From the jacket blurb and the First Impression I was hoping for a dark, suspenseful novel. The plot was decent but I found it a little simple. Nothing was left for the reader to work out or wonder about; I found myself presented with too much information and so I could see what was coming up ahead too easily. Rebecca was a likeable enough protagonist but some of her actions seemed too contrived to fit the plot rather than coming naturally from her character.
This was a general problem with most of the characters - they felt unnatural, apart from Jenny, Rebecca's maid (although the way she progresses from illiterate to a fluent reader and writer in a few weeks had me wondering if she was some sort of genius!). I also have a bugbear about overuse of exclamation marks which was sorely tested throughout.
In summary, readable for the story but the writing didn't do it for me.
This was a general problem with most of the characters - they felt unnatural, apart from Jenny, Rebecca's maid (although the way she progresses from illiterate to a fluent reader and writer in a few weeks had me wondering if she was some sort of genius!). I also have a bugbear about overuse of exclamation marks which was sorely tested throughout.
In summary, readable for the story but the writing didn't do it for me.