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desiree930's review against another edition
3.0
When I first began this book, I was entranced. I am a fan of WWII stories, and I haven't read one before that took place in Italy. I loved the idea of using music as a code for a resistance group. As the story went on, however, I began to lose interest. In the end, I felt like this book went on a bit too long, despite the fact that it was only 366 pages.
What I liked:
1. Angelo's story. I ultimately felt like Angelo's story was more intriguing for me. Perhaps that's why I began to lose interest in this story. His tragic backstory is outlined in the first half of the book, and we don't get much about him afterward.
2. The importance of music and literature in the story. I love the idea of using music and books to create codes to aide the Italian resistance.
3. I like that the author uses actual historical figures in her novel that are probably unknown to most people.
4. Lena. I think I would've preferred a book about the flawed Lena as opposed to Elodie, who felt very goody-goody Mary Sue to me.
What I didn't like:
1. Pacing. Elodie's story tends to drag. There are parts that become somewhat repetitive and I honestly didn't care about Elodie's parents backstory. Normally I love my characters to be fleshed out, but in this case I felt like it didn't really add anything to the story, and just made moments drag. Also when she and her mother travel to Venice...that entire section did nothing for me. I get that it was meant to flesh out side characters and backstory, but I didn't care about that.
2. The story gets very soapy with the romance between Elodie and Luca. I didn't feel connected to either of them as characters or as a couple, so I had a difficult time caring about their relationship. I mean, seriously... they are supposed to be on the run from German soldiers, keeping a low profile and finding a place for their group to hide and in the middle of all of that they decide it's a great time to bathe and hook up? What?
3. The ending was incredibly anticlimactic. She and Angelo getting together just didn't sit right with me. We're supposed to believe that she and Luca had this amazing love story and less than four months after he's killed we're supposed to believe that she's now in love with Angelo? It felt like they were both settling. Maybe I wouldn't have minded as much if more of the narrative took place after he took her in, to give some time for that relationship to develop, but as it is written I didn't feel any chemistry between the two characters. Also, it seemed very strange to have a book that was about a girl joining the Italian Resistance as a spy to end without any kind of real climax to the story. It turns full romance and I was bored.
Other odds and ends:
1. There are some serious timing issues in this book. Luca and Elodie have sex in September, 1943. In October, when she is taken in by Luca, she says that she's already missed two periods and her belly is beginning to round. Umm...no
2. In the author's note, Richman says that the initial inspiration for this story came from a story she heard from a friend of hers whose grandfather (maybe father? I don't quite recall) was actually saved during WWII by a man at a train station just before he was about to hand his forged ID to a German soldier. I think it is such an amazing story and could've been so impactful, but it felt like it was ultimately used as a plot device for a romance story.
I will probably try another Alyson Richman book in the future, but it will most likely be from the library.
What I liked:
1. Angelo's story. I ultimately felt like Angelo's story was more intriguing for me. Perhaps that's why I began to lose interest in this story. His tragic backstory is outlined in the first half of the book, and we don't get much about him afterward.
2. The importance of music and literature in the story. I love the idea of using music and books to create codes to aide the Italian resistance.
3. I like that the author uses actual historical figures in her novel that are probably unknown to most people.
4. Lena. I think I would've preferred a book about the flawed Lena as opposed to Elodie, who felt very goody-goody Mary Sue to me.
What I didn't like:
1. Pacing. Elodie's story tends to drag. There are parts that become somewhat repetitive and I honestly didn't care about Elodie's parents backstory. Normally I love my characters to be fleshed out, but in this case I felt like it didn't really add anything to the story, and just made moments drag. Also when she and her mother travel to Venice...that entire section did nothing for me. I get that it was meant to flesh out side characters and backstory, but I didn't care about that.
2. The story gets very soapy with the romance between Elodie and Luca. I didn't feel connected to either of them as characters or as a couple, so I had a difficult time caring about their relationship. I mean, seriously...
3. The ending was incredibly anticlimactic.
Other odds and ends:
1. There are some serious timing issues in this book.
2. In the author's note, Richman says that the initial inspiration for this story came from a story she heard from a friend of hers whose grandfather (maybe father? I don't quite recall) was actually saved during WWII by a man at a train station just before he was about to hand his forged ID to a German soldier. I think it is such an amazing story and could've been so impactful, but it felt like it was ultimately used as a plot device for a romance story.
I will probably try another Alyson Richman book in the future, but it will most likely be from the library.
jennlrichardson's review against another edition
4.0
Alyson Richman's books always get me right in the feels! I loved The Lost Wife, so my hopes were high for this book. Though I still like The Lost Wife more, this book was definitely fantastic and did live up to my expectations. As I've said before, I really love WW2 historical fiction and this book gives a glimpse of yet another country during this time - Italy. I don't know what to say except that this was a beautiful story; Angelo and Elodie's stories intertwine beautifully. I loved it and didn't want it to end. The characters were amazing and the story line was, too!
