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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
The beginning and the end of the story were interesting but there is a huge chunk in the middle that lost me as an audience
This is one of the hardest books to rate, for me. There were parts that I really loved about it, and parts that I didn't like at all. This was a difficult read for me, and that is partly my fault. I read Me Before You in a day, and loved it so much that I quickly picked up the one beside it on the shelf. I didn't even bother to read the dust jacket but jumped right in, assuming it would be another contemporary similar to the first. That's where I went wrong. I actually love historical fiction way more than contemporary but Jojo had gotten me into the mood for contemporary. So, it was a bit shocking to be thrown way back into World War I France. It took me a while to get into the flow of the story and then when I had become fully invested in Sophie's life and outcome, I was hauled back out of it! Well, that's what it felt like anyway. I had a very hard time with the contemporary half of the book, and found myself skimming a lot, trying to get back to Sophie's story. Thankfully, Jojo did get back to Sophie eventually, and that helped, but it wasn't until the last few chapters, that I became riveted by the story and then closed the book feeling like it had all been worth it. I decided to give it 3 stars for all of these reasons, and also because I don't love stories about art, "then and now" stories, or contemporary romance, and this one had all 3 of those. I wasn't really into the quick relationship that developed either...it seemed a bit unrealistic. I do understand how this book has so many 5 star reviews, and do feel that her writing deserves them but I'm just not in love with this book like I was with Me Before You. That doesn't mean that I don't have faith in her other books, and will likely give her another chance very soon!
I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but I really loved this book and the Sophie/Edouard storyline was my favorite part of the book. I didn't mind the Liv/Paul story but it just didn't keep my attention like Sophie's story did.
Thanks to Goodreads and Viking Books for the copy of this book. One of my favorite books I have read this year!
Thanks to Goodreads and Viking Books for the copy of this book. One of my favorite books I have read this year!
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was just okay for me. I didn’t really buy into the relationships or the plot.
What a spell-binding story. The horrors of the world wars and modern-day conflicts blend into a riveting tale about love, loss, and finding the truth. This one may give me a book hangover.
I detracted a star due to some brief language and a few vaguely illicit scenes.
I detracted a star due to some brief language and a few vaguely illicit scenes.
Sophie Lefevre, wife of accomplished artist Edouard Lefevre, lives in occupied France during World War I. The Germans have slowly taken everything from her family’s hotel, but they have yet to take her most prized possession – a portrait of herself painted by her husband who is fighting in the war. When the new Kommandant takes an interest in Sophie’s portrait, she must decide what she is willing to risk to keep her family safe and to see her husband again. In present day, Liv is a widow who’s husband passed away unexpectedly years ago. Her husband gave her Sophie’s portrait as a wedding present without knowing any of its history, and for Liv, the portrait is linked with her husband’s love and devotion to her. When Lefevre descendents come forward claiming that the portrait was stolen by Germans, Liv must decide if she wants to fight to keep the portrait and face financial ruin. I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I absolutely loved Sophie’s story, and I wish that the whole book would have focused on her. I did not like Liv’s story, and found myself hoping it would move faster. The long and short of it is that I never developed a complete understanding for why Liv was so attached to the portrait that she was willing to face complete financial ruin. There were also several story lines that I didn’t think were adequately wrapped up at the end and a few that were too neatly wrapped. Overall, the general feeling I get from this book is that it was rushed when both written and edited. I feel like the potential was there, but for me, the execution failed for Liv’s storyline.
You can read my full review here: http://outwardlyintroverted.com/book-review-girl-left-behind-jojo-moyes/
You can read my full review here: http://outwardlyintroverted.com/book-review-girl-left-behind-jojo-moyes/
Torn on whether to give this 3 or 4 stars…
What you need to know:
Jojo is a great storyteller. There aren’t many faults with her writing style.
I went in to this story understanding that there would be two timelines… I KNOW those kinds of stories can be rough for me to enjoy, but I underestimated my own feelings.
This book is essentially two totally separate tales and they are combined under one cover. The main story truly is about a woman who has a painting of questionable origin and must (hopelessly) fight to keep her painting. This story thread stands 100%. The other storyline is a snippet of the life of the woman featured in the painting.
