The cover is beautiful. The synopsis sounds amazing. I was so excited to read this one! And oh what a let down. Look, every book is not for everyone. This was the first book by this author I've ever picked up so maybe I'm not used to their work. I wanted to love it, I just couldn't get into it enough to enjoy it no matter how hard I've tried. I'm so sorry! I hate leaving not great reviews but I also want to be honest. 😕 Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.

This novel ended up being DNF for me; I was unable to create a connection to the storyline and that's okay! Sometimes we're in a book hangover, sometimes it just doesn't connect. Thank you to all for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC!

I just could not get into this one. The setting and era were just not for me. Maybe I can get back to it later and enjoy it but right now it's a pass.

A DNF..

In Our Kind of People, the reader steps into a time machine back into New York's gilded age of 1874. Step into the world of high society; Helen Wilcox is married to Joshua Wilcox. He is originally from a lower class then Helen, and even though there was resistance from Helen's mother to marry him, they have been together for many years and they have two teenage daughter's, Alice and Jeminawho are on the brink of coming out into the high society circles. Joshua is working at the railroad company that is developing the Elevated, the new elevated train tracks that are going to run through NYC soon, is the plan. But things are not going as planned and while the Wilcox family try hard to keep up appearances, money is getting tighter, because Joshua is lending money everywhere for the plans to start the Elevated, and it even goes so out of hand that the house of the Wilcox family is sold by forclosure by one of his men that he owes money to, and they have to movie in with Helen's mother. Will their live ever go back how it was now that they are out of the high society circles?
The cover and synopsis draw me to read th is book. Especially the first and middle parts of this book are the strongest, story-wise. In these parts it has drama and tension, and as a reader you slowly see the Wilcox family lives fall apart. That takes until the two last parts, where all of a sudden the Elevated is sold publicly and the fate of the family seems to turn. But I must say that part has so many loose ends until the end that it left me questioning what the outcome of it was for the Wilcox family, and the end felt very rushed. So I have mixed feelings about this book, although the first part truly where good, it is written beautifully and detailed, and everything perfectly fits in the 1874 time period. I only wanted to like it more then I did because the somewhat strange and rushed ending. A missed chance!

A beautiful cover and a very interesting premise! With that in mind, this one just couldn’t catch my attention. Might try it again in the future but for now, DNF as I couldn’t get into it.

Helen and Joshua have major plans for whom their daughters will marry. When their daughters want to marry men of the own choosing, they are shocked. I really could not get into Helen. I thought she was prejudiced, vain, and selfish. I understood she did not want her daughters to be like her, but I thought she’d want her daughter’s happiness. Overall, this story is about a manipulative mother who tries to make her daughters marrry for wealth and money. This novel tells the story of elite society and their prejudices. I recommend this fans of The Vanderbilts, A Well-Behaved Woman, and American Duchess!

Highly recommend for anyone enjoys reading about old world New York City.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

Having just finished watching the Guilded Age on TV, I was excited to start this one. It was fun reading about the same time period and all the drama and society expectations. I liked reading about the clothes and parties as well as the social snubs. The women main characters were much better developed than the males who were more peripheral in the story.

This was entertaining and I would recommend it for anyone who likes to read about that time period in NYC history.

It's the Gilded Age in New York City, and the Wilcox family is making their way through the crowds. Helen Wilcox has dreams of setting her girls in to society, with the troubles that befall the family putting her plans in jeopardy. A nice read.

From the author ( Carol Wallace) whose novel “to marry an English lord” inspired the television series Downton Abbey is her new novel following an American family in the gilded age. The Wilcox family is fueled with “old” and “new” money. Helen (old money) and Joshua (new money) form their family in the mid 1880’s. Their daughters are coming up in New York City society. and their ascension into it is the novels central plot.When reading this novel you follow their highs and lows and with its soap opera tone holds your attention to the end. Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for a unbiased review. Out of five stars on goodreads I give it 3.

