Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I cannot begin to explain my love for this book, it made me cry so much. It is a beautiful and at time heartbreaking story. Hearing Sophie’s story is enough to make the strongest of people weep, and Liv’s passion for the painting truly tugs at your heartstrings, out of 5 I would give this book a 10! ♥️
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Genocide
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I was given this book by my cousin to read. It’s been a while since I got a recommendation that wasn’t from Tumblr. Also it was a book with a World War One setting and with it being the centenary I wanted to read more Great War fiction this year.
I really loved this story as you can probably tell by the rating. It was tense and had mystery and it unfolded in a beautiful complex narrative of two very different women. The story tells that of Sophie, a young wife living in France during World War One, under the occupation of German forces. The second is Liz, living in modern day England she is the owner of a painting of Sophie, a painting that she will fight to keep.
Usually in a two timeline structure I will find myself leaning to favourite one over the other. Though this happened at the start of the story, I did find myself captivated by both at the end. And I was so pleased with how it all resolved. I can see why my cousin recommended this book, it’s a book I wanted to share with other people, I found myself talking to people about it.
I gave this book low five stars because it ticked a lot of boxes. It wasn’t the lyrical mastery of Birdsong, but it was gripping. To go by its cover it would sit on the ‘Chick Lit’ shelves of a library or bookshop but seems like a horrible label to give it. For me it is the best example of that genre, it is historical fiction with a strong heart. It’s well written and has wonderful characters. It carried an emotional punch without losing any of the surrounding detail and for that I would say it deserves five stars.
I really loved this story as you can probably tell by the rating. It was tense and had mystery and it unfolded in a beautiful complex narrative of two very different women. The story tells that of Sophie, a young wife living in France during World War One, under the occupation of German forces. The second is Liz, living in modern day England she is the owner of a painting of Sophie, a painting that she will fight to keep.
Usually in a two timeline structure I will find myself leaning to favourite one over the other. Though this happened at the start of the story, I did find myself captivated by both at the end. And I was so pleased with how it all resolved. I can see why my cousin recommended this book, it’s a book I wanted to share with other people, I found myself talking to people about it.
I gave this book low five stars because it ticked a lot of boxes. It wasn’t the lyrical mastery of Birdsong, but it was gripping. To go by its cover it would sit on the ‘Chick Lit’ shelves of a library or bookshop but seems like a horrible label to give it. For me it is the best example of that genre, it is historical fiction with a strong heart. It’s well written and has wonderful characters. It carried an emotional punch without losing any of the surrounding detail and for that I would say it deserves five stars.
I love all of JoJo Moyes books. This one started off a little slow but ultimately was a great story and such a good escape.
Another great story by one of my new (to me) favorite authors! Her approach to writing is refreshing and I was completely lost in the story of Sophie and Liv. I definitely want to keep reading her books.
I do not possess the words to do this book justice. It's a beautiful tale of love then and now and just read it lol.
I still think Me Before You is my fave of the two of JM's I've read, but this was definitely a well written and researched book. I started with the hardback and ended up finishing it via audiobook and I think that helped. I don't know that Liv was as compelling a character as Lou in Me Before You, but Sophie certainly was. The reunion of Sophie and Edward may be one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever read.
4.5/5 stars for this one. The beginning was wonderful and totally hooked me. I didn’t love the back and forth as much only because I loved the WW1 parts so much! The parallels between Sophie and Liv were clear - both women were missing their husbands for different reasons, both had to learn to survive and give away some of their pride in order to do so - and made the story have a more cohesive feel. I didn’t really see the end coming and I liked the way you finally learn what happened to Sophie. The novel ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving it open to a sequel, which could be interesting.
4.5 stars - only knocked off the 0.5 because there was something more than a little too unbelievable toward the end.
"we're terribly proud of you, you know."
"For what?"
"Just for carrying on, really. Sometimes, my darling girl, that's heroic in itself."
"Imagine what?"
"What you lose. Just trying to hang on to a few bits."
"we're terribly proud of you, you know."
"For what?"
"Just for carrying on, really. Sometimes, my darling girl, that's heroic in itself."
"Imagine what?"
"What you lose. Just trying to hang on to a few bits."