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lifeand100books's review
5.0
A few weeks ago Todd wrote a post about what it's like living with me when a book makes me emotional. As much as I feel bad about making him bear witness to me being a simpering mess, I can't give up books that elicit strong emotional responses from me. In my opinion, books that can generate these strong responses are well written, engaging, and in some way relatable. Every book that I've read by Lucinda Riley can be categorized as one of these books. Her latest, The Lavender Garden, topped my list of reads for 2013 and is every bit as moving as her last two books The Girl on the Cliff & The Orchid House.
From Goodreads:
As I stated earlier, Riley's novels make me into a simpering mess. I should add that I LOVE that about her novels. Her novels don't make me cry due to sadness, they make me cry because of their beauty. The way they explore difficult facets of life. The types of characters she chooses to explore. The Lavender Garden hooked me for one particular reason....the characters. Talk about a smorgasbord of different people! The mark of good writing is when you get completely immersed into the characters' lives. You feel joy and pain with them. They aggravate you. They make decisions you cringe or cheer at. Emilie, Constance, Edouard, Alex, etc are all so well-drawn and configured.
Riley is a master at weaving the past and present together in a way where it all makes sense. The elements of mystery, love, romance, and suspense that she is able to incorporate into her stories are what make them such page-turners. The twists and turns present in The Lavender Garden make it difficult to discuss any plot points in-depth without giving things away, so just trust me when I tell you - the emotional journey Riley takes you on is so, so rewarding. If you've ever read anything by Kate Morton, you're sure to enjoy Riley's novels. And if you've never read something by either author you're sincerely missing out.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
Originally Posted: http://wp.me/p18lIL-2dW
From Goodreads:
La Côte d’Azur, 1998: In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martinières, the last of her gilded line, inherits her childhood home, a magnificent château and vineyard. With the property comes a mountain of debt—and almost as many questions . . .
Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent undercover to Paris to be part of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance, she soon stumbles into the heart of a prominent family who regularly entertain elite members of the German military even as they plot to liberate France. But in a city rife with collaborators and rebels, Constance’s most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.
As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the château itself may provide the clues that unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future. Here is a dazzling novel of intrigue and passion from one of the world’s most beloved storytellers.
As I stated earlier, Riley's novels make me into a simpering mess. I should add that I LOVE that about her novels. Her novels don't make me cry due to sadness, they make me cry because of their beauty. The way they explore difficult facets of life. The types of characters she chooses to explore. The Lavender Garden hooked me for one particular reason....the characters. Talk about a smorgasbord of different people! The mark of good writing is when you get completely immersed into the characters' lives. You feel joy and pain with them. They aggravate you. They make decisions you cringe or cheer at. Emilie, Constance, Edouard, Alex, etc are all so well-drawn and configured.
Riley is a master at weaving the past and present together in a way where it all makes sense. The elements of mystery, love, romance, and suspense that she is able to incorporate into her stories are what make them such page-turners. The twists and turns present in The Lavender Garden make it difficult to discuss any plot points in-depth without giving things away, so just trust me when I tell you - the emotional journey Riley takes you on is so, so rewarding. If you've ever read anything by Kate Morton, you're sure to enjoy Riley's novels. And if you've never read something by either author you're sincerely missing out.
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
Originally Posted: http://wp.me/p18lIL-2dW
jo_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Yet again Lucinda Riley has created and weaved a story which has you gripped from the beginning to the end. You have to keep reading, you have to know what happens you have to know if love will conquer all, if war will end, if all wrongs will be righted and that the light will shine again from behind the window where it has been hiding for many years of the main characters.
Emilie de la Martinieres is there when her glamorous mother draws her final breath. As the end comes, Emilie realises what a task she now has to face, as the sole remaining heir she has to sort a flat in Paris, her mother's jewels and other remnants of her famous and glamorous life as well as the Chateau in the south of France, which her mother hated, but Emilie loved as a child when her father was alive.
The Chateau holds memories good and bad, and as Emilie discovers these she also discovers something of the past which has an immediate effect on the future. The reader goes on an emotional rollercoaster with Emilie, as it seems all is suddenly well with the sudden appearance of Sebastian Carruthers, an Englishman visiting the south of France because of a family tale from his grandmother. For Emilie suddenly life is going to be easy and full of light and love. Then everything builds to the top and most highest point of the rollercoaster, emotions are running high and the descent is rather fast and makes her relook at all she has. Does she need to once again reassess all that is left behind?
