10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
an emotionally engaging read, May 25, 2005
This review is from: The Marriage List (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Still recovering from injuries from the Battle of Salamanca, Viscount Evers has decided to succumb to parental pressure and marry. Even though he has a badly injured leg and he may always walk with a limp, Evers is still a matrimonial prize. And because he's still angry and bitter about his injuries, and because he has no real interest in exerting himself too much in order to find a wife, Evers makes a list of all the qualities he wants his future wife to have: good birth, respectable dowry, beauty, youth and a pliable nature. All the qualities that the lovely Lady Lillian Newberry possesses and non of which May Sheffers, a tenant of his that is being evicted for non payment of rents possesses. And yet Evers finds himself being unexpectedly drawn to the intelligent but dowdy young lady, making a mockery of his marriage list...
"The Marriage List," Dorothy McFalls, debut novel has more strengths than weaknesses. It is a very well written novel (though one of the previous reviewer's complaints about too modern language and phrases is true), with a nicely drawn cast of characters and a good plot that is competently and powerfully executed. And if you're looking for an emotionally engaging read with a strong character portrayal of the heroine, then you're bound to enjoy "The Marriage List." It's been a while since I've read such a poignant novel -- Dorothy McFalls did and excellent job of making me feel May's panic, hopelessness and her pain. I also thought that the author did a rather good job of making us see how confused Evers felt about his unexpected feelings for May, and how torn he was between doing the expected thing of courting the exceptional Lady Lillian and wanting to spend more time with May. I just wished that the author had 1) made a better case of making us see from the very first chapter, what it was about May that drew Evers to her from the very beginning (what he saw in her later, and how he grew to appreciate her, I think was very well documented); 2) had thought of a better way to get rid of the villains of the novel. I won't go into it because this will mean plot spoilers, but May's Aunt Winnie's sudden decision to finally act and for not having acted sooner seemed a little weak to me! And 3) the rushed ending where everything ends well and all loose ends are tied up -- after the emotional penultimate chapter, this last chapter was a bit of a letdown. On the whole though, I was pleased that I bought "The Marriage List," and will be looking out for Dorothy McFalls future books.
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28 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dear amazon.com - Please give us a 0 stars option ......, June 25, 2005
This review is from: The Marriage List (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Please, dear readers, don't waste your money. I had a go with this because I usually agree with the previous reviewers. On this occasion, I wonder if we all read the same book. I can't finish it. It was so very, very awful that it should come with a health warning.
I adore Regency fiction but if this is the best Signet can do these days then I guess I will be spending the next couple of years trawling through the keepers I have from some of the better writers in the genre.
This book is appalling bad; the quality of the prose is utterly dire and, to demonstrate this, I have marked a number of examples:
"Since the titled gentry (excuse me, gentry were/are NOT titled; aristocrats have titles) were scarce in Bath this year, the most fashionable choosing to follow The Prinny to Brighton ........" How did this get past the writer's editor? If you can't get the Prince Regent's nickname of "Prinny" right, what's the point???
"His catlike grin was smeared with satisfaction as he supported Lady Lillian's weaving pose." ????????????? Is Lillian hunched over a loom? How does one smear a grin? I guess I'll have to ask my cat.
"The quelling glance she sent his way could have burned the oriental paper off his parlor walls." A mixed metaphor that completely defeats me. (Perhaps I should not have invested in a wallpaper steamer - next time I'll just give the walls a quelling glance before I hang new paper.)
"He smiled like a cat that had just tipped over the flour jar". No comment - the author's words say it all. Could you fall in love with this guy - she's describing the hero!!
"The fastest way to get them moving again .... was to offer to start the process of heating tea." The most inane, incorrect, awkward description of brewing or making tea I have ever read!
"An intricately pressed cravat cascaded from his neck." Sorry, I thought cravats (or neck cloths) were intricately tied. Words are failing me again .........
Oh botheration. Surely the foregoing ought to give a good idea why I gave up on page 95. What more can I possibly say? The plot was contrived, the descriptions amiss. Our heroine lives in a "cottage" in Sydney Gardens in Bath. The author could have seen what Sydney Gardens looked like by looking at the Bath Tourist Office website. Golden bath stone Georgian townhouses, for goodness sake. They are still there today.
I am now telling myself to stop writing. My mother used to tell me if I could not say something nice about someone, I should say nothing. But, dear reader, if you do look at this review, please take it as my sincere advice not to waste your precious time and money.
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13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Marriage List - A delightful, fresh love story., May 23, 2005
This review is from: The Marriage List (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
The Marriage List was a quick read that kept me turning pages from start to finish.
The author captured the essence of the age without loading up the prose with gratuitous period facts with little bearing on the story. While most Regency's are set in London, these characters visit Bath and their daily lives reflect the passtimes of the period. The love story was delightful and fresh. I highly recommend the Marriage List to lovers of Regency Romance everywhere.
Bonnie Joyner.
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