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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
medium-paced
This book took a long time to finish for me. Every time I pick it up I will just read around 10 pages and I get bored... I guess the whole plot was predictable and that for me personally, I do not like the fact that there are 2 women who are seriously having a hard to time to move on / letting go... There is also another concept that I am not a fan of where there is a man that is the Savior at the end of the day, which I guess is typical for a romance story. But nope, no-uh, not for BOTH of them. There should at least be something for me to take away from this book but I just felt like meh. Flat.
I loved this book! The perfect mixture of historical fiction and modern day romance. There was that one plot twist where I wanted to throw the book across the room! Well written. Great story!
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I could not put this book down. I loved the mix of history/modern times, and it just had a dash of everything nice. It made me think. It made me grateful for people. It inspired me to be strong.
Obwohl die Story nicht perfekt ist und einige Längen aufweist, hört man Luise Helm einfach unglaublich gern zu.
Here's the thing about Jojo's books: her amazingly plotted stories of melancholia and realistic love don't deserve her books' generic titles and covers. When I first saw the title of this book I almost cringed. I'm sure if I hadn't read Me Before You, I wouldn't even flip a page.
The title "The Girl You Left Behind" reads like a harboring story of a clingy girlfriend who has sick attachment and love-victim issues in print. But the truth is, The Girl You Left Behind is a painting that serves as a metaphor for two tremendously empowered women who stick to their guts and would give literally anything for love -- even all their hard-stashed money, even their dignity. It tells the parallel story of Sophie and Edouard and the German Herr Kommandant in 1917 France, and the story of Liv and Paul in 2006 London.
The history of the First World War was covered breathlessly in this novel but it was never dragging or boring. Stories about torture methods and imprisonment were as welcome as the stories of the do-or-die couple from the past. When Sophie chose to give her painting and herself to the Kommandant in exchange of her husband's freedom, it portrayed parts-vulnerability and parts-courage. Liv's story, while she proved to be ruthless in providing absolution to her ownership of the painting and proving her case, was draggy and could be shallow. One moment she was all "oh fuck Paul I'm gonna hammer his balls" then the next moment she's appearing at Paul's doorsteps and being all "tomorrow we will be battling our issues at the court so maybe we can have a pre-court hearing shag?!" I get that she was going through hell and she needed to find acceptance somehow but her hasty decisions left a lot of room for side-eyes.
I loved how the story was told tho. It was so typical Jojo to not be too dramatic on the dialogue and still manage to unleash feels. She provided laughs as much as she gave readers a useful historical backstory and a lot of frustration. She has a way of making readers go through hell then redeems herself by writing staggering resolutions. I really enjoyed it.
FYI Jojo, you just slayed me with your 'After You' news.
The title "The Girl You Left Behind" reads like a harboring story of a clingy girlfriend who has sick attachment and love-victim issues in print. But the truth is, The Girl You Left Behind is a painting that serves as a metaphor for two tremendously empowered women who stick to their guts and would give literally anything for love -- even all their hard-stashed money, even their dignity. It tells the parallel story of Sophie and Edouard and the German Herr Kommandant in 1917 France, and the story of Liv and Paul in 2006 London.
The history of the First World War was covered breathlessly in this novel but it was never dragging or boring. Stories about torture methods and imprisonment were as welcome as the stories of the do-or-die couple from the past. When Sophie chose to give her painting and herself to the Kommandant in exchange of her husband's freedom, it portrayed parts-vulnerability and parts-courage. Liv's story, while she proved to be ruthless in providing absolution to her ownership of the painting and proving her case, was draggy and could be shallow. One moment she was all "oh fuck Paul I'm gonna hammer his balls" then the next moment she's appearing at Paul's doorsteps and being all "tomorrow we will be battling our issues at the court so maybe we can have a pre-court hearing shag?!" I get that she was going through hell and she needed to find acceptance somehow but her hasty decisions left a lot of room for side-eyes.
I loved how the story was told tho. It was so typical Jojo to not be too dramatic on the dialogue and still manage to unleash feels. She provided laughs as much as she gave readers a useful historical backstory and a lot of frustration. She has a way of making readers go through hell then redeems herself by writing staggering resolutions. I really enjoyed it.
FYI Jojo, you just slayed me with your 'After You' news.