Cartier’s Hope by M.J. Rose
Source: NetGalley and Atria Books
Rating: 2½/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: I have read and quite enjoyed M.J. Rose previously but I’m afraid this book didn’t hit the mark for me. I was certainly interested in the stories, both factual and fictional, surrounding the Hope Diamond, but I rather disliked the story wrapped around the diamond in this particular iteration. While I realize there is a fair bit of flexibility when dealing in historical fiction, I just couldn’t really wrap my head around the story. I found much of the story be rather contrived and a stretch, at best, even when taking the historical fiction flexibility into account. With that being said, I absolutely cannot criticize the author on any of the mechanics of writing and while this book wasn’t for me, it may certainly be for many others.

This was an excellent and satisfying historical fiction read. The author brought the Gilded Age alive, and the characters were intriguing and so were their storylines. I loved how even though this is a work of fiction, there were some real characters and historical events incorporated within the story. I also loved how there was such a satisfying blend of mystery, social issues, family dynamics, and even a romance. I highly recommend this book!

Cartier's Hope is a historical fiction novel with interesting characters and storyline. M.J. Rose is a great writer and knows how to weave a great story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Who could ever forget the final scenes of the movie Titanic where a little old lady climbs the railing of a ship and lets a beautiful blue diamond slip through her fingers into the waves below. That diamond, called the Hope diamond is the basis for this story, Cartier's Hope. Cartier has opened a new store in New York, his biggest selling point being the Hope diamond. The diamond has a seemingly evil history of bad luck for anyone who touches it. Cartier inflates this history to draw more interest, and also more money, to the sale of the stone. Vera Garland belongs to high society, but longs to make a name for herself as a reporter by the name Vee Swan. She starts to investigate the history and rumors of the Hope diamond in order to expose Cartier as a fraud. Part history, part fiction, this is a fascinating look into the early 1900s, the divide between rich and poor, and the fight for women's rights and equality.

Excellent historical novel taking place during the Guilted Age in New York City. The author does a fantastic job melding the lives of the 400 with the lives and social injustice that takes place towards immigrants and women of this period. Part mystery, romance and social treat the story has great heart. The author uses the mysterious legacy of the the Hope Diamond to lead us through the lives of the people of this time. I greatly enjoyed learning about the history of gems and this great diamond. Thank you to Net Galley and Astra Books/Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

Cartier’s Hope by M.J. Rose
This certainly isn’t the first time I’ve read M.J. Rose and it definitely won’t be my last. Her novels always present opportunities for escaping the mundanity of our everyday lives. With history, mystery and romance Cartier’s Hope doesn’t disappoint.
It’s New York in 1910 where we met Vera Garland, a woman of exceptional means having being raised in New York’s elite society. This socialite, however, has a secret that only her family knows; Vera Garland has an alter ego in that manifest as Vee Swan. “Vee” is a dynamic, feisty reporter who puts safety (and true identity) at risk in order to get “the story”. Vee is determined to expose the injustices that exist in New York at the beginning of the century especially if they include the rights of women and children. One of these stories is uncovering the true history of the Hope diamond. The Hope diamond is both desired and feared and Vera has to live her own truth in order to bring the story to “Vee”. During her quest for the truth, Vera suffers loss, physical pain and a broken heart. Through it all, however, Vera Stays determined to maintain her independence during a time in history when an independent woman is something to be feared. I found myself wanting to be Vera’s friend!
I really enjoyed reading this book. With its easy prose, quick plot and elements of history, it made for a perfect weekend read.

An interesting story of a young woman of society who is also a reporter on the sly. She disguises herself to investigate and report. Her father, who is her biggest supporter, suddenly dies, and she finds a letter in his apartment where she is staying in New York. While seeking revenge for his death, she wants to uncover the secrets of the Hope Diamond, which has recently been purchased by Cartier. Does the stone really bring bad luck to its owners?