Constance Carruthers is a young married woman, whose husband is missing in action. Not wanting to be idle, Constance goes to do some war work as an office clerk. However, something about Constance stands out and she is one of the few selected to the SOE (Special Operations Executive) and after fierce and extraordinary training she is landed in France, and has to make it to Paris to help the Resistance in Vichy France. However, contact is not easy and she is suddenly all alone in a foregin country, under an assumed name with no hope of ever returning home in the immediate future. It is a case of fight or flight. Constance chooses to fight and finds herself placed in the most extraordinary position in the house of Edouard de la Martinieres. Not how she envisaged spending the war.
Here the past and the present collide in Lucinda's story as they have done in her previous novels and is a skill will she handles effectively with ease and no obvious break with the story. Edouard is Emilie's father. Sebastian is Constance's grandson. So the links are complete. All you need to do now is sit back and enjoy the story, it captures you, it shines light in your heart, and it turns the pages long into the night.
The author has a skill in drawing you right into the characters lives so much so that you experience all that they do and just as you think you know the outcome or the next stage in their development, it is shifted again. A veritable tease in some ways a good skill of holding the reader's attention in others. I did not want this book to end, it could have been double the size and I still would have wanted to learn more about both the past and the present.
If you are looking for a story, perhaps something old fashioned but something with history, romance, big domineering houses that are as good as characters, conflict and resolution, love and loss, prejudice in race, in class then this book will tick all the boxes. Therefore buy it, read it and enjoy it.
Emilie de la Martinieres is there when her glamorous mother draws her final breath. As the end comes, Emilie realises what a task she now has to face, as the sole remaining heir she has to sort a flat in Paris, her mother's jewels and other remnants of her famous and glamorous life as well as the Chateau in the south of France, which her mother hated, but Emilie loved as a child when her father was alive.
The Chateau holds memories good and bad, and as Emilie discovers these she also discovers something of the past which has an immediate effect on the future. The reader goes on an emotional rollercoaster with Emilie, as it seems all is suddenly well with the sudden appearance of Sebastian Carruthers, an Englishman visiting the south of France because of a family tale from his grandmother. For Emilie suddenly life is going to be easy and full of light and love. Then everything builds to the top and most highest point of the rollercoaster, emotions are running high and the descent is rather fast and makes her relook at all she has. Does she need to once again reassess all that is left behind?
Constance Carruthers is a young married woman, whose husband is missing in action. Not wanting to be idle, Constance goes to do some war work as an office clerk. However, something about Constance stands out and she is one of the few selected to the SOE (Special Operations Executive) and after fierce and extraordinary training she is landed in France, and has to make it to Paris to help the Resistance in Vichy France. However, contact is not easy and she is suddenly all alone in a foregin country, under an assumed name with no hope of ever returning home in the immediate future. It is a case of fight or flight. Constance chooses to fight and finds herself placed in the most extraordinary position in the house of Edouard de la Martinieres. Not how she envisaged spending the war.
Here the past and the present collide in Lucinda's story as they have done in her previous novels and is a skill will she handles effectively with ease and no obvious break with the story. Edouard is Emilie's father. Sebastian is Constance's grandson. So the links are complete. All you need to do now is sit back and enjoy the story, it captures you, it shines light in your heart, and it turns the pages long into the night.
The author has a skill in drawing you right into the characters lives so much so that you experience all that they do and just as you think you know the outcome or the next stage in their development, it is shifted again. A veritable tease in some ways a good skill of holding the reader's attention in others. I did not want this book to end, it could have been double the size and I still would have wanted to learn more about both the past and the present.
