Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am having a really hard time getting through this book. Lately I have been waiting till the very end of the month to choose my First Reads book because the selection has been horrible and I want to get as much feedback possible from other readers before taking the dive. I usually choose mystery type story lines but this book had so many 5 star reviews right from the beginning, and historical fiction used to be my favorite genre. Add to that I am a classical music lover, and several reviewers mentioned humorous dialogue and situations. I thought for once I couldn't go wrong with my choice this month. How mistaken I was. Historical???? Please!!! The story is set in the past, beyond that you may as well be reading modern fluff. I have read a good share of historical novels in my life, both those written in times past and those set in times past. This author failed to immerse herself in the period she was attempting to relive. The characters seem pulled from more modern times and do not ring true. The conversations I imagine some thought were humorous just made me cringe because they did not fit in with the historical setting or characters. And then there is how the characters themselves conduct themselves. Julie is a countess yet her aunt is more at home birthing cows?? The aristocracy did not birth cows... Dialogue is distinctly modern; it doesn't ring true to the time period. Also, discussion of pornographic art, lovemaking skills (or lack thereof), miscarriage and reproduction, virginity, who has slept with whom, etc wouldn't have been acceptable for a decent, well-born young lady to discuss. Much misconduct was accepted to be sure, but only if conducted discreetly, and once married. A young countess would hardly have been allowed to go galavanting around town without a chaperone, much less frequently visit a gentleman's apartment alone. These are just a few of the faux pas the author commits. I haven't opened my Kindle app since August 3rd, mostly because I'm dreading returning to this joke of a story. I really had planned on finishing it before warning other like-minded readers, but if I'm dreading trying to get through it that much I think I will move on to a better book. This was a very disappointing First Reads choice. That all being said, from the raving reviews, not everyone will agree with me. If you are a stickler for well-researched historical detail, and characters who act and speak true to the time-period they are supposed to live in, please do not expect it with this book. If you are not usually a reader of historical fiction and just read to be entertained you may enjoy the story. But don't consider it historically accurate.