Reviews

Particularly enjoyed the first half of this book, which I found captivating. I thought that Alice and Valentina were going to be discovered to be in a relationship which would have been more interesting. The story became a bit ridiculous towards the end. Found Valentina’s liaison with Lewis when it finally came to be gross and unnecessary.

claredesausmarez's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

elisa126's review

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it was slow and got very weird when <the young boy was fantasising about the older women and the description was super sexual>

writerlibrarian's review

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4.0

This one left me in tears. Literally. The last 75 pages just got to me. The plot is fairly simple, Lewis Little, 13, spends the summer in Paris with his mother, who is translating the latest medieval romance novel from Valentina Gavril as she writes it. The summer is hot and Lewis is becoming a teenager with a giant crush on Valentina. He reads, takes walks with Valentina's dog Sergueï. And one day, Valentina vanishes. No one can find her. No ransom demand. Nothing. Lewis decides he will find her. Whatever the cost. Told from the POV of this young man discovering hormones and the world, your heart breaks as you turn the pages one by one and follow him on his quest. This was the first novel I read of Rose Tremain. It's not the last one.

marmosetti's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

nikkigee81's review

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3.0

Lewis is a thirteen year old British boy on holiday with his mother, Alice. Alice is a translator for Valentina, a Russian woman who writes French romance novels. When Valentina suddenly disappears after a hotel visit with a former lover, Lewis takes it upon himself to try to crack the case; he gets sucked into a maelstrom of seedy characters. I'm not too keen on just mystery stories, but this had more than that to it - coming of age, Lewis' parents and their relationship, etc. I think the only peeve I had with this story is Lewis' voice. To me, he seems way too smart and sophisticated for a boy of almost fourteen.

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