That settles it. I shall live and prosper..at least long enough for book 10!
1. I liked the intertwining, but it took some time to settle in to it. I'd get some characters confused. I thought the first period in the 1900's with Eliza's childhood etc. was the most interesting.1. The story jumps between 3 time periods – Eliza and Rose in the early 1900s, Nell’s trip to England in 1975 and Cassandra in 2005. How did you feel about the intertwining of the three lines? Did you feel they balanced well? Was one better written than the others?
I liked the intertwining of the 3 lines, and did think they mostly balanced well. My only issue was trying to keep all the characters straight, particularly the women in the Cassandra period - the hotelier, realtor, etc. I think this is a book that would really work to read a second time, just to see how all the earlier mentions of people fall into place. But at 500+ pages, it was a big enough commitment for the first read, and not one I'm likely to make again. Too many other books to read ...too little time.
2. Could you see Eliza and Rose realistically acting the way they did? Was it believable that a husband like Nathaniel would actually go along with their plan?
I thought Nathaniel had a bit of a crush on Eliza, so figured he wasn't too ... uhm. inconvenienced by his role in the plan.
3. It must be extremely difficult to write a book of more than 500 pages? Do you feel the length was justified, or do you think she could have shortened the story without losing any of the substance?
Possibly a little bit could have been edited out, however, most of what happened, especially in the earlier eras, ended up having a bearing on the present.
I like a lot of genres, although I haven't read much of it I like Fantasy (especially "The Crystal Cave," "The Hollow Hills," and "The Last Enchantment") but most people may not. I like Science Fiction, a lot of people may not like that either.