The lengthy historical novel “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” was written by New York Times bestselling author Mackenzi Lee and was first published in 2017.
My Thoughts
I don’t know what to make of this book. I’ve read all kinds of reviews celebrating this story, so I thought, with these good ratings, I have to get it too.
To briefly summarise the plot, it’s about a trio around Monty, his sister Felicity and his best friend Percy in the 1700s. When the three of them go on a “Grand Tour of Europe”, everything unexpectedly goes off the rails.
It wasn’t easy to get into the book somehow, and when I (finally) did, the book turned on its head with its narrative. There was just too much happening for me. How can literally everything go off the rails so quickly?! Honestly, I think the story could have ended halfway through the book.
I found it difficult to follow the story, and my interest withered the more I read of the book. Also, I was not too fond of Monty’s character at all. He was often narcissistic and just plain annoying. The story would have benefited from being told from Percy’s point of view.
Nevertheless, I liked the humour and the endearing characters, Felicity and Percy. But even that couldn’t save my reading experience.
My rating for ‘The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue’
There may have been a few parts I liked. But in general, it wasn’t my cup of tea.
About the author
Mackenzi Lee is an American New York Times bestselling author, best known for her historical fantasy novels, most notably “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue”, which has won multiple awards.
Its sequel “The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy” also enjoyed great popularity. The third part of the book series “The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks” was recently published.