If you are looking for a story, perhaps something old fashioned but something with history, romance, big domineering houses that are as good as characters, conflict and resolution, love and loss, prejudice in race, in class then this book will tick all the boxes. Therefore buy it, read it and enjoy it.
belinster's review against another edition
3.0
Mooi verhaal! Ik vond vooral de historische stukjes leuk en interessant om te lezen. Het is wel een beetje voorspelbaar en op het einde had ik een paar momentjes waarvan ik met mn ogen rolde en dacht: ‘Natuurlijk gebeurt dat!’ Maar het is een lekker boek om even gedachten op nul te zetten en gewoon bij weg te dromen, ook bij de omgevingen waarin het boek zich afspeelt.
lish90's review against another edition
5.0
Slow to start off with but definitely worth it to keep reading! Lucinda Riley is quickly becoming a favourite author of mine, I can't put her books down!
kimcheel's review
4.0
I received this book as a First Reads. It was a little slower to get into than other books. In fact, in my head, I was already comparing it to those written by Kate Morton, so was fairly surprised it took a little longer to hold my interest. Once I was engaged, however, the story and the characters (mostly of Constance's time period) held my interest. I was suspicious of Emilie's character development at first. I felt like I had a slight inclination as to why she made her choices, but I really felt she was being deliberately obtuse with some aspects - particularly of the château renovations. I really wish we could see more of her back story, to lead us to understand more fully why she fell into Sebastian's wiles. The intrigue was what kept me flipping the pages. For a while, I thought Venetia was going to be Emilie's mother. I love it when books so convincingly make you think there are more than one options, and throughout this book I kept waffling as to who the villain was, and why the interest was there, as well as who would eventually have a place in Emilie's heart. I appreciated the ending - not deuce ex machina per se (which is a good thing in my books), but wrapped up satisfactorily and believably. I almost wish there was more Constance storyline. I felt - almost as she would have - that she really wasn't able to use her training, and, while it might not have ended up being pertinent to the story, wish there could have been some mention to her dealing with the abuse Falk perpetrated.
A wonderful book, and one I will recommend.
A wonderful book, and one I will recommend.
chatdunoirreadsalot123's review against another edition
5.0
Lucinda Riley writes beautiful books and this was no exception. One of my favorites!
j_elphaba's review against another edition
4.0
Quem teve a oportunidade de folhear anteriormente Lucinda Riley conhecerá, certamente, o talento magistral desta autora para contar histórias que mesclam o passado com presente, histórias com personagens imperfeitas que se vão descobrindo página a página, permitindo-nos vê-las florescer com a sua coragem. São histórias plenas de emoção que retratam verdades cruas através da ficção.
Uma Espia no Meu Passado é, tal como A Menina na Falésia, uma narrativa arrebatadora feita de segredos e laços intemporais, através de uma escrita cuidada, de beleza rara, que nos conquista com a sua tensão crescente, que nos prende aos seus afectos e à sua dor. Lindíssimo.
Em 1998, na actualidade, conhecemos uma das duas protagonistas desta obra, Émilie. Aprisionada num conflito de valores, esta jovem mulher pertencente à aristocracia encontra-se dividida entre sustentar, reerguer, a propriedade deixada pela morte da sua mãe ou continuar com a sua vida como tem sido até ao momento, feita de escolhas suas, do caminho que ela própria se viu obrigada a traçar para si. Neste sentido, temos uma personagem principal emocionalmente fragilizada que nem sempre tomará as opções mais assertivas aos olhos do leitor, mesmo que destas dependam a vida de terceiros que, a pouco e pouco, veremos começarem a fazer parte do seu coração.
No que respeita a intervenientes secundários neste espaço temporal, é imprescindível para mim referir Sebastian, Anton e Alex, três vidas absolutamente diferentes que desempenham papéis fundamentais. Considerei Sebastian como a única falha da autora neste livro, isto porque foi-me fácil prever o seu carácter nas suas primeiras intervenções mas, no entanto, sei que este representa alguém com perturbações graves que podem passar despercebidas entre os seus pares, pessoas a que todos deveríamos prestar atenção. Quanto a Alex e Anton, um dos dois marcará pela sua coragem face às adversidades e o outro pela sua inocência, em conjunto espelham questões como a exclusão social, sendo o primeiro dos dois nomes referidos inspirador, tal como tantos outros que deixarei por citar.
Já no passado, no ano de 1943, temos o prazer de conhecer Constance, um exemplo do que muitas mulheres foram obrigadas a ultrapassar durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Na representação deste momento histórico a autora está, na minha opinião, no seu melhor, abordando as dificuldades que mutilaram inúmeras vidas, relembrando os seus sonhos destruídos e, igualmente, as transformações que tantos outras existências sofreram e que não sabiam ser capazes de alcançar e ultrapassar. A protagonista passa por tudo aquilo que acabei de referir e, creio, que é com verdadeiro prazer que quem lê irá verificar o nascimento de uma nova mulher. Com o marido em lugar indeterminado e acabando por ficar alistada como espia Resistência Francesa, esta dá-nos a conhecer os seus medos e incertezas, o maravilhoso sabor das pequenas conquistas e, principalmente, o sangue frio necessário para se sobreviver nas condições adversas em que se irá encontrar.
