Review: Beauty and Attention by Liz Rosenberg

Beauty and Attention

by Liz Rosenberg

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 211

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  For misfit Libby Archer, social expectations for young women in Rochester, New York, in the mid-1950s don’t work. Her father has died, leaving her without parents, and her well-meaning friends are pressuring her to do what any sensible single girlmust do: marry a passionate, persistent hometown suitor with a promising future. Yet Libby boldly defies conventional wisdom and plans to delay marriage—to anyone—by departing for her uncle’s Belfast estate. In Ireland, Libby seeks not only the comfort of family but also greater opportunities than seem possible during the stifling McCarthy era at home.

Across the Atlantic, Libby finds common ground with her brilliant, invalid cousin, Lazarus, then puts her trust in a sophisticated older woman who seems to be everything she hopes to become. Fraught with betrayal and long-kept secrets, as well as sudden wealth and unexpected love, Libby’s journey toward independence takes turns she never could have predicted—and calls on courage and strength she never knew she had.


Kritters Thoughts:  Libby is now an orphan with the recent loss of her father.  She decides to reunite with family that she hasn't seen in a very long time in Ireland and escape Rochester, New York for the unforeseen future.  

For me this book just didn't have enough.  I think I had wished that the "outside" world had interfered with the characters.  Being a semi historical fiction book, I wanted more history and felt that there were only glimpses of the 1950s and how the characters fit into that time.  I felt as though this book could have taken place anywhere and at anytime, it just didn't stick out for me.  

Because I read so much historical fiction this one had to live up to a long list of good ones and I have a high bar at this point for this genre.  

I am still intrigued to read Liz Rosenberg's other books, this one for me just didn't do it.  I own The Moonlight Palace and may read that soon to see if I can become a Liz Rosenberg fan.  


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.