- Pre-order Price Guarantee: order now and if the Amazon.co.uk price decreases between the time you place your order and the release date, you'll be charged the lowest price. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
The Rose Of Sebastopol
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
a heart-stopping tale of love and war during Queen Victoria's reign (WOMAN & HOME )
Brilliant... if you like Jane Austen, you'll probably like this. It's beautifully written
absorbing (My Weekly )
In her novel writen with great attention to detail and obvious affection for her characters and the time period, Katharine McMahon has penned a deeply affecting piece of historical fiction. (HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW )
Brilliant... if you like Jane Austen, you'll probably like this. It's beautifully written
absorbing (My Weekly )
In her novel writen with great attention to detail and obvious affection for her characters and the time period, Katharine McMahon has penned a deeply affecting piece of historical fiction. (HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW )
Sue Magee, THE BOOK BAG
'I was fully immersed in my reading and bitterly disappointed when it ended.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The story started out promisingly enough but moved at a snail's pace and towards the middle of the novel I was forcing myself to continue. I didn't really warm to the character of dull-as-ditchwater Mariella and I found her to be boring and aimless and even all her efforts in the midst of the action in Crimea did nothing to redeem her to me.
Having said that, I found some parts of the book to be beautifully written. Contrary to the opinion of most of the reviewers, the ending was the best part for me. I didn't feel that there was anything unanswered and I didn't want everything spelled out after that as it seemed obvious enough. The last chapter was particularly poignant and everything about Rosa's strongly passionate character seemed to fall into place in the last scene.
Having said that, I found some parts of the book to be beautifully written. Contrary to the opinion of most of the reviewers, the ending was the best part for me. I didn't feel that there was anything unanswered and I didn't want everything spelled out after that as it seemed obvious enough. The last chapter was particularly poignant and everything about Rosa's strongly passionate character seemed to fall into place in the last scene.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thought this was a much better book than her last 'The Alchemist's Daughter'. I really enjoyed reading this - it was a great story with good characterisation and sense of place. I don't know much about the Crimea war but the historical settings and facts all appeared to be well researched and also well explained without being too political. I found this a very easy book to get into and got lost in its pages while I was reading it. I did actually like Mariella as a character even though she isn't the type of protagonist that I would usually warm to.
Mariella goes to Sebastopol to visit her sick fiance, Dr Henry and also to try and find her missing cousin Rosa. The book jumps from past to present taking the reader through the build up of Mariella and Rosa's relationship to Mariella's search for her. Whereas I usually love the inconsistent time setting in books, I think this one would actually have benefitted more from a linear narrative. I think it would have built up a better understanding of the before and after Mariella. However, the story was still beautifully told and a joy to read. The only let down was the ending which was such a shame because, for me, it really ruined the book. There was so much possibility for the ending that it just felt to me that the author just gave up on her story which was really upsetting. However, the book is still a great read and i would recommend it.
Mariella goes to Sebastopol to visit her sick fiance, Dr Henry and also to try and find her missing cousin Rosa. The book jumps from past to present taking the reader through the build up of Mariella and Rosa's relationship to Mariella's search for her. Whereas I usually love the inconsistent time setting in books, I think this one would actually have benefitted more from a linear narrative. I think it would have built up a better understanding of the before and after Mariella. However, the story was still beautifully told and a joy to read. The only let down was the ending which was such a shame because, for me, it really ruined the book. There was so much possibility for the ending that it just felt to me that the author just gave up on her story which was really upsetting. However, the book is still a great read and i would recommend it.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The historical aspects of The Rose of Sebastopol are excellent. The horror of trench warfare and the inadequacy of the battlefield hospitals are effectively portrayed and not for the squeamish. McMahon also conveys the pigheadness of the British male in the mid nineteenth century very well. The contempt with which women were held in Victorian England comes through strongly and the sections that deal with their attempts at emancipation are some of the best in the novel.
Sadly, the story doesn't live up to the richness of the background in which it's set. The characters are cliched, bland and two dimensional and although the action and plot do drive the reader towards the end, the denouement is predictable in almost every respect. In addition, at the end, the whole thing suddenly grinds to a halt in a most unsatisfactory manner.
On balance, The Rose of Sebastopol is a solid 3 star novel. The story although told well, won't deliver anything you haven't read before but the vivid depiction of the period and the affecting war scenes rescue this novel and render it a worthwhile read.
Sadly, the story doesn't live up to the richness of the background in which it's set. The characters are cliched, bland and two dimensional and although the action and plot do drive the reader towards the end, the denouement is predictable in almost every respect. In addition, at the end, the whole thing suddenly grinds to a halt in a most unsatisfactory manner.
On balance, The Rose of Sebastopol is a solid 3 star novel. The story although told well, won't deliver anything you haven't read before but the vivid depiction of the period and the affecting war scenes rescue this novel and render it a worthwhile read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beautifully written (4.5 stars)
A beautifully crafted and engaging read, which although a little slow is wonderfully rich in detail and draws you completely into the world depicted on the page. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Maya99
A disappointing book set in the Crimea War
Having really enjoyed Footsteps I was keen to read one of Katherine McMahon's earlier books, however this simply wasn't up to the same standard. Read more
Published 6 months ago by C. Bannister
Brillant
When I picked up this book I thought it would be a struggle to read, but once I started it I couldn`t put it down. Read more
Published 8 months ago by R. Walton
The Rose of Sebastopol
I found this book while on holiday in Lisbon a few weeks ago. I only read a page and decided to buy from Amazon and thought the book very informative about the Crimea War.
Published 9 months ago by lizzieparkes
Disappointing
I was expecting more from a Richard & Judy book club choice and a Galaxy 2008 winner, but somehow it failed to deliver. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Book chatter
Historical fiction by numbers
What a disappointment and what a wasted opportunity to write a good book about a fascinating period of history. I loved the cover... and that was about it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Smitty
Beautiful and heartbreaking
Set against the backdrop of the Crimean war and Victorian London, this novel is the story of Mariella, who unwittingly becomes involved in the war after both her cousin Rosa, and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Nicola F (Nic)
Cliches and stereotypes
I had the misfortune to have only this book with me on a long train journey. I found it full of cardboard characters and very predictable. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Larklight
good light read
I have enjoyed this book more than The Alchemist Daughter. The characters are good although a bit stereotypical. I guess what makes this book different is the setting. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Carmen York
I loved this book... right up until the very end...
Fabulously written book - so refreshing to read a modern author who doesnt write in the style of Take A Break magazine. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Thalia
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
