2.5 hours into the audiobook and I have yet to encounter anything resembling a plot. It's a very strange narrative voice that I'm sure was aiming for quirky, but it felt a lot like the experience of an ADHD train of thought in narrative form. The omniscient narrator would enter a room, proceed to hone in on a particular person or detail, get sidetracked into a different time and/or space describing the history of the character or historical relevance of an object, eventually return to the room, and then do the same thing with every single character/object in the scene. O_O I guess this book is good if you're interested in that kind of aimless historical detail. ( )

I loved the subject matter of this story, but the tense changes were frequently confusing. I get that some of that may have been intentional so as to add to the disjointedness of connecting prostitution, cholera epidemics, and grave-robbing, but it still made the flow of the story a little tricky. I found the plot itself fascinating though, and found myself conflicted on who to root for, if anyone. Overall, it was an intriguing historical read! ( )

Sheri Holman is an astonishing writer, and this is the first of her novels that I'd read. Part Dickens in its depiction of lives of poverty and social injustice, part Bram Stoker in its gothicness at times. Holman creates unique and memorable, even haunting, characters, both sympathetic and unsavory, and lets us see their hearts without imposing her judgments on us. The introductory scene with Foz and Les Chats Savants is truly one of the most memorable things I've ever read. ( )

The story behind this book had a lot of potential, however the execution of the story failed, in my opinion. While some may like the way this story was told, I found it confusing and difficult to follow. It did not keep my attention and I found myself skimming a lot. I enjoyed learning about the cholera epidemic and distrust of doctors during this time. I just wish the writing style was different so I could have enjoyed the storytelling. ( )

The Dress Lodger is a grim and unsavoury Dickens.

The writing is very descriptive, bordering on purple prose. It begins with a “fourth wall” technique speaking to the character just written, and continues throughout to use uniquely creative techniques. The characters are well drawn, if occasionally stereotypical.

This is not a novel for the squeamish or easily offended. You will learn a lot about Cholera, grave robbing, vivisection and prostitution. Maybe more than you bargained for.

My patience did grow thin with the wordiness towards the end of the book. I really wanted to be done with it. While it’s an extremely good story, the manner of its telling left me feeling depressed and disheartened. I was glad to be moving on. ( )