This book was ok but like any book it had its slow moments. It's these slow moments that I learned things from.
Things like the Gilded Age. I haven't read too much about this era but I do like it. I'll need to read more about it.
The author has done an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and I really enjoyed being there.
I believe the the clothing was a bit different as well.
I especially loved the lessons that were learned along the way and some weren't always easy for Jemima and her sister.
Change can be hard. For some harder.
I adored this family and sometimes my heart hurt for them.
This family made me proud though. I knew that it would take strength, determination and effort to help with their life's journey.
They proved to me time and again that they were magnanimous.
The author is spot on about one thing in this book. The snobbery. That's going to be in any class of people no matter what the social status is or where you are.

I like reading novels set in old New York, but this one was extremely slight. If you like very light romances where everyone is rich, white and snobbish and things turn out ever so well in the end, this is for you. I suggest reading Edith Wharton instead. 3 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a family drama set in gilded age NYC. The family loses and then regains their fortune in transit speculation when their girls are becoming debutantes.

There are love stories but it’s really about how society was changing at the time with the old money vs. the newly rich. The author wrote a non-fiction book that was used for reference with Downton so she knows her stuff. I loved it! This book made me remember how much I love to read historical fiction books set in this era.

Our Kind of People tells the story of Jemima and Alice Wilcox and their entry to society during the Gilded Age. I wanted to read this novel because I have always been interested in this time period. I also was intrigued by descriptions of this book as being by the author who helped inspire Downton Abbey.

What a fascinating, engrossing novel! The author has the rare gift to transport readers to another time and place. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.

I enjoyed this book which told the story of a young Jewish teacher trying to live her life in a world where antisemitism is the norm. It was heartbreaking as this young woman even had to change her name to get a job. She persevered, however, and even managed to find happiness. I highly recommend this book.

This is one of those types of books that you just want to savor, so that is exactly what I did.
Helen Wilcox comes from money, she grew up among New York City's Gilded Age elite.
There is a certain expectation that comes along with this of course. Her marriage is unconventional in the sense that she married down, not in the same class as herself. Her marriage like all of them has it's ups and downs. Her mother thinks she has married way beneath her class but there is no taking into account who your heart connects with. Yes, she knows her husband's way of doing things is not conventional. He has a brilliant idea of making the family rich beyond belief if his plan for modern travel plans out but many wealthy investors are needed. Meanwhile Helen is preparing to present her daughters into society. With the family's ebb and flow of wealth the girls must reexamine what they believe is important in life and even love.
Excellent and highly recommended!
#OurKindofPeople #NetGalley.

Pub Date 11 Jan 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Review will be posted on 1/27/22
It's the Gilded Age in New York City where manners, money, and old families rule high society. Helen Wilcox used to be part of New York's elite until she married Joshua, a mere country boy. She met him at her family's summer home and despite her mother's disapproval, she went ahead with their marriage. Two daughters later, the Helen and Joshua are still on the fringes of society, especially so because he has invested all their money in an elevated railroad that will run through congested New York City. Their eldest daughter, Jemima, is about to enter society, but things aren't easy for the Wilcox family. Certain old families aren't welcoming to them; plus, Joshua has made some poor decisions financing the elevated railroad. The timing couldn't be worse and now they find themselves in dire straits. Thankfully Helen's mother has come to the rescue, reluctantly, but Jemima's chances at making a decent match are few and far between now. It appears that doesn't matter though as Jemima has her eyes on a bachelor who is definitely not part of their social circle. Will the Wilcox family ever rise from the ashes and will Jemima make an advantageous match? Our Kind of People by Carol Wallace is a quiet sort of historical novel that brings to life the manners, decorum, and the cut-throat social scene of the Gilded Age in New York City.

I really enjoyed bookish Jemima from the start of Our Kind of People. I had high hopes for her, but she latches on to a most unsuitable gentleman that not only isn't part of her social circle, but is also someone her father owes money to. Cue the awkwardness. As the Wilcox family fortune comes crumbling down, they lose even more to Jemima's love interest. I don't want to give any more away, but Jemima's entrance into society is a bumpy one. It appears that runs in the family as her younger sister, Alice, also is interested in someone that her mother and grandmother would never approve of. So, lots of drama is in store for the Wilcox women.

