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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I loved this book. Eleanor Brown brought her characters, the art, and Paris to life such that I wished I were reading this book in the warm summer sun of Paris. I liked Madeline but loved reading about Margie and her adventures, wondering how, along with Madeline, she became this hard stoic woman. It is a quick read, and I can't figure out why it took me so long. It starts a little slow as both Margie and Madeline seem to be in a state of ennui but really picks up when Madeline goes home and Margie goes to Paris.
Moving story contrasts family stories of 2 women in different time periods, grandma in 1920s and granddaughter in 1990s, and how choices shaped their lives
Though this isn't typically the sort of book I usually read, I quite loved the characters and novel was just so readable and engaging. It's the sort of book where I sit down and feel like I've hardly begun to read and then find that I'm many chapters further along.
It's that sort of sweet story that explores the loneliness we can create for ourselves. It's that type of isolation that we can only achieve when we convince ourselves that the things we love aren't good enough for ourselves, that they aren't standard and normal enough.
We get to see how this theme plays out in the present day and during the 1920s, how our choices are limited by the time periods and how we can push against them.
My only quibble is that the end felt very abrupt, even though it wasn't an ending about surprises. I think that every other chapter had a lovely, smooth flow, but when it was time for the book to end, it basically just came to a halt.
I did receive a copy of the ARC from the author at conference, but that in no way affects my review of the book. I'm glad I read something out of my normal reading comfort zone.
It's that sort of sweet story that explores the loneliness we can create for ourselves. It's that type of isolation that we can only achieve when we convince ourselves that the things we love aren't good enough for ourselves, that they aren't standard and normal enough.
We get to see how this theme plays out in the present day and during the 1920s, how our choices are limited by the time periods and how we can push against them.
My only quibble is that the end felt very abrupt, even though it wasn't an ending about surprises. I think that every other chapter had a lovely, smooth flow, but when it was time for the book to end, it basically just came to a halt.
I did receive a copy of the ARC from the author at conference, but that in no way affects my review of the book. I'm glad I read something out of my normal reading comfort zone.
This book met me where I was at, wrapped me in a warm hug, and didn’t let go.
This story follows Madeleine who is living in 1999 and her grandmother Margie 75 years earlier in 1924. Both women feel out of place and unable to live up to their mothers’ high society expectations. Madeleine escapes home to avoid her mentally abusive marriage and Margie stays in Paris when her cousin abandons her during their travels together. Both women seek to find themselves outside of the expectations placed on them.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to read a book about Paris / set in Paris, but there actually isn't much about Paris in the book. They don't even get to Paris until almost halfway through. I didn't find the writing very interesting, and the characters were uninteresting and lacking emotional depth.
#20/2017 .. interesting premise and good story telling. I definitely want to go to Paris!
Originally posted on Desert Island Book Reviews
The Light of Paris alternates between two stories: Madeleine’s story set in the southern U.S. in 1999 and her grandmother Margie’s story set primarily in Jazz-Age Paris. Each woman must figure out living the life that makes her happiest while balancing the expectations of their families and society.
It’s hard to write a real synopsis of this story without giving too much away, but basically it’s half women’s fiction and half historical fiction, with each chapter alternating between Madeleine and Margie. I really enjoyed reading this and am so glad I was able to get to it so quickly!
Madeleine is a mid-thirties reluctant housewife who robotically does what’s expected of her, even though it’s killing her on the inside. This isn’t the Madeleine we see most of the time, though, because when she’s away from her husband (who seems totally awful, by the way), she’s a completely different person. I think there’s something in Madeleine that we can all sympathize with and relate to.
Margie’s story is told through her diaries, but sort of. It’s kind of like Madeleine narrating her grandmother’s diaries, which was my least favorite part of the way this story was told. Personally, I would have preferred for Madeleine to keep to her own chapters and to have Margie’s personality shine through instead, especially since her story came from journals she wrote. I could have read a full book about Margie and wished I could have seen more of her.
I’m obsessed with all things Parisian, and I loved reading about Margie’s life in Paris, even if she wasn’t there for a long time. Someday, hopefully I’ll be able to spend months in Paris. I’m convinced that’s the only way you can really experience the city, and it seems like Margie would have agreed with me. In Madeleine’s words, Margie “had fallen hopelessly in love with Paris,” and I totally understand the feeling.
The characters throughout this book are interesting and real. I enjoyed seeing them change and seeing their relationships with and perceptions of each other evolve. I was especially happy to see Madeleine’s relationship with her mother shift to something more mature.
This book had two great stories and I really loved how they came together. I gave this book four stars because I loved the story, but I wished Margie’s story had gotten more time and that Madeleine hadn’t been interjected into Margie’s chapters.
*ARC from NetGalley
The Light of Paris alternates between two stories: Madeleine’s story set in the southern U.S. in 1999 and her grandmother Margie’s story set primarily in Jazz-Age Paris. Each woman must figure out living the life that makes her happiest while balancing the expectations of their families and society.
It’s hard to write a real synopsis of this story without giving too much away, but basically it’s half women’s fiction and half historical fiction, with each chapter alternating between Madeleine and Margie. I really enjoyed reading this and am so glad I was able to get to it so quickly!
Madeleine is a mid-thirties reluctant housewife who robotically does what’s expected of her, even though it’s killing her on the inside. This isn’t the Madeleine we see most of the time, though, because when she’s away from her husband (who seems totally awful, by the way), she’s a completely different person. I think there’s something in Madeleine that we can all sympathize with and relate to.
Margie’s story is told through her diaries, but sort of. It’s kind of like Madeleine narrating her grandmother’s diaries, which was my least favorite part of the way this story was told. Personally, I would have preferred for Madeleine to keep to her own chapters and to have Margie’s personality shine through instead, especially since her story came from journals she wrote. I could have read a full book about Margie and wished I could have seen more of her.
I’m obsessed with all things Parisian, and I loved reading about Margie’s life in Paris, even if she wasn’t there for a long time. Someday, hopefully I’ll be able to spend months in Paris. I’m convinced that’s the only way you can really experience the city, and it seems like Margie would have agreed with me. In Madeleine’s words, Margie “had fallen hopelessly in love with Paris,” and I totally understand the feeling.
The characters throughout this book are interesting and real. I enjoyed seeing them change and seeing their relationships with and perceptions of each other evolve. I was especially happy to see Madeleine’s relationship with her mother shift to something more mature.
This book had two great stories and I really loved how they came together. I gave this book four stars because I loved the story, but I wished Margie’s story had gotten more time and that Madeleine hadn’t been interjected into Margie’s chapters.
*ARC from NetGalley
There are occasionally books that you read which inadvertently tie into your life at the exact moment in the most precise way and they leave you simultaneously filled and hungry. Others can say what they will for this, but I know how this book spoke to me and I will hold this story forever.
To Paris.
To Paris.