Chloe (Women of Ivy Manor, #1) by Lyn Cote

Chloe (Women of Ivy Manor, #1) Reviews

• 
  Kerith

  The first book in a series about the Women of Ivy Manor completely disappointed me. The characters were never truly drawn, but instead marched through the story as cardboard cutouts, while the plot never committed to anything. The title character was especially annoying. She spent much of the book silent and reactive, moaning and groaning that she could never do anything right -- yet at the beginning she showed some promise. I don't know. I may try the second one to see if it gets better, simply because I'm a sucker for family sagas throughout American history. But not yet. I'm off for something better.
• 
  Jerry

  A Quickie Review
  
  From the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, Chloe lives through an epic time in America's history. Unfortunately, the writing does not match up. Fans of historical Christian fiction might like it, though they probably won't love it.
  
  Content Concerns: An infant suffers from convulsions; people drink alcohol at a speak-easy; and that's about as problematic as it gets.
  
  Score: 2.75/5
• 
  Christina

  I really liked this book. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because for my own personal taste it would have been nice for the character to come into herself a little bit sooner. Other than that, this was a fantastic read with wonderful characters. Lyn Cote is quickly becoming another of my favorite authors.
• 
  Kirsten

  I have been in a rut in my reading for awhile. I just couldn't get into anything. After thinking it over, I remembered that I loved historical fiction as a child and that I had this novel. I really didn't think I would like it. Boy, was I wrong...
  
  Chloe is a love story without being a romance novel. While she does marry, the love plot is focused more on her parents, friends, and her daughter, Bette. I actually enjoyed this more than a historical romance plot. I loved seeing Chloe, who can be really weak, become a stronger woman.
  
  I had a few minor issues though. First, I didn't feel like things got exciting until her husband dies during the war. Don't get me wrong. It was fun, but I almost didn't continue.
  
  Also, it drove me crazy that some characters fates were not discussed at the end of the book. However, I started reading Bette (the second book) and Kitty and Minnie are mentioned within the first 44 pages. That is the only reason I can let that go though.
  
  Overall, Chloe got me really interested in the twenties and historical fiction again. I can't wait to read (more of) Bette to see what happens next in this series.
• 
  Barbara

  This is a Christian historical romance that takes place during the roaring twenties and the beginning of the great depression (1917 to 1930). It is a quick, easy read, but also has a deeper layer: how do individuals deal with insecurity and moral temptation, and what happens to their faith when they undergo trials? The attention to historical details makes the story come alive; it gives you the feeling that you are actually there. The characters are well developed also; you find yourself routing for some to make the right choices and truly disliking others. Any fan of historical fiction will love this novel.
• 
  Laura

  I liked this book a lot!! I don't always like historical novels, but since it took place in the 20th century, a time period I'm interested in, I loved the book.
  
  The novel moved quickly, was easy to read, and had an interesting plot. I like how she combines history with the novel and how it shows how the characters are affected by current events, which is true for all people. We're all affected by the world around us.
  
  And the author is from Wisconsin :).
• 
  Leigh

  This is the first in a series of historical fiction novels based around fictious female characters of Ivy Manor. This character, Chloe, faces war and the great depression. It is a great protrayl of responses to war, prohibition and changes in American culture including racial and gender. A very quick read.
• 
  April

  This was a great historical fiction/romance. You really feel like you are right their in the 1920's. I loved the old fashioned southern manners and courting rituals. This is actually a series of books. They are faith based, and clean, the romance stops at tasteful spots. Lyn Cote is actually a very good writer and I am reading the other books in this series.
• 
  Rose Springer

  Gentle Christian fiction read centering around the era of WWI with believable characters struggling with issues of their time. In all the books of this series, the central message is one of faith in God's plan for your life and of being completely truthful, especially with those you love.
• 
  Gina

  I've read the entire series and this is about my favorite one. The author gets you hooked right away into the story and you laugh and cry with the characters. Very well-written, very much worth the read.
• 
  Caitlin N.

  An enjoyable read, but sad. The book follows Chloe and the supporting characters in her life as they make one poor choice after another, sinking further into misery and hiding themselves behind facades for 10 long years, until everything comes to rights in the last chapter.
• 
  Mareena

  I love this book! Chloe finds first love, and when he dies, she finds her true love. Perfect story!
  
