≡ Download Free Through a Glass Darkly Karleen Koen 9780380704163 Books

Through a Glass Darkly Karleen Koen 9780380704163 Books

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Through a Glass Darkly Karleen Koen 9780380704163 Books

I can only give it 4 stars because I found the writing style difficult to follow at times. The story is a great story, but I found myself having to reread pages to figure out who was talking. The story was worth the effort to read it, despite the trouble I had at times, and I would recommend the book. I read the 3 book series in chronological order, reading the prequel first, before this one.

Through the Glass Darkly, focuses on the grand-daughter of Alice, whose story was profiled in the prequel, Dark Angels. Alice's story continues in the background as the older matriarch, with her grand daughter's story covering this book and the sequel, Face to Face. This book was the easiest of the three books to read the story without having to go back and re-read to be able to fully understand it.

Since writing style is subjective, the story itself is worth reading, I just had trouble with the layout and dialog at times


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Through a Glass Darkly Karleen Koen 9780380704163 Books Reviews

This 700+ page tome is such an engrossing read, I was almost sad to finally finish it (thankfully there's a sequel). The book opens when Barbara is fifteen and her mother is plotting her marriage to Roger, a man old enough to be her father (he's in his 40s). Barbara's grandmother, a spirited woman who holds the family together, doesn't fully support the union though Barbara desperately wants it as she has been in love with Roger for years. Eventually, despite the scheming of Barbara's mother which causes the collapse of the impending marriage, the two are married.

Immediately upon marrying they head to Paris for a few months and Barbara is thrust into her new role as a high society wife. She desperately wants Roger to love her as she loves him and she is disappointed when this is harder than she thought. She has misteps as she learns how to survive - and thrive - in society. But Roger remains just out of reach, alternating between a passionate, caring lover and a distant, absent husband.

Money and the economy of the time (late 1700s) play a big part in the book and the characters' lives and how they're shaped. Roger - and therefore Barbara - are wealthy and live a life of luxury, but this comes at a cost. Gossip runs wild and influences actions. When Barbara learns something scandalous (I won't spoil it!) it causes her to flee her marriage. Though apart, Barbara continues to love Roger, even if she is hurt by his actions and angry at him. Later, when circumstances bring them together again she cannot help but feel for him and wonder what their future may be.

Lies, deceit, love, passion, loyalty, and greed all play out in this excellent novel.
Having tired of the constant hit-or-miss factor of self-published works, I bought this book on a whim. I knew nothing about it - I just recognized the title as a famous one and thought I'd try it out.

I had no idea what I was in for.

I dreamed about this book, and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. It was beautifully written and had some of the best prose I've ever read. (I highlighted many passages in my to read again later on.)

With the possible exception of Abigail, whose "I always know the right thing that everyone should do" attitude was a bit too self aware for my tastes, the characters truly came to life on the page. I became emotionally vested in all of them, which made what the author did to them (and, by extension, to me) all the more unfair.

I'll agree with a previous reviewer in that I really, really, really wish the last third of the book didn't exist. (See spoilers below.) If it didn't, this would likely be my favorite book of all time.

If I had to rate "Through a Glass Darkly" based on *how* it made feel, I would only give it one star. But I gave it five stars because it did make me feel something and is extremely well written - two of my biggest criteria for a good read.

The writer has a strong command of the English language and knows how to effectively weave emotion into a story. The words were like silk on the page, but they cut with the sharpness of a knife. It is unfortunate that they cut so deeply.

[SPOILERS]

I didn't like who the main character became in the last third of the book, and I say this as a judgment based on her moral standards, not mine. I just don't believe she would really make some of the decisions she did; her actions felt very out of character to me, no matter how upset she was.

There was so much tragedy in this book that I wanted so badly, so desperately for a happy ending, but I could barely finish the last 20 pages because I was crying so hard - literally grieving. I found myself angry at the author for playing God in such a cruel way, for making these characters' lives so bitterly unfair.

There is an ongoing theme in this story, which could be summarized as "Whatever your heart desires most, you will never have it, and anyone you care about will die."

Everyone's life was miserable in this book. Although some of it was their own doing, the result of some very human mistakes, most of it was beyond their control. And just when you think 'It can't possibly get any worse', it does. And then it gets worse again. And it never ends, never gets better. It's okay to have a down ending in a story, but not if the rest of it is as depressing as this one is.

I've never been left with such a feeling of despair as I felt with this gut-wrenching book, which literally made me sick with its apparent message of 'Life is inherently unfair, and nothing you can do will ever make it right'.

It took me several days to recover from this story. It truly is not for the faint of heart! (
I can only give it 4 stars because I found the writing style difficult to follow at times. The story is a great story, but I found myself having to reread pages to figure out who was talking. The story was worth the effort to read it, despite the trouble I had at times, and I would recommend the book. I read the 3 book series in chronological order, reading the prequel first, before this one.

Through the Glass Darkly, focuses on the grand-daughter of Alice, whose story was profiled in the prequel, Dark Angels. Alice's story continues in the background as the older matriarch, with her grand daughter's story covering this book and the sequel, Face to Face. This book was the easiest of the three books to read the story without having to go back and re-read to be able to fully understand it.

Since writing style is subjective, the story itself is worth reading, I just had trouble with the layout and dialog at times