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Book Review: The Moonlight Palace

THE MOONLIGHT PALACE by Liz Rosenberg
4 Stars
Verdict: A light historical novel about a poor princess in Singapore.


Note: I listened to the audio-book version.

Agnes lives in the Kampong Glam Palace in Singapore, once grand but now in the 1920s it's falling apart. Without a male heir or enough income to support their family, Aggie worries they'll be forced to leave her childhood home.

This is a nice story. It's low key, with the plot never being frighteningly exciting, but still interesting, especially as it's based in Asia.

Agnes is a strong young woman of her time, but naive and young all the same. She meets a few suitors, experiences a few festivals, and wants a job to help her family's income situation. As I said, the story is quite low key.

The characters are also all very nice or vaguely interesting. Aggie's family is endearing, from Nei Nei Up to Nei Nei Down. My favourite character was the curiously blind jewellery store owner. It sounded like he knew how to win at life, and I wish I could have met him.

As historical fiction goes, this is helium light. I learned a little about Singapore and the 1920's, but the feeling of being 'there in that time and place' wasn't as strong as it could be. It's a good introduction to the time.

Overall, it's a quick story that lightened my mood, with family and love at the centre of the story and the history around the edges. If you're looking for something deeper and richer, perhaps it's not for you.

Source: Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
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Comments

  1. Whispering Stories15 September 2019 at 13:08

    Historical fiction is hit and miss with me but I do like the sound of this book. Great review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Robin Loves Reading15 September 2019 at 13:19

    I love historical fiction. But I appreciate your review, because I like deeper fare.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kathy15 September 2019 at 18:24

    Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. DJ Sakata15 September 2019 at 18:26

    Love your reviewing style

    ReplyDelete
  5. Katiria19 September 2019 at 15:03

    Great review, this is the first time I have seen or heard about this book and it really looks and sounds like an amazing book.Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

    ReplyDelete

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