3.75/5 stars

3.75/5 Rosedale in Love
Genre: historical fiction

Disclaimer: Not a genre I read a lot.
Summary:
A rich Jewish man desperately trying to climb the social ladder in early 20th century America, has chosen a woman well out of his league whose fortunes are fading fast.

Additional Comments:
- I maintain than all these kinds of books would be worlds better if somebody up and kidnapped the heroine.
- 4/5 Performance- The performance fits the narrative very well. There is a nice rhythm and flow.
- 4/5 Main Characters: I liked Florence and her mother troubles and her unacknowledged love for her cousin.
- 3.5/5 Plot - maybe I just read too much mystery thriller stuff. It makes things like this almost deadly dull. He pines, makes a social blunder, pines some more, goes to a party, goes to the theater, pines some more, hears something scandalous, more social blunders, attends another tedious party, etc, etc. It would seem odd and futile if there wasn’t still a set of uber rich people who put on airs to fit in.
- side characters: they aren’t very likable. Except for Florence’s eccentric actress friend.
- It has a happy ending. Sort of.
- There are a lot of fifty-cent words in here. I think that is part of it being a period piece, but still, I would not have finished the book if it wasn’t in audio format. The narrator handled the biggie words well.
- The cat and mouse games people play with each other in here are well-described but still frustrating. The people are exceedingly fake to come across as kind and generous. It’s exhausting. Guess it’s a commentary on people in general, and in that way, it’s accurate.
- This sort of reminds me of The Great Gatsby, which a lot of people love, love, love. I thought that one was a waste of my time, but it has been a while. Maybe I would have a different opinion if forced to read it again. I did like this book better than Gatsby, but to be honest, that’s a low bar to hop for me. I think the mental link is rich people being snobby to each other.
- Who is this book for? Fans of early 20th century literature. Historical fiction buffs.
- While the book didn’t connect well with me, I have hotdog/hamburger/French fries taste in books and this is caviar/lobster/and fooffy super-expensive icky foods fare. There is certainly a set of people who love this sort of thing.

Conclusion:
A study of a man who thinks he’s in love but really loves himself, his wealth, and the great social climb.
*I received a free copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own. I have freely chosen to review the book.

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