Palace Circle

Summary: Delia is an young woman from Virginia who marries into the British aristocracy in the years before World War I. When she learns that married life is not all it's cracked up to be - particularly when your older husband has a long-term mistress that he's not about to give up - she seeks comfort in a younger social circle... and in the arms of one of her husband's friends. Their affair continues even after Delia's husband is posted to Cairo to maintain British/Egyptian relations during troubled political times. However, Delia's daughters must grow up under the shadow of their parents' infidelities, and the looming specter of another war on the horizon.

Review: The cover of my edition of Palace Circle gushes "If you like Philippa show more Gregory, you will love this book!" And while I can kind of see how the comparison gets drawn, the main difference lies in the fact that Philippa Gregory can create well-developed characters, tell an interesting story, and occasionally use a comma correctly. Palace Circle, on the other hand...

Early on in the book, the main character is warned that "marital fidelity among the British aristocracy is not a highly esteemed virtue," and that she should learn to accept it and not be constantly scandalized by it. Which is all well and good, except that most of the rest of the book seems to rely on the reader being constantly scandalized by the idea of marital infidelity. And, call me cynical if you like, but I'm not the sort to cry "Adultery?!? Oh my stars!" and drop into a swooning-but-still-slightly-titillated faint every few pages. There are some interesting aspects to this book (Egypt during the later days of British colonialism, Davina's work at the orphanage/hospital), but they're largely ignored in favor of the predictable "scandalous secrets" storyline. Rich and powerful people sleeping around and name-dropping other rich and powerful people (who are also sleeping around) does not a satisfactory novel make, but that's all that's really here for the first 60% of the book, before it takes a sharp left turn into a political espionage/war thriller.

...Which brings up my other main problem about the book: the structure. It's divided into five sections, each told from a different point of view (Delia, Petra, Davina, Darius, and Jack.) I've seen this kind of structure work before, but it's rare, and in this case, Dean doesn't really pull it off. It feels as though we're not really given enough time with any one character to get inside them, to understand (or care about) their problems and their motivations, or to get any sense of resolution, before we're whisked away to someone else's story. No one really gets any satisfying closure, and the main conflict that motivated the better part of the book is resolved by a secondary character on the second-to-last page of the book, so we're just left to assume that everything worked out okay. This sort of telling-but-not-showing style of writing plagued the rest of the novel as well, making what should have been a fun and fluffy read into a rather ponderous one. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: While the bare bones of this book sound appealing, I thought the execution was lacking. If you're looking for a light, non-taxing read, it would serve acceptably, but there's better fluffy historical fiction out there - like actual Philippa Gregory or Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series. show less

I really enjoyed this book. The story was engaging and believable and I loved the inclusion of well-known historical figures. I appreciate when an author goes to the trouble to build the story around actual historical events and figures and provides a learning experience for the reader as well as an enjoyable read. This is the first of three novels by Rebecca Dean and I am looking forward to reading the next two.

I think the most obvious characteristic of Rebecca Dean's Palace Circle is the fact that it's light. It doesn't do much to evoke the misery of looming WWI, the destruction and fear that was wrought or the terror of WWII. Even the seething revolution in Egypt barely registers even on the more politically conscious Davina. So if you approach this looking for historical insight, I suggest you look elsewhere. Despite name-dropping Wallis Simpson and Winston Churchill, Palace Circle is far more a family melodrama set in the early 20th century than a historical novel.

Of course, if you're looking for a sweeping family saga, you've come to the right place. The story follows the loves and pitfalls of American heiress Delia Chandler in her show more marriage to an English peer; the lives of her daughters (Petra and Davina)- and even the perspectives of their romantic interests. It's interesting enough fare - and has the added bonus of being partially set in Egypt.

I enjoyed watching the drama unfold, but it seemed that whenever I got thoroughly engrossed in one character's story, the narrative would switch to a different perspective. I would have rather seen only three 'parts' and gotten more about each of the main characters instead of adding the men's perspectives. Those two sections only made the omission of sections from Ivor or Jerome more obvious.

