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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
So boring. Storyline: good, original, slow, predictable. Ok weekend read if the power is out. Otherwise, I’d pick a more fast paced interesting book.
I thought this book was fascinating. It was a piece of WW2 history that I knew nothing about. At first, I couldn't really get into Zoe's chapters. I was hooked on Josie's diary entries, and wanted to focus all on that. I knew there was something major in Zoe's story - there was a purpose behind the quilt and the strained relationship with her husband, but I NEVER would have suspected what it was. And then all of the pieces that struck me as odd or repetitive about Zoe's chapters started to make sense. I also really appreciated how the author tied together the past and the present - Josie's family during WW2, Zoe's work in the Center. In the end, I thought this was a really well written book - and I would recommend it.
*I read this as part of the 2022 Popsugar Reading Challenge (advanced) - "A book with two POVs"
*I read this as part of the 2022 Popsugar Reading Challenge (advanced) - "A book with two POVs"
Some interesting aspects, but I felt like the book dragged a lot (or at least didn't catch me) and it featured one of my absolute most hated "plot twists."
Like The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy, The Storyteller of Casablanca tells two stories in two timelines, and one is a story of World War II. As with most books using this approach, one story can be more powerful than the other. In this case, it is Josie's story of the war. Overall, the history is interesting, and the location is fascinating. However, the emotion of the book is not what I expected.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/12/the-storyteller-of-casablanca.html
Reviewed for NetGalley
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/12/the-storyteller-of-casablanca.html
Reviewed for NetGalley
Could not get invested in the characters. I read about half and then skipped to the end to see what Zoe’s incessant need to wash her hands was all about. She drove me nuts and then I find out that her grief over losing her daughter has messed with her so then I felt like a jerk but until that point I found her to be weak and annoying. And while Josie seemed likeable I still just lost interest. This is my second book by this author and I think it will be my last. Just not my style.
This is an incredibly captivating five-star dual timeline historical fiction novel set in the exotic city of Casablanca in 1941 and then seventy years later. Inspired by refugees fleeing Europe during the war years, Valpy explores the challenges they faced and highlights the migrant crisis in North Africa.
One timeline focuses on the Duval family as they arrive in Casablanca after fleeing Paris when the Germans invaded. Removed from the war back home, the family settles into life in this exciting city as they await onward passage to America. Valpy makes this vibrant city come alive with such intensity that readers have no difficulty understanding daily life in this intoxicating port city.
The second timeline focuses on the Harris family who’ve accepted a five-year posting and recently arrived in Casablanca seeking a fresh start for their struggling marriage. They move into the home previously occupied by the Duvals. Valpy clearly paints a beautiful picture with words enabling readers to instantly immerse themselves in the culture and time frame. The denouement is spectacular as Valpy merges the timelines and takes readers by surprise with a plot twist they won't see coming!
At first, I groaned when I realized I was reading an all too familiar ‘discovering a diary in present time and reading about past events,’ scenario, but thankfully Valpy was able to keep me interested with a spectacular plot, enchanting setting, and interesting characters. Unique to this novel is the incorporating of Operation Torch, the expat experience, and the North African Migrant crisis.
My only issue was that I felt the 13-year-old Josie sounded far wiser than her years and didn’t seem to have a unique voice.
Publishes September 21, 2021
I was generously gifted this advance copy by Fiona Valpy, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
One timeline focuses on the Duval family as they arrive in Casablanca after fleeing Paris when the Germans invaded. Removed from the war back home, the family settles into life in this exciting city as they await onward passage to America. Valpy makes this vibrant city come alive with such intensity that readers have no difficulty understanding daily life in this intoxicating port city.
The second timeline focuses on the Harris family who’ve accepted a five-year posting and recently arrived in Casablanca seeking a fresh start for their struggling marriage. They move into the home previously occupied by the Duvals. Valpy clearly paints a beautiful picture with words enabling readers to instantly immerse themselves in the culture and time frame. The denouement is spectacular as Valpy merges the timelines and takes readers by surprise with a plot twist they won't see coming!
At first, I groaned when I realized I was reading an all too familiar ‘discovering a diary in present time and reading about past events,’ scenario, but thankfully Valpy was able to keep me interested with a spectacular plot, enchanting setting, and interesting characters. Unique to this novel is the incorporating of Operation Torch, the expat experience, and the North African Migrant crisis.
