Shirley's Updates en-US Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:41:04 -0700 60 Shirley's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9511472841 Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:41:04 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley wants to read 'Eleanore of Avignon']]> /review/show/7629689776 Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier Shirley wants to read Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier
]]> Review6794634417 Thu, 05 Jun 2025 05:08:41 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley added 'The Instrumentalist']]> /review/show/6794634417 The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable Shirley gave 5 stars to The Instrumentalist (Hardcover) by Harriet Constable
bookshelves: fiction-historical, 2-finished-2025, fiction-arts, library-available-or-loan, my-reviews
If you like the music of Vivaldi and historical Venice, you could well enjoy this fiction loosely based on fact. Beware though that, as one reviewer here has put it, that this book does rather make 'a feminist fairytale out of history', by transposing modern thinking and outspoken words into the minds and voices of, in particular, the girls of 18th Century Venice. The book is, in places, almost unbearably sad, and I found neither the protagonist, Anna-Maria della Pièta, or the composer Vivaldi, both of whom actually existed, to be likeable characters. However, don't let that put you off... ]]> ReadStatus9511175646 Thu, 05 Jun 2025 04:49:32 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley wants to read 'There Are Rivers in the Sky']]> /review/show/7629476367 There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak Shirley wants to read There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
]]> ReadStatus9511166805 Thu, 05 Jun 2025 04:45:35 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley started reading 'Conclave']]> /review/show/7362042900 Conclave by Robert Harris Shirley started reading Conclave by Robert Harris
]]> Review6794634417 Thu, 05 Jun 2025 04:41:33 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley added 'The Instrumentalist']]> /review/show/6794634417 The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable Shirley gave 5 stars to The Instrumentalist (Hardcover) by Harriet Constable
bookshelves: fiction-historical, 2-finished-2025, fiction-arts, library-available-or-loan, my-reviews
If you like the music of Vivaldi and historical Venice, you could well enjoy this fiction loosely based on fact. Beware though that, as one reviewer here has put it, that this book does rather make 'a feminist fairytale out of history', by transposing modern thinking and outspoken words into the minds and voices of, in particular, the girls of 18th Century Venice. The book is, in places, almost unbearably sad, and I found neither the protagonist, Anna-Maria della Pièta, or the composer Vivaldi, both of whom actually existed, to be likeable characters. However, don't let that put you off... ]]> Review7609448351 Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:24:49 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley added 'The Hotel Avocado']]> /review/show/7609448351 The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer Shirley gave 5 stars to The Hotel Avocado (Gary Thorn, #2) by Bob Mortimer
bookshelves: audio-book
]]> ReadStatus9458582099 Fri, 23 May 2025 05:39:15 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley wants to read 'The Highgate Cemetery Murder']]> /review/show/7592709001 The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro Shirley wants to read The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro
]]> ReadStatus9458559837 Fri, 23 May 2025 05:30:00 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley started reading 'The Instrumentalist']]> /review/show/6794634417 The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable Shirley started reading The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable
]]> ReadStatus9458550981 Fri, 23 May 2025 05:26:12 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley finished reading 'Gunpowder Plot (Daisy Dalrymple) by Carola Dunn']]> /review/show/7394229337 Gunpowder Plot (Daisy Dalrymple) by Carola Dunn by Carola Dunn Shirley finished reading Gunpowder Plot (Daisy Dalrymple) by Carola Dunn by Carola Dunn
]]> ReadStatus9454731388 Thu, 22 May 2025 05:24:03 -0700 <![CDATA[Shirley wants to read 'The Fabric of Sin']]> /review/show/7590029140 The Fabric of Sin by Phil Rickman Shirley wants to read The Fabric of Sin by Phil Rickman
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