- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd; 1st edition (20 April 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0719555531
- ISBN-13: 978-0719555534
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,781,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Set against the vivid background of the Peninsular War, this novel tells the story of a young woman's search for truth and independence in a society which wants to deny her both.
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2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
one of the best of the author's works
28 April 2010
Format:Paperback
Two young women arrive in Portugal, in the company of one of their cousins. Each one has a mysterious past and hopes to find happiness in Oporto's English colony. However, they soon discover that nothing is as it seems in Oporto, least of all their childhood memories.
I have mixed feelings about Jane Aiken Hodges' books, but this one I liked immensely. You are captured by the characters, intrigued by their mysterious pasts, and want to know what will happen next to them. You really root for them. I also found all the details about the setting (200 years ago in Portugal) fascinating.
I have mixed feelings about Jane Aiken Hodges' books, but this one I liked immensely. You are captured by the characters, intrigued by their mysterious pasts, and want to know what will happen next to them. You really root for them. I also found all the details about the setting (200 years ago in Portugal) fascinating.
Romantic suspense lite (very lite)
14 Aug 2011
Format:Paperback
Whispering is a novel set in early 19th century Portugal, as Caterina Gomez, her friend Harriet and her cousin Jeremy travel from England to the city of Porto. Caterina has been summoned by her father back from exile in an English convent, her friend Harriet comes along as a "chaperone" and to escape an unhappy life of her own, and Jeremy is going to seek treatment from a "healer" for his falling sickness (epilepsy).
Almost from page one it is evident that none of these characters are quite what they seem, as they each have hidden agendas and secrets to hide. That situation is compounded once they reach Porto, a city rife with tension as Napoleon and Wellington wage their battles closer and closer to Portugal's borders. Here the cast of characters is expanded and, again, each is obviously not quite what they seem. The city of Porto is insular (and particularly its English community), with everyone suspicious of everyone else, and gossip travels faster than the speed of light. Caterina very quickly discovers that life in the controlling household of her father is even more restricted and oppressive than at the convent back in England. Nevertheless, this headstrong, feisty and outspoken young woman soon gets herself wrapped up in the dangerous intrigue that is everywhere in the city.
At only 215 pages, I knew there probably wouldn't be a lot of depth to the story. Even so, the detachment I felt from the characters (who were all one-dimensional, or two-dimensional at the most) was disappointing. Both the romance and the suspense were very tepid, and the climactic scene was particularly weak; it was too melodramatic and having the Duke of Wellington step into save the heroine was more than a little contrived.
This wasn't a terrible book, just a very unremarkable one. It was my first by Jane Aiken Hodge and will likely be my last, since I wasn't impressed enough to want to try any more of her books.
Almost from page one it is evident that none of these characters are quite what they seem, as they each have hidden agendas and secrets to hide. That situation is compounded once they reach Porto, a city rife with tension as Napoleon and Wellington wage their battles closer and closer to Portugal's borders. Here the cast of characters is expanded and, again, each is obviously not quite what they seem. The city of Porto is insular (and particularly its English community), with everyone suspicious of everyone else, and gossip travels faster than the speed of light. Caterina very quickly discovers that life in the controlling household of her father is even more restricted and oppressive than at the convent back in England. Nevertheless, this headstrong, feisty and outspoken young woman soon gets herself wrapped up in the dangerous intrigue that is everywhere in the city.
At only 215 pages, I knew there probably wouldn't be a lot of depth to the story. Even so, the detachment I felt from the characters (who were all one-dimensional, or two-dimensional at the most) was disappointing. Both the romance and the suspense were very tepid, and the climactic scene was particularly weak; it was too melodramatic and having the Duke of Wellington step into save the heroine was more than a little contrived.
This wasn't a terrible book, just a very unremarkable one. It was my first by Jane Aiken Hodge and will likely be my last, since I wasn't impressed enough to want to try any more of her books.
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