Também neste momento da acção é crucial a existência de personagens secundárias e é só graças às mesmas que mergulhamos tão profundamente neste texto. Sophia, pelas suas limitações, é um interveniente do qual facilmente nos compadecemos, ela traz luz, vida a este texto quando toda a Europa se encontrava coberta de fuligem. Frederik e Falk, dois lados de uma mesma moeda, recordam as dificuldades de se estar do lado errado de uma facção e do quão diferentes podem ser dois seres humanos com a mesmas criação - uma analogia interessante por ser comum a duas outras personagens da actualidade - e, ainda, Édouard e Venetia, que encantam com a sua bravura, representando os muitos que arriscaram as suas vidas para salvar uma vida que fosse, uma que sem culpa merecia continuar a respirar.
Embora tenha, nos parágrafos anteriores, citado algumas das problemáticas relevantes - às quais poderia acrescentar adopção, alguns abusos psicológicos e a privação de necessidades primárias que existiram durante a Guerra -, gostaria de me debruçar igualmente sobre as questões afectivas que tantas vezes são o guia em situações extremas. Neste sentido, segredos, nos quais Lucinda é mestra, todas as questões em torno da família e as relações que se foram estabelecendo até ao final são, desta feita, dignas de um esmero perfeccionista e, definitivamente, tornam esta narrativa já por si só, devido à sua temática, ainda mais intensa e com uma carga emocional muito forte, que me fez verter algumas lágrimas.
Embora estejamos perante duas histórias distintas, assim como os seus cenários e, consecutivamente, as muitas descrições que podemos apreciar, fiquei encantada com a naturalidade com que mais tarde estas cruzam, trazendo um novo ímpeto à leitura e, como tal, é importante citar um delicioso caderno de poemas rico e singular devido ao seu papel pertinente ao texto por motivos variados - vão adora-lo pois é, entre tantos pormenores, aquele que realmente merece destaque.
Opinião completa: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt/2013/10/uma-espia-no-meu-passado-lucinda-riley.html
Uma Espia no Meu Passado é, tal como A Menina na Falésia, uma narrativa arrebatadora feita de segredos e laços intemporais, através de uma escrita cuidada, de beleza rara, que nos conquista com a sua tensão crescente, que nos prende aos seus afectos e à sua dor. Lindíssimo.
Em 1998, na actualidade, conhecemos uma das duas protagonistas desta obra, Émilie. Aprisionada num conflito de valores, esta jovem mulher pertencente à aristocracia encontra-se dividida entre sustentar, reerguer, a propriedade deixada pela morte da sua mãe ou continuar com a sua vida como tem sido até ao momento, feita de escolhas suas, do caminho que ela própria se viu obrigada a traçar para si. Neste sentido, temos uma personagem principal emocionalmente fragilizada que nem sempre tomará as opções mais assertivas aos olhos do leitor, mesmo que destas dependam a vida de terceiros que, a pouco e pouco, veremos começarem a fazer parte do seu coração.
No que respeita a intervenientes secundários neste espaço temporal, é imprescindível para mim referir Sebastian, Anton e Alex, três vidas absolutamente diferentes que desempenham papéis fundamentais. Considerei Sebastian como a única falha da autora neste livro, isto porque foi-me fácil prever o seu carácter nas suas primeiras intervenções mas, no entanto, sei que este representa alguém com perturbações graves que podem passar despercebidas entre os seus pares, pessoas a que todos deveríamos prestar atenção. Quanto a Alex e Anton, um dos dois marcará pela sua coragem face às adversidades e o outro pela sua inocência, em conjunto espelham questões como a exclusão social, sendo o primeiro dos dois nomes referidos inspirador, tal como tantos outros que deixarei por citar.