Wallace also gives us background regarding Helen and Joshua's relationship in Our Kind of People and many chapters are from their perspectives. When Helen first met Joshua she Helen put herself, much like her daughters, in a compromising situation, so her mother has no choice but to let her relationship with Joshua progress otherwise there would be a scandal. Helen didn't have any other suitors, so this may was her only chance at a marriage. As the years go by, Joshua doesn't really take to life in high society and his mother-in-law never really approves of him. Once he gets involved in the elevated railroad, high society is skeptical, but he believes it will make them rich, but readers wonder at what cost?

Wallace brings to life the Gilded Age very well in Our Kind of People. The rules, the manners, the rude people who dismiss others based on their family's history were all highlighted in this novel. One wrong look from a powerful women in society could mean your family isn't invited to future events, etc. These women were the original mean girls.

While I found the intricate details of the Gilded Age to be fascinating at first, I slowly tired of the "rich people problems".........who wore what dress, who is wearing the biggest jewel, who didn't acknowledge whom, etc. The last half of the book grew repetitive in this manner and it made me roll my eyes. Wallace's previous novel was partially the inspiration for Downtown Abbey, so I had high hopes for Our Kind of People; however, it was just an average read for me.

So, are you a fan of the Gilded Age? Is Our Kind of People on your TBR list? Let me know in the comments below.

2.5 ⭐️ but rounding down.

Looking through other reviews some really really love this book and I just couldn’t get into it. While I love Downton Abbey and I can see how this book fits into that era and vibe it just didn’t catch me. I almost DNF it, and I can’t even say I’m glad I stuck it out. The last quarter was good but it just wasn’t worth my time.

The book jumps around a lot. From character perspectives to scene based reading and it was abrupt at time. I was very bored with the girls and now having finished I almost would like to read more about Thad and Felix.

By the end I was rooting for the Wilcox family and I liked that it was tied up well. I just wish it was a little better.

My late grandmother and her mother were, for want of a better term, snobs. They had a phrase which was passed down to my mother and I: NOCD. “Not our class, dear.” They perceived themselves as being better than those to whom they applied this term, even when they had more in common than they were willing to admit. Reading Our Kind of People reminded me often of this phrase. Because, to some elements of New York society in this novel, the Wilcox family is NOCD.

There are so many angles to the storyline. Yes, on the surface, it’s about a mother’s plans for her daughters. But there’s also a deeper element about deciding whether to fit in with society’s expectations. A neighbor is considered less than respectable because of his ostentatious lifestyle. An older gentleman is a Civil War veteran who survived amputation and is now a widow raising a young child. Helen’s husband, Joshua, didn’t come from money and that’s reason enough for certain society doyennes to give her the cut. There’s a scene where Joshua makes a huge – and very risky – financial decision. My heart sunk as I read it because I could already see the outcome. To tell you what happens after would be a massive spoiler, but it does force Helen to make some massive decisions about her daughters’ debuts, and the rivalry which ensues is reminiscent of the real-life Astor-Vanderbilt rivalry.

This is a great work of fiction set during the Gilded Age. It’s set shortly after the Panic of 1873 and includes flashbacks to the antebellum era. It portrays relationships between the different generations, and how opinions could be shaped and changed. There’s a variety of characters, from both the upstairs and downstairs populations of a Gilded Age home. Some chapters are short and feel like vignettes; interludes that make points about society. Those make for ideal stopping points and contribute to the ease of reading.

As for the ending, I definitely don’t want to tell you about it because it would give away a large part of the plot. Suffice to say, it’s a great payout.

Disclaimer: Although I received an electronic Uncorrected Proof of this book from the publisher, the opinions above are my own.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: historical fiction
Pub date: 1/11/22 (out now!)
In one sentence: In Gilded Age New York City, Helen Wilcox just wants her daughters to marry well, but it won't be easy as her husband risks everything to build an elevated railroad.

Historical fiction is a go-to genre for me, and when a friend raved about this one, I knew I had to pick it up! I was intrigued by the time period - I hadn't read much about the late 1800s. I loved the society battles - Gossip Girl has nothing on the book's villain Annabelle van Ormskirk and her tight grip on society. I also enjoyed the train storyline - since public transit is now so important to NYC, it's hard to imagine the city without it! With personal and professional high stakes, I was definitely engrossed in the story.

I think historical fiction fans will find a lot to like about this one!