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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
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!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-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:
Complicated
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
I picked up the storyteller of Casablanca just after Christmas as a classic holiday read, being brought in by the name and cover alone. What followed over the next few weeks was an intriguing read that kept me reading one more chapter to follow along with the main characters.
The book follows two stories, one set during in modern day 2010 where Zoe finds the journal of Josie, who tells her story living through WW2. As each chapter jumps from past to present, the stories become more relevant to one another.
Showing restraint like Zoe, and not jumping to the end of the story pays off in an ending you think you have figured out, but haven’t.
3 stars, would recommend if someone asked, might not go out of my way to suggest it.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I liked the characters and story in 1941 but had a hard time connecting with Zoe in 2010 and found myself wanting to skip her parts (but I didn’t). I thought the girl who read the book did a good job.
Wow. I don’t think I can fully put into words how much I enjoyed reading this book. Fiona Valpy is an absolute master at weaving magical descriptions of a destination in with historical fact and intriguing fiction - reading this brought back memories of my trip to Casablanca and made me want to go back again.
The novel begins with Zoe, who has just moved to Casablanca with her husband Tom, a stay at home mother struggling with OCD. Her and Tom’s marriage is falling apart, and she ends up finding solace in a diary she finds hidden under a floorboard in her baby’s attic room. The diary is from a young girl called Josie, who lived in the same house in 1941, when her family had fled from France to escape the Nazis. Josie’s mother was Jewish while her father was Catholic, and they had fled to Morocco in hope to make it to the USA via neutral Portugal.
Throughout the novel, we learn so much about what life was life in North Africa for displaced persons fleeing persecution by the Nazi regime. The chapters vary between Josie’s diary entries, as Zoe reads them, and Zoe’s modern day experiences in Casablanca.
I usually struggle to give a book a full 5 star review but this one gets one from me, hands down! The ending really floored me - I was expecting something but it wasn’t that. I truly fell in love with the various characters and in love with Casablanca.
The novel begins with Zoe, who has just moved to Casablanca with her husband Tom, a stay at home mother struggling with OCD. Her and Tom’s marriage is falling apart, and she ends up finding solace in a diary she finds hidden under a floorboard in her baby’s attic room. The diary is from a young girl called Josie, who lived in the same house in 1941, when her family had fled from France to escape the Nazis. Josie’s mother was Jewish while her father was Catholic, and they had fled to Morocco in hope to make it to the USA via neutral Portugal.
Throughout the novel, we learn so much about what life was life in North Africa for displaced persons fleeing persecution by the Nazi regime. The chapters vary between Josie’s diary entries, as Zoe reads them, and Zoe’s modern day experiences in Casablanca.
I usually struggle to give a book a full 5 star review but this one gets one from me, hands down! The ending really floored me - I was expecting something but it wasn’t that. I truly fell in love with the various characters and in love with Casablanca.
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book... All I can say is, you've got to read it. I'm normally really good at figuring out plots and where the story is going and potential twists but I did not see the ending of this book coming and it broke me a little but it made everything click into place. Fantastic writing by Fiona Valpy.