Foto do autor

Claire McMillan

Autor(a) de The Necklace

3 Works 252 Membros 19 Reviews

About the Author

Includes the name: By (author) Claire McMillan

Obras de Claire McMillan

The Necklace (2017) 129 cópias
Gilded Age (2012) 79 cópias
Alchemy of a Blackbird (2023) 44 cópias

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
female

Membros

Resenhas

historical-novel, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, tarot, art, artist, WW2, France, friendship, friends, mysticism, love, Mexico, surrealism, art-history****

An interesting tale of personal and artistic growth and development at a time in history when it was beyond challenging. I felt out of my depth in it, but I do have a friend who will go nutz over it!
I requested and received an EARC from Atria Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
 
Marcado
jetangen4571 | Jun 30, 2023 |
A family of snooty wealth gather for the reading of their departed aunt’s will in her home. Snark prevails (as it does throughout the book) and the era of aristocracy abounds. Nell has been named as executor and bequeathed a specific necklace, that which plays lead in this novel.

Backtrack to a younger time. The prequel, if you please. Two brothers and a sister. Both brothers in love with the same young lady, May. The sister preferring one to prevail. But he (Ambrose) takes off to tour the world after touring May’s skinscape. A series of letters from his journeys follow. There is a fire in his absence, of which his brother (Ethan) is injured. May nurses him back to better health and subsequently, a telegram arrives to Ambrose announcing their engagement. Obviously distraught, assuming her his, but also fond of his brother, he opts to remain at large, forgoing attending the union.

Jumping from era to era, we get the before necklace and after stories, with a generation between. But sharing that core is Ambrose, the rub against his father’s polished ideals. Returning home after his 2 years of travel, he tries to realign himself in the new trajectory of his family. Being now a bit black sheep, unable to right his place back into the flock, his welcome home party is as clumsy as first time sex. Especially with family and friends all aside watching. And complications multiply for Ambrose.

The jumping of eras tells the how, when & why of the necklace and later reveals the whom. I like Nell, tho she could have been a bit more sure of herself against the snootiness of her relatives, especially given she’s the only one to “do” anything. Side stories blend in well, giving the dynamics of both eras and their mesh of secrets and deceit. The end reveals what we’ve been told from the beginning, tho the final scene was a bit trite.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
CherylGrimm | outras 11 resenhas | Nov 22, 2019 |
Nell's great aunt Loulou has passed away and has made her the executor of the estate. Nell has never felt welcome in the Quincy house, and her cousins are not happy that Nell is the executor. When Nell is bequeathed The Necklace, and this is found to be immensely valuable, her cousins are even more agitated. Nell knows that her mother never felt welcome, and as she uncovers the back story of the necklace, she discovers why.
In a parallel story, Ambrose and Ethan Quincy, are two wealthy brothers living in the Jazz Age. Ambrose is with May, but he wishes to go on a journey to Asia. May begs him to stay, but Ambrose needs to go. While he is away, he finds that Ethan has had a bad accident and their father tells him to come home. Ethan persuades Ambrose to continue on his journey. Finally, their father demands that Ambrose return home, and also tells Ambrose that Ethan has married May. Ambrose is heartbroken about this.
When he returns home, he gives May the necklace that he acquired for her in India. His feelings for May are tearing Ambrose apart. He can't stay away from her. It pleases him that she wears his necklace every day. However, Ethan notes the growing tension between Ambrose and May and is unhappy about it. This leads to tragedy.
The necklace ties together two generations.
I was hoping for more from this story. I didn't feel that the characters were adequately developed.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
rmarcin | outras 11 resenhas | Jan 22, 2019 |
The past and present of the Quincy family is told as Loulou has passed away and her will is read. The necklace she gives to Nell is finally found and a search for its history brings out secrets some would rather keep hidden.

I liked how each chapter was either the past or the present. As the ancestors' love triangle story is told the present day family is struggling with greed, trying to fit in, and attempting to keep the past buried. The truth does come out and it shows the family's high opinion of themselves is only that. Each character is flawed as humans are--some more than others. I liked Nell and Emerson. Pansy and Baldwin were the pits. I am still out about May, Ambrose, and Ethan. Communication would have helped a lot there.

The story was well written. The author drew me into the worlds of the Quincys. I wanted to know what happened. I also wanted to know about the necklace and Ambrose's travels. I may try to find a copy of the journal the story is based upon if it is still in print.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
Sheila1957 | outras 11 resenhas | Apr 28, 2018 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
3
Membros
252
Avaliação
½ 3.4
Resenhas
19
ISBNs
22
Idiomas
2

Tabelas & Gráficos