This is the third historical fiction novel Benedict and Murray have written together (after The Personal Librarian 2021, and The First Ladies in 2023). Each has also written several novels on her own. Have you read any of their other works, and if so, how do they compare?
I previously read Harlem Rhapsody and really enjoyed it. I have not read anything by Marie Benedict yet, but I definitely plan to read more by both authors.
I’ve read Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray, and Her Hidden Genius and The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict (thanks BookBrowse!), and I’ve enjoyed all three. I didn’t realize they’d collaborated on other books, and I’ll have to check those out. Murray is a new author for me this year, and I must admit I really like her writing.
1 Like
I have read both of the previous books these authors wrote together. I rated both of them a 4/5 and rate A Pair of Aces the same. I own a copy of Harlem Rhapsody by Murray but have not read it yet. I recently read Daughter of Egypt by Benedict and really enjoyed it. (I am still deciding how to rate this book..certainly a 4, but more likely it will be a 5.) These authors make a great writing team and are able to provide their characters with distinct personalities and experiences based on the time period and their race. This was especially true for this novel and The First Ladies where a relationship developed between a white woman and a black woman in an era when that was not the norm. They write about strong women who use their voice, power, influence and talents to improve situations, lives and wrongs. I would immediately add any book these authors write together to my TBR list, and look closely at their individual books as well.
I have read six of Benedict’s historical novels, and my favorite was the Personal Librarian. A Pair of Aces is definitely now one of my favorites. The strength of the women portrayed in these books certainly adds to their appeal. I haven’t read anything by Murray yet, but I definitely look at her individual books now.
I read The Personal Librarian by both authors and seem to enjoy it more than A Pair of Aces, perhaps because the former was about a woman and books - I really can’t remember.
The only other book I’ve read by either of them is another one that they did jointly, The Personal Librarian. I loved that book and made a point to visit the Morgan Library shortly thereafter. I think they do a good job of bringing different “lenses” to the characters that they create, and the books, and the characters, are richer for it. I also enjoyed this book, but I don’t plan to visit a brothel when I next go there.
I have read many of Marie Benedicts novels and loved them. Two of my favorites were Her Hidden Genius and The Only Woman In The Room. I also enjoyed The Personal Librarian and The Mitford affair. I like reading about women who have made an impact on society and for society.
I read the Personal Librarian and liked it so much that I recommended it to my book group and they all loved it as well. Benedict and Murray make a great writing team. I look forward to their next endeavor
I read The Only Woman in the Room about Hedy Lamarr. Marie wrote this alone.
I have read several books by Marie Benedict including The Personal Librarian, The Mitford Affair and Her Hidden Genius. I have The First Ladies but haven’t read it yet. I’ve enjoyed all her books and will always try to read them.
I have read The Personal Librarian and it was great. I love the way that both of these authors dig into the history of a story and write these books bringing their own experiences to them. They are able to bring the reader back in time with depth and insight.
I’ve read The Personal Librarian and Carnegie’s Maid, both of which I enjoyed. I rank them all about the same (4 out of 5).
I had read the Peraonal Librarian. I had forgotten that they co-authored that one. I’m interested in looking into the others. I have read several of M Benedict’s books but none of V Murray’s
I have read the previous two Benedict and Murray books as well as A Pair of Aces. While I have liked them all, I liked The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies better than the most recent. The previous two seemed to flow better than the last and were meatier in terms of historical information.
Marie Benedict books - The Other Einstein, The Only Woman in the Room, Clementine are three of Marie Benedict books I’ve read. They all were captivating; it was easy to feel personally connected to the main characters in their struggle for progress, recognition and the like. I look forward to reading more. I also read The Personal Librarian, a a book written by both of them. They have similar qualities from what I can tell. I appreciate the depth of the writing and the close proximity to what actually transpired. In the current read, A Pair of Aces, Polly’s participation in the investigation of Luciano was depicted as much more collaborative than it really was, a somewhat greater deviation from history than the other books since it was relative to the crucial culmination of the Lucky Luciano influence.
I’ve read The Personal Librarian and The Only Woman in the Room both for my local book club. I’ve not read anything by Murray individually. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and I will definitely add Benedict’s other books to my TBR list!
I read The Personal Librarian, but that was the only one. Since I enjoyed that and A Pair of Aces so much, I will definitely be looking into some of their other works. I definitely like the character arcs in both.
Marie Benedict is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I have read Her Hidden Genius, Lady Clementine, The Only Woman in the Room, and Carnegie’s Maid. I have both The First Ladies and The Personal Librarian on my radar to read this year. The characters in these novels are well-developed and relatable, and I enjoy reading novels with dual timelines.
I read their prior collaboration, The Personal Librarian, several years ago and loved it. That’s why I was anxious to read A Pair of Aces. I also have a couple of Marie Benedict’s books in my library, but have not yet had time to read them. I’m anxious to get to them, though.