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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The ending wrapped up a bit too perfectly, but it was an enjoyable read.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jojo Moyes is the best author I've discovered this year. I stayed up late finishing both her books and find her writing goes down real easy. A painting by one of Matisse's students is at the center of this book. In the first story Sophie Lefevre, the subject of the painting, is a French woman trying survive in a WWI German-occupied village. In the second set almost a hundred years later, Liv Halston, the owner of the painting, is trying to survive after her brilliant husband's death. Written with the same vividness and likable characters as [b:Me Before You|15507958|Me Before You|Jojo Moyes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1357108762s/15507958.jpg|17763198], The Girl You Left Behind is a fantastic book to curl into a chair by a fire and read.
It was interesting how many parallels there were in this book to Love and Treasure. Even though the subject is war, love and impossible choices, it is a sweet book, and I really don't read many chic lit books anymore, but it's what the doctor ordered! And maybe I'm trying to finish my reading challenge. Still working through heavier fiction, but whizzed through this one in 2 days. It seems like an upgrade on Maeve Binchy with more believable characters (for the most part).
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. I love Jojo’s writing style. Between her unique storylines and characters, I’m never let down. I do agree that the modern day storyline left a little to be desired but a good book nonetheless.
On of my favourite books of all time. I recommend this book to anyone that will listen to me. It was not what I expected at all based on the title. What I thought would be a typical young adult love story turned into a wonderfully written almost period piece (?). If you’ve ever seen the movie “The Woman in Gold” and loved it, you will love this book
A wonderfully written book telling the story of two different Women in two different lifetimes. Sophie who is running a restaurant in a ocupied village during WWI who does whatever it takes to make sure her husband will stay safe and to be reunited with him.
Almost a century later we find our other woman Olivia, a widow, who during her honeymoon got a portrait painting from her husband. It isn't signed but on the back it has the name of the painting and the name is Sophie.
Almost a century later we find our other woman Olivia, a widow, who during her honeymoon got a portrait painting from her husband. It isn't signed but on the back it has the name of the painting and the name is Sophie.
3.5 Stars because I really enjoyed the beginning which took place in 1919. The present day sections didn't hold my interest and I found Liv annoying.
When it is well done, a split-time narrative is gripping and exciting. This one is extraordinary and triumphs over JoJo Moyes' previous work in the same vain: The Last Letter from Your Lover, another story split between the past (1960s) and today. Moyes is an incredibly diverse writer who avoids formula in every way possible. I simply could not put this book down.
The Girl You Left Behind is an intricate, emotional, and troubling story of a heroic woman surviving in a small French village under German occupation during World War One. It is also the story of another heroic woman surviving the death of her husband in modern London. Their lives weave together in a beautiful and tragic way. The reader can't help but feel sympathy for both sides of the dramatic legal battle that ensues over a precious work of art, of which the complete provenance is unknown. Right and wrong are not always black and white, and Moyes does justice to the gray areas in between.
As with The Last Letter from Your Lover, the modern story is weak compared to the historical one, and there are certainly a few prosaic moments. But Moyes is improving on how she requires the reader to feel her characters' emotions. She does not tell, she shows. You will taste the horrible black bread. You will smell the roast chicken. You will feel the lice crawling in your hair. Your stomach will lurch at the crack of the gunshots. You will suffer for your reading of this incredible story, but you will emerge changed, wiser, better for it.
The Girl You Left Behind is an intricate, emotional, and troubling story of a heroic woman surviving in a small French village under German occupation during World War One. It is also the story of another heroic woman surviving the death of her husband in modern London. Their lives weave together in a beautiful and tragic way. The reader can't help but feel sympathy for both sides of the dramatic legal battle that ensues over a precious work of art, of which the complete provenance is unknown. Right and wrong are not always black and white, and Moyes does justice to the gray areas in between.
As with The Last Letter from Your Lover, the modern story is weak compared to the historical one, and there are certainly a few prosaic moments. But Moyes is improving on how she requires the reader to feel her characters' emotions. She does not tell, she shows. You will taste the horrible black bread. You will smell the roast chicken. You will feel the lice crawling in your hair. Your stomach will lurch at the crack of the gunshots. You will suffer for your reading of this incredible story, but you will emerge changed, wiser, better for it.
Jojo Moyes is the best author I've discovered this year. I stayed up late finishing both her books and find her writing goes down real easy. A painting by one of Matisse's students is at the center of this book. In the first story Sophie Lefevre, the subject of the painting, is a French woman trying survive in a WWI German-occupied village. In the second set almost a hundred years later, Liv Halston, the owner of the painting, is trying to survive after her brilliant husband's death. Written with the same vividness and likable characters as [b:Me Before You|15507958|Me Before You|Jojo Moyes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1357108762s/15507958.jpg|17763198], The Girl You Left Behind is a fantastic book to curl into a chair by a fire and read.