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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
This treasure of a book includes all the best elements: war, art, star-crossed lovers, mystery, and adventure. I loved it, couldn't put it down.
The story jumps back in forth in time, modern day London and 1916 France. While it is a dual timeline, the story was still easy to follow. In the present day, Liv is fighting to keep in her position a painting that her deceased husband gifted to her. That painting is called The Girl You Left Behind. Said photo is of Sophie - which her painter husband painted of her in 1916 before he was sent off to war shortly after the Germans occupied France.
The Girl You Left Behind has a very interesting premise with an engaging story. The main focus of this century long story are Liv and Sophie, but as the story goes on, lots of characters are introduced, including Paul, who is the man that Liv meets and starts to date during her fight for the painting. The secondary characters, both then and now all add an additional and purposeful layer of drama and depth to the storylines. We experience love then loss with Sofie and then we get to experience the opposite of a loss followed by love with Liv.
Read the rest of the review on the Shelf Addiction blog: http://tinyurl.com/hmjkvqu
The Girl You Left Behind has a very interesting premise with an engaging story. The main focus of this century long story are Liv and Sophie, but as the story goes on, lots of characters are introduced, including Paul, who is the man that Liv meets and starts to date during her fight for the painting. The secondary characters, both then and now all add an additional and purposeful layer of drama and depth to the storylines. We experience love then loss with Sofie and then we get to experience the opposite of a loss followed by love with Liv.
Read the rest of the review on the Shelf Addiction blog: http://tinyurl.com/hmjkvqu
Overall, this was another great book by Moyes. TGYLB captured me from the beginning; I really loved Sophie's character. And, all of the parts of the novel set during her life were completely engrossing.
Where the book left more to be desired was in Liv's story. I didn't like her character very much I got tired of her alternating between running, being mad, and feeling sorry for herself. I don't want to make her out to be a terrible character, she's not, but she definitely isn't someone I'd want to be friends with or know. The middle of the book felt a bit labored and the trial turned out to be unbelievably serendipitous. But, my biggest complaint is about Paul. Now, I liked his character, but there was no way that I bought he was an American. Paul was only supposed to have lived in England for less than 10 years, but everything in his POV was full of Britishisms, things that would take longer than that amount of time to stop saying/thinking. It's disappointing to me that Moyes couldn't have found an American to read through and edit those passages. The off idioms and slang just made Paul's voice sound too much like Liz's.
Although I've listed several complaints about the book, I really did enjoy the story. I even got a little teary-eyed near the end. I'm a little torn about my rating since I loved Sophie and only tolerated Liz. The story Moyes built is solid enough that I'm rating it 4 stars.
Where the book left more to be desired was in Liv's story. I didn't like her character very much I got tired of her alternating between running, being mad, and feeling sorry for herself. I don't want to make her out to be a terrible character, she's not, but she definitely isn't someone I'd want to be friends with or know. The middle of the book felt a bit labored and the trial turned out to be unbelievably serendipitous. But, my biggest complaint is about Paul. Now, I liked his character, but there was no way that I bought he was an American. Paul was only supposed to have lived in England for less than 10 years, but everything in his POV was full of Britishisms, things that would take longer than that amount of time to stop saying/thinking. It's disappointing to me that Moyes couldn't have found an American to read through and edit those passages. The off idioms and slang just made Paul's voice sound too much like Liz's.
Although I've listed several complaints about the book, I really did enjoy the story. I even got a little teary-eyed near the end. I'm a little torn about my rating since I loved Sophie and only tolerated Liz. The story Moyes built is solid enough that I'm rating it 4 stars.
I like how Moyes writes. I always find all of her characters interesting and her books move quickly for me. This one was good, although there was a trial that went overlong and felt so unrealistic that I kind of started to get a bit annoyed/confused/unsure towards the end. Still, a solid read.
emotional
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a strong 4.5 stars for me. I really liked the weaving of the story, and the puzzle in the background.
This is the first book I have read by Moyes and it won't be the last. The story is told from the point of view of 2 different women a 100 years apart. At the start we meet Sophie Lefevre, living in occupied France during the First World War. Her husband Edouard, an artist, is away fighting in the war. Sophie runs the hotel in the village, and the first part of the book draws you into her story of running the hotel when the German army decide to use it for their evening meals. The Kommandment begins to show an interest in Sophie, and is also drawn to the painting her husband did of her, 'The Girl You Left Behind' which is one of Sophie's remaining links to her husband.
Jumping forward 100 years we now meet Liv Halston, the 30 year old widow still mourning the loss of her husband David. Liv has the same painting hanging in her bedroom, bought by her husband in a random scenario on honeymoon in Barcelona as a present to her. Liz sees the painting as a link to her husband, and will do anything to keep it.
I was really enjoying the story of Sophie, and in the latter stages of the book when it jumps between the two characters I was always more keen to get back to Sophie's story. Liv's story centers around a courtcase to do with ownership of the painting, and the story of Sophie trying to survive in occupied France is more dramatic and interesting. It was a shame for me that the ending didn't come as a huge surprise, however the story along the way was enough for me and I'll be looking to read other books by Moyes.
Jumping forward 100 years we now meet Liv Halston, the 30 year old widow still mourning the loss of her husband David. Liv has the same painting hanging in her bedroom, bought by her husband in a random scenario on honeymoon in Barcelona as a present to her. Liz sees the painting as a link to her husband, and will do anything to keep it.
I was really enjoying the story of Sophie, and in the latter stages of the book when it jumps between the two characters I was always more keen to get back to Sophie's story. Liv's story centers around a courtcase to do with ownership of the painting, and the story of Sophie trying to survive in occupied France is more dramatic and interesting. It was a shame for me that the ending didn't come as a huge surprise, however the story along the way was enough for me and I'll be looking to read other books by Moyes.
Although I've read several books by Moyes, this one served as an introduction to her works within the realm of historical fiction. Romance is still present here within both the past and present-day portions, but this time around it acts as an ingredient to enrich the story rather than merely drive it forward. I found Sophie's story to be quite engaging; Moyes perfectly paints a picture of her life in France and how it is drastically affected during World War I. Unfortunately, although the passages devoted to Liv are interesting, they pale in comparison and I was less invested in her journey, always anxious to find out more about Sophie via the nuggets of information scattered throughout the remainder of the book. I appreciate the light that Moyes sheds on the important topic of restitution through the titular painting's journey, and how she painstakingly explores the difficult moral and ethical issues associated that both Sophie and Liv grapple with.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Minor: Child death, Death