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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
i had so much fun reading this! the idea of the story is delightful, the journey so interesting with so many characters along the way, each adding to the story in their own ways. the letter formatting of the book added to the vibe. loved the little twist about who anne-lise is, but i wish i would’ve gotten more from the maggy/william side of things. and i wish that more breadcrumbs would’ve been left regarding the sylvestre/claire ending. a very easy but gratifying read!!
This book was wonderful - I couldn't stop listening to it! I loved the story, the premise, the voice actors - everything. The story is about a manuscript that was found in a hotel room by Anne-Lise and her quest to find its mysterious authors. The book is written in letter/e-mail form (epistolary) and we learn more about Anne-Lise, her friend Maggy and the people they meet. The second author is revealed toward the end and is a beautifully written twist I could never have predicted. This book is quite lovely and mellow and I couldn't wait to hear how the story would progress. Definitely a very enjoyable read/listen. Thank you to Netgalley for letting me listen to this brilliant story.
A fun, easy, low stress read, it was a great summer book for me. I received this for Mother's day from my husband. Great pick. This is a book in translation from French and takes place in Paris and Brittany. It is written in epistolary style as letters to and from MC Anne-Lise to everyone else. I must say it was something of a trick on the page to make this a handwritten letter exchange happening in 2016! A few emails squeaked I, but mostly it was letters.
The story: Anne-Lise found a manuscript if a book in a drawer of her hotel room on the Brittany coast and on faith sent it to an address scribbled into the margins. It found it's way to the author, Sylvestre, who reveals that he wrote the first portion and someone else the last, but that he lost the manuscript in Canada in 1983, 33 years before. Therein starts the hunt for how the manuscript came to be back in France and who wrote the ending. Nothing bad happens in this book-- all tragedies are in the past. Love and beautiful writing abound. I enjoyed that the characters were all in their 40's or older, as well, since that is rare unless the point of their age is to show a curmudgeon changing (there's a bit of that, but not the overall plot).
The story: Anne-Lise found a manuscript if a book in a drawer of her hotel room on the Brittany coast and on faith sent it to an address scribbled into the margins. It found it's way to the author, Sylvestre, who reveals that he wrote the first portion and someone else the last, but that he lost the manuscript in Canada in 1983, 33 years before. Therein starts the hunt for how the manuscript came to be back in France and who wrote the ending. Nothing bad happens in this book-- all tragedies are in the past. Love and beautiful writing abound. I enjoyed that the characters were all in their 40's or older, as well, since that is rare unless the point of their age is to show a curmudgeon changing (there's a bit of that, but not the overall plot).
Finished this book in 3.5hrs, with a night of rest between somewhere. I kept screaming at my husband: "It's just so damn charming!" With only the rage that something cute enough to induce squish violence can illicit. Look, even my own writing language has reached higher in its vocabulary at a vain attempt to get my point across. Definitely a book that affects how you speak/write afterward, how you see the world and your connections to it and how you reflect on those missed moments in your life.
Recommended if your tolerance for cute is high. Mine was barely contained and I am one for cozy teashop mystery books (with a side of murder, to be fair) and flights of fancy novels of someone traveling off somewhere to escape and finding love along the way. Doubly recommended if you like reading a story thru a collection of letters. It takes so little time to read, it's well worth the risk of an evening or two with its words.
If you think books can change people and want to see that in action, in those small ways taking a peek at people's lives can only show, then this book was written for you. Go forth and regain a passion for writing, reading and passing on favorite words to friends and strangers alike.
Recommended if your tolerance for cute is high. Mine was barely contained and I am one for cozy teashop mystery books (with a side of murder, to be fair) and flights of fancy novels of someone traveling off somewhere to escape and finding love along the way. Doubly recommended if you like reading a story thru a collection of letters. It takes so little time to read, it's well worth the risk of an evening or two with its words.
If you think books can change people and want to see that in action, in those small ways taking a peek at people's lives can only show, then this book was written for you. Go forth and regain a passion for writing, reading and passing on favorite words to friends and strangers alike.
Although this was shelved as a romance at my library, it reads more like a mystery. Told in the form of letters, our main character does her best to trace a manuscript back more than twenty years. In the process she permanently disturbs many people's lives and forces them to confront pasts they tried to ignore. I think I might try to get my hands on a copy of this in French and see how the English translation differs.
Being a lover of books, I can completely understand the challenge of tracking the route that this manuscript took from 1983 to 2016. That and the effort it took brought so many people together in such a fascinating way. It was impressive to me that all of the people contacted were so open to sharing and trusting their stories with the recipients of their letters. Was it the lost art of letter writing that made it so? The letters were so eloquent. Maggy was a bit of a pill, but overall... great book.
A light read done as the exchange of letters between an increasing number of people. The history of the lost manuscript brings together many different personalities as they join in the search for how the manuscript went from person to person over its lost years.
This was a quick and easy read, a lovely distraction and an enjoyable story. Writing this book in letters gave an interesting perspective and the mystery of where the book had been all this time and who had finished it was enjoyable without being too intense. I did not love the two main characters, but I have little to dislike about them as our knowledge of them is limited to what they choose to share in their letters.
Romance is not my genre of choice, but this book captured my imagination and my heart. Even as (slightly) predictable as some relationships were, the characters are so compelling, and the route the author takes to build this story is utterly charming. I highly recommend this book!