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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Helena, a freelance journalist, accepts a mysterious job on a whim. Mancebo, a greengrocer, agrees to spy on a husband whose wife suspects him of cheating. Through taking up these jobs, Mancebo and Helena uncover secrets about themselves and others and change their lives.
This book was not at all what I expected from the blurb on the back. I had expected a lot more interaction between the two characters, but they barely meet. I think that the characters were the driving force in this book, which is not what I had assumed.
Helena can be a bit paranoid, and sometimes, she lets her imagination take over, but overall, I think her character was fairly realistic. She is in her thirties, seems quite lost in her life, unsure of what she wants to do next and struggles with mental health, but this new thing that comes unexpectedly gives her something to distract herself with at least temporarily. She makes a (kind of) friend by accident, and by the end, we are given to understand that she has at least the beginnings of a plan, a goal in mind, and she is beginning to heal. I enjoyed her storyline and connected to and empathised with her.
Mancebo has worked in his shop for many years and from the way he interacts with his close family circle, we are immediately given to understand that he neither knows nor really likes them. There is a lot of duality in him - he is distant from everyone and does not much care about them, but at the same time, he complains about being kept out of the loop, he says he tries for his children, but he does not seem particularly interested in them as people. As a character, he is not a bad one, but as a person, I did not like him, especially the way he speaks about his wife. The way she is discribed, the disdain is used as shorthand to make the reader dislike her also, I think, but whatever she does or does not do, whatever her moral misconduct, she does not deserve to be described as an iceberg, an overfed polecat, or a beached whale by her husband. I also found Mancebo quite childish, in a way. This new ''job'' is like a new toy for him - once he is holding it, nothing else matters, and by the end, he gains a rather unsavoury superiority over everyone else in the family. I understand his motivations, but they do not make him any more likeable.
I will say that the author was very good at setting the background for the story. Throughout, there is this lingering sense of unease, a threat of violence - whether real or only perceived is not always even relevant. Despite the tone being quite lighthearted, even jokular at times, there is something uncanny that follows the two plotlines, and I think that the resolution of the plot heightens it rather than dispels it which is an undoubtedly interesting choice on the author's part. It did not really feel like a resolution or an ending, Mancebo's more so than Helena's. Their plotlines are mostly tied up, but we are very much left wondering about the side characters and what happens to them is ambiguous.
This book was not at all what I expected from the blurb on the back. I had expected a lot more interaction between the two characters, but they barely meet. I think that the characters were the driving force in this book, which is not what I had assumed.
Helena can be a bit paranoid, and sometimes, she lets her imagination take over, but overall, I think her character was fairly realistic. She is in her thirties, seems quite lost in her life, unsure of what she wants to do next and struggles with mental health, but this new thing that comes unexpectedly gives her something to distract herself with at least temporarily. She makes a (kind of) friend by accident, and by the end, we are given to understand that she has at least the beginnings of a plan, a goal in mind, and she is beginning to heal. I enjoyed her storyline and connected to and empathised with her.
Mancebo has worked in his shop for many years and from the way he interacts with his close family circle, we are immediately given to understand that he neither knows nor really likes them. There is a lot of duality in him - he is distant from everyone and does not much care about them, but at the same time, he complains about being kept out of the loop, he says he tries for his children, but he does not seem particularly interested in them as people. As a character, he is not a bad one, but as a person, I did not like him, especially the way he speaks about his wife. The way she is discribed, the disdain is used as shorthand to make the reader dislike her also, I think, but whatever she does or does not do, whatever her moral misconduct, she does not deserve to be described as an iceberg, an overfed polecat, or a beached whale by her husband. I also found Mancebo quite childish, in a way. This new ''job'' is like a new toy for him - once he is holding it, nothing else matters, and by the end, he gains a rather unsavoury superiority over everyone else in the family. I understand his motivations, but they do not make him any more likeable.
