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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Overall I liked this book. I appreciated the short chapters as I felt I could get through it faster. I didn’t love the tone of Josie’s chapters because I felt like she was 20 or something not 12 but her chapters were very detailed and interesting which I liked. The twist at the end was a little out there but again overall I liked it.
Mielenkiintoista tässä oli Marokko, niin nykypäivänä kuin 1940-luvun alussa. Kumpaankin maailman aikaan Marokkoa ravistelee pakolaiskriisi, joka häilyy kirjan tapahtumien taustalla. Lopun yllättävä juonenkäänne olisi voinut olla hyvä, jos olisin saanut minkäänlaista tunneyhteyttä kirjan henkilöihin. Zoe oli todella raivostuttava ja Josie taas turhan väritön ja tasapaksu.
En pitänyt myöskään hitaasta kerronnasta, tuntui ettei juuri mitään oikeastaan edes tapahtunut. Vaikka oikeasti kyllä tapahtui, niihin pääseminen vain vei aikaa kun kirjailija keskittyi kuvailemaan niin paljon kaikkea muuta. Oikeastaan viimeisen 50-80 sivun aikana tapahtui kaikki kirjan mielenkiintoisemmat tapahtumat. Zoe avioliiton kuvauksiin oli niin väritöntä, ettei hänen ja Tomin aviokriisiä päässyt kunnolla tuntemaan. Kaikkea seurasin niin etäältä, ettei mitkään tapahtumat lopulta tullut iholle. Ei edes traagisimmat. Kaikenlisäksi arvasin jo hyvin alussa miten kirja tulee päättymään, vaikka pienen yllätyksen loppu onnistuikin tarjoamaan.
Mietin että jätän kesken, mutta Marokko kiinnosti ja kiehtoi sen verran paljon että jatkoin loppuun. Varsinkin Josephine Barker oli kiinnostava henkilö ja olisin toivonut, että hänestä olisi kerrottu enemmänkin. Oikein kunnolla Marokossa toimivaan vastarintaliikkeen toimintaan ei päässyt kiinni, sillä sitä seurataan Josien silmin, kun hänen isänsä osallistuu liikkeen toimintaan. Eikä isä luonnollisesti kerro lapselleen liikkeen toiminnasta. Kaiken hieman avaavan kaivaa Zoe kirjastosta esille. Eli kiinnostavia tapahtumia seurataan aina sivustakatsojan silmin, mikä myös loi etäisyyttä niihin tapahtumiin, jotka todella kiinnostivat itseä.
Tämä on taas näitä kirjoja, että tulipa luettua, mutta todennäköisesti en muista ensi viikolla juurikaan lukemastani mitään. Harmi, olisin halunnut pitää tästä enemmän.
En pitänyt myöskään hitaasta kerronnasta, tuntui ettei juuri mitään oikeastaan edes tapahtunut. Vaikka oikeasti kyllä tapahtui, niihin pääseminen vain vei aikaa kun kirjailija keskittyi kuvailemaan niin paljon kaikkea muuta. Oikeastaan viimeisen 50-80 sivun aikana tapahtui kaikki kirjan mielenkiintoisemmat tapahtumat. Zoe avioliiton kuvauksiin oli niin väritöntä, ettei hänen ja Tomin aviokriisiä päässyt kunnolla tuntemaan. Kaikkea seurasin niin etäältä, ettei mitkään tapahtumat lopulta tullut iholle. Ei edes traagisimmat. Kaikenlisäksi arvasin jo hyvin alussa miten kirja tulee päättymään, vaikka pienen yllätyksen loppu onnistuikin tarjoamaan.
Mietin että jätän kesken, mutta Marokko kiinnosti ja kiehtoi sen verran paljon että jatkoin loppuun. Varsinkin Josephine Barker oli kiinnostava henkilö ja olisin toivonut, että hänestä olisi kerrottu enemmänkin. Oikein kunnolla Marokossa toimivaan vastarintaliikkeen toimintaan ei päässyt kiinni, sillä sitä seurataan Josien silmin, kun hänen isänsä osallistuu liikkeen toimintaan. Eikä isä luonnollisesti kerro lapselleen liikkeen toiminnasta. Kaiken hieman avaavan kaivaa Zoe kirjastosta esille. Eli kiinnostavia tapahtumia seurataan aina sivustakatsojan silmin, mikä myös loi etäisyyttä niihin tapahtumiin, jotka todella kiinnostivat itseä.
Tämä on taas näitä kirjoja, että tulipa luettua, mutta todennäköisesti en muista ensi viikolla juurikaan lukemastani mitään. Harmi, olisin halunnut pitää tästä enemmän.
3.5 stars
The story was nice, but it didn't caught me. I was hoping to not being able to let go but instead I didn't feel the wanting to pick it up.
Going closer to the end it gets more interesting but I guessed half of it and the other half wasn't all that surprising.
It was a good historical fiction that I'll probably not read again.
The story was nice, but it didn't caught me. I was hoping to not being able to let go but instead I didn't feel the wanting to pick it up.
Going closer to the end it gets more interesting but I guessed half of it and the other half wasn't all that surprising.
