Crimson Rooms, The
McMahon, KatharineIn a society recovering from World War 1, Evelyn Gifford trains as one of England's first female solicitors. In contrast to her trailblazing employment, her home life is repressed following the death of her younger brother in the trenches. Against this backdrop of a nation grappling with change, Evelyn too is challenged to move beyond her grief and seek justice for those around her. An easy-to-read style and a fascinating examination of the social issues of the time make this an engaging story.
Comments from Groups
A most interesting history of women in the legal profession and how families coped during and after WW1. All in all a good historical novel with many engaging characters and moments. Wellington 041 Loved the book, beautiful style of writing. Would definitely read the author's other novels. Kaikoura 001 Enjoyable mixture of suspense and history. A different look at society after WW1. Rotorua 004 Thought provoking look at the way women's rights and expectations have evolved in the last century. We enjoyed it. Alexandra 003 All members of the group enjoyed this book and we had a long discussion about the era it was written in and style-all felt that there were several plots within the story. Paihia 003 We all thoroughly enjoyed this book. One member commented, " I loved her determination to have what she wanted and to love in so many ways". Interesting to read the history notes also. Napier 024 Our group enjoyed the book and it led to discussions on women in the work force in those early pioneering years. Masterton 011 Wonderful! For once all our members agreed on this. Well written, informative and kept us guessing. An addictive read. Auckland 060 Enjoyed the book. It covered an area of life that rang bells for members. Auckland 013 We loved this book. The dawning of the women's lib must have been very difficult for some women. We do not appreciate enough what we owe them. Geraldine 002 A bit slow. Didn't keep everyone's attention, but those who finished it enjoyed it. Auckland 347 An enjoyable read about a time in history which we knew little about - womens' first experiences of/in the legal profession in the 1920s. Several topics covered, although not in great detail, were: childrens' rights, mass deportation of children to the colonies, and the fact that women were considered second class citizens. Auckland 284 Discussion was lively. Some disappointment in the 'Mills & Boon' love interest, but overall everyone enjoyed the various sub plots and twists. It took a while to get into but picked up pace. Havelock North 011 A very good meeting and discussion. There was a lot of animated discussion on the subjects raised in the book. Probably the most successful book we have read this year. Wellington 142 Fantastic! We unanimously agreed that we LOVED this book! We liked the themes of love, and the women of the 1920s taking over the role of men following the war. The plot was thrilling and the second half of the book a complete page turner. We couldn't put it down - wonderful! Queenstown 010 Opinion was divided, with some readers very enthusiastic about it. The majority appreciated the author's writing, but had reservations about the novel as a whole. It was thought that there were too many themes within the story - family secrets and tensions, the plight of orphaned children, the trauma of war, a murder trial, and the mores of the times which discouraged the ambitions of women to pursue a career of their choice and to further their education. However the choice of book led to an interesting discussion about our own families, the lives lived by our parents and grandparents, and our own childhood and adolescence experiences in the 40s and 50s. Wellington 007
Pages
457
457
Year
2009
2009
Reviews
23-01-2024
Most of us found something in the book to enjoy but it could have done with some editing.
10-07-2023
Great story with good characters. Whole group enjoyed the book very much - lots of good discussion.
04-05-2023
Mixed feelings about this book in our group. All enjoyed understanding more about women lawyers, and the personal effects of the war on everyone in that generation. Some liked the many subplots,- the courtcases and Meredith and her son, which held our interest, and thought it was an interesting and entertaining read. Others found it fragmented, a bit long and boring and too detailed, aspects of storyline contrived,and romance a bit Mills and Boonsish, and didn't like many of the characters.
29-11-2022
Everyone loved this book and the inspiring female lead character. At some points it was frustrating to read about the crazy life women were forced to lead, and this led to discussions about how our lives have moved on but the areas at which we are still stuck.
27-05-2022
Our group loved this book, describing it as "thoroughly enjoyable". Interesting to read how women wanting a professional career were treated in that era. What they had to go through to be accepted. Wonderful insight to the various and varied relationships that changed throughout the complex, well-written story.
26-06-2020
Our group all loved this book. Generated a lot of discussion around historical human rights, the tenacity of the main character and the effects of war. An easy read but with a lot of depth.
21-11-2018
A wide range of opinions for this book - from "didn't enjoy" to "excellent". Led to excellent discussion about issues raised.
21-11-2018
Very good reading. We all admired the tenacity of the main character, one of London's first female lawyers, and how the story portrayed the attitudes of the times. Good lively discussion on women's rights and career paths.
21-11-2018
Our group unanimously loved this book! Many members read the sequel and enjoyed it too. The history, the characters and the writing all appealed.
21-11-2018
We thought that she had very cleverly woven a large number of topics into a believable story. It presented a good picture of how life for women was at that time. Most of the group enjoyed it and the book brought back some interesting family memories.
21-11-2018
This book provoked much discussion on the role of women in society, especially the legal world. We all enjoyed reading this and admired the way the author portrayed her characters.
21-11-2018
Regarded by most of our group as a light read, but interesting subject matter and an unpredictable ending. The discussion centred on the topics of war, boys getting preferential treatment for education back in the early 1900s, women becoming lawyers but not treated equally, whether she (main character) should forgive her man or not. Some felt this book was a bit Mills and Boonish, but others liked the romance and wished for a happy ending!
21-11-2018
Promoted great discussion on class difference , and the use of colour to describe imagery was amazing. A useful timeline for women in law is at the back of the book, and the notes were great.