A review by bookstorian
Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey

3.75

I was certainly intrigued to read 'Peggy' from the get go, not only was the cover eye-catching, but the blurb also drew me in, historical fiction work about a 20th century patron of the arts, sure! 

Here's what I liked about the novel:
  • Learnt a lot about Peggy (family, personal life, marriage, passion for the arts). Curious to know more about her later life. Have already saved a number of podcasts to listen to in order to hear more. 
  • Could mostly keep track of the characters even though there were many!
  • Especially appreciated Peggy's relationship with Emma and Emily (Part III). They were just the people she needed in her life. 
  • Main themes: money, family and family money, where it comes from and how it should be used. 
  • Great to read a novel that was largely set in Paris whilst enjoying the 2024 Paris Olympic games. 

Here are a few issues that I had with the novel:
  • Timeline jumped around a lot. Venice is actually where it ends (unusual then that this is the slice that is sold on the blurb). 
  • Spoilers through foreshadowing, didn’t know enough about her life or her family. Perhaps the author assumed her readers would? 
  • Major climatic scenes missing, just reflected on later.
  • Speech marks used sporadically. I did get used to it but there didn't seem to be a pattern to it. 
  • Questions left unanswered especially in relation to her other family members and most importantly children. 

I think it is also important to note that this work was published post humorously with her friend and colleagues help.  Peggy's story and Rebecca Godfrey's work reminded me of Jackie by Dawn Tripp, a fictionalised version of Jackie Kennedy's story. Especially the idea that historical fiction gets to the heart of a character, I felt that this story somewhat did that. 

P.S Here for Historical Fiction titles having bright and fun covers.