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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
sad
slow-paced
Very slow and repetitive until the final 2/3 chapters.
A paragraph from the book ' You know, I used to think of myself as a tiny drop in the ocean of life. But I've come to see that I am not a drop in the ocean: I'm an entire ocean in one tiny drop. Some things are impossible to move on from - instead, you have to find a way to live with them. The secret is to open your heart, even as it breaks. Because that's when you discover that you have the capacity to contain it all - the pain and the love, the dark and the light. Just like the ocean.
The above paragraph sums up this beautiful novel. This novel is set in dual timelines of 1941 and 2010 and is the story of 12 year old Josie and Kate who finds Josie's diary. Set in Casablanca this novel takes us through the beautiful landscape of Morocco and I could picture that stunning place through the author's description.
This book deals with very tough subjects like second world war, anxiety, trauma, bereavement and refugee crisis but there is a beauty in how the author has shown the joy of healing and a satisfaction of offering that helping hand to someone in need. The amalgamation of different cultures that the author has portrayed through the eyes of a 12 year old is just brilliant. No matter what I write about this stunning novel I won't be doing it justice. I will say that this is definitely one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read!
The above paragraph sums up this beautiful novel. This novel is set in dual timelines of 1941 and 2010 and is the story of 12 year old Josie and Kate who finds Josie's diary. Set in Casablanca this novel takes us through the beautiful landscape of Morocco and I could picture that stunning place through the author's description.
This book deals with very tough subjects like second world war, anxiety, trauma, bereavement and refugee crisis but there is a beauty in how the author has shown the joy of healing and a satisfaction of offering that helping hand to someone in need. The amalgamation of different cultures that the author has portrayed through the eyes of a 12 year old is just brilliant. No matter what I write about this stunning novel I won't be doing it justice. I will say that this is definitely one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read!
medium-paced
This book was pretty boring. I read another of Valpys books just before this one - the cypress maze, which I thought was great. She clearly follows a similar structure and arch in her books, but this one just didn’t land. Maybe she was more familiar with the setting of that last book (Italy) than the setting of this one. Her portrayal of Morocco felt offensive and orientalist, one of the arches being that the main character realises Moroccans are real people and ventures into the dangerous medina, where in the beginning she was traumatised by its depravity. Such a helpful perspective from a white woman! We definitely needed it! Some of the historic storyline was somewhat interesting, but the childish narrator was very unbelievable to me in her style of speech, which took me out of it. There was a plot twist right at the end which to be fair I wasn’t expecting, but it kind of made the whole story not make sense and seemed a bit too gratuitously shocking. I think this book has put a sharp stop to my impending Fiona Valpy binge.
3+ stars, I really enjoyed the chapters of Josie's journal, but much of Zoe's I was annoyed by. There was a fairly major twist at the end that explained the "why" behind what annoyed me. That actually "saved" the story for me.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 I enjoyed parts of the story and I was entertained but there were just a few points of the story that I didn't like.
What a story, with an absolutely beautiful ending. Five star worthy, the ending, in my opinion as it pulled on so many of my emotions.
However, the journey to get there is loooong. The beginning of the story is slow and tedious and not a lot really happens. Now, there is a lot going on in the background as this is a back-and-forth between 2010 and 1941 during World War II, but the day today action (for the most part) of the characters is blasé.
The actual point of the story was some thing I found myself searching for early on, and I almost considered not finishing it.
It does begin to pick up speed the last 30 to 40%. And the way that it, in a sense, comes full circle at the end is really beautiful.
How I would rate the first half versus the second half is extremely different.
The beginning.. 2-ish. The ending, a solid 4.
However, the journey to get there is loooong. The beginning of the story is slow and tedious and not a lot really happens. Now, there is a lot going on in the background as this is a back-and-forth between 2010 and 1941 during World War II, but the day today action (for the most part) of the characters is blasé.
The actual point of the story was some thing I found myself searching for early on, and I almost considered not finishing it.
It does begin to pick up speed the last 30 to 40%. And the way that it, in a sense, comes full circle at the end is really beautiful.
How I would rate the first half versus the second half is extremely different.
The beginning.. 2-ish. The ending, a solid 4.