The Book Wheel

Books, Politics, & More

  • Genres
    • Sortable Archive
      • Reviews by Author
      • Reviews by Genre
      • Reviews by Title
    • #30Authors
      • #30Authors Reviews
      • Lineup
    • Fiction
      • Historical Fiction
      • Mystery/Thriller
    • Non-Fiction
      • Biography
      • Economic
      • Memoir
      • Science/Tech/Psychology
      • True Crime
    • Political
    • More Options
      • 1001 List
      • Classics
      • Diverse
  • Book Club Picks
  • Lists
  • Other
    • Blogging
    • Career
    • Discussions
    • Lifestyle
    • Productivity
  • About
    • Accolades
    • Advertising
    • Policies
    • Resources
      • Authors
      • Contributors
    • What is a ‘Book Wheel’?

‘Last Camellia’ is Lackluster

November 4, 2013 by Allison Hiltz 10 Comments

‘Last Camellia’ is LacklusterThe Last Camellia by Sarah Jio
Published by Penguin Group, Plume on January 1, 2013
Genres/Lists: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages: 320
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)three-stars


The last week has been absolutely crazy thanks to two papers and a whole lot of coffee. My brain was on overload and then, thankfully, I received some book mail from Rebecca @ Love at First Book. She has an uncanny ability to always send me just what I need when I need it and The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio was no exception. A combination of light and fluffy but with an actual plot, I read the book in two days in between paper writing and it offered the respite I needed.

In a nutshell, The Last Camellia is a mystery novel that takes place in two different settings (present day and 1940’s) but in the same location. Present day Addison’s past is catching up to her and so she convinces her husband to skip across the ocean to Livingston Manor. The manor’s key feature is its orchards, and in particular the camellias. Once there, she starts to uncover the mystery of several young women who died during the 1940’s and tries to figure it out while dealing with her own demons.

Photo Credit: Island Eye News

Then there’s Flora, who was hired as a nanny for the Livingston children but, really, she was hired to steal a very rare camellia called the Middlebury Pink. She arrives at the manor around the time that women are disappearing and doesn’t quite know what to make of the Livingston family. The whole place is a bit depressing after the recent (and questionable) death of Lady Anna, the mistress of the estate and lover of all things flowers.

At this point the book was a solid 4 stars. Naturally, there’s some love thrown in and manor living is predictable (snotty kids and gossipy servants). Most of the characters weren’t fully developed but I was able to gloss over that part, too.  But then I got to the end and it plummeted. Now, I’m not one to judge a book by its ending just because I don’t like it, but I do have a problem with unfinished endings. And unfortunately, The Last Camellia left me confused and pretty irritated. Sure, I can speculate about what happened but I really have no idea. It’s not that it was complex, but rather that it seemed like the author had a page limit and rushed to stay under it. Honestly, 2 more pages would have fixed the whole problem.

The worst part about this ending is that I loved the author’s other book, Violets of March. Plus, Jio has another book that’s probably good but I’m hesitant to pick it up now. The same thing happened with Lucinda Riley, who wrote one great book and one so-so book, so now I’m torn on whether to read her third. So if you’re looking for an easy read, then you may as well pick this one up and read all but the the Epilogue. Maybe then you won’t be irritated like me!

Have you ever read two books by the same author and had entirely different opinions about their quality?

Related Posts

  • Same Genre
  • 3 Star Books
  • Penguin Group
the child finder by rene denfeld
Denfeld’s ‘The Child Finder’ a Work of Subtle and Lyrical Beauty
‘Orphans of Race Point’ Explores the Outer Limits of Friendship
The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom
TLC Book Tours: The First Phone Call From Heaven
the end of loneliness by benedict wells.
The End of Loneliness and How the Past Blinds Us to the Future
Last Night At Twisted River
Last Night In Twisted River by John Irving (Book Review)
Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
Family Secrets and the Search for ‘Sylvie Lee’
The Interestings
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer (Book Review)
Thank You Economy
‘The Thank You Economy’ and Why Manners Matter
get your shit together by sarah knight
Getting Your Sh*t Together In Under 5 Hours
confessions of an economic hitman
Unbelievably Believable
Originals by Adam Grant
Exploring the Power of Ideas in ‘Originals’
the life we bury by allen eskens
The Role of Guilt Plays a Major Role in ‘The Life We Bury’
tale for the time being
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Book Review)
The Long Walk
My First King: The Long Walk

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged With: Historical Fiction

Email Newsletter

Sign up to get new reviews in your inbox the day they go live.

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Upcoming Reviews

Allison's books

Searching for Sylvie Lee
Searching for Sylvie Lee
by Jean Kwok
A Woman Is No Man
A Woman Is No Man
by Etaf Rum
The Leavers
The Leavers
by Lisa Ko

goodreads.com

Trending Now

“Hope Street” is a Touching Tale

‘Eve in Hollywood’ is Enticing

Revolutionize How You Think About Food (Book Review)

‘Dear Fang’ – A Story of Mental Illness and Human Nature

Scientology: The Story Behind the Elusive Religion

Elizabeth Vargas’ ‘Between Breaths’ a Must-Read Memoir of Addiction

Sinclair Lewis’ Social Satire in Babbitt (Book Review)

Content may not be reposted in full or without permission. This site includes affiliate links.

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in