From the author of One Hundred and One Dalmatians and I Capture the Castle comes a newer novel: A Tale of Two Families.
My first impression of this book was that it was going to resemble Smith's I Capture the Castle in more ways than this novel actually did. Her characters are impressionable, and every one of them lends a new perspective and voice to the novel. It feels as if you're set down amongst these two families; for the first half of the novel, there is little action in the plot besides what is in people's thoughts of what they might do in certain circumstances. It is as if the action creeps up on the reader, and--with the arrival of a very colorful character to Dower House in the English countryside--the novel picks up. The slow paced first half is not at all unpleasant; it rather mimics the switch from the fast moving London to the slow life of Dower and its residents. Sarah Strange (an intriguing name choice) is perhaps the most likable character in Smith's novel. She addresses intellectual concepts to the reader while being portrayed at times as less-intelligent than the more major characters. Her matter-of-fact acceptance of what occurs in her life shows her to be a woman who thinks of others and hardly gives a thought to herself and to her own happiness. Something about her makes me want to read the parts with her in them again, as if I missed some quality at first. More to come on this title... My rating: 3/5 stars Faults: The pacing was too slow Praises: Character development was good, but not stellar
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