Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cambridge University, 13 Nov 2008
This is a behind the scenes tale of life and politics at St Radegund's College at Cambridge University. For 60 years it's been for women only but this tale starts with a man getting appointed as Head of House. Judging by the cover and the blurb I thought I was in for a light read with a sprinkling of romance but was pleased to discover it was far more than that. There are several underlying plots that could have stood alone as stories themselves. For instance, we meet Martha, who's married to an unemployed poet, and her depressed 17-year-old daughter. Their family life fascinated me and I would have loved to hear more about them. Then there's the ethical question that gets raised about admissions to the college. This starts when a rich father offers the college a million pounds in return for his daughter getting offered a place there. I found it fascinating to read about how the dilemma got solved. My only criticism is not a fault of the author's but the cover art really is all wrong. It makes the book look like chick lit which may just put some readers off from even taking it off the shelves, which would be a real shame as they would be missing out on a great read.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully entertaining campus novel, 19 Feb 2008
The last time I read a campus novel was probably Donna Tartt's The Secret History way back in 1993. I'd forgotten about the closed world of the university campus, in which students seem perpetually at loggerheads with the academic staff.
This novel by Rosy Thornton is set in the all-female St Radegund's College, Cambridge. One of the main characters -- James Rycarte -- is a BBC executive who swaps journalism for academia.
I wasn't sure what to make of the story when I began reading it. It seemed to take forever to set up the plot, which revolves around Rycarte, the college's first ever male Head of House, quarrelling with the fellowship about a large cash donation that could be used for much-needed building repairs as well as setting up scholarships for up to 10 students in perpetuity. His one champion, the career-minded senior tutor, Martha Pearce, has her own battles to fight -- a rent strike by students, coupled with domestic problems involving a clinically depressed teenage daughter and a layabout husband -- to devote all her energies to Rycarte's aims.
But once I got into the rhythm of the writing and came to know the diverse and quirky range of characters, I fell in love with the story, the setting and the little subplots. I decided, about 100 pages in, that this was a book to savour and so I treated myself to a few chapters a night rather than race through it and miss out on the subtleties of Thornton's lovely rich writing style.
Despite the somewhat "girlie" cover, this is not chick-lit, nor, as the title may suggest, is it a cheesy romantic novel. In fact, I'd argue that this is mature fiction for mature readers, male and female alike. At its most basic level Hearts and Minds explores the complicated balancing acts that people perform every day -- Rycarte, looking after the college's best interests without compromising its integrity; Pearce, juggling her academic career with a troubled home life -- but adds a delicious layer of extra interest by setting it in a cloistered world where tradition does not mix with modernity.
This is a great, rainy day novel brimming with intelligent, often witty, prose, the perfect kind of story to luxuriate in while the rest of the world goes about its busy ways. I very much enjoyed it.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful world, 21 Mar 2008
This book was a joy to discover. I know nothing about the world of academia but the author created such a warm, vibrant picture of the closed world of her fictional Cambridge college that I felt I had lived and worked there all my life. The dons are so real that they leap off the page, their concerns are so engaging - both the personal and the intriguingly 'political' - that when I finally and regretfully closed the book, I felt they were still with me, and I found myself wondering how they were all getting on. It's also a funny book - witty and full of neat twists - and written in a style that draws you right in from page one. I found it irresistable.
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