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fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this book. The main character maybe isn't the most likeable (although I liked her), but she is funny and realistic and gets things done. Seeing her use what people think of her for her advantage was really cool. With the stories from her childhood you really get to see her whole life and it is satisfying to see it come full circle. It made me root for her.
I also really like how female centered this book was. The important relationships were all between Patience and other women, her mother, her daughters and then also her mother's nurse and the landlord.
I also really like how female centered this book was. The important relationships were all between Patience and other women, her mother, her daughters and then also her mother's nurse and the landlord.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Racism, Dementia, Drug use, Death of parent, and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder
jesshindes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked up the Godmother mostly on the strength of its front cover (which is so stylish and lovely) and ended up enjoying this zany, satirical, crime story. Written by French lawyer Hannelore Cayre (and translated by Stephanie Smee), the novel tells the story of Patience Portefeux, the once-wealthy child of two immigrant parents now reduced to poverty and working as a police translator. After the death of her father (rich on criminal enterprise) and her husband (also rich and much beloved), Patience is caught in the mid-life trap of worrying about her daughters and struggling to support her mother, who is now in a care home. She spends her days translating drug dealers' conversations from the Arabic and is badly paid for doing so by a French government characterised throughout this novel as full of contempt both for immigrants and the poor. When she realises that one of the drug dealers whose story she's been following at work has a relative working at her own mother's care home in Paris, a plan starts to come together... And soon Patience has made her own entrance into the Parisian black market.
There's been a movie made of this novel starring Isabelle Huppert and I can absolutely see it as a sort of black comedy thriller. Patience is an absolutely caustic narrator, full of cynicism about everybody she encounters. She has a lot of opinions about the characteristics of different nationalities - definitely problematic although it felt very plausible, given her age and situation - but she's also quick to recognise what she sees as admirable traits (mostly in other middle-aged women, as overlooked as she is herself). There's always something fun about an underdog fights back story, and I think Cayre strikes the right balance of social commentary, humour, and suspense. I was rooting for Patience despite all her flaws! Overall this was a fun read and a bit different to some of the other novels I've picked up lately.
There's been a movie made of this novel starring Isabelle Huppert and I can absolutely see it as a sort of black comedy thriller. Patience is an absolutely caustic narrator, full of cynicism about everybody she encounters. She has a lot of opinions about the characteristics of different nationalities - definitely problematic although it felt very plausible, given her age and situation - but she's also quick to recognise what she sees as admirable traits (mostly in other middle-aged women, as overlooked as she is herself). There's always something fun about an underdog fights back story, and I think Cayre strikes the right balance of social commentary, humour, and suspense. I was rooting for Patience despite all her flaws! Overall this was a fun read and a bit different to some of the other novels I've picked up lately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Drug use
Minor: Murder
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