Having read Rose's previous book, Tiffany Blues, and thoroughly enjoyed it, I was looking forward to reading Cartier's Hope. When it comes to making the setting of the story come alive, Rose completely delivers - her descriptions of New York City during the Gilded Age come alive. When it came to the storyline and the characters she left me wanting a lot more. The main character, Vera, is well intended. She's a department store heiress that wants to make more out of her life than society appearances, so she goes undercover as a reporter to root out corruption and mistreatment of the poor and mistreated. And when she finds out about a scheme that caused the deaths of her uncle and father she takes on the ultimate story to expose an editor for extortion. The trouble for me is that for all the mistreatment that Vera faces from her mother and at work, she's willing to do some pretty cruel and manipulative things as her alter ego Vee Swann to meet her end goals of getting revenge. And in many ways the story itself doesn't have much to do with Cartier and the Hope Diamond - that's just Vera's "in" for setting her trap. The characters seem pretty one dimensional, and the relationship between Vera and Cartier's jeweler, Jacob Asher, doesn't seem to have good development to it. I wanted to love this one more than I did

I loved this story. I liked the characters, the timeline, the environment, and the issues portrayed. The author snags you and pulls you along into rumors, gems, and an epic story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
Ugh, boring!  Don't tell, show.  Very simple, boring writing.  It took a long time to warm up to what is actually a very good story that could benefit from a lot of editing.

A wealth of interesting facts was expounded in this novel which concerns the purchase of the Hope diamond by Pierre Cartier in 1911. The reader learns the history of the gem, originating in India (and stolen from a temple there), the history of the Cartier family, the history of NYC at the turn of the century as well as some salacious gossip about NY families during that time period.

It’s a fun and informative read. I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This book is a slow starter, but picks up as the mystery surrounding the death of the main character's uncle and her father starts to be unraveled. It gives a picture of the stultifying life of women in the golden age of the early 2oth century. Women of means were not meant to work outside the home, so being a reporter was out of the question. But many women persevered to garner attention and credit for what they could do. The Hope Diamond, being sold by Cartier is a major character in the story as it ties together many of the plot details. An interesting read!

Although it took me some time to get into this novel, I read it quickly once I really got absorbed in the story. There were several things I really liked about it. First off was the setting: 1910 New York, a time and place on the cusp of change. Vera Garland (even her name suits the time period) was a journalist passionate about exposing the injustices to women. I loved the suffrage aspect of the story. And, of course, there was the legend of the Hope Diamond interwoven throughout the novel.

Vera was mourning the loss of her father to whom she was very close. She didn't have a good relationship with her mother, and she needed to find her place in society. She was a feminist, a fighter, an intelligent woman who felt fragile after discovering a family secret. Bent on revenge, this led her into the arms of Jacob, a jeweler with a fascinating history.

M.J. Rose succeeds in bringing out the plight of women in different social contexts. However, I would have liked to have gotten to know the secondary characters better, such as Vera's journalist friends. Also, the story got bogged down with unecessary details that slowed the plot. I didn't always like Vera and her decisions, although I certainly admired her pluck and courage.

Overall, I enjoyed this historical fiction novel that explored journalism in the early 1900s to the topic of gems with all their beauty, flaws and power. Hope is explored in various ways throughout the story, both as reference to the famous cursed blue diamond and to the cheriched desire of what could happen, such as an older independant woman in the early 1900 finding love and women finding equality.

When I read the description of Cartier’s Hope, I couldn’t wait to read a NetGalley copy. I am a huge historical fiction fan and am intrigued by the glitz and glam of the 1910 time period in which the book is set. Even so, I found it rather hard to wade through all the details in this story and become thoroughly absorbed, as I generally do when I read something in this genre.

The book tells the story of Vera Garland, a female reporter bent on making her mark in journalism – an extremely male-dominated field at that time. When she hears rumors of a scheme related to the Hope Diamond, she jumps at the chance to seek out the truth. As a bonus, her research gives her the chance to get near and possibly gain revenge on someone who greatly hurt her family.

Once I got into it, I enjoyed Cartier’s Hope. However, I think this book is a good example of when less would have been more. The story packs in far too much, delving into a multitude of complex social issues, as well as a love story, Vera’s family relationships, the rich history of the Hope Diamond, and more. It was a lot to process.

This being said, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to have read an advance copy of this book. It has inspired me to learn more about the Hope Diamond and its history.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own

*Cartier's Hope*

In this latest masterpiece by author M. J. Rose, we are met by Vera Garland, a young lady of the upper crust in New York in the early 1900's, She's bold, and sometimes impulsive, yet still has a kind hearted . She searches out the injustices of life, and fights diligently for those she considers to be harmed. Yet she still dreams of love. After a series of tragedies befall those closest to her, she sets out to avenge them in a rather unconventional way. Vera begins investigating rumors about schemes by its new owner, jeweler Pierre Cartier, to manipulate its value.
The character development is wonderful, with some notable characters, Jacob Astor, a Russian Jewish jeweler working for Cartier.
Jacob is a quiet, secretive man, with more than a few secrets of his own.
When Jacob and Vera finally meet, these two will discover that their interests may not be that different.. This story is absolutely incredible. I seriously had great difficulty putting it down for more than a minute or two.
This stunning book is set against the backdrop of New York’s glitter and vile, ruthless men and the atrocities they commit in the pursuit of power, this enthralling historical novel explores our quest for love, to gain retribution. One most strive for the pursuit of destiny, regardless of the cost.