• 
  Stella

  I enjoyed this book and zipped through it - enjoyed learning about the era and the character as she developed from controlled to free! I need to find the others!
• 
  Cathy

  Even though Chloe frustrated me a lot, especially towards the end, I loved the historical time frame and it spanning so many years and the drama! (In a good way)
• 
  Tebafin

  predictable but cute story
• 
  Sara Elkington

  This story is available via audiobook and so I checked it out at my library. I very, very much enjoyed it up until the sixth CD (out of 7). I kept setting up projects like ironing, pitting cherries, and doing other small tasks so I could be near the living room where I had the CD playing. The historical setting and characters' fitting into this topsy-turvy setting made this, though a work of fiction, highly engrossing and educational since we know these things happened. Historical fiction is pretty much all I read, and I'd say this is a quick read, a great look at the 20's, and mostly enjoyable. I'm glad I read it. Here's a few snags though:
  
  At the sixth CD, I started feeling a redundancy in descriptions, characters' behaviors, and plain old plot. There were also a couple improbable interactions between characters. ***** Mini-Spoiler alert ******: When Chloe goes to Paris to essentially "figure things out", she goes to see Madame Blanche. I hate it when authors write that people look at someone and essentially can mind-read that someone's feelings. The author, Cote, did a lot of this. At the dress shop of Madame Blanche in Paris, supposedly Blanche can read all these things about Chloe. I suppose that is plausible. But it seemed like she just knew too much, too quickly, and it was too impossible. Did this bother anyone else??
  
  Another thing I kept wondering about was Chloe's relationship with her parents. Rourke's family, and particularly Rourke, seemed to share the same disdain for Chloe's father. Why? Yes, Chloe's father was a cheater and Chloe's mother was obnoxious. Chloe's parents were self-centered and quarrelsome, but the the way Chloe and Rourke talked about the father, I kept thinking we would discover something much worse about him. I guess maybe my standards are lowered because I just read the Color Purple. :) I think this is a reflection on my misunderstanding, not the author's, but I do feel a bit more character development of the father would have been helpful. Anyone else feel that way?
  
  Over-all, as I said before, I'm glad I read this and will read the next three. Concerning the same time period (though not centered in the 20's, but more the teen's) I would recommend Fall of Giants by Ken Follet.
  
  
• 
  Brenda

  It has been at least 2 years since I read Chloe. I just realized that the other books in the series were out, I had gone immediately to the story after finishing Chloe, to try and buy another in the series only to be told there were none written yet. I don't remember all of the details but can tell you this book was a very fast read! Written during the Great Depression, and once you finish one, you'll want to run to where ever you buy your books to get the next one in the series! I'm going to go and get another now I know they are out and who the author is again.
  
  Here is the info from the back of the book:
  Award-winning author Lyn Cote delivers the first story in her moving Women of Ivy Manor series about four generations of women, set against the sprawling tapestry of the twentieth century. Chloe Lorraine Kimball is born at the estate of Ivy Manor in the wee hours of the twentieth century. She is the apple of her grandmother's eye, if not her mother and father's. For despite a home filled with everything a young girl could desire, she lacks the one thing she wants above all else-unconditional love from her parents. Thinking she can win that love through her actions, she creates a successful life for herself in Washington, DC, as the belle of her father's political career. Bright and beautiful, she revels in the attention she receives from the capitol's major players. But in the end, as her world comes crashing down amid the opening months of the Depression, Chloe must realize that whether or not she's capable of giving and receiving love is something entirely up to her. And perhaps she can finally find happiness on her own terms.
• 
  Alicia

  This book was well written and enjoyable to read. The characters were easy to connect with and understand. While the pacing was fast as the book too place over the course of many years it was easy to follow. I liked that the point of view did change throughout the novel so that you could see how other characters were thinking and feeling in certain situations. Chloe was a strong woman in a time when it was difficult for a woman to carve out her own place in the world. The situations Chloe found herself in were truly heart wrenching. The decisions she had to make in order to move on with her life were tough. I felt myself rooting for her throughout the book. I also felt for her. She carried around so much pain and heart ache for so long. In the end of the book, it was nice to see her get her happy ending. The ending wrapped up the novel well and did the characters justice.
  This book swept me away with it from the very beginning. I had a very hard time putting the book down. I think the author did a really good job being historically accurate. I liked that the hardships of the war, the stock market crash, and the Great Depression were not sugar coated. They were represented as harshly, heartbreaking, and scary as I’ve been told by my grandparents. The author also managed to capture the decadence and splendor of the Roaring Twenties and the years leading up to the stock market crash. This book became one of my all-time favorites.
• 
  Khadija

  I really enjoyed this book and zoomed right through it. Its a 4 book series about the women of Ivy League, starting off with Chloe. Her story starts during the 1900's in the south (MD) where slavery and inequality were still very real. Chloe is a rich high society girl who is trapped in her senator father's high demands of her and mother's expectations of her as an elite Carlysle woman. The story revolves around how she tries to break away from her family while still trying to remain sincere to them by moving to NYC after marrying her soldier husband. Her life changes from being a dependant girl to an independant woman who fights for her rights as well as rights of others. But somehow things come crashing down on her during the course of WWI. Its her story about how she finds herself again through all the turmoil during that time.
  
