Belgravia by Charlotte Bingham - Revision history

Sue at 08:47, 4 April 2018

2018-04-04T08:47:08Z

Sue at 12:49, 19 December 2014

2014-12-19T12:49:29Z

Sue at 17:41, 22 November 2012

2012-11-22T17:41:19Z

Keith at 11:16, 7 November 2009

2009-11-07T11:16:25Z

Keith: 1 revision

2009-10-24T17:29:41Z

1 revision

Keith at 19:13, 5 September 2008

2008-09-05T19:13:51Z

New review

{{infobox
|title=Belgravia
|author=Charlotte Bingham
|reviewer=Sue Fairhead
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=A light and enjoyable novel with more depth than much of the chick lit around. It suffers a little from a surfeit of characters.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|format=Paperback
|pages=320
|publisher=Bantam
|date=1 Jul 1991
|isbn=055340427X
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>055340427X</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>055340427X</amazonus>
}}
This is one of the earlier novels by Charlotte Bingham, one which I first read about seven or eight years ago and re-read recently. It primarily features two girls: Georgiana and Jenny. Georgiana is slim, attractive, and belongs to the upper class, although her parents are very poor and her ancestral home crumbling. Jennifer is plain, overweight and middle class, and has a pushy mother who wants her daughter to marry into the upper classes. Georgiana is rather manipulative, Jenny is delightfully shy and a little naive. Much of the novel pokes satirical fun at their friends and acquaintances, particularly Jenny's appalling mother.

But there's a more serious side too. Georgiana's childhood was spartan and unloving, with parents who ignored her and a nanny who kept telling her how privileged she was. Privilege appeared to mean that she ate one piece of dry toast for tea while the 'unfortunate' children on the estate had thick buttered toast and home-baked cakes. They played games outside, she stayed indoors on her own.

Jennifer is welcomed into debutante circles, since her unattractiveness makes the other girls stand out more. Georgiana is less popular. Yet they form a surprising friendship as their lives overlap.

There are rather too many characters for my tastes, but then I'm easily confused. Some of them were very caricatured, but I suppose that made them easier to remember. Nevertheless it was a very readable and mostly enjoyable light novel with considerably more depth than chick-lit. Recommended.

{{amazontext|amazon=055340427X}}

'''Reviews of other books by Charlotte Bingham'''

[[Goodnight Sweetheart]]
[[The White Marriage]]
{{commenthead}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=Belgravia
 |author=Charlotte Bingham
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |date=July 1991
 |isbn=055340427X
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>055340427X</amazonuk>
+|cover=055340427X
-|amazonus=<amazonus>055340427X</amazonus>
+|aznuk=055340427X
 }}
 This is one of the earlier novels by Charlotte Bingham, one which I first read about seven or eight years ago and re-read recently. It primarily features two girls: Georgiana and Jenny. Georgiana is slim, attractive, and belongs to the upper class, although her parents are very poor and her ancestral home crumbling. Jennifer is plain, overweight and middle class, and has a pushy mother who wants her daughter to marry into the upper classes. Georgiana is rather manipulative, Jenny is delightfully shy and a little naive. Much of the novel pokes satirical fun at their friends and acquaintances, particularly Jenny's appalling mother.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |buy=Yes
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=320
 |publisher=Bantam
@@ Line 25: / Line 24: @@
 {{amazontext|amazon=055340427X}}
 {{commenthead}}

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