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chatdunoirreadsalot123's review against another edition
3.0
Good story, but unfortunately it lacked some depth. Ella and her story was wonderfully fleshed out, but Kendras part with her husband and autistic son was simply too vague for the story to be a winner for me.
mugglemom's review against another edition
5.0
This book felt like it blew in from the French seaside and swept me away. Absolutely love it – 10 stars; 5 for novel and 5 for narration. I can’t remember the last time a light & contemporary novel has grabbed my attention so entirely.
Again, Fiona Valpy has a way with her writing, her storytelling and the ability to hand the reader a vivid and an extremely enjoyable book; one which makes me want to believe that she is revealing a part of her own personal history. Even more, her novel feels like I’m actually standing outside of a window watching a little story as it unfolds. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel like an invited collaborator in her writing.
Again, Fiona Valpy has a way with her writing, her storytelling and the ability to hand the reader a vivid and an extremely enjoyable book; one which makes me want to believe that she is revealing a part of her own personal history. Even more, her novel feels like I’m actually standing outside of a window watching a little story as it unfolds. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel like an invited collaborator in her writing.
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
4.0
this was an easy and engaging read. i was heartbroken at the tragedy experienced during the war, but overjoyed to see how redemption occurred in so many people's lives. worth the read if you like wwii fiction!
pixeledash's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful
4.5 stars! This was my first "love" story, I tend to lean more towards horror and sci fi novels, but I am so glad I read this. It is filled with pure beauty and it even made me tear up. You will fall in love with all the characters and join them on their journeys of love, war, sadness and everything else that life is made up of. It was such a beautiful read.
4.5 stars! This was my first "love" story, I tend to lean more towards horror and sci fi novels, but I am so glad I read this. It is filled with pure beauty and it even made me tear up. You will fall in love with all the characters and join them on their journeys of love, war, sadness and everything else that life is made up of. It was such a beautiful read.
mnboyer's review against another edition
3.0
This book is, undoubtedly, beautifully written. I find that Valpy has great style, is more than capable of drawing you in with flowing sentences and gorgeous scenery, and is a strong author who pays careful attention to the 'historical' elements of her fiction.
That being said, if you set the writing style aside and look at just the story, at least for me, I was let down. The story really boils down to Ella being a lucky woman who is able to receive the love of two very different, but super amazing, men. Of course, future generations don't understand the history of Ella's choices and so the mother-daughter relationship breaks down a bit. Again, luckily, there is a granddaughter to set things right again by writing down Ella's story. It is the kind of story where everything gets wrapped up in a nice little box with a bow on it.
It is a good story, but not one that I can say I 'fell in love' with as I continued through the chapters. I'd definitely read more from Valpy though!
That being said, if you set the writing style aside and look at just the story, at least for me, I was let down. The story really boils down to Ella being a lucky woman who is able to receive the love of two very different, but super amazing, men. Of course, future generations don't understand the history of Ella's choices and so the mother-daughter relationship breaks down a bit. Again, luckily, there is a granddaughter to set things right again by writing down Ella's story. It is the kind of story where everything gets wrapped up in a nice little box with a bow on it.
It is a good story, but not one that I can say I 'fell in love' with as I continued through the chapters. I'd definitely read more from Valpy though!
psigna's review against another edition
4.0
Touching story
Enjoyed this quick read. Reminded me of the love I had for my grandmother. I recommend it. Very touching and sweet.
Enjoyed this quick read. Reminded me of the love I had for my grandmother. I recommend it. Very touching and sweet.
weez_reads's review
5.0
For a historical fiction story (which I dont always enjoy) I really enjoyed this book ' both as a physical book and audiobook' I loved the characters and getting to ella throughout the book. Highly recommend
diadandy's review against another edition
3.0
My aunt told me, "This is a book". She was right. It passed the time and there is not much more to say about it.
moomin333's review against another edition
4.0
“At least we are dreaming. And that, in itself, is progress. I’ve just realized that I stopped dreaming a long time ago. It’s time we started again. Life is definitely the better for it.”
I adored this book. I got this as one of my free Prime downloads and casually started reading it during vacation. Valpy’s eloquent prose contained stunning descriptions of the tiny island called Île de Ré off the coast from Paris. I don’t usually read a lot of historical fiction so I was surprised to be so enamored with this one. Her pacing and character development were realistic and unexpectedly drew me in.
This was an incredibly moving book which brought me to tears several times. There were many interesting details about the art scene at the time and that of the war that tore Europe apart. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, but if you love a good story, especially set in France, it’s a quicker read that will enchant you.
“You know, I think the biggest mistake I made was not to see that the imperfect reality was worth so much more than the perfect dream.”
I adored this book. I got this as one of my free Prime downloads and casually started reading it during vacation. Valpy’s eloquent prose contained stunning descriptions of the tiny island called Île de Ré off the coast from Paris. I don’t usually read a lot of historical fiction so I was surprised to be so enamored with this one. Her pacing and character development were realistic and unexpectedly drew me in.
This was an incredibly moving book which brought me to tears several times. There were many interesting details about the art scene at the time and that of the war that tore Europe apart. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, but if you love a good story, especially set in France, it’s a quicker read that will enchant you.
“You know, I think the biggest mistake I made was not to see that the imperfect reality was worth so much more than the perfect dream.”