★★★☆☆
Victorian Parlour Games: A Modern Hosts Guide to Classic Fun for Everyone (Ned Wolfe - released 10.15.2024)
e-ARC Review

A massive thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Chronicle Books & author/artist Ned Wolfe for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest book review! 🥰🙌

“Come away with a different view of the Victorians, where their stuffiness hides silliness.” 🃏🎲

💗What I Loved
What did I love most? The art! The art included in this book is incredible. From the drawings to the color palettes, Ned Wolfe is so talented! Second to the art, I loved the history when Wolfe pulls the curtain back to detail Victorian life and the reasoning behind a game’s popularity. The instructions are easy to follow and most of the games chosen only require players and one or two supplies (paper, pencil, deck of cards, dice, etc.). I also appreciated that Wolfe included variations of the games to adjust the difficulty level. The concept of this book is fun!

😤What It Lacked
I was really hoping that most of the games in the book would be new to me, not just a different name for classic games we are all familiar with by now (Wink Murder, Charades, Musical CHairs, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, etc.). Wolfe mentions in his introduction that there were many games that were left out of the book. If any of those games are rarely played or known by the masses, I hope they release a new edition of the book that includes more obscure games. Ultimately, I found myself wanting more from this book - more history and games I hadn’t previously played.

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy…
Hosting game night
Finding new ideas for “unplugging”
Historical look into Victorian social life

Gratitude, always.
- H.

This is such a kitschy and fun way to introduce more non-screen time activities into a reader's life. I love the mix of fun games with a little bit of history behind them.

This is a fun book all about various party games that originated in the Victorian era and how to play them. There are some that I had heard of and played before and some I hadn't ever heard of. I really enjoyed this and would recommend this! Special Thank You to Ned Wolfe, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful book! I only wish I had it in hardcopy to have on my coffee table. I love games & history so this book was a perfect one for me. The illustrations were fabulous & I loved learning new (& not so new!) games to play while also learning about how they came to be. Definitely recommend if you enjoy games of any kind!

While beautifully designed, this book is a bit more family-coded than I had initially realized. There are some interesting historical tidbits but there are also frequent suggestions of "this would be great for your child's next birthday party." Not quite what I was looking for to run a themed game night among an all-adult group of Jane Austen nerds.

We did manage to cherry pick a selection of entertaining games, but some sets of instructions raised more questions than they answered among our detail-oriented crowd.

A nice enough collection, but not one I'd urge anyone to rush out and pay full price for.

3.5 stars rounded up

A hoot and a half! This collection of Victorian parlour games has you wondering how we got this far, and why we stopped having this sort of fun.

Fascinating insight into how people used to pass the time and entertain themselves. Snippets of history about the Games and detailed instructions made this a terrific read, especially for history lovers.

This is a fun little book. I enjoyed the little write ups about the games and the inclusion of the varying names for them. I suspect I imagined this might be a little bit more of a history book than it was intended to be so I found myself wishing for a little more history or social perspective on the games.

Layout was well done and easy to read. It would make a good party gift or something fun for a hostess.

A fantastic reference book filled with popular games played in the Victorian era that many of us recognize today. I picked this up as a reader of historical romance - which often features parlour games and other fun betting opportunities - in hopes to learn more about the games. I was really pleased to find the history behind some of these popular games, stretching even as far back as the Middle Ages!

The book is organized into 5 sections with different themes: party games, active games, table games, romantic games, and word games. Each game is introduced with its most well-known Victorian name, with alternate name (including ones we might recognize today), number of players, and supplies (if any) required. The author provides a simple history for the game, including literary references. The rules of each game are clearly written, with clarifications and examples as needed, as well as variations. I appreciated that the author is conscientious of changing societal norms and encourages consent in any kissing or touching games, and variations to make the game more or less bawdy as appropriate for the audience.

The images are fun an bright, and this is a great reference book for any history lover looking to lighten up a party. I was familiar with about half to two-thirds of the games already, but appreciate the clarity of delivery, concise history, and beautiful and fun images.

After a quick read of this book, I am absolutely looking forward to the next time my kids tell me the are bored because I will have some new games to try. It provides the rules, alternate names, and variations on a wide variety of games, not to mention sharing the history and some fun facts about each game, which was often my favorite part. I definitely recommend this book for any game night fan or history buff.

I loved this book! It's perfect for anyone interested in Victorian games, as well as anyone who wants to discover more interesting games to play. I loved that not only was there a variety of types of games but also descriptions of their origins and history. 5 of 5 stars.

James' rating: 5 out of 5 entertaining stars!

When I saw the book title, I just had to get it. As a historical romance lover, it quickly captured my attention. Some games I knew, many I didn't and I want to try all of them. Many games have stood the test of time but many have also been forgotten. This book would be perfect for a historical romance book club. I can easily envision having so much fun with this. I also liked the illustrations. Those were so cute and fun!

There are also different variations of the games mentioned as well some backstory into the game that was mentioned. Loved both of them!

Overall, a fun and entertaining read that historical romance lovers would definitely love.

Thanks to the Chronicle Books for this fun ARC!

As someone that reads almost exclusively historical romance novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I finally understand the parlour games that have been vaguely described in books that I have read. I also really enjoyed the tidbits and histories surrounding each of the games. The art in the book was gorgeous and really added to the content.

This book was really fun. It is a guide to Victorian party games - they are simple and actually sound fun. I would recommend this for families or anyone who wants to branch out with some new games that don't require a lot of supplies. This would be especially fun for a Victorian-themed party.

This collection is lots of fun! Perhaps unsurprisingly as an early reviewer, I'm particularly drawn the the word games and literary references. The instructions of each were easy to follow, and I was able to find new ideas and variations on old favorites. This will be great for anyone who is looking for non-digital fun with a group of kids through adults.

Victorian Parlour Games is the perfect collection of historical games to inspire you as you plan your holiday gatherings with friends and family this year.

The book is divided into a handful of categories (Party Games, Active Games, Table Games, Romantic Games, and Word Games), so there is something for everyone here, and each game is accompanied by easy-to-understand instructions and a brief explanation of its origins and cultural relevance. I believe there are over 35 games, some of which were familiar to me, many of which are not, and most of which included variants of play.

I also enjoyed the art, and I think this could also be a fun gift for anyone particularly interested in the Victorian-era. I’ll definitely be trying one or two of these games at my next gathering!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

An enjoyable read as the author includes not only a wide range of games but a lot of the background and trivia about the games. It is a nostalgic collections of many games that I remember playing in childhood. The games are clearly described and the reader will be able to play them with little trouble. This would be a fun resource to keep on your shelf!

If you, like me, have watched many a period piece and wondered "What even is Whist?" then this is the book for you. It was surprising to me how long a history so many party games actually have (Pin the Tail on the Donkey goes back to the 1880s!) and how many have been adapted into modern forms over the years. Keep a copy of this book on your shelf for your next get together!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a charming pocket book of party ideas, with lovely Victorian-styled illustrations in a modern book design. The games are carefully adapted to current approaches to consent and inclusion, and Wolfe nudges the reader into realizing the Victorians were perhaps not quite as prudish as they'd like everyone to believe. I appreciated the extensive bibliography, which was unexpected in a non-scholarly work, and it helped me to forgive Wolfe some minor lapses in accuracy as I could see where his sources had not led him deeper. I was a little disappointed by the lack of forfeits, but those are probably not as of much interest today.

Combining games and history can never be wrong, that is found in Victorian Parlour Games. So, while you have fun diving the games, you can learn a lot of historical things, too.