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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
Richard doesn't deserve this story but I'm glad Anne had it.
Gut-wrenching and beautifully written, this book plumbs the depths of marriage, infidelity, and the stupid things we do to one another in the name of love.
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.
This is a tightly written story about love and forgiveness. Richard Haddon met his wife as a graduate student studying in the United States. They were among the first of their small circle to marry and then moved to France where Anne-Laure's family gave them money to purchase a proper home. Richard is an artist and it takes years to become famous and make money. He also did not come from a lot of money, but Anne does an she is a lawyer in France so the marriage has some financial tension. As the book begins Richard has left an affair with an American who has gone to marry another Brit. Affairs are not uncommon in France and England and do not apparently mean the death of a marriage as they would here in the United States. It is interesting to note that both Richard's and Anne's fathers had cheated and yet, both couples were still together.
On a family outing to Brittany Anne finds the letters from Lisa and sends Richard away. Richard must deliver a painting of his to a couple in London who turn out to be continuists. While in London he begins a project videotaping couples and why the love one another. This project ultimately gets Richard and Anne back together, but the setting is the build up to the Iraq war in 2002 and Richard makes a grand statement of protest with an art installation "Warwash" where he washes symbolic mistakes in gasoline.
From an American prospective this is an uncomfortable story as cheating is wrong and one does not take back a wayward man, but it does not seem to be so simple in England and France, where cheating is seen as something to get over and begin coupling once again. As Richard and Anne return home at the end of the novel the reader is left with a sense that forgiveness is possible. If they had been Americans rather than a British man and a French woman forgiveness may not have come. Love is quirky as the reader learns from the Videotape that Anne watches one evening when she goes to Richard's apartment and maybe that is what makes the difference. Accepting that one's partner is not perfect is the key to forgiving him.
This is a tightly written story about love and forgiveness. Richard Haddon met his wife as a graduate student studying in the United States. They were among the first of their small circle to marry and then moved to France where Anne-Laure's family gave them money to purchase a proper home. Richard is an artist and it takes years to become famous and make money. He also did not come from a lot of money, but Anne does an she is a lawyer in France so the marriage has some financial tension. As the book begins Richard has left an affair with an American who has gone to marry another Brit. Affairs are not uncommon in France and England and do not apparently mean the death of a marriage as they would here in the United States. It is interesting to note that both Richard's and Anne's fathers had cheated and yet, both couples were still together.
On a family outing to Brittany Anne finds the letters from Lisa and sends Richard away. Richard must deliver a painting of his to a couple in London who turn out to be continuists. While in London he begins a project videotaping couples and why the love one another. This project ultimately gets Richard and Anne back together, but the setting is the build up to the Iraq war in 2002 and Richard makes a grand statement of protest with an art installation "Warwash" where he washes symbolic mistakes in gasoline.
From an American prospective this is an uncomfortable story as cheating is wrong and one does not take back a wayward man, but it does not seem to be so simple in England and France, where cheating is seen as something to get over and begin coupling once again. As Richard and Anne return home at the end of the novel the reader is left with a sense that forgiveness is possible. If they had been Americans rather than a British man and a French woman forgiveness may not have come. Love is quirky as the reader learns from the Videotape that Anne watches one evening when she goes to Richard's apartment and maybe that is what makes the difference. Accepting that one's partner is not perfect is the key to forgiving him.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Good writing, but was not a fan of the main character AT ALL - whiny, immature man. I can appreciate some of the sentiments and complexities - exploring relationships outside monogamy, marriage after the wedding, etc. But his behavior was almost always repulsive, acting too late, irresponsible ... hard to believe his wife took this back, although I recognize it is far easier to criticize from the outside than from within.
The art descriptions were enjoyable. Some other descriptions, not so much .. odd timing on jokes. Some cheesy/predictable scenes. You could tell the author was American by the way she described the English, French and American cultures/characters.
The art descriptions were enjoyable. Some other descriptions, not so much .. odd timing on jokes. Some cheesy/predictable scenes. You could tell the author was American by the way she described the English, French and American cultures/characters.
what’s up with me and my obsession with cheaters on the brink of divorces being thoroughly humanised and going on a mid-life self-discovery journey in the face of situational chaos…..
this is perhaps, my favourite sort of writing (self-centred, self-pitying, and therefore, comically absurd) so i’m likely biased. although it was very much supposed to be veering further towards the romantic genre, i honestly, didn’t see it as a romance that much throughout the duration of reading it. i think it’d be better described as a dissection of romantic topics but not so much, a romance as it is.
dabbling in fidelity, reconciliation, and forgiveness, i was really grateful for the depth at which they were discussed. commonly, romances would unsuccessfully traverse the line between extremes of exaggerated and pessimistic drama and overly optimistic fluff.
though i didn’t particularly enjoy the way they reconciled (an accidental captured-on-film moment does not suffice as an appropriate breaking point), i did love how raw and authentic the entire experience of being shut out by your lover feels, how loneliness consumes.
funnily enough, it’s a novel helmed by divorce and cheating that reignites my faith in modern romance but i suppose, it makes sense — if one is reluctant to have conversations about the dark side of a glorified chemical minefield, then one is deluding themselves and can never find true bliss at the end of the tunnel, or in this case, a blue bear (and the blind faith in the future, to let it go) at the end of a divorce scare.
this is perhaps, my favourite sort of writing (self-centred, self-pitying, and therefore, comically absurd) so i’m likely biased. although it was very much supposed to be veering further towards the romantic genre, i honestly, didn’t see it as a romance that much throughout the duration of reading it. i think it’d be better described as a dissection of romantic topics but not so much, a romance as it is.
dabbling in fidelity, reconciliation, and forgiveness, i was really grateful for the depth at which they were discussed. commonly, romances would unsuccessfully traverse the line between extremes of exaggerated and pessimistic drama and overly optimistic fluff.
funnily enough, it’s a novel helmed by divorce and cheating that reignites my faith in modern romance but i suppose, it makes sense — if one is reluctant to have conversations about the dark side of a glorified chemical minefield, then one is deluding themselves and can never find true bliss at the end of the tunnel, or in this case, a blue bear (and the blind faith in the future, to let it go) at the end of a divorce scare.
3 1/2 stars.
It loses some steam by going on too long in the home stretch, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this sweet, tender novel. Maum has a real talent for creating empathy because her protagonist is essentially an asshole who cheats on his gorgeous wife (don't worry, no spoilers here because this is revealed in the first few pages) but I still liked and rooted for him. It didn't hurt that this is my favorite genre of novel: a human dramedy about everyday life...and it also didn't hurt that it took place in Paris.
It loses some steam by going on too long in the home stretch, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this sweet, tender novel. Maum has a real talent for creating empathy because her protagonist is essentially an asshole who cheats on his gorgeous wife (don't worry, no spoilers here because this is revealed in the first few pages) but I still liked and rooted for him. It didn't hurt that this is my favorite genre of novel: a human dramedy about everyday life...and it also didn't hurt that it took place in Paris.
I absolutely adored this book! I know I'll reread it in the future!
My favorite quote: "What do I do with the part of me that does miss you, that falls asleep at night sometimes dreaming of a parallel life?"
My favorite quote: "What do I do with the part of me that does miss you, that falls asleep at night sometimes dreaming of a parallel life?"