Review: Daily life in England during the Depression
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2014
I found "Hearts of Gold" to be slow moving and of little interest, and gave up at about 18%. The book's strongest features are that the writing is decent (YA level?) and the descriptions of life in England in the 1930's are both credible and clear. Its weaknesses are stereotypical characters and a story line that is weak and/or moves at a glacial pace. The protagonist is a teen aged girl, Bethan. Her daily life is described in detail. The most annoying stereotype was Elizabeth, Bethan's mother, who has grown into a bitter, whining, ego-centric person whose major joy comes from destroying any slight pleasures of others. The plot line has gone almost nowhere and reading to this point has been hard work. Not a bad book, but of no interest to me. Suitable to a young-reader audience, if it can hold their interest-- which seems doubtful to me.