I will say that the author was very good at setting the background for the story. Throughout, there is this lingering sense of unease, a threat of violence - whether real or only perceived is not always even relevant. Despite the tone being quite lighthearted, even jokular at times, there is something uncanny that follows the two plotlines, and I think that the resolution of the plot heightens it rather than dispels it which is an undoubtedly interesting choice on the author's part. It did not really feel like a resolution or an ending, Mancebo's more so than Helena's. Their plotlines are mostly tied up, but we are very much left wondering about the side characters and what happens to them is ambiguous.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Mental illness, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia
Contains a description of a Jewish's characters experience at a Nazi concentration camp.
Hoewel de sfeertekening van de Parijse binnenstad tijdens extreme zomerse hitte goed wordt neergezet, konden de twee verhaallijnen waarover het boek beschikt me maar matig boeien.
Such a lovely concept for a story; chance meetings that could alter the course of your life.
Once I understood the change in narratives in the first few chapters it was easy to settle in to the predictable (but definitely not boring) flow.
Once I understood the change in narratives in the first few chapters it was easy to settle in to the predictable (but definitely not boring) flow.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was hoping this would be cute and quirky French-inspired story. It's quirky alright but more of a commentary on social isolation / mental health / family secrets and anything lighthearted and cute.
The story centers around two people: Helena - burnt out journalist and recently divorced mum who is struggling with anxiety and depression - and Mancebo - proprietor of a little grocery store and a man who is certain of everything in his life.
Restless but uncertain, Helena impulsively says yes when a strange man asks her "Are you waiting for Monsieur Belivier?" This starts her on a strange short term job forwarding emails. At the end of each day she gets given a bunch of flowers from her new employer, whom she has never met. The flowers are an increasing source of anxiety and paranoia for Helena and by giving them away she starts to make unexpected new connections.
Mancebo is a man of routine. For the 20 + years he has run his little shop he has been certain of how his day will go and what everyone around him does: That all starts to change when his neighbour Madame Cat asks him to keep an eye on her writer husband while she is away. Madame Cat is certain he is having an affair and wants to prove it. Mancebo takes to his new job with gusto but in the process everything he thinks he knows will be turned on its head!
I have to admit I enjoyed reading Mancebo's story more than Helena's, particularly in the beginning as I found Helena a little hard to empathise with, but that was just my personal opinion. This story is really study in social isolation and mental health and how a change in perspective can influence you for better or worse.
I've just made it sound really serious - its not; but I did find the psychological side of the characters interesting - sometimes more so than the plot. There were a few points where I did wonder where the book was heading, especially Helena's story, and why these two unrelated people are in the same book (it does eventually become clear).
The story centers around two people: Helena - burnt out journalist and recently divorced mum who is struggling with anxiety and depression - and Mancebo - proprietor of a little grocery store and a man who is certain of everything in his life.
Restless but uncertain, Helena impulsively says yes when a strange man asks her "Are you waiting for Monsieur Belivier?" This starts her on a strange short term job forwarding emails. At the end of each day she gets given a bunch of flowers from her new employer, whom she has never met. The flowers are an increasing source of anxiety and paranoia for Helena and by giving them away she starts to make unexpected new connections.
Mancebo is a man of routine. For the 20 + years he has run his little shop he has been certain of how his day will go and what everyone around him does: That all starts to change when his neighbour Madame Cat asks him to keep an eye on her writer husband while she is away. Madame Cat is certain he is having an affair and wants to prove it. Mancebo takes to his new job with gusto but in the process everything he thinks he knows will be turned on its head!
I have to admit I enjoyed reading Mancebo's story more than Helena's, particularly in the beginning as I found Helena a little hard to empathise with, but that was just my personal opinion. This story is really study in social isolation and mental health and how a change in perspective can influence you for better or worse.
I've just made it sound really serious - its not; but I did find the psychological side of the characters interesting - sometimes more so than the plot. There were a few points where I did wonder where the book was heading, especially Helena's story, and why these two unrelated people are in the same book (it does eventually become clear).
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
Ogni tanto scopro libri nuovi per puro caso e sin da subito, molte volte, la trama attira la mia curiosità, come in questo caso.
Una storia che inizia però presentandoci un protagonista ben diverso. Altre volte mi è capitata una situazione del genere e mentre andavo avanti pensavo che la delusione sarebbe arrivata ben presto ma, alla fine, non è stato così.
