Member Reviews
#A Trail of Pearls by # D. M. George is enchanting. And a review long overdue. In this novel of hope ,you might just lost track of time.
Description:
Fifty-five, frumpy, and flung to the curb like an old floral sofa......
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # D. M. George, and # Victory Editing
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This is my first mermaid/siren book. This book is enjoyable. I really enjoyed Parthenope's character.The characters are entertaining. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This ebook is in stores now for $4.49 (USD).
DNF - 25%
When Pearla heads to the Amalfi Coast to leave behind her treacherous ex-husband, to pursue a career in travel writing, she's ready for something amazing to happen. And that comes in the form of Parthenope, a mystical, ruthless mermaid who befriends Pearla and warns her against putting too much hope on being good-looking. Parthenope gifts Pearla a necklace which makes her youthful again but can Pearla see what truly matters?
This book was disappointing as I had high hopes for it because I just love a story that's set around mermaids and while I loved that Parthenope was ruthless and scary in this, and not opposed to trashing a man now and again, the main reason I disliked this story and eventually DNF'd it is because of Pearla.
Now, I understand the story is focusing on Pearla's hang ups about her age and how she is really insecure in her aging body but I was just so uncomfortable with some of the comments made in this book, and honestly they would make you feel a bit crap about yourself if you weren't anything above a size 0. Pearla compares a young woman's body at one point to a 'soft serve ice cream cone' and marvels at the girl's self-confidence for having fun on the beach with a fat body. Ew. There was also another character who called herself fat because she's a size FOUR instead of the zero she used to be. I'll repeat that - a SIZE FOUR.
When Pearla began to have some fun with her youthful face, and she started getting followed by the creepy sales assistant - I said enough is enough. I could tell the story was going to get silly, I was already not on board with Pearla at all and her fatphobia, and while the writing is fine, it could definitely be tighter and the story more structured. In the first 5% we had already met Parthenope and had a rushed info dump into why Pearla hated her life - the start could have definitely been better laid out.
A range of emotions from this one. Given that we're in a pandemic, I have a hard time latching onto a novel in which the main character has a LOT of life-altering problems. But I hung onto this one, given the author's wonderful dialogue and character building. It took me right where I wanted to be in the escapism, and once given some distance from the sad and frustrating things, I was fully into the new setting and ready to immerse into the love story, the hope, the beauty of the setting, and these wonderful characters. Very nice. Glad I stuck with it.
I am writing this review after reading a digital ARC (advanced reader copy) which I received from Netgalley.
At the beginning of the book, down on her luck American divorcee' Perla loses her job and her financial leech of a husband leaves her for a younger, richer woman. She feels old and dumpy on top of not having anymore money after her divorce. She flees to Italy to try to launch a travel writing career and there she meets the immortal mermaid Parthenope. There is some shallow discourse between the two about whether beauty is a curse or a blessing. I thought this book would delve deeper into this issue but by the end of the book both are in relationships with perfect Italian men.
The plot was mediocre because so many things happened in this book; earthquakes, finding the perfect man/relationship, meeting Ancient Roman gods, etc. So many things happened and many irrelevant, side characters were introduced, but nothing was really elaborated on. It just happened and then the plot moved on. By the end of the book, I couldn't even remember who many of the side characters were. I really thought this book would be more about female friendship and travel but it seemed to be more about finding the perfect relationship.
I really disliked the main character's internal misogyny towards younger or more beautiful women. She might have lost her idiot husband to a younger woman but also complains about a younger woman getting her job. It's true that Silicon Valley can be ageist but does she even know that woman's qualifications? Also, the author specifically mentions Asian tourist groups a few times. I don't understand why or how that adds to the story. The main character is a American tourist so who cares? Anyway, I found the concept of the book interesting but the plot was mediocre and the summary of the book misleading.
I’m not a massive mermaid fan or anything, although I imagine mermaid fanatics will enjoy this far more ecstatically than I did, but I really enjoyed this. I thought it was a really impressive retelling of A Little Mermaid and as well as adding important notes including gender and youth, it’s still the classic tale of being unheard, unseen, unloved and I feel will touch a new generation. Fantastic story and great writing, highly recommended
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
A fabulous story.
I’m not used to read mermaid stories, but this was awesome.
Perla she's Recently Divorced. From a guy who she tried every thing to make happy. But seems he's after something totally different.
Soon Perla meets her friend the Mermaid
From her friend she receives a gift that will change things for her.. but is it what she truly wants......
I Enjoyed this Book definitely recommend this one if your into Mermaid Story's...
This book is the modern-day, pro-woman, Italian, Greek mythology, Little Mermaid re-telling we all need right now! I was so surprised by this book and how enjoyable it was, while simultaneously hitting on some extremely important and perceptive points about gender, aging, and opening your heart to those in need.
this book will charm and gratify anyone who has ever felt unseen, unheard, and unloved, and anyone who loves romance sprinkled with magic and truth.
Book Review for A Trail of Pearls by D.M. George
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!
I'm a sucker for all mythological creatures, so a mermaid was right up my alley.
I flew through this book in no time, but I kind of feel like it's 2 separate stories that should have had their own books. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book, but at times, it was becoming hard to see how one plot was going to be pulled in again.
In the end, your heart feels full and satisfied. If you're up for a quick read with a few turns here and there, this is the book for you.