It was a good historical fiction that I'll probably not read again.
I enjoyed this book and didn’t predict the ending but I did get a bit bored of the in depth info on quilting.
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the setting for this story – well two settings: Casablanca in 1941/1942 and in 2010.
I wasn’t convinced about the 1941 voice at first, The diary entries seemed far too sophisticated for the young girl. However, as she grew up and grew wiser – she had to because life threw a lot at her – it became more authentic.
There were a few coincidences that were a little difficult to believe but no worse in any case than Molière or Shakespeare. In fact, more convincing.
Nevertheless both threads of the story are really engaging and I loved both characters.
We are kept guessing.
This was an interesting and heartbreaking story. I liked learning about Casablanca. I feel like I've read a lot of war stories but never one that's taken place here. I liked the dual timelines - the diary entry posts from Josie from the past and the POV of Zoe in the present. Thy two POV were well balance as Josie's voice was younger and Zoe is an adult and can read more into the interactions and situations that Josie. I found the twists (and there are a few!) interesting and gut-wrenching. Even if I knew 1 or 2, I definitely didn't realize the big twist because it was so well hidden and welldone. The story slows just a bit in the middle as it lays the groundwork for both stories but I appreciated the details.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Listened on Audible. Lovely story, great History, somewhat predictable.
I have no memory of adding Fiona Valpy's "The Storyteller of Casablanca" to my Audible queue, but since it's about WWII, Morocco, the French Resistance, and one of the narrator's is a precocious Dorothy L. Sayer's mystery-loving thirteen year-old, the "whodunnit" is obviously me. In 2010, Zoe and her husband move to Casablanca with their baby as a way to salvage their marriage, and Zoe finds the diary of thirteen-year old Josie under a floorboard. In it Josie writes about escaping the Nazis in France and being a Jewish refugee in Casablanca while her father tries to get the paperwork in order to flee to America. The storyline alternates between the past and the present as Zoe becomes more and more engrossed in Josie's story while acclimating to her new life and dealing with an unstated grief. To cope, she takes up quilt-making and begins helping out at a refugee center. Valpy manages to (mostly) skirt the schmaltz that often plagues books about women in WWII by keeping the focus on the fish-out-of-water elements. Both Josie and Zoe have been thrust into a new life and trying to find a path forward while discovering the power of storytelling.
There's much about this book I enjoyed, mostly Josie's adventurous spirit and her relationship with her father. Valpy provides a lot of historical detail about the French and German occupation of Morocco during the war, and it was interesting to learn what life was like for a refugee who was not passing through Rick's Cafe. I also appreciated how Valpy includes the plight of refugees today and does not try to simplify or romanticize complex issues or make Zoe into a "white savior". However, the ending is predictable, and the "twist" made me go a little cross-eyed-- it could have been better executed.
Overall, I recommend it! If you are prone to crying, keep some tissues handy.
There's much about this book I enjoyed, mostly Josie's adventurous spirit and her relationship with her father. Valpy provides a lot of historical detail about the French and German occupation of Morocco during the war, and it was interesting to learn what life was like for a refugee who was not passing through Rick's Cafe. I also appreciated how Valpy includes the plight of refugees today and does not try to simplify or romanticize complex issues or make Zoe into a "white savior". However, the ending is predictable, and the "twist" made me go a little cross-eyed-- it could have been better executed.
Overall, I recommend it! If you are prone to crying, keep some tissues handy.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A paragraph from the book ' You know, I used to think of myself as a tiny drop in the ocean of life. But I've come to see that I am not a drop in the ocean: I'm an entire ocean in one tiny drop. Some things are impossible to move on from - instead, you have to find a way to live with them. The secret is to open your heart, even as it breaks. Because that's when you discover that you have the capacity to contain it all - the pain and the love, the dark and the light. Just like the ocean.
The above paragraph sums up this beautiful novel. This novel is set in dual timelines of 1941 and 2010 and is the story of 12 year old Josie and Kate who finds Josie's diary. Set in Casablanca this novel takes us through the beautiful landscape of Morocco and I could picture that stunning place through the author's description.
This book deals with very tough subjects like second world war, anxiety, trauma, bereavement and refugee crisis but there is a beauty in how the author has shown the joy of healing and a satisfaction of offering that helping hand to someone in need. The amalgamation of different cultures that the author has portrayed through the eyes of a 12 year old is just brilliant. No matter what I write about this stunning novel I won't be doing it justice. I will say that this is definitely one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read!
The above paragraph sums up this beautiful novel. This novel is set in dual timelines of 1941 and 2010 and is the story of 12 year old Josie and Kate who finds Josie's diary. Set in Casablanca this novel takes us through the beautiful landscape of Morocco and I could picture that stunning place through the author's description.
This book deals with very tough subjects like second world war, anxiety, trauma, bereavement and refugee crisis but there is a beauty in how the author has shown the joy of healing and a satisfaction of offering that helping hand to someone in need. The amalgamation of different cultures that the author has portrayed through the eyes of a 12 year old is just brilliant. No matter what I write about this stunning novel I won't be doing it justice. I will say that this is definitely one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read!