I am in love with Rebecca Dean's work! This is the second book I've read that's been written by her, and I've given both of them 5 stars.
This particular book of hers is addictive. Palace Circle starts off as the story of a young American girl (named Delia) who marries an older British man (named Ivor), one who is in King George V's circle. And for those of you who aren't sure who that is, King George V was Queen Elizabeth's II grandfather. Anyway, while the story starts off like this, it evolves into so much more.
The novel is split into 5 parts, each one being in the perspective of a different character--Delia, her daughters Petra and Davina, and two important men in her daughters' lives, Darius and Jack. I didn't realize it was split into these different parts when I started reading it--the summary I read only ever mentioned Delia, so I thought the entire novel focused on her. However, I did enjoy that the novel focused on other characters as well. The entire novel covers a pretty big span of time--from before World War I until almost the end of World War II. It also takes place in two very different locations: London, England, and Cairo, Egypt. So I thought it was perfect that, given how much time the novel covers, that the younger generation has a voice in the novel, too.
I'm glad that I read The Shadow Queen before I read this one because Wallis Simpson gets mentioned in this novel, as well. She doesn't play a big role in the book, but she's there, and after reading The Shadow Queen, I know a little more about her than this particular novel goes into. Plus, Palace Circle goes later than The Shadow Queen did, so I felt like I got more of Wallis' life story, as well.
It's no secret that I love British history, but both of these books have gotten me interested in the 20th century British monarchs. Wallis Simpson's story fascinates me, and now that I've read this book as well, I want to know more about World War II from the European (okay, the British) perspective. All I've ever learned about was the American point of view, and we entered the war so much later than the rest of Europe. Reading Palace Circle helped me see just how the war started in Europe--and how it was almost won by the Axis powers. Once I realized that Germany almost won the war, I started thinking about how different life would have been; how different the world I live in now would have been. And I know it would have been drastically different.
I also loved learning a little bit about the Egyptian culture at this time. They had just gained their independence from Great Britain, and had their own monarch. However, British advisors were still in the country, and the monarch was heavily influenced by the British. That's why Delia and her family end up living in Cairo--Ivor becomes an advisor to the Egyptian king. However, we see from Darius, who is Egyptian, that a lot of Egyptians wanted Britain out of their country. They felt like Egypt didn't have true independence. And in this novel, you see how that attitude grows, especially during World War II. I felt like I got more of a history lesson reading this novel than I ever did in school.
My only criticism of this book is the end. Mainly, that I didn't want to end. I want to know more about these characters. I want to find out what happens to Petra, Davina, Darius, and Jack. I want to know if the relationships I was pulling so hard for ever truly work out. I have so many unanswered questions. But, I guess that no matter where the novel ended, I would still have unanswered questions. The mark of a good story is one that leaves you wanting more.
If you enjoy British history, high society, romance, drama, war, and lots of secrets, then you should check out this novel. It was really hard for me to put down. In fact, I was almost late to work yesterday because I was almost finished with the last chapter and didn't want to put it down.
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