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undercoverreads's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book, because I started reading it in a bookshop and thought the writing was beautiful, almost poetic and the message seemed quite deep, profound and philosophical - definitely something different, that appeared to be thought provoking. The pace of the book was very slow and is essentially a novel about a young girl who becomes “closed off” after the passing of her mother. She then has a re-awakening of sorts when she becomes passionately interested in learning to play the violin. This soon turns into an unhealthy obsession for fame and adoration, no matter the cost and we gradually see Leah’s disturbing unravelling. The story unfolds, as we get glimpses of Leah’s life, as told to a stranger by her father. The novel has been translated from German but I found it frustrating that it was peppered with some French phrases that were not translated or explained in English. Although I don’t think this affected the understanding of the novel, it would have still been nice to know what was being said. I really wanted to give this novel a higher star rating because of the philosophical almost poetic way in which it was written and it was a thought provoking book, but the pace was just too slow.
yasamanvf's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kurpjukaste's review against another edition
2.0
mulsināja galvenā varoņa izvēle - pilnīgs svešinieks, kuram uztic savas meitas stāstu. bet stāsts ir tāds, kuru var izstāstīt tikai tēvs. Ja būtu tā, tad grāmata būtu daudz emocionālāka un spēcīgāka.
tickledlemonade's review against another edition
3.0
Wunderschöne Sprache, z.T. ein wenig übertrieben (meiner Meinung nach), Zuhörer - Erzähler nicht optimale Lösung die Geschichte rüberzubringen.
ichirofakename's review against another edition
4.0
Attitudinally similar to Proust, dealing deep with memory. Different in style though, without all the weight and forms of endlessness. Unfortunately coy, hiding key plot points to keep read in the dark. Violin prodigy loses it, with famous old violins and family drama/tragedy. Champagne problems, basically.
toni_elisa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lightfoxing's review
3.0
Lea is Pascal Mercier's latest novel, a meditation on loss, intimacy, passion, family ties, and ambition. The story begins with Martijn Van Vliet encountering a recently retired surgeon whose own family ties are tenuous. He is divorced, he and his daughter have a cordial but not close relationship, and he has been feeling unmoored of late. In Martijn, the untethered surgeon discovers a sort of kindred spirit - Martijn is a widower, and he speaks of his daughter, his only child, in the past tense. Over the course of a handful of days, Martijn tells the story of his daughter, a tragedy, to the sympathetic surgeon, who becomes more and more involved emotionally in not only Lea's story, but in Martijn himself. Lea, reeling from her mother's death, discovers at ten the violin. Her drive to become a violinist, and perhaps to fill emotional voids, comes to overwhelm not only her own life, but Martijn's.
Overall, I found Lea to be a good read. I thought about saying enjoyable, but it wasn't. The story itself is compelling, human, and all too familiar to people who have known broken individuals, creative individuals, or lost souls who cling to hard to the things that might ground them. There is an uncomfortable sense of witnessing a trainwreck, as you know from the beginning that there will be no happy ending for Lea or Martijn. Mercier chooses to tell the story from a distance, as Lea's story is filtered through Martijn, through the surgeon. There is an uncomfortable sense of voyeurism, as though listening in on the therapy session of somebody close to you. It makes for an intriguing read, though, and I enjoyed the technique given the themes Mercier explores regarding intimacy, familiarity, and a sense of removal from those closest to you.
Overall, I found Lea to be a good read. I thought about saying enjoyable, but it wasn't. The story itself is compelling, human, and all too familiar to people who have known broken individuals, creative individuals, or lost souls who cling to hard to the things that might ground them. There is an uncomfortable sense of witnessing a trainwreck, as you know from the beginning that there will be no happy ending for Lea or Martijn. Mercier chooses to tell the story from a distance, as Lea's story is filtered through Martijn, through the surgeon. There is an uncomfortable sense of voyeurism, as though listening in on the therapy session of somebody close to you. It makes for an intriguing read, though, and I enjoyed the technique given the themes Mercier explores regarding intimacy, familiarity, and a sense of removal from those closest to you.
theteamsreader's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
maaikeloopt's review against another edition
4.0
Four stars, but only because the standards were high after the Nighttrain to Lisbon.