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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
I enjoyed this story as it alternated between Margie's life in 1923 and Madeline's in 1999. I couldn't put it down and although the ending left me slightly bereft, I had to round up the rating from 3 1/2 to four stars. How lucky we are as women, living in our time with the choices and freedoms we have, and how we are only limited by ourselves. This story is a good reminder.
Madeleine in 1999: She’s a thirty-something woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and life. She used to love painting and bit by bit she has let herself fall away and does little but try to fit her husband’s idea of a perfect wife and a lady-who-lunches. After a confrontation with her husband, Madeleine goes home to her mother’s house and discovers her grandmother’s journals and letters from her time in Paris as well as rediscovering her hometown and the people who live there.
Margie, Madeleine’s grandmother, in the 1920s: an American girl, mid-20s, who wants to be a writer but constantly bows to her family’s expectations. She’s very awkward and doesn’t feel like she fits into her life. In order to buy some time before she has to marry one of her father’s old business associates, Margie acts as chaperone to her cousin on her Grand Tour and right away fails. Her charge abandons her in Paris and takes all of the money. Margie ends up working and writing in Paris for a time.
The Light of Paris reminded me a little of Kate Morton’s books: the parallel stories of two women in different time periods. Both women are trying to find themselves and show the personal cost of compromising your passions. It felt more like chick-lit, rather than historical fiction. The whole time I felt like shouting “grow a spine!!” to both of these women and there wasn’t as much of 1920’s Paris as I would have liked.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley*
Margie, Madeleine’s grandmother, in the 1920s: an American girl, mid-20s, who wants to be a writer but constantly bows to her family’s expectations. She’s very awkward and doesn’t feel like she fits into her life. In order to buy some time before she has to marry one of her father’s old business associates, Margie acts as chaperone to her cousin on her Grand Tour and right away fails. Her charge abandons her in Paris and takes all of the money. Margie ends up working and writing in Paris for a time.
The Light of Paris reminded me a little of Kate Morton’s books: the parallel stories of two women in different time periods. Both women are trying to find themselves and show the personal cost of compromising your passions. It felt more like chick-lit, rather than historical fiction. The whole time I felt like shouting “grow a spine!!” to both of these women and there wasn’t as much of 1920’s Paris as I would have liked.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley*
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes the right book comes along at the right time. This was another student recommendation (surprising!) and after the first chapter I thought two things: 1) who's been spying on me? 2) I want to know her journey. This is a great book about two women and their trips of self-discovery and compromise. Loved it.
Genealogy, history, and finding yourself in a world that wants you to be anything but. Definitely worth the read.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At first I wasn't sure about the two stories, wondering how they connected with each other, however,the more I read the more drawn into the story of each woman I became. The similarities in both Margie and Madeline were carefully done, from their physical appearance to their struggle to live a life they wanted to live, not have imposed upon them. Realizing the restrictions on women makes me realize how lucky I am to be living now, where I can choose to do almost anything I'd like to do. There is still a long way to go before everyone is equal, but great strides have been made for women and I'm so grateful.
2 1/2 stars. I fell in love with this book, especially the diaries of Madeline's grandmother. but the other half of the story with Madeline is shallow. I couldn't like her. I didn't like her. But I loved her grandmother experience Jazz Age Paris. The ending only left me half satisfied.