  Its got good historical references which was actually very informative.
• 
  Diane

  I have one comment solely about the audio of this book…very poor editing. There were places where the tracks were not in order and this problem persisted over two discs. Chloe was in the arms of Drake, and then she was in the hospital tending to Kitty. At first I thought my mind had wandered and I was missing something. But then I switched discs, and the next thing I know, Chloe hears about Kitty going into the hospital. Bad editing.
  
  As far as the story, it was only an ok. I generally prefer my historical fiction to be a bit more accurate. I find it difficult to believe that there were three men with such different names. Theron, Rourke (I could be off on the spelling but I was utilizing the audio version) and Drake Lovelady for heaven sake. Where were the Henrys, the Franks, and the Toms?
  
  I was not really a fan of the character of Chloe…she was just generally irritating.
  
  For fluff, this was just ok.
• 
  Ashley

  This book was loaned to me by a friend, and I'm glad I didn't buy it. It wasn't so much the writing that I didn't enjoy, because the writing was great, but the main character Chloe seemed like she was bipolar and couldn't cope with life, in general. Even in the end when life seemed to be getting back to normal for her, she still wasn't completely happy. But, her family was even worse. However, the story was riveting and the theme was gripping. WWI and then the stock market crash of 1929 couldn't have been better backdrops for this story, and I love those two periods of history, so it made the book even better.
  If you don't mind sub-par main characters, but love speakeasies, flappers, men in uniform and a sorrowful love story, this book might just be the one for you.
• 
  Marion Marchetto

  Chloe is the turn of the century equivalent of today's pampered princess but she longs for so much more. To say that this young woman takes destiny into her own hands is an understatement. Her adventures take her away from home only to bring her back again. But she finds in the long run that love is from within.
  
  The character of Chloe, first brought to life in this story, soon becomes the matriarch of the the Women of Ivy Manor as we follow her story through the successive books. This story is captivating and a must read for any young woman looking to find herself. While spanning the time period from 1900 through World War I, it packs a lot of punch into that short time period. The people we meet are real and vibrant. Kudos to Lyn Cote for such a terrific read!
  
  
• 
  Cecilyn

  For a lot of this book, I kept thinking, I'll have to give it a 2....Chloe just kind of irritated me, and was just too helpless half the time. But I ended up with a 3 mostly because of the historical account. I loved reading about the speakeasies, New York during the 20's, and the start of the depression. Cote did a pretty good job twining her plot with the culture of the time, and I really appreciated it. I also made peace with Chloe's character...she does eventually buck up, and I figure that quite a few women were like her in that they didn't stand up for themselves very often and had to make choices for their paths that ultimately were for other people instead of for themselves.
• 
  Dianne Sidebottom

  I come across this author in the recent "Scavenger Hunt" and when I spotted the book at church, I took it. The story to me could be a believable biography. I don't live in the USA so your history is not greatly known by me. Very strong personalities involved in the drama that unfolded. Chloe's parents were really hard to deal with n can understand why she wanted to get away from their influence. Meeting the French Fashion lady was a chance meet.
  
  As the story unfolded I am left wondering about Kitty going to California. Plus Chloe going to France n not finding her husband grave makes me sus that maybe he didn't die n is with Kitty. Not sure if more is revealed "Bette n Leigh"?
• 
  Aubree

  I loved this series! All of the books were very historically accurate and the author did a superb job of weaving the historical details into the lives of fictional characters. I also appreciated the Christian morals and values that the characters possessed and taught to each other. The end of the series was very touching and made me tear up, although I think I might have been more emotional over finishing the series and leaving Ivy Manor behind!
• 
  Amy

  Listened to this one on audiobook as I ran every day on vacation. I love the historical aspect of it, and really think I'm going to enjoy the fact that it is the first in a series of 4 that follows each daughter of the previous book. Chloe drove me crazy sometimes with how much she lacked a backbone, but finally did get it toward the end. Loved all the historic references and felt like I was in the 20s, a time period I've always loved.
• 
  Bethany Mustafa

  Now that I reflect on this book it's not so bad. I was getting out of a very long bookless-funk(about a year and a half) and I was very critical of just about anything I read. It's really not so bad, almost enjoyable. All that to say: if this book sounds interesting to you, then you should definitely give it a try. It wasn't my favorite, but you may absolutely love it.(you never know)
• 
  Sheri

  The story started off quite good.(3.5 stars) The middle was ridiculous,long,and awful. (1 star) The ending was excellent(5 stars), but took too long to get there- then, just when it was getting good, it was over. I would rather have the lame middle section be much more concise (or more interesting), and have more about Chloe and Rourke rebuilding the county at the end.