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skigirl1689's review against another edition
2.0
Fictionalizing a real person's life is tricky, and I did not like that Richman characterized Marthe as pretentious and in some ways narcissistic. All she seemed to care about was her worldly goods and maybe Charles, her married l0ver. I liked Solange's story line much better, but it seemed to end too abruptly. It was as though the author was tired of writing and quickly ended it. I wanted to know more about the escape from Europe.
gr8reader's review against another edition
5.0
Alyson Richman did not disappoint!! Well developed characters. There was just one or two spots that I felt were contrived to fit the story. Really enjoy stories based on a kernel of truth.
cynsfictionaddiction's review against another edition
4.0
There were many things that initially attracted me to Alyson Richman’s “The Velvet Hours.” Historical fiction taking place in France (or Europe in general) is an automatic attention-grabber for me since I’m fascinated with the various time periods throughout European history, but it was the constant comparison to Kristin Hannah’s “The Nightingale” that sealed it for me. I read “The Nightingale” with my book club at the beginning of the year and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite historical fiction novels.
Written in a similar style, Richman jumps back and forth between two perspectives throughout the novel (as Hannah does with her two main characters). In “The Velvet Hours” we meet Marthe de Florian, as she narrates her pre-World War I journey to her granddaughter Solange, and explains her life journey to becoming who she is. Meanwhile, as Solange consistently visits her grandmother to hear her story, World War II breaks out and spreads across Europe.
Impacting her life deeply, Solange’s chapters are centered on the discovery of her Jewish heritage and the relationships she builds as the war begins to envelop the country. Both young women on life-altering journeys, “The Velvet Hours” is a tale of how Marthe and Solange each take the hand they are dealt and shape life to make it what they want.
Despite a slow start, it was a deeply moving novel and I think that as much as I loved “The Nightingale,” the comparison didn’t do “The Velvet Hours” justice. The most impactful part was reading the author’s note at the end where Richman details the true story of Marthe de Florian’s apartment that the book is based on. Alyson Richman does a remarkable job of taking the skeleton of this story and creating such a richly, detailed novel demonstrating how Marthe and Solange may have reacted and survived the wars engulfing their lives.
For this and other book reviews, please visit: https://thebookbasics.wordpress.com/
Written in a similar style, Richman jumps back and forth between two perspectives throughout the novel (as Hannah does with her two main characters). In “The Velvet Hours” we meet Marthe de Florian, as she narrates her pre-World War I journey to her granddaughter Solange, and explains her life journey to becoming who she is. Meanwhile, as Solange consistently visits her grandmother to hear her story, World War II breaks out and spreads across Europe.
Impacting her life deeply, Solange’s chapters are centered on the discovery of her Jewish heritage and the relationships she builds as the war begins to envelop the country. Both young women on life-altering journeys, “The Velvet Hours” is a tale of how Marthe and Solange each take the hand they are dealt and shape life to make it what they want.
Despite a slow start, it was a deeply moving novel and I think that as much as I loved “The Nightingale,” the comparison didn’t do “The Velvet Hours” justice. The most impactful part was reading the author’s note at the end where Richman details the true story of Marthe de Florian’s apartment that the book is based on. Alyson Richman does a remarkable job of taking the skeleton of this story and creating such a richly, detailed novel demonstrating how Marthe and Solange may have reacted and survived the wars engulfing their lives.
For this and other book reviews, please visit: https://thebookbasics.wordpress.com/
sarahfett's review against another edition
3.0
This is a beautifully written book with two stories that eventually weave together. The tone was too melancholy for my taste. It was recommended to me by a woman st my church who said her book group loved it, so I was surprised by the racy passages.
cricket771's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. However, I thought the end was somewhat rushed.
lecrockett's review against another edition
DNF at 38%. The writing is beautiful but it's primarily a Belle Époque book...not a WWII novel like I expected. I didn't care enough about the main thread to continue.
kszr's review against another edition
4.0
A story of redemption and survival, and the secrets we keep in order to continue on.
The story's origin was based upon the true life story of an apartment that was opened in Paris a few years back that was a time capsule from the 1930s. This story is an imaginary tale of how that came to be.
When, at the age of 19, Solange is introduced to an unknown grandmother, her father's mother, she begins to hear of the story of Marthe's life, and how she came to be in this exquisite apartment in Paris, surrounded by beautiful objects. These two women's stories are intertwined, going back and forth between them. Solange's father was not the only one that had kept secrets of who they were - her beloved mother, deceased, had not informed her of her Jewish background. As Solange embarks on a journey to discover her grandmother, she also discovers her mother, and herself. As all three women have faced adversity, they have all remade themselves in order to survive. But in the end, all kept true to the person they have always been.
The story's origin was based upon the true life story of an apartment that was opened in Paris a few years back that was a time capsule from the 1930s. This story is an imaginary tale of how that came to be.
When, at the age of 19, Solange is introduced to an unknown grandmother, her father's mother, she begins to hear of the story of Marthe's life, and how she came to be in this exquisite apartment in Paris, surrounded by beautiful objects. These two women's stories are intertwined, going back and forth between them. Solange's father was not the only one that had kept secrets of who they were - her beloved mother, deceased, had not informed her of her Jewish background. As Solange embarks on a journey to discover her grandmother, she also discovers her mother, and herself. As all three women have faced adversity, they have all remade themselves in order to survive. But in the end, all kept true to the person they have always been.
halkid2's review against another edition
4.0
Another beautifully written historical novel from the talented Alyson Richman. Few authors are as adept at skillfully using subtle detail to so thoroughly evoke a past era. In this book, Richman brings to life both the late 1800s Belle Époque in Paris, as well as the mounting fear and suspense of that same city on the brink of World War II. And the whole thing is based on an obscure newspaper clipping about the discovery of an apartment that had been abandoned but maintained for 70 years and a few scattered facts.
Richman weaves the human tale of the budding relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter, who meet for the first time late in the elderly woman's life. By sharing the stories of her earlier life as a courtesan and art muse, Marthe opens up a new world of art and beauty for her granddaughter, Solange, while both discover a new sense of family. Outside the hours these two spend together, Solange undertakes her first romantic relationship with the son of a Parisian bookstore owner, who also happens to be Jewish.
Both these women's stories are beautiful in their own unique ways. But together they make for an exceptional reading experience. Well worth the time.
Richman weaves the human tale of the budding relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter, who meet for the first time late in the elderly woman's life. By sharing the stories of her earlier life as a courtesan and art muse, Marthe opens up a new world of art and beauty for her granddaughter, Solange, while both discover a new sense of family. Outside the hours these two spend together, Solange undertakes her first romantic relationship with the son of a Parisian bookstore owner, who also happens to be Jewish.
Both these women's stories are beautiful in their own unique ways. But together they make for an exceptional reading experience. Well worth the time.
diannel_04's review against another edition
4.0
In 2014 a woman named Solange Beaugiron died and her heirs discovered that for over 70 years she had been paying rent on a Paris apartment they knew nothing about. The apartment had belonged to her grandmother, Marthe de Florian, a grand courtesan. When the doors were opened it was like stepping back in time. It was filled with over $3M worth of antiques.
Very little is known about Marthe but this book imagines her story beautifully. I highly recommend it.
Very little is known about Marthe but this book imagines her story beautifully. I highly recommend it.