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kristenkrae's review against another edition
1.0
I feel like I didn’t give this book a big enough chance. However I also really really did not like it. I didn’t make a connection with any of the characters and I found them pretty boring. The first half of the book was an overall struggle to get through. And then the last page just left me pissed off.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Journalist Joanna Millard goes to Faro, Portugal to escape a relationship and a career that are both going nowhere. She meets Nathan Emberlin in a language class and is charmed by the younger man and his easy manner. But Nathan confides that he is really interested in a decades old child kidnapping, and Joanna gets caught up in helping him. Soon they are in danger of coming afoul of the criminal element and powerful political influences.
This started out slowly but picked up steam as small revelations led to bigger discoveries. A significant clue is a 1954 novel written by Esta Hartford, that purportedly described true events during World War II, though the names of the main characters were changed. Lawrenson interrupts Joanna and Nathan’s story arc to give the reader Hartford’s novel. I found this technique of parallel story lines interesting but sometimes jarring. Still, this technique kept this reader in some suspense and turning pages, as slowly pieces fell into place. I virtually flew through the last 100 pages.
Others have commented on Lawrenson’s ability to bring the landscape and culture of Portugal alive, and I have to agree with those reviewers. I’ve been to Portugal and found Lawrenson’s descriptions vivid and true to my own memories
This started out slowly but picked up steam as small revelations led to bigger discoveries. A significant clue is a 1954 novel written by Esta Hartford, that purportedly described true events during World War II, though the names of the main characters were changed. Lawrenson interrupts Joanna and Nathan’s story arc to give the reader Hartford’s novel. I found this technique of parallel story lines interesting but sometimes jarring. Still, this technique kept this reader in some suspense and turning pages, as slowly pieces fell into place. I virtually flew through the last 100 pages.
Others have commented on Lawrenson’s ability to bring the landscape and culture of Portugal alive, and I have to agree with those reviewers. I’ve been to Portugal and found Lawrenson’s descriptions vivid and true to my own memories
seahorsesister's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting story made less so by the writing. The book gets its legs about midway when the novel within a novel tells the story of a woman finding herself in Portugal during WWII, however, the present day plot bracketing lack craft and energy.
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts on this book and hundreds more over at Read.Write.Repeat.
Despite some interesting historical context and some beautiful descriptive passages, this one fell flat for me.
Despite some interesting historical context and some beautiful descriptive passages, this one fell flat for me.
lisareymann's review against another edition
3.0
Full of haunting description of the Portuguese coast and the people who live there, both past and present, this novel is overall crafted very well. At least until the very end. I can’t quite fathom what inspired the author to pose the final chapter the way that she did, but it left me feeling jolted and unsatisfied. It felt totally out of style with the rest of the book. It was as if the author tried much too late to conclude with a question of morals, where ambiguity to the protagonist’s feeling would have been best left to the reader’s own judgement. My advice- read everything but that, unless surprise endings that feel forced aren’t enough to ruin an otherwise good book.
sarahgs's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I picked this up while I was waiting for a library hold to come in, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I'm adding more of her books to my list.
lyndajdickson's review against another edition
4.0
Joanna Millard meets Nathan Emberlin in a Portuguese language class in Faro, Portugal, after breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job as a journalist. Nathan approaches her to help him investigate an old family friend with connections to shady dealings involving holiday resorts and even some missing children. Jo and Nathan's present-day story is interspersed with excerpts from The Alliance, a novel that tells the story of journalist Michael Barton and his wife Alva, who flee from Paris to Portugal just after the World War II begins. The book is, in fact, an autobiographical account by Esta Hartford of events that have a direct bearing on Nathan's investigation.
Set on the Algarve coast of southern Portugal, a land which experiences three hundred days of sun, this is a story of romance, mystery, suspense, and international intrigue. Fictional elements are expertly blended with real-life details, such as the storm of 1941, the presence of expats during the war, the Portuguese government's dealings with the Nazis, and the disappearance of young children from holiday resorts. The author has a real talent for describing the oppressive atmosphere of the place, both in the past and the present. You will be kept in suspense, trying to work out how the two stories are connected.
An intriguing blend of contemporary and historical genres.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (22 June): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2017/06/300-days-of-sun-by-deborah-lawrenson.html
Set on the Algarve coast of southern Portugal, a land which experiences three hundred days of sun, this is a story of romance, mystery, suspense, and international intrigue. Fictional elements are expertly blended with real-life details, such as the storm of 1941, the presence of expats during the war, the Portuguese government's dealings with the Nazis, and the disappearance of young children from holiday resorts. The author has a real talent for describing the oppressive atmosphere of the place, both in the past and the present. You will be kept in suspense, trying to work out how the two stories are connected.
An intriguing blend of contemporary and historical genres.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (22 June): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2017/06/300-days-of-sun-by-deborah-lawrenson.html
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
3.0
This story takes place in the Algarve area of Portugal where there are 300 days of sun, hence the title. The story is divided between a mystery in 2014 and excerpts from a novel written in the 50s about WWII in this same area. The stories are intertwined and that's the crux of the novel.
I loved the concept but felt let down overall mostly because the ending was not satisfying to me but I can't quite understand why. I think because the crimes hinted at early in the book don't exactly tie out with the resolution of the story. I did enjoy the writing. I connected more with the WWII characters than the modern ones also and that may be part of my overall disconnect.
Despite my misgivings it was a worthwhile few days of reading.
I loved the concept but felt let down overall mostly because the ending was not satisfying to me but I can't quite understand why. I think because the crimes hinted at early in the book don't exactly tie out with the resolution of the story. I did enjoy the writing. I connected more with the WWII characters than the modern ones also and that may be part of my overall disconnect.
Despite my misgivings it was a worthwhile few days of reading.