of Pearls", Ms. Laker takes her time to describe the Cromwell years and the state of Sotherleigh during the time Makepeace Walker lived there. But after he leaves, she manages to draw everything to a close, including Charles II's restoration and coronation, the plague and the fire of London, in half the space she allotted to the preceding events. Her characters suffer as a result. Although Christopher and Julia continue to be well-realized, Adam is only briefly sketched. Sophie is not given room to show what she is about but the author just tells us what state she is in and how other characters perceive her. There is no mention of what happened to Patience. Certain characters, such as Nell, abrutly exit until a hint of what happened to them appears in the epilogue. Other characters, such as Katy, are added only with a purpose to enhance certain people's personality. I would have also appreciated more detail about the life of Jean-Robert. Another problem in "Circle of Pearls" is that Julia and Christopher, although interesting characters, are not that lovable and I felt more invested in the character of Adam but Ms. Laker did not focus on him enough. I liked Mary and wished that Ms. Laker would have transferred some of the enterprising spirit that Julia possessed onto her. Anne's plight was especially poignant and tragic and Katherine's past could have made up a book in itself. Basically, my problem is that Ms. Laker did not double the size of this book so that the story would have been more complete. I understand that the novel could only be a certain size, but if Ms. Laker spent so much time on Julia's childhood, she should have spent as much time on her adulthood.

Rating:
Summary: Circle of Pearls
Review: This was the first book that I ever read that I literally could not put down. The characters are so vivid and the inspired weaving together of fact and fiction was a real pleasure to experience.