4kids4me's review
2.0
2.5 stars for this one. It was going to be 3 stars but the ending ruined that. I liked the first half of the book but it went downhill quickly. The editing missed one glaring mistake...SPOILER ALERT.....the timing of events was totally off. Elodie and Luca's first kiss occurs in a chapter labeled Sept 1943, yet in October 1943, just weeks later, she is somehow 3 months pregnant? Not only that but she can feel the baby kick already? I've had four kids and there is no way you are feeling a baby kick at three months pregnant! The sudden romance b/w Elodie and Angelo, shortly after she has lost her first love, is just so far-fetched it ruined any appeal this book had for me. I really enjoyed The Lost Wife but this book was disappointing unfortunately.
margo666's review
4.0
Very enjoyable listen. A tale of passion and heartbreak set against the backdrop of Nazi occupied Italy. The audio book also featured some fabulous cello excerpts which were a perfect accompaniment to this story of non verbal communication. The only fault I found with this book was that it's primary focus was on the love stories, whereas I would have like more exploration of how it felt to live under Mussolini dictatorship and the part that the partisans played in freeing Italy's from Nazi rule.
abookishaffair's review
5.0
"The Garden of Letters" opens with a quote from one of my very favorite books, The Little Prince." From that point on I thought that I was in for a good story. And I was definitely right about that! This book takes place during World War II in Italy. Elodie is a 19-year-old who gets involved up with the resistance movement. She knows that she's putting her life at risk however she is drawn to continuing to help the resistance based on both her political beliefs and her love for Luca, one of the resistance leaders. When Luca dies, Elodie knows that she needs to find a new place to stay safe. After a couple of run-ins with the Germans, she finally comes to Portofino where she is taken in by a kind man who has lost more than his share from the war already. This was a brilliant, sweeping book and will be a thrillfor any of my fellow historical fiction lovers.
The characters in this book were great. I especially loved Elodie. She goes from a cello prodigy to running messages for the Resistance. She is a very interesting character because she stands to lose a lot from her involvement with the Resistance; however, she's brave enough to put that aside and continue to be involved even if it means giving up some of her livelihoods like being able to play her beloved cello freely. I really thought that the author did a good job of making her feel like a real person with a lot of different facets. The secondary characters such as her parents, Luca, and Angelo were also really interesting and I loved reading about them.
One of the things that I really liked about this book was how the author chose not to tell the story in sequential order. That being said each section is clearly denoted as to when it took place which makes it very easy to follow along with the story. When the book opens, Elodie is being chosen from a crowd in Portofino. The subsequent chapters talk about how she came to be at Portofino, which is quite far away from Verona, where she lived before. I thought that this way of telling the story was especially effective in this case because you are pulled into the story by not having all of the pieces that you want at the very beginning. Richman really makes the reader get interested in figuring out how Elodie came to be in Portofino and why she is staying with Angelo. You also get to find out about some of Angelo's backstory, which was especially heartbreaking to me.
The historical detail in this book was fantastic. I really like the way the Richman was able to show what was going on in Italy at the time and really make the reader feel like they were there. I thought all of the detail about the Resistance Movement was especially interesting. This book has a lot of information about the ways that the Resistance was able to pass information around in order to hide it from the Germans. I haven't read a lot about the Resistance Movement in Italy, but I thought this was a really good introduction.
This marks the first book that I've ever read by Alyson Richman; however, this will definitely not be the last. I really enjoyed this entire book and was sad when it was over. I would absolutely love a sequel and definitely think that there's room to find out what happened to Angelo and Elodie and the rest of the characters.
The characters in this book were great. I especially loved Elodie. She goes from a cello prodigy to running messages for the Resistance. She is a very interesting character because she stands to lose a lot from her involvement with the Resistance; however, she's brave enough to put that aside and continue to be involved even if it means giving up some of her livelihoods like being able to play her beloved cello freely. I really thought that the author did a good job of making her feel like a real person with a lot of different facets. The secondary characters such as her parents, Luca, and Angelo were also really interesting and I loved reading about them.
One of the things that I really liked about this book was how the author chose not to tell the story in sequential order. That being said each section is clearly denoted as to when it took place which makes it very easy to follow along with the story. When the book opens, Elodie is being chosen from a crowd in Portofino. The subsequent chapters talk about how she came to be at Portofino, which is quite far away from Verona, where she lived before. I thought that this way of telling the story was especially effective in this case because you are pulled into the story by not having all of the pieces that you want at the very beginning. Richman really makes the reader get interested in figuring out how Elodie came to be in Portofino and why she is staying with Angelo. You also get to find out about some of Angelo's backstory, which was especially heartbreaking to me.
The historical detail in this book was fantastic. I really like the way the Richman was able to show what was going on in Italy at the time and really make the reader feel like they were there. I thought all of the detail about the Resistance Movement was especially interesting. This book has a lot of information about the ways that the Resistance was able to pass information around in order to hide it from the Germans. I haven't read a lot about the Resistance Movement in Italy, but I thought this was a really good introduction.
This marks the first book that I've ever read by Alyson Richman; however, this will definitely not be the last. I really enjoyed this entire book and was sad when it was over. I would absolutely love a sequel and definitely think that there's room to find out what happened to Angelo and Elodie and the rest of the characters.
moonykitten's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 stars.
I don't really know what to say, i kind of liked it...but kind of don't`? I mean, it was easy to read and understand in a beautiful way and i loved how it ended so some of the beautiful writing and the ending, was it's savier. But i don't think i'll pick this up a second time.
I don't really know what to say, i kind of liked it...but kind of don't`? I mean, it was easy to read and understand in a beautiful way and i loved how it ended so some of the beautiful writing and the ending, was it's savier. But i don't think i'll pick this up a second time.
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