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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a book that I really could have put down and not finished but I persisted with it. I don't know if I didn't like it because I really disliked the main character or because it was written by a woman with a male main character that just didn't read true to me.
An "artist" who has it all - beautiful smart French wife, adorable daughter decides to have an affair. The wife finds out and he doesn't know how to win her back. Richard, the main character is not likeable at all and I don't know why he had an affair and then thinks that his wife should just get over it. I also didn't understand the title - but I do like the cover!
An "artist" who has it all - beautiful smart French wife, adorable daughter decides to have an affair. The wife finds out and he doesn't know how to win her back. Richard, the main character is not likeable at all and I don't know why he had an affair and then thinks that his wife should just get over it. I also didn't understand the title - but I do like the cover!
This had a couple good moments and lines (I like the part about how when you start over, you have to teach someone all the people and the stories, and it's frustrating when someone doesn't just know), but this was mostly a disappointment for me. Not as funny as Where'd You Go, Bernadette and not as deep as Beautiful Ruins for me. Also, this showed up on a beach read list and this is not my idea of a beach read (which has nothing to do with my rating, just, if you are also reading it hoping for a beach read, you may be disappointed).
The book contained some really creative ideas about art, but not so much about love, in my opinion. Still a breezy, mostly interesting read. And a really great title.
I wanted to like this book, as the story is an interesting one with great potential, but it fell completely flat for me.
Neither of the spouses were particularly likable, and they weren’t developed enough for me to care one way or another. I came away feeling that they never really had this test love story that the author seemed to want us to think they had and I wasn’t even sure they’d ever liked each other much. They were devoid of warmth and affection, both separately and together, and there was no sense of me rooting for one outcome over another.
I never bought Richard as an “artiste” with something to say; he seemed a hack from the start and the incessant whining was insufferable.
I read this for an easy, “fluffy” read and that it was but there is better fluff to be had.
Neither of the spouses were particularly likable, and they weren’t developed enough for me to care one way or another. I came away feeling that they never really had this test love story that the author seemed to want us to think they had and I wasn’t even sure they’d ever liked each other much. They were devoid of warmth and affection, both separately and together, and there was no sense of me rooting for one outcome over another.
I never bought Richard as an “artiste” with something to say; he seemed a hack from the start and the incessant whining was insufferable.
I read this for an easy, “fluffy” read and that it was but there is better fluff to be had.
This one seems to be garnering quite mixed reviews, but I really liked it. It's complicated and messy like life can be. The narrator is confused and conflicted and you may not agree with him or understand his choices, but his flaws make him real. You're in his head and as a reader you basically play the role of his therapist, just taking in all of his thoughts, the justifications for his behavior and regrets. Ultimately it's an interesting account of the trajectory of love, from those frenzied early days, to building a life and committing to the future, to the lack of mystery as routines are formed, and finally through discovering if there can be forgiveness after indulging in temptation. I found that the rawness and honesty in the writing drew me in, though I wasn't happy with the swiftness of the change of heart at the end.
Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone. Sometimes you don't realize how much you love someone until you've lost them. Richard Haddon makes a very bad mistake. He not only has a 7 month affair but he falls in love. And when the affair is over and he gets over his devastation, he becomes fully aware of just how much his wife and marriage meant to him.
This novel started slow and it was hard to connect with the narrator, as it chugged along, I grew more impressed with the thoughtful meditation on the intersection of the public and the personal sphere and how art serves as a medium for both.
I won this book for free, I think through the Simon and Schuster webpage. I'm not sure.
Honestly I didn't like it at all. The main character was too whiny and wishy washy about what he wants. I couldn't even finish the book. Horrible!
Honestly I didn't like it at all. The main character was too whiny and wishy washy about what he wants. I couldn't even finish the book. Horrible!