Scan barcode
tinynavajo's review against another edition
4.0
A book similar to “The Little Paris Bookshop” it’s about the life of a woman named Doris, as she writes down all the stories about the names in her little red address book, given to her as a birthday present by her father. We see her life through her eyes and through the eyes of her grand-niece who lives in America and calls in to Skype with Doris once a week.
As Doris writes down her story, we see that there is much more to her than meets the eyes, especially when as see that she lived through WWII. And we see that being alone and lonely is no way for a person to be, especially when they’ve had a chance at true love.
As Doris writes down her story, we see that there is much more to her than meets the eyes, especially when as see that she lived through WWII. And we see that being alone and lonely is no way for a person to be, especially when they’ve had a chance at true love.
carolyn57's review against another edition
1.0
Ich habe noch nie ein so deprimierendes Buch gelesen. Es gibt sicherlich Menschen, die es genießen so traurige Schicksale zu lesen, aber ich persönlich gehöre nicht dazu. Ich bin froh, dass ich jetzt damit fertig bin.
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
The one thing I will say in it’s favour: this book is a fast read; if it hadn’t been, I likely wouldn’t have stuck with it. It was incredibly sad and I wonder if a lot of it’s weaknesses and failure to quite hit the mark were a result of a rough translation:
• I didn’t really feel the “location as character”. There is far too much telling and not enough showing. I’ve read books set in Paris that positively transport you there through strong writing and colourful descriptions. This book didn’t do that.
• The dialogue was stilted and unnatural. This resulted in the characters not feeling real or genuine.
• I got really tired of hearing how “beautiful” Jenny was and how, vapidly, all she seemed concerned with was being “fat”.
In short, this isn’t a bad book, it just missed the mark for me. It felt like it was missing the emotional component and because of it, I wasn’t able to get invested in the characters. This isn’t a happy book and I felt rather badly after I finished it. On the whole, I wouldn’t recommend.
The one thing I will say in it’s favour: this book is a fast read; if it hadn’t been, I likely wouldn’t have stuck with it. It was incredibly sad and I wonder if a lot of it’s weaknesses and failure to quite hit the mark were a result of a rough translation:
• I didn’t really feel the “location as character”. There is far too much telling and not enough showing. I’ve read books set in Paris that positively transport you there through strong writing and colourful descriptions. This book didn’t do that.
• The dialogue was stilted and unnatural. This resulted in the characters not feeling real or genuine.
• I got really tired of hearing how “beautiful” Jenny was and how, vapidly, all she seemed concerned with was being “fat”.
In short, this isn’t a bad book, it just missed the mark for me. It felt like it was missing the emotional component and because of it, I wasn’t able to get invested in the characters. This isn’t a happy book and I felt rather badly after I finished it. On the whole, I wouldn’t recommend.
leenduff's review against another edition
4.0
I love the storyline but gosh, i cried way too hard. It’s an emotional story to read and gave me more insight into my elderly grandmother. I’m glad i read this
outofyourlexicon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
fairyna23's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
faranyon's review against another edition
3.0
Tunteisiinhan tämä kävi, eikä välttämättä aina niin hyvällä tavalla. Sai kuitenkin ajattelemaan sitä, miten monta eri ihmistä meistä jokainen elämänsä aikana kohtaa ja millaisia jälkiä heistä meihin jää. Ja meistä heihin.
hmbb99's review against another edition
4.0
Sofia Lundberg's historical fiction about a 96 year old woman is a must read. The story centers around Doris, who finds herself aging and alone with only her great niece left to care about her. Doris, facing her impending mortality and not wanting to be forgotten, pens a tale for her great niece Jenny. The tale she spins starts with Doris' red address book. As Doris reminiscences about the people in her book whom she has lost, we get to see her struggles, her triumphs, her failures, and her successes.
Doris' story of her past is interwoven with her present story of being hospitalized. We also see a glimpse of Jenny's life as we see Jenny come to terms with her own past, present, and future.
This book evokes both laughter and tears. It touches your heart and stays with you long after your finished reading it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
Doris' story of her past is interwoven with her present story of being hospitalized. We also see a glimpse of Jenny's life as we see Jenny come to terms with her own past, present, and future.
This book evokes both laughter and tears. It touches your heart and stays with you long after your finished reading it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.