There is nothing wrong with the writing in this book, in that there are no mistakes I could find, the subject is obviously well researched, and the time period is not done to death and taken from an interesting point of view. But... it's just really boring! I honestly wanted to like it. I tried to be interested in the little details of embroidery, or bell ringing, or Winchester cathedral (which I have been to and remember being lovely), but it was just a yawn. Even the conflict with the mother or the sapphic tones couldn't save it. The 'romance' was as flat as the rest of the story and the ending was just too convenient.

It's not a bad book and if you like really intricate glimpses of a character's day-to-day existence you might like it but I just was bored.