The story of a journey

Reading a story that plays in a real historical setting always has my interest. I was however directly disappointed when before the prologue was being told that all is made up by the author. When you have royals playing a role in your book, I do not think you should fantasize about them. Of course, you can have a story about two maids working on the MS Gothic on which the Queen and Prince Philip travel to the Commonwealth but do make sure you do not make up stories about them in my opinion. Like Violet who vomits on board when they are lined up in welcoming the royal couple and some of the grease ends up on Prince Philip.

Besides that, I did not really fancy the characters right away. First, I did like Violet but after some actions, I did not fancy her anymore. She did gain my sympathy later on; at which point I really hated her sister Daisie. There is a personal story in between all the drama involving the royals and their retinue, for a long period this story is kind of put on hold. During a visit to Broken Hill where they all visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the personal story comes alive again. In the authors comment the author says that this is based on a true story, which is a nice touch.

As I have never seen ‘The Crown’ nor ‘Downtown Abbey’, this book is being tipped for fans of these two series, I might just not be the right audience. I do like historical romance but please do not make things up too much with regards to actual events or living people.

Characters = 6 | Atmosphere = 8 | Writing Style = 7 | Plot = 7 | Intrigue = 7 | Logic = 6 | Enjoyment = 7 | Score 6.86 = 3 stars