Ultimately, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this as a summer beach read, but I don't think it will stay with me the sensational 'mystery' aspect.

More at my blog.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free review copy through the LT Early Reviewers program. show less

Summary from the publisher:

Palace intrigue, romance, and illicit affairs—Rebecca Dean has written a glorious novel that will sweep Philippa Gregory fans off their feet.

Delia Chandler, an eighteen-year-old Southern girl, marries Viscount Ivor Conisborough just before World War II, becoming part of the Windsor court. It’s every girl’s dream come true. But Delia is jolted from her pleasant life when she realizes, after the birth of her two daughters, that Ivor chose her only to bear an heir to his estate. Shortly thereafter, she begins an affair with her husband’s handsome, titled, and frequently scandalous best friend.

When Conisborough is appointed as an adviser to King Fuad of Egypt, Delia exchanges one palace circle for another, show more far different one. While she sees Egypt as a place of exile, her two daughters regard Egypt as their home. Only when war comes to Cairo—and Delia finally reveals the secret she has kept for so long—can she begin to heal the divisions separating her from those she loves.

Rebecca Dean’s irresistible combination of real events and masterful storytelling will keep readers fascinated until the very last page.

This book didn’t capture me, I’ll start by saying that. The category of “historical fiction lite” applies perfectly here. There are historical characters, but only on the sidelines. The actual main characters fell flat for me, particularly Delia, who frustrated me with her frivolity and total inability to relate or talk to her daughters. The novel’s viewpoint rotates from Delia to Petronella to Davina, but I had the distinct feeling that the girl who was narrating seemed different from the girl who had been described before or after. Character changes over time, but it wasn’t convincing. Neither were the love stories, even though in retrospect it’s as though the entire novel is a rotating battle through romance. Obviously, I read romance, and shouldn’t have a problem with such a focus, but the book felt too shallow for me. This is the lead-up to World War II, after all! Maybe the high society didn’t feel it but everyone else did. The only concession to the times is one of the sisters’ charity work. Even the move to Egypt isn’t explored the way it might have been and feels very much like the British court all over again rather than a different culture. We are thrown a few bones in the way of revolution, but not many details or actions take place.

In the end, reading this book was little like watching a soap opera. The characters are caricatures, the situations are ridiculous, and none of it seems to reflect on real life events in anything but a shallow way. Moreover, literally everyone is having an affair, which may have been the case but was still repugnant to me. The book is enjoyable in a light, frothy way that doesn’t appeal to me. Had I approached it as a light read, in the vein of one of my romances, I may have been able to get more into it, but I tend to think of historical fiction as deeper, even when it focuses on a royal court. This was not, and it disappointed me.

http://chikune.com/blog/?p=791 show less

This historical novel had a bit too much soppy romance in it for my taste. I don't know why it seems necessary to refer to women as animals in romance novels and Rebbecca Dean doesn't do it too often but it is still offensive. Delia's daughters are "fiery beauties", as if they were horses. I guess it is too difficult to say they were strong and beautiful women. Delia has "cat eyes" because they were green, yet cats mainly have yellow eyes and what is the point really? Women are people not a "blonde".
No wonder Nora Roberts liked this novel.

Delia Chandler is only eighteen wen she marries Viscount Ivor Conisborough, an older English Aristocrat. Believing that she is destined for great happiness with Ivor, the Southern belle moves across the ocean from Virginia to England, where she will begin a life of luxury. But when she arrives in England, she discovers a shocking secret about Ivor that changes her feelings for him dramatically. Although Delia isn't exactly happy in her marriage to Ivor, she learns to hob-nob with the best of English society and eventually bears her husband two beautiful daughters. Eventually, Ivor's government job requires him to relocate his family to Egypt. Although Delia isn't thrilled with the idea of moving away from her social set, she eventually show more finds her happiness traveling between the high societies of England and Egypt. While Delia lives the life of one of those in the Palace Circle, her daughters, Petra and Davina, take the stage. Both are determined and independent, like their mother, but their passions lie in different directions. Petra lives a life of refinement and clandestine romance in England, while Davina chooses Egypt as her home and begins to feel the call of social reform, training to become a nurse in the underprivileged sections of the city. Spanning two generations and thirty years, Palace Circle is a story of scandal, intrigue and unlikely romance among the elite and powerful.

