Cover Image: The Last Daughter

The Last Daughter

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Member Reviews

Sorry but this really wasn’t for me! Unfortunately I found the writing rather childlike and totally unbelievable! I did try as I liked the idea but not the telling! Sorry!

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This was a very nice gentle time travel story which took the reader back to the time of the Great Fire of London. I loved that the main characters were of a more mature age. Will definitely read more by this author.

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I'll be honest... I nearly couldn't get through the first chapter, but it wasn't the writing, it was what was written. I felt as if Ann were writing about my own life. I have had very similar experiences to Rose, our heroine. My husband became very ill, and eventually passed. My father, who was living with me, became ill, and all the time he was in the hospital, he told me he going home, and he did, just not to mine. We buried him 2 years after my husband passed. It took a year to clean out his home and get it sold. I have one son. My grandmother's name was Rose. My grandfather, on the other side of the family, was Walter. Everywhere I read in this book, I saw aspects of my own life.
When it came to the Great Fire, and the love story of Julia and Adam, I was enthralled. What a wonderful story of two people who refused to let circumstances prevent their love story from enfolding. I loved the loops and swirls of the love stories as more than one couple found happiness within each other. And how much historical detail was woven into this captivating story.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Limited for the read of The Last Daughter. A genuine thank you to Ann Turner for a novel that I could not put down. Give us another soon!

I am a huge historical fiction fan, and was could not wait to read this book. Through the writing, I felt like Rose, transported in time….to London 1666. I could not be more thrilled with this and am delighted to have read it. I enthusiastically recommend this to my fellow librarians.

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This book had an intriguing description, but sadly, I feel it didn’t quite live up to its promise.

I’m not quite sure what didn’t work for me with this book (apart from some extremely poor editing – or writing – but more about that later) but I did end up feeling it was a good idea that didn’t quite deliver. There were a couple of yawning plot holes that irritated me, but even putting those to one side, I just didn’t feel invested in this book.

The characters were reasonably well drawn, and engaging enough, although from time to time I felt they acted out of character; the story was interesting – although sometimes the descriptions were long winded and events were drawn out, and perhaps unnecessary to progress the plot. I think that, finally, I’m afraid I found this a bit tedious. I must admit however that most of the other reviewers on Net Galley loved it, giving it four or five stars; maybe I’m just a fussy cow!

As the story continued, I did find myself becoming increasingly irritated by

- bad grammar – the author seems to be unable to grasp the fact that the third person neutral possessive adjective DOES NOT have an apostrophe.
- incorrect vocabulary – the verb is “to slither” The snake slithers. The noun is “sliver” A sliver of wood. NOT a slither of wood. AAARGH. Equally, “to bare” is “to make naked” wheras “to bear” is “to support” Therefore “they could not bare to know the truth” is INCORRECT. These are the two examples that I remember off the top of my head, but there were others that leapt out at me.
- poor writing – In the part of the story where the beginning of the great fire was being described, the author wrote “but none failed to notice that the door of the oven was not closed” Which means that everyone noticed that it had happened. Surely, she merans “EVERYONE failed to notice…” or “NONE noticed…”

There were several sentences which were so clumsily constructed that they ended up not making sense; for example:
“Rose snuggled next to her new husband, feeling comfortable and safe by his side, could not resist a small laugh escaping”
At the very minimum, this sentence requires a comma between “Rose” and “snuggled”, but even then it’s a poorly written sentence. Do you resist a laugh escaping, or do you prevent a laugh from escaping? I would have said the latter. You resist doing something; you prevent something from happening.

I know this all seems like nit-picking, but over and over I find things like this are really noticeable, and spoil a story. If the author can’t write cohesive, well-constructed sentences, it makes me wonder how the heck they manage to get published. Ho-hum.

Three-and-a-half stars for the story, two-and-a-half for the writing, gives an average of three stars.

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The Last Daughter an exciting book of Time Travel and Romance. Period details of 1666 London, The Great Fire, Plague, and an audience with King Charles II. Great characters but I felt like some details were not always consistent with period speach or reactions to the future. I didn’t think that all the characters exposed to information regarding time travel, mobile phones and photos would be so openly accepting but be very wary of them. Excellent ending the author weaves the story lines together and the reader is not left guessing. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me to read and review. I look forward to reading more from Ann Turner.

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What an interesting story. Rose is staying at the Aragon Hotel in London as she recovers from her Father's death. She meets Alan who is the vicar at St Mildrith' a small church near her hotel. Rose meets Julia the hotel's ghost one night. Julia needs her to wed her true love who is a baker and she is a daughter of the nobility. This is Rose's ancestor and though she does not realize it at the beginning her life depends on helping Julia. Alan goes with Rose & Julia to the past to the time of the Great Fire of London in the rein of Charles II. Can Alan & Rose help without interfering with history. It is an exciting time for the two of them and much happens while in that time.

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I am in love with this book! Romance, ACTION, it has it all!!!!!!!!!!!! I could relate to Rose so much. Selfless, hard-working, and the fact she could have a "me" time inspired me so much. I absolutely love going in time and enjoying the high life of London! Amazingly well-written book and I'd recommend it to everyone!

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Love, check! Family, check! Action, check! Adventure, check! Time travel, check!

The fact that all of these elements are woven together by Ann Turner in such a wonderful way so that the reader is completely engrossed by all of it is amazing! Following Rose through her adventures we see how much of London has changed over the centuries.

Rose has always put others first; her son, her husband, her father; and now it’s time for some me time. She decides to book a hotel room and enjoy a weekend exploring London. Except it doesn’t really turn out the way she planned. Rather than relaxing and enjoying her alone time, she find adventure right where she is.

As she signs in to the hotel, she is warned that visitors have complained about a ghost who is looking for someone in the hotel. No one knows who she is or who she is looking for. Of course, the ghost comes to Rose. Unaccustomed to ghostly visits, Rose finds comfort in a small, unknown local church where she meets Alan, the Vicar.

Rose needs someone to believe her so she brings Alan back to her hotel room and the adventure begins. With Alan by her side, she is taken back to the day before the Great Fire that destroyed London. While there she meets King Charles and spends the day of the fire in his company. She and Alan continue their ‘visit’ with a young woman named Julie and her love Adam.

When they return home again, the worry is if anyone will believe them. Alan finds a number of artifacts and sends them to the Museum of London to have them authenticated. The mystery continues to unfold as more information comes to light about Julie and Rose.

What a wonderful way to visit history on such a momentous day as that of the Great Fire?

Happy Reading!

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Thankyou to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Limited for the opportunity to read this novel by Ann Turner.
I am a huge fan of historical fiction, so I was very excited to read this book. And I certainly was not disappointed. The plot was well thought out and paced, with remarkable characters. London in 1666 seemed to come alive.
Would definitely recommend this novel and am looking forward to reading more from Ann Turner.

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Netgalley thank you for the advanced readers copy of Ann Turner novel, I am a lover of historical fiction, While reading this book, I found it kept my attention but I must confess when I was finished I enjoyed it and would recommend. It.

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I tried my best with this and it’s very rare that I give up on a book once I’ve started it but I’m afraid this was one of the few. I read 25% of this before giving up and then skimming to the end. On a positive note the writer is good. But The story though and characters are completely unbelievable. Even in a time period when women were sheltered and expected to do nothing it’s difficult to believe they would be so stupid. Can’t find much positive to say about this I’m afraid. Will give it one star as I can’t give zero

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