Já no passado, no ano de 1943, temos o prazer de conhecer Constance, um exemplo do que muitas mulheres foram obrigadas a ultrapassar durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Na representação deste momento histórico a autora está, na minha opinião, no seu melhor, abordando as dificuldades que mutilaram inúmeras vidas, relembrando os seus sonhos destruídos e, igualmente, as transformações que tantos outras existências sofreram e que não sabiam ser capazes de alcançar e ultrapassar. A protagonista passa por tudo aquilo que acabei de referir e, creio, que é com verdadeiro prazer que quem lê irá verificar o nascimento de uma nova mulher. Com o marido em lugar indeterminado e acabando por ficar alistada como espia Resistência Francesa, esta dá-nos a conhecer os seus medos e incertezas, o maravilhoso sabor das pequenas conquistas e, principalmente, o sangue frio necessário para se sobreviver nas condições adversas em que se irá encontrar.
Também neste momento da acção é crucial a existência de personagens secundárias e é só graças às mesmas que mergulhamos tão profundamente neste texto. Sophia, pelas suas limitações, é um interveniente do qual facilmente nos compadecemos, ela traz luz, vida a este texto quando toda a Europa se encontrava coberta de fuligem. Frederik e Falk, dois lados de uma mesma moeda, recordam as dificuldades de se estar do lado errado de uma facção e do quão diferentes podem ser dois seres humanos com a mesmas criação - uma analogia interessante por ser comum a duas outras personagens da actualidade - e, ainda, Édouard e Venetia, que encantam com a sua bravura, representando os muitos que arriscaram as suas vidas para salvar uma vida que fosse, uma que sem culpa merecia continuar a respirar.
Embora tenha, nos parágrafos anteriores, citado algumas das problemáticas relevantes - às quais poderia acrescentar adopção, alguns abusos psicológicos e a privação de necessidades primárias que existiram durante a Guerra -, gostaria de me debruçar igualmente sobre as questões afectivas que tantas vezes são o guia em situações extremas. Neste sentido, segredos, nos quais Lucinda é mestra, todas as questões em torno da família e as relações que se foram estabelecendo até ao final são, desta feita, dignas de um esmero perfeccionista e, definitivamente, tornam esta narrativa já por si só, devido à sua temática, ainda mais intensa e com uma carga emocional muito forte, que me fez verter algumas lágrimas.
Embora estejamos perante duas histórias distintas, assim como os seus cenários e, consecutivamente, as muitas descrições que podemos apreciar, fiquei encantada com a naturalidade com que mais tarde estas cruzam, trazendo um novo ímpeto à leitura e, como tal, é importante citar um delicioso caderno de poemas rico e singular devido ao seu papel pertinente ao texto por motivos variados - vão adora-lo pois é, entre tantos pormenores, aquele que realmente merece destaque.
Opinião completa: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt/2013/10/uma-espia-no-meu-passado-lucinda-riley.html
_enlivresque_'s review against another edition
4.0
Je l’ai savouré ce Lucinda Riley. Bien qu’il soit paru il y a 9 ans, il n’a pas pris une seule ride.
L’histoire est incroyable, à la fois dans le présent nous retrouvons Émilie, à la quête de ses origines pour pouvoir avancer dans son avenir et tirer un trait sur son passé. Et dans le passé nous retrouvons Constance, qui se bat pour sa liberté. J’ai adoré les sauts dans le passé et je vivais les émotions des personnages, l’angoisse m’a souvent accompagné pendant ma lecture.
C’est donc une excellente lecture, Lucinda continue de me surprendre et de me happer dans ces histoires toutes plus passionnantes les unes que les autres. Elle est la reine des secrets de familles et manie avec brio les intrigues en nous retournant le cerveau. Chaque lecture demeure inoubliable : le domaine de l’héritière fait à présent partie de mes livres préférés de Lucinda Riley.
L’histoire est incroyable, à la fois dans le présent nous retrouvons Émilie, à la quête de ses origines pour pouvoir avancer dans son avenir et tirer un trait sur son passé. Et dans le passé nous retrouvons Constance, qui se bat pour sa liberté. J’ai adoré les sauts dans le passé et je vivais les émotions des personnages, l’angoisse m’a souvent accompagné pendant ma lecture.
C’est donc une excellente lecture, Lucinda continue de me surprendre et de me happer dans ces histoires toutes plus passionnantes les unes que les autres. Elle est la reine des secrets de familles et manie avec brio les intrigues en nous retournant le cerveau. Chaque lecture demeure inoubliable : le domaine de l’héritière fait à présent partie de mes livres préférés de Lucinda Riley.
rowena2805's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0