Overall, what did you think of A Pair of Aces? (No spoilers in this topic, please!)
I enjoyed the book. I thought it was an interesting twist on a “mob driven story”. I’m not sure why it was classified as a mystery or thriller as it really seemed like a historical fiction novel. The most interesting aspect of the story to me was the relationship between Eunice and Polly and I just wish they had more time to develop that during the actual book.
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I’m only about halfway through, but I am enjoying it so far. i think the contrast between Polly and Eunice is interesting and look forward to seeing how the relationship develops.
I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were well written and their backstories definitely added to the plot. There is no lack of books written about this period in our history, but this one has a different perspective that I appreciated.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I feel that the two previous books by these authors were better, but this was still a solid 4 of 5. I enjoy reading about actual people from history and these individuals were all completely unknown to me. (But since reading the book I have gone down the rabbit hole to learn more…thank you google!)
I tend to agree with you, @Laura_K. It was very good and I enjoyed it, but I’ve liked other books by these authors more. It’s a solid 4 for me, too.
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Generally, I enjoy historical fiction (I’m a double history/lit major) and this book was no exception. I did not, however, care for the writing style - too much exposition and even repetition of their (Polly’s and Eunices’s) viewpoints. Through the first half of the book it was almost like one author wrote Eunice (assume Benedict as she is more carefully drawn) and the other wrote Polly but perhaps that was purposefully done to illustrate their backgrounds. Of course it probably was not helpful to the authors that I was also reading a book by Douglas Stuart - now there’s a divine writer!
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I was sucked into the story from the very beginning. I knew very little about either Polly or Eunice or Lucky Luciano and couldn’t put the book down. The parallels and contrasts between two very different but surprising similar women was what kept me going, although the story itself was compelling as well. I read the entire book in two days and only stopped because I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
I really enjoy a book about strong women and this book delivered! I also enjoyed that while they were both strong, these women were not perfect, they were realistically flawed.
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray always write about historical female figures that few are familiar with. I enjoy reading their books and then continuing researching on my own. There were a few times when I felt the same information had been repeated in consecutive chapters, and thought there needed to be a bit more editing to correct that. The book itself was a quick read and one I will think about for awhile.
Overall, I found it an interesting way to treat this historical time. I liked have the point of view of the madam and the assistant DA, including their personal lives.
Agree! In the Polly story especially, it seemed the author just wanted to include every single fact she had learned about that time period, and it became tedious.
I liked the book a lot. I enjoyed the back and forth between the two women. By the end I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Lucky! Sometimes just because the history is so long ago you feel a lot is made up, but this book had real facts.
This makes me want to add the other books to my TBR. Good to know!
I truly enjoyed this book as I do with all by these authors. The story was new to me and A Pair of Aces truly brought the time and the story to life!!
I enjoyed the book. I think the authors did a very good job with character development. I really felt like I knew the women by the end of the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be recommending it to my book club this coming year. The authors took a different approach to mob history by writing from the women’s point of view. The historical facts are there but they also delve into family relationships and successful women struggling to compete in a male dominated world. Very good read!
I enjoyed the book, however, at times the story felt repetitive and at other times, I wanted more detail. Additionally, I tried listening to the audiobook but didn’t spark to the narration hand I love audiobooks) so I ended up mostly reading the ebook.
I loved it. It brings to life a forgotten story of women’s history. It is well told and beautifully written. Five stars