The book begins with the story of Sophie, the woman portrayed in the painting. I absolutely loved the story of Sophie and was fully engrossed with her trials of living in occupied France. I originally assumed we would bounce back between two different timelines, Sophie and Liv living in a somewhat parallel universe. However, there was no bouncing. Sophie’s story lasted almost exactly 1/3 of the book, and suddenly we were catapulted into 2006. The only way I can describe this transition was extremely JARRING. It was painful…
And in spite of Jojo’s great storytelling skills, Liv’s introduction was extremely rocky and made little sense and did not really tie in to the rest of Liv’s story.
After getting into the rhythm after the abrupt change, I enjoyed Liv’s story all right. However, Liv’s entire story could have stood completely alone without Sophie’s 1/3 of the book… We do randomly travel back to 1917 for 2-3 more chapters, and I honestly skipped these chapters and read them at the end of the book. They would have been much better suited to be chunked with the first 1/3 of the book. Splitting them up and inserting them randomly in the rest of the book was not helpful at all and did not reveal anything particular or important, except for the very last revelation (which could have been done in a different way that did not require Sophie’s story to be present at all).
It’s weird to say that I loved Sophie’s story, but I wish it hadn’t been part of the book. I honestly think after Jojo wrote the original story, she realized she needed to increase her word count, and decided to write Sophie’s story…Ok, I don’t REALLY think that, but it just feels like it could have been a possible scenario since Liv’s story would be better on it’s own.
Last comment is that I loved the secondary character, Mo, and tertiary character Fran was fun too. There were an excessive amount of tertiary characters… like, Liv’s dad was 100% unnecessary, and a random person named Kristen and her husband? They made weird appearances and they could have just been left out. Greg and Jake: essential even though small parts.
If you know you are going to read two unique stories, you’ll be ok and might survive the impact of going from 70mph to 0mph on a story.
What you need to know:
Jojo is a great storyteller. There aren’t many faults with her writing style.
I went in to this story understanding that there would be two timelines… I KNOW those kinds of stories can be rough for me to enjoy, but I underestimated my own feelings.
This book is essentially two totally separate tales and they are combined under one cover. The main story truly is about a woman who has a painting of questionable origin and must (hopelessly) fight to keep her painting. This story thread stands 100%. The other storyline is a snippet of the life of the woman featured in the painting.
The book begins with the story of Sophie, the woman portrayed in the painting. I absolutely loved the story of Sophie and was fully engrossed with her trials of living in occupied France. I originally assumed we would bounce back between two different timelines, Sophie and Liv living in a somewhat parallel universe. However, there was no bouncing. Sophie’s story lasted almost exactly 1/3 of the book, and suddenly we were catapulted into 2006. The only way I can describe this transition was extremely JARRING. It was painful…
And in spite of Jojo’s great storytelling skills, Liv’s introduction was extremely rocky and made little sense and did not really tie in to the rest of Liv’s story.
After getting into the rhythm after the abrupt change, I enjoyed Liv’s story all right. However, Liv’s entire story could have stood completely alone without Sophie’s 1/3 of the book… We do randomly travel back to 1917 for 2-3 more chapters, and I honestly skipped these chapters and read them at the end of the book. They would have been much better suited to be chunked with the first 1/3 of the book. Splitting them up and inserting them randomly in the rest of the book was not helpful at all and did not reveal anything particular or important, except for the very last revelation (which could have been done in a different way that did not require Sophie’s story to be present at all).
It’s weird to say that I loved Sophie’s story, but I wish it hadn’t been part of the book. I honestly think after Jojo wrote the original story, she realized she needed to increase her word count, and decided to write Sophie’s story…Ok, I don’t REALLY think that, but it just feels like it could have been a possible scenario since Liv’s story would be better on it’s own.
Last comment is that I loved the secondary character, Mo, and tertiary character Fran was fun too. There were an excessive amount of tertiary characters… like, Liv’s dad was 100% unnecessary, and a random person named Kristen and her husband? They made weird appearances and they could have just been left out. Greg and Jake: essential even though small parts.
If you know you are going to read two unique stories, you’ll be ok and might survive the impact of going from 70mph to 0mph on a story.
Probably a 3.75. I loved it, but it wasn’t great literature or anything.