A captivating novel, about redemption, and the hope and desire that one can be redeemed. Overall, it's fascinating and engaging, and beyond entertaining

Cartier's Hope by M.J. Rose is a novel of Historical Fiction that manages to blend both the old and the new world in its subject matter. The bulk of the story takes place in 1910 yet tackles subjects such as women's rights, homosexuality and abortion which are very much concerns from today's world. Yes, they were certainly issues from that period of time also but you won't find them addressed as freely in the literature written from that era. This is all centered around a story involving the famous Hope Diamond which was in possession at that time by the famous jeweler, Pierre Cartier, of the the House of Cartier.

Legend has it that there is a curse attached to the Hope Diamond declaring that if one were to touch the diamond, that bad luck would come to the beholder. Our protagonist, Vera Garland, the daughter of a very successful department store magnet, goes undercover to research these claims. While the legend itself is not her primary intention, she is using it as a ruse to investigate corruption in the publishing world by a certain local newspaper owner. Being a member of New York City's upper crust, Vera decides that she must work under the pseudonym, Vee Swann, and pursues her passion of investigative reporting in what was, at that time, a man's world.

Vera must deal with many different conflicts along the way, usually involving other people's expectations, as well as interpersonal conflicts with how she chooses to live her own life. Of course, there's also the difficulty of trying to keep her two personas separate without being outed or causing other unintended problems. There are several different family, social and romantic dynamics she must always try to balance as she delves into her quest for what she believes and knows is her personal calling to do something good for the world.

The plot and the various details of the book were interesting and I found to make a good story. On another level, personally, I found the storytelling, as a whole, rather cheesy. So much of it was very transparent and too predictable. A little more mystery and surprise twists would have kept my interest for much longer. There were many details yet, at the same time, a certain depth seemed to be missing. Many of the angles were too simplistic and worked out too perfectly to the point that I just wasn't buying most of the story as being believable. As much as I wanted to like this book, all in all, I found it to be only so so. Easy to read, an interesting plot, lots of subjects interwoven within, yet a glossed over presentation that, I'm sorry to say, did not impress me all that much. I'm sure that many others would like this book but I guess that I just wasn't the proper audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the eBook for a fair and honest review.

I am generally uncomfortable writing a bad or negative review about anything. I often boils down to “it’s not my thing” or “I didn’t enjoy this, but it might be great for you.”
This is very much the case with Cartier’s Hope.
I read the description, thought it sounded intriguing, and jumped on my chance to review it early through NetGalley.
So. Much. Exposition.
The author felt it was in the reader’s best interest to know every minute detail about every scene, every object in that scene, and every explanation of why those things were in the scene.
I tried. I really tried. Thinking that the author was just trying to build up the beginning to let us, the reader, feel truly comfortable in the setting... but alas. No.
I was 41% into the book before we got to the investigations, schemes, and love interest mentioned in the description.

To sum up: if you like to know ever detail about the story you are reading, this book will be great for you. I hope you enjoy!

Rating: 1.5 stars
Would I recommend? No

I thought this book started off pretty well with the mystery of the Hope diamond as a great teaser; however, it wasn't until my kindle reached over 40 percent through the book, that any real discussion or plot involving the diamond was fully brought to being a part of the story line. Due to the name of the book, I was assuming and hoping that the diamond would have been a main plot line. In all, the story was quite scattered with too many competing parts of the stories, with none of them developed well. Each were interesting in their own right, Vera's father's past, women's rights movement, Vera's love interest, the Hope Diamond, Vera's relationship with her mom, etc, but again, they all seemed like many short stories rolled into one novel. I was hoping for better, but a decently good read for the little background and history of the Hope diamond.

This author is a bit of a hit or miss for me overall, and I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. But I read the description and decided to give it a try.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and have no problems with a 3 star rating, but it didn't really grab me and hold my attention so that I wanted to see what would happen next. I had a few issues with the main character and just really didn't bond with any of them.
It was still a good book and I would encourage anyone who is interested in NYC history and the gilded age to give it a try. The author's writing style is good and there's potential here.

I enjoyed this work of historical fiction. The opulence and poverty of NY in the Gilded Age was fascinating to read about. Vera was a strong character and I admired her independence.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.