Friday, November 8, 2013

Glittering Promises

by Lisa T. Bergren
3.5/5 stars
David C. Cook, 2013
311 pages
YA Historical Christian

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, we have come to the conclusion of the Grand Tour series which began so promisingly in Glamorous Illusions and continued in Grave Consequences. I'll admit that there were times when I found myself bored and just waiting to finish so I could say it was done but I did like the ending, which left me with a fond impression of this book.

I think Glamorous Illusions impressed me by taking me into a glamorous world of touring Europe for months with that being your sole occupation. Can you image? Just going to fabulous museums, seeing incredible works of art and buildings that have stood for ages with nary a care about money or responsibilities. But this is the third book of their tour and I was kind of over the grand tour by this point. Luckily there are other plot lines like Cora's continued mostly commitment to their bear Will but also battling lingering feelings for the wealthy charming Pierre.

Something I really liked was the exploration of attitudes toward women in business and politics. Though there is a vile character who says some hateful things, most of the men are pretty supportive of Cora's aspirations. She's an heiress, yes, but she also wants to do work that matters and use her wealth for positive efforts. One arena might end up being women's suffrage, a cause I can certainly get behind! But either way she's not going to blindly follow a path laid down by her father, instead choosing to forge her own way and abide by the dictates of her conscience.

The best part for me though was the Christian faith aspect. These books are from a Christian imprint and I remember God playing a part in both of the preceding books. However here it really poured out and over. Cora is brought to her knees at several points: trying to discern about a husband, how to spend the money she has so suddenly been handed, coping with grief, and wrestling with her identity, for starters.

Overall: Though the last few chapters really made me smile, I ended up feeling like this was dragged out and may have been better served as a duology. I can certainly understand the desire to have three books but so many passages felt like filler to me. Still, if you started the series, you'll probably want to finish and this does continue in the style begun by the previous two.

Other Opinions:
Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot
Seasons of Humility

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing! I'm not sure this would be the best fit for me...I don't read many books that are clearly Christian fiction, but sounds like there are some great parts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As it's the third book, I'd advise you to check out the first book initially. If the Christian content there doesn't bother you, then you can continue.

      Delete
  2. I don't read Christian fiction, but I do like Lisa Bergren, so I think I can probably deal. I also like that it's a tour of Europe. It's my dream to do that so in books it's something I enjoy. It's too bad that's kind of tapered off on the excitement though. I'm thinking I need to order the series, my mom and sisters really enjoy Lisa's books so I can read them and then pass them on. Hmm... Christmas is coming, maybe this will be my moms gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fun idea! I did think the series became less exciting as it progressed but I love its different topic and setting and hope for more books about the grand tour.

      Delete
  3. Too bad this didn't quite meet expectations but I'm glad you liked the faith part. I have always wanted to travel to Europe but it is definitely not in my budget for the foreseeable future. If I ever do get to go I am sure it would be on the cheap. It would be amazing to have this kind of opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would want to travel to Europe in luxury so that angle really appeals to me!

      Delete
  4. I've never read any Christian fiction but it sounds like this is not the book I should start with!
    Jen @ YA Romantics

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard to recommend Christian fiction in general to a potentially non-Christian audience. I thought this wasn't too religious but again not the best judge!

      Delete
  5. I'm sorry that this series would have been better as a duology. I'm glad that you liked the first books, though! I'm not sure that I'll read this yet... I love historical and Christian fiction, but I'm on the ledge about this series. Awesome review - I hope that you love your next read more! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just thought it was stretched out too long-I am an impatient reader though!

      Delete

Thank you for commenting-I love to read your thoughts! Feel free to leave a link to your latest post so I can stop by!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...