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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
When a book group I am in picked this book I didn't think that I would read it. I tend to stay away from things dealing with Nazi Germany because so many try to romanticize the Nazis. I'm very glad that I picked it up. It is wonderfully written with beautiful details. The plot is much more complex than I thought it would be. It has love, it has intrigue, there are twists and turns. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year.
I love this book so much!
I don’t remember how I found this book, but I was looking for something to read after a DNF, and I found this in my collection.
It alternates between two perspectives and time periods. The first is that if Soline, a French woman who worked with her mother making dresses for brides up until the Nazi invasion in France. There is a fantastical element in that they worked charms into the dresses to ensure the happiness of the couples getting married. Once the Nazis invade France, Soline works as a hospital volunteer caring for wounded soldiers. There she meets and falls in love with Anson, an ambulance driver. When the war separates them, Soline begins a new life in the United States.
The second perspective is that if Rory, a woman in the 1980s whose fiancée went missing months before. When Rory stumbles upon a building that seems to be calling to her, and decides to turn it into an art gallery, her story becomes intertwined with Soline’s.
There are elements in this book that are definitely unlikely, but I didn’t mind suspending my beliefs to enjoy this story. This book is incredible, and one of my new favorites.
I don’t remember how I found this book, but I was looking for something to read after a DNF, and I found this in my collection.
It alternates between two perspectives and time periods. The first is that if Soline, a French woman who worked with her mother making dresses for brides up until the Nazi invasion in France. There is a fantastical element in that they worked charms into the dresses to ensure the happiness of the couples getting married. Once the Nazis invade France, Soline works as a hospital volunteer caring for wounded soldiers. There she meets and falls in love with Anson, an ambulance driver. When the war separates them, Soline begins a new life in the United States.
The second perspective is that if Rory, a woman in the 1980s whose fiancée went missing months before. When Rory stumbles upon a building that seems to be calling to her, and decides to turn it into an art gallery, her story becomes intertwined with Soline’s.
There are elements in this book that are definitely unlikely, but I didn’t mind suspending my beliefs to enjoy this story. This book is incredible, and one of my new favorites.
Definitely a page turner but very predictable and disappointing, unrealistic ending.
I really enjoyed this book but I have to admit that it's also the book where everything works out too conveniently in the end, so I deducted one star for that.
(My book rating is a mixture of how much I enjoyed the book and how ~well written~ I found it. I do generally dislike books with silly and convenient twists.)
The writing in this was really good and the characters were also well written and developed.
This is the sort of book that I knew it would have the twists it had. I knew that the characters would somehow end up related in the end, though I didn't expect it would happen quite in that way. Even though I loved the Deus ex machina relatives and love ones, I do have to comment how the related characters supposedly looked so much alike, yet people put two and two together when it was convenient. I did appreciate that there were hints that they were related throughout the book, though. In their first meeting or so, Soline comments on how Rory reminds her of Anson and it's done in a subtle and "she has the same vibes as him", but it's also good foreshadowing.
I also didn't appreciate Rory in the first chapters. She struck me as very privileged, but I guess the story couldn't have worked out if she was a minimum wage cashier at McDonald's. And I guess people who want the escapism of such books don't want to read about that either.
Ultimately, this is a feel-good novel and in my opinion a well written one.
(My book rating is a mixture of how much I enjoyed the book and how ~well written~ I found it. I do generally dislike books with silly and convenient twists.)
The writing in this was really good and the characters were also well written and developed.
This is the sort of book that I knew it would have the twists it had. I knew that the characters would somehow end up related in the end, though I didn't expect it would happen quite in that way. Even though I loved the Deus ex machina relatives and love ones, I do have to comment how the related characters supposedly looked so much alike, yet people put two and two together when it was convenient. I did appreciate that there were hints that they were related throughout the book, though. In their first meeting or so, Soline comments on how Rory reminds her of Anson and it's done in a subtle and "she has the same vibes as him", but it's also good foreshadowing.
I also didn't appreciate Rory in the first chapters. She struck me as very privileged, but I guess the story couldn't have worked out if she was a minimum wage cashier at McDonald's. And I guess people who want the escapism of such books don't want to read about that either.
Ultimately, this is a feel-good novel and in my opinion a well written one.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
About halfway through you guess the ending. But, overall an enjoyable read.
Magical read with lovable characters and happy endings
This book!?!? THIS BOOOK!?!? I never saw myself to be the type to enjoy books with a historical feel to it, but this book just changed that.
We follow Rory and Soline, two of our main female characters. Rory is a woman whose love is missing, and Soline is a woman who learned to live without her love. So then when they two folks' paths cross, it's like it was destined! Rory discovers things, Soline discovers things, they come together and become great components to each other's happy ending.
I literally could not even deal with the plot twist and I loved it!
This book!?!? THIS BOOOK!?!? I never saw myself to be the type to enjoy books with a historical feel to it, but this book just changed that.
We follow Rory and Soline, two of our main female characters. Rory is a woman whose love is missing, and Soline is a woman who learned to live without her love. So then when they two folks' paths cross, it's like it was destined! Rory discovers things, Soline discovers things, they come together and become great components to each other's happy ending.
I literally could not even deal with the plot twist and I loved it!
This book had a little bit of everything. I cried and I smiled and my jaw dropped multiple times as this story came together. It was not at all what I expected and I loved it.
A pleasant surprise
I want to preface that I’ve never been much for historical fiction. I’ve always been drawn to fantasy .
This book was one I picked up by chance, something that seemed interesting but I didn’t expect to fall in love with. But I did I read it almost in one day. I was brought to tears time and time again.
The writer has such an eloquent voice and grief is captured in such a realistic way. This book is one of those books that inspires you to try . It inspires you to try to forgive and heal.
Even if historical fiction isn’t your cup of tea, I would this book is worth the try.
I want to preface that I’ve never been much for historical fiction. I’ve always been drawn to fantasy .
This book was one I picked up by chance, something that seemed interesting but I didn’t expect to fall in love with. But I did I read it almost in one day. I was brought to tears time and time again.
The writer has such an eloquent voice and grief is captured in such a realistic way. This book is one of those books that inspires you to try . It inspires you to try to forgive and heal.
Even if historical fiction isn’t your cup of tea, I would this book is worth the try.
This novel grabbed me right from the beginning, the damaged women in this story, two of whom are the MCs, were relatable and believable. The MCs were able to relate to each other, Rory is struggling with her fiancé being captured and held in a war torn part of the world, she doesn't know if he is alive or dead, she is looking for a way to move on in her life. Soline lost her love during WWII, in Paris, the war and loss of her love send Soline on a path to find her way and meaning for her life after her dream of marriage and a family is shattered.
The plot twist I thought was too convenient, at that point I was so invested in the characters I was willing to accept it and I was happy for the characters. There were times I had tears of joy in my eyes as I was reading through the last few chapters of this book.
I gave this book five stars because it did touch me to the point I produced tears in response to the story.
The plot twist I thought was too convenient, at that point I was so invested in the characters I was willing to accept it and I was happy for the characters. There were times I had tears of joy in my eyes as I was reading through the last few chapters of this book.
I gave this book five stars because it did touch me to the point I produced tears in response to the story.