La storia è alquanto assurda per certi versi ma penso che sia il suo punto forte, insieme alla routine dei due protagonisti.
Facendoci caso solo ora questo febbraio di letture è stato caratterizzato da libri con protagonisti monotoni, ripetitivi e abbastanza particolari, proprio come Helena e Mancebo.
La prima si ritrova a rispondere positivamente ad una domanda inaspettata fatta da uno sconosciuto, pensando di movimentarsi l'esistenza e scrivere un articolo degno di nota; invece si ritrova a farsi mille domande, sulla sua vita e sulla sua esistenza, diventando paranoica per la paura che l'ha assalita da quando inizia il nuovo lavoro: inoltrare delle email al misterioso Monsieur Bellivier.
Dall'altro lato Mancebo, con la sua drogheria, la famiglia, una vita sempre uguale, con gli stessi ritmi, la solita pausa al solito Cafe, sempre alla solita ora fino a quando l'incarico di "sorvegliare" lo scrittore che abita nel palazzo di fronte al suo, lo farà diventare un "detective privato" rendendo la sua vita movimentata, esaltante ma soprattutto gli farà veder con occhi nuovi la sua famiglia, in particolare la moglie e il cugino, titolare di una calzoleria di rimpetto alla sua attività.
Le vite dei due scorrono nella grande Parigi parallele e distanti fino ad incontrarsi quando Helena scoprirà la verità sul misterioso Bellivier.
Un libro lento ma non per questo noioso in cui l'introspezione dei personaggi, soprattutto di Helena, è abbastanza importante e ben descritta. I alcuni momenti risulta abbastanza antipatica ma in realtà è una donna sola che ha mille complessi che perderà, in parte, grazie a questo "arruolamento" strano e fortuito.
Anche Mancebo segue la stessa evoluzione di Helena, smascherando tutta la sua falsa famiglia, liberandosi da quel peso che si è portato addosso inconsapevolmente per anni e avendo il coraggio di iniziare una nuova vita.
Una storia che inizia però presentandoci un protagonista ben diverso. Altre volte mi è capitata una situazione del genere e mentre andavo avanti pensavo che la delusione sarebbe arrivata ben presto ma, alla fine, non è stato così.
La storia è alquanto assurda per certi versi ma penso che sia il suo punto forte, insieme alla routine dei due protagonisti.
Facendoci caso solo ora questo febbraio di letture è stato caratterizzato da libri con protagonisti monotoni, ripetitivi e abbastanza particolari, proprio come Helena e Mancebo.
La prima si ritrova a rispondere positivamente ad una domanda inaspettata fatta da uno sconosciuto, pensando di movimentarsi l'esistenza e scrivere un articolo degno di nota; invece si ritrova a farsi mille domande, sulla sua vita e sulla sua esistenza, diventando paranoica per la paura che l'ha assalita da quando inizia il nuovo lavoro: inoltrare delle email al misterioso Monsieur Bellivier.
Dall'altro lato Mancebo, con la sua drogheria, la famiglia, una vita sempre uguale, con gli stessi ritmi, la solita pausa al solito Cafe, sempre alla solita ora fino a quando l'incarico di "sorvegliare" lo scrittore che abita nel palazzo di fronte al suo, lo farà diventare un "detective privato" rendendo la sua vita movimentata, esaltante ma soprattutto gli farà veder con occhi nuovi la sua famiglia, in particolare la moglie e il cugino, titolare di una calzoleria di rimpetto alla sua attività.
Le vite dei due scorrono nella grande Parigi parallele e distanti fino ad incontrarsi quando Helena scoprirà la verità sul misterioso Bellivier.
Un libro lento ma non per questo noioso in cui l'introspezione dei personaggi, soprattutto di Helena, è abbastanza importante e ben descritta. I alcuni momenti risulta abbastanza antipatica ma in realtà è una donna sola che ha mille complessi che perderà, in parte, grazie a questo "arruolamento" strano e fortuito.
Anche Mancebo segue la stessa evoluzione di Helena, smascherando tutta la sua falsa famiglia, liberandosi da quel peso che si è portato addosso inconsapevolmente per anni e avendo il coraggio di iniziare una nuova vita.