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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fairly interesting but disappointing. I expected more of the search for the painting's provenance
I just can't help but enjoy a JoJo Moyes book - this is the third one I've read and I always find myself caught up in the story even if there are times my brain is saying that the coincidences are a bit much. It just doesn't matter at that point. This time I was carried away by two stories - one involving Sophie, a French woman enduring the best she can during WWI. Her husband, an artist, is away fighting and the Germans have occupied her small town. At the heart of her story is the portrait of Sophie that her husband had painted which has now caught the eye of the German commander. Fast forward almost a hundred years and this portrait has ended up with Liv, a young widow. Besides the romantic aspect to this story, it made me think about who rightfully owns a picture and the sacrifices that we all make sometime to survive.
At first I was kind of "surfing" the book...but as the story caught I was hooked...then it shifted and I wondered where she was going....and then it wove together and WOW....
It is so hard to try to do a review with no spoilers...
It is so hard to try to do a review with no spoilers...
This is the first book I have read by Jojo Moyes, but I have read a number of books using a piece of art to connect characters through time. I would rate this one closer to the top of the list. I was more drawn into the story of Sophie, the subject of the painting and original owner than I was into the present-day story of Liv fighting to keep the painting. The present-day love story was not as interesting, though it did create a dynamic to explore in the plot. The character development in the present didn’t feel as nuanced, using Paul’s off-hand impressions to remove some of the ambiguity surrounding the artwork case and make it a bit more obvious which way things were going to go. The story wrapped up a little too neatly at the end, but I enjoyed the mystery and toil getting there.
I listened to the audio book and appreciated the care taken to get separate voice talent for the two time periods. The attention to accents for the characters created a rich experience.
I listened to the audio book and appreciated the care taken to get separate voice talent for the two time periods. The attention to accents for the characters created a rich experience.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is probably more a 4.5 star. I really enjoyed it, but not quite a 5 star can't put it down until it's finished. I loved both story lines. It's so rare that an author can make the present day story line as intriguing as the historical, and weave them together so well. I can't wait to get some of her other books.
Great part one... part two not so much.
Had the book continued on the trial of the first part, I would undoubtedly granted it a 4 or higher. Unfortunately, after having spent the first hundred pages inside the mind of a odd, smart, brave, strong woman very much in love using all her cunning and power to protect what's left and recover the life war has stolen from her, spending the rest 250 following another woman through courtrooms, old paintings research, a bland coping with loss felt like such a drag. Realizing the book wasn't going to get as good as it had started, I just wanted it to end.
I picked up this book to get to know the author until I can get a copy of her most recommended Me Before You. After this, I may not be that excited about reading it anymore.
Had the book continued on the trial of the first part, I would undoubtedly granted it a 4 or higher. Unfortunately, after having spent the first hundred pages inside the mind of a odd, smart, brave, strong woman very much in love using all her cunning and power to protect what's left and recover the life war has stolen from her, spending the rest 250 following another woman through courtrooms, old paintings research, a bland coping with loss felt like such a drag. Realizing the book wasn't going to get as good as it had started, I just wanted it to end.
Spoiler
True, I know Liv is supposed to be as empty as her house but never throughout the story does she get any kind of personal growing. I actually hoped she would lose the painting, so she could just move over. Otherwise, everything good that happens to her relies on Paul, and it feels weird, as if she was a pusillanimous empty shell that was being passed from David(-mourning) to Paul. When does she get to find and be herself? Also, the frequent comparisons between her and the woman on the painting became ludicrous.I picked up this book to get to know the author until I can get a copy of her most recommended Me Before You. After this, I may not be that excited about reading it anymore.