This book has been compared to the offerings of Philippa Gregory, which I think is an unjust comparison. Gregrory's books are page-turning, drama-filled reads that I equate to literary junk food: things that are interesting to snack on, a guilty pleasure, if you will. This book, on the other hand, was filled with self-importance and tended to get weighed down in name dropping.

First of all, I found the story very abrupt. Things moved rapid fire and nothing was really deeply covered at all. It seemed like many years and events were compressed into a few pages, which made everything seem rushed and barely explained. I also found it difficult to relate to the characters. They all seemed rather haughty and elitist, and although I tried to overcome it, their plights and predicaments failed to move me. Somewhere around the middle of the story, the book morphed from historical fiction into an espionage novel, which I found a bit odd. Unfortunately the switch didn't enhance my enjoyment of the book at all; rather it just left me a little quizzical. Most of the plot points were very predictable, and the further I got into the main narrative, the more I discovered that the characters' revelations weren't all that shocking or ensnaring. In fact, I had figured out the main thrust of the intrigue very early on in the book, and the only thing left to amuse me was to read about the way in which it would unfold.

I also found it vaguely annoying that everything about this story was written with overwrought melodrama. Everything was dealt with in the most histrionic way possible, and it seemed these people lived only to have outbursts. The characters in this novel were largely one-dimensional and I had a hard time relating to them because there was just so little emotional development evident in their behavior. I also didn't like the fact that Delia seemed to operate solely on her naivety and gullibility. She was very insubstantial as the protagonist; very little seemed to be going on in her head. I found it very unbelievable for a person to be so enmeshed in such a worldly atmosphere and still behave so innocently, especially when further reading exposed the fact that she was just as duplicitous as those around her. The fact that the author commented on her beauty in her every mention also got old very quickly.

Further sections of the book focused on secondary characters that were even less interesting than the major players. Though I enjoyed the sections regarding Egypt a bit more, there was still not enough glue to hold this story together for me. I also felt that the absence of morals in the characters was extremely distasteful, and felt that as a plot point it failed miserably. The fact that almost every character was involved in some sort of extramarital relationship was not particularly inventive, and I wondered why it had to be the crux of this story.

There was no real bite to these characters or their story, everything was just average, and for me, reading four hundred plus pages of average really gets me discouraged. Though the second half of the book (which focused on Egypt) was a bit more entertaining, I found this book not much to my liking. Although this wasn't really the book for me I think if you are the type of person who likes your historical fiction heavy on the drama, this might make a nice read for you. show less

I think I'd probably term this as "light" historical fiction -- a fun summer read with enough family drama & intrigue to keep the reader interested. As other reviewers have mentioned, Rebecca Dean has chosen to tell the story from the point of view of 5 of the main characters (3 female, 2 male) in sequential order (rather than alternating back & forth), which I thought was an interesting way to tell the story. I initially wasn't sure that it would work, but I think it did. The book description leads the reader to believe that the story centers around the character of Delia, but her portion of the story is only the focus at the beginning, and then she becomes somewhat of a background character from that point on. While Delia did have show more some redeeming qualities, I found her rather superficial, & the once-in-a-while slips into southern U.S. slang just didn't seem to "fit" & annoyed me more than anything.

I enjoyed this story overall, but I think the comparison to Philippa Gregory is misleading. Rebecca Dean is not yet up to Gregory's caliber, or perhaps her writing style is just different than Gregory's & she shouldn't be compared to her at all, which is probably more likely the case. I find it interesting that the UK title for this book is "A Dangerous Desire", which leads one to believe it is more suited for the historical romance genre. show less