Do not be fooled by the beautiful young woman of coverage, it is far from an angel. Maisie Kane, a little plump heiress, decides to go to London in search of a husband ... and a title. For Maisie's father is one of those self-made men Americans who made their fortunes in the sweat of their brow. The Radcliffe, on the contrary, are British aristocrats fallen, penniless but to some fame (actually best known for their escapades). An unlikely meeting at the Savoy and this is our naive Maisie parachuted as a lamb among wolves. Dance can start ...
The narrative is constructed in several parts, the author making back and forth between the past heroin, which takes place in the US in 1941 (when her parents died in unclear circumstances), and the present, London 1953. The novel begins as a promiscuous painting of an aristocratic family penniless, ends up taking Dantesque accents, with its shameful family secrets and plunge into the wickedness. Humiliation and bullying become the daily bread of Maisie. Character, I must admit, gave me mixed feelings. Sometimes I pitied both the Radcliffe family amused to belittle and abuse (which, as a passive reader, we inevitably revolt). Other times, I wanted to shake it like a plum tree because of its passivity or certain racist remarks she has against her nanny. A very ambiguous heroine, elusive, but which is very interesting to follow until the grand finale!
And I admit I was blown away by the final, which I did not expect and I found great. The novel could have been a simple portrait of the decline of an aristocratic family, but it's much more than that because the story is tinged with a touch of thriller and suspense that makes fly. The novel is led from start to finish a master hand, the atmosphere is licentious and outrageous wish. So much to say right now, this novel is not to put in young hands, some scenes are quite revolting or floods. But the game is worth the candle because every detail participates in the scheme of monumental revenge, and for that, I say bravo.
In short, a novel that stirs and not leave anyone indifferent, and whose end we completely take against the foot. Amazing. Sensitive souls refrain nonetheless.
