Reviews

A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot, Linda Coverdale

lisagray68's review against another edition

4.0

Historical fiction that is both a love story and a mystery. Set in post-WW1, Mathilde sets out to discover if her fiancee was actually killed in action. Kind of old-fashioned writing (written 1991, translated from the French), but very engaging and an easy read.

sergei_ter_tumasov's review against another edition

5.0

Интересный, необычный детектив. Хотя это трудно назвать детективом в обычном понимании этого слова, потому что тут нет преступления, но есть некая "тайна", некая нестыковка фактов, которая толкает главную героиню начать расследование.

Понравилось, что в этом произведении всего в меру: немного детектива, немного истории, немного любви. Все очень сбалансировано!
Единственное, что не понравилось-это главная героиня, Матильда. Слишком уж она независимая, что ли? Какая-то слишком книжно-кинематографическая получилась (кстати, фильм тоже есть).

lovecomingofage's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

lessidisa's review against another edition

4.0

J'ai bien aimé, sauf la fin. En même temps si ça c'était fini autrement j'aurais crié gnieugnieugnieu une fin comme ça c'est scandaleux.

Par contre pourquoi dans ce livres les gens croient que les normaux comme nous n'ont que ça à faire de les dénoncer - alors qu'ils font ce qui est nécessaire pour survivre et par dessus le marché aident nos proches en difficulté?

Spoiler

"Non il peut très bien vivre paisible mais loin de cette stalkeuse"

- ma soeur de génie, 26 juin 2020.

bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition

3.0

I could not get into this book right now. It is possible that I have overdosed on WWI books, and am not giving it a fair judgment. Maybe I will pick this up again later.

floratristan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Roman un peu épistolaire où le personnage principal, Mathilde, recherche son fiancé Manech pendant la première guerre mondiale. Le livre audio est très bien fait, mais j'avais du mal à suivre à cause des nombreux noms des personnages. Je n'ai pas bien compris pourquoi Manech echange d'identité par exemple

daphnejameshuff's review against another edition

I read this a while ago (in French), but I remember it being confusing at first because of all the names and dates. I had seen the movie first several times and loved it (not as much as Amelie, but same director, same crazy feel), so I managed to follow along pretty well. I was disappointed I didn't understand it better at first, but I suppose I should read more French novels and not just the newspaper . . .

lauren_endnotes's review against another edition

4.0

In Mathilde Donnay, Sebastien Japrisot has created one of the most compelling and delightful heroines in modern fiction. Though confined to a wheelchair since childhood, "Mathilde has other lives, varied and quite beautiful ones." She paints, cares for her pets, enjoys a rich fantasy life, and is relentless in her search for the truth about Manech's death. But she is by no means the only vibrant personality leaping off Japrisot's pages. This author has a remarkable ability to draw even minor characters in three dimensions with economy and wit. Take Mathilde's mother, for instance, caught in mid-card game: "At bridge, manille, bezique, Mama is a dirty rotten swine. Not only is she an ace with the pasteboards, but she throws her opponents off their mettle by insulting or making fun of them." And even the characters we meet only through other people's memories--the condemned men--are so fully realized that you find yourself torn over which one you hope may have survived. As Mathilde comes ever closer to solving the mystery of what happened at Bingo Crépuscule that January morning in 1917, Sebastien Japrisot proves himself a master storyteller.

akcarr11's review against another edition

4.0

I wanted to read this book since I saw the movie years ago, but I struggled to find a translation. I’m glad I finally found one. Mathilde’s investigations demonstrate the chaos of WWI and tie together disparate lives. It’s been awhile since I’ve last seen the movie, but it seems to me that the romance of the book comes at the end, rather than as the through line I remember it being in the film. The feeling, the story, and the desperation to solve the mystery of that day make for a strong book.

that_reader_naomi's review

slow-paced

3.0

This took me so long. I understood the words I was reading as I was reading them, but I have no idea what I read. The mystery went completely over my head. This book drained me. But it was a good story??? I might be rating it too high. From what I did gather, though, this book provides a deep insight into the horrors of war and the impact it has on families, not just those who fought.