My only issue was that I felt the 13-year-old Josie sounded far wiser than her years and didn’t seem to have a unique voice.
Publishes September 21, 2021
I was generously gifted this advance copy by Fiona Valpy, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
A beautiful, captivating story. I enjoy dual timelines and this one takes place in Casablanca in 1941 and 2010. I loved the descriptions of Casablanca.
What I read: The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy
Why I picked it up: It’s our book club selection for March.
How I read it: On paper, over almost a week, took me some time to get into it.
What it’s about: Zoe is an expat in Casablanca due to her husband’s job. She finds Josie’s, a 12 year old girl, journal from her time there as a refugee in 1941. The writing is lovely, and I appreciated a new location explored for a WWII historical novel.
What I liked: The intertwining stories were a delight.
What I disliked: I wanted a longer resolution to Zoe’s story. I think it wrapped up pretty quickly, but I wanted more of her and Tom’s marriage.
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and absolutely!!
Why I picked it up: It’s our book club selection for March.
How I read it: On paper, over almost a week, took me some time to get into it.
What it’s about: Zoe is an expat in Casablanca due to her husband’s job. She finds Josie’s, a 12 year old girl, journal from her time there as a refugee in 1941. The writing is lovely, and I appreciated a new location explored for a WWII historical novel.
What I liked: The intertwining stories were a delight.
What I disliked: I wanted a longer resolution to Zoe’s story. I think it wrapped up pretty quickly, but I wanted more of her and Tom’s marriage.
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and absolutely!!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Morocco, 1941. With France having fallen to Nazi occupation, twelve-year-old Jewish girl Josie has fled with her family to Casablanca, where they await safe passage to America. Life here is as intense as the sun, every sight, smell and sound overwhelming to the senses in a city filled with extraordinary characters. It’s a world away from the trouble back home—and Josie loves it.
Seventy years later, another new arrival in the intoxicating port city, Zoe, is struggling—with her marriage, her baby daughter and her new life as an expat in an unfamiliar place. But when she discovers a small wooden box and a diary from the 1940s beneath the floorboards of her daughter’s bedroom, Zoe enters the inner world of young Josie, who once looked out on the same view of the Atlantic Ocean, but who knew a very different Casablanca.
It’s not long before Zoe begins to see her adopted city through Josie’s eyes. But can a new perspective help her turn tragedy into hope, and find the comfort she needs to heal her broken heart?
My main problem with this book is my active dislike of Zoe from when she first goes out with her baby, in the heat, in a strange county, with no money and gets lost. If it hadn't been a book club choice I think I'd have ditched it there and then. However, I'm glad I didn't because overall it's a good story with lots of interesting facts about Casablanca during wartime.
I think another issue of mine is the writing. Most of the book is Josie's diary which, as she is a child, is written in a childish fashion. Unfortunately I felt that Zoe's parts weren't hugely distinguishable from this and I really failed to engage with her character at all.
I realise that I'm unusual in disliking the book (most of my book club really loved it) so perhaps the problem is mine rather than the author's...
Seventy years later, another new arrival in the intoxicating port city, Zoe, is struggling—with her marriage, her baby daughter and her new life as an expat in an unfamiliar place. But when she discovers a small wooden box and a diary from the 1940s beneath the floorboards of her daughter’s bedroom, Zoe enters the inner world of young Josie, who once looked out on the same view of the Atlantic Ocean, but who knew a very different Casablanca.
It’s not long before Zoe begins to see her adopted city through Josie’s eyes. But can a new perspective help her turn tragedy into hope, and find the comfort she needs to heal her broken heart?
My main problem with this book is my active dislike of Zoe from when she first goes out with her baby, in the heat, in a strange county, with no money and gets lost. If it hadn't been a book club choice I think I'd have ditched it there and then. However, I'm glad I didn't because overall it's a good story with lots of interesting facts about Casablanca during wartime.
I think another issue of mine is the writing. Most of the book is Josie's diary which, as she is a child, is written in a childish fashion. Unfortunately I felt that Zoe's parts weren't hugely distinguishable from this and I really failed to engage with her character at all.
I realise that I'm unusual in disliking the book (most of my book club really loved it) so perhaps the problem is mine rather than the author's...