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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I picked this up from a little secondhand bookshelf as I passed through a train station, and I can't think of a more appropriately whimsical way for this book to have entered my life.
Beautifully and lyrically written, with the glamour, poise, and artistry of its characters and settings spilling from every page. I thought it was perfection from beginning to end. It's been a while since I read a book that resonated so much with my own feelings. The perfect read for anyone needing to be reminded of the important things in life. I hope I can take a little bit of Madeleine and Margie's courage with me to the future.
Beautifully and lyrically written, with the glamour, poise, and artistry of its characters and settings spilling from every page. I thought it was perfection from beginning to end. It's been a while since I read a book that resonated so much with my own feelings. The perfect read for anyone needing to be reminded of the important things in life. I hope I can take a little bit of Madeleine and Margie's courage with me to the future.
I was quite disappointed by this book. While I enjoyed Margie's story and saw promise in Madeleine's (mainly because of her art), I found it frustrating and draggy. I spent Madeleine's entire story wishing I could reach into the book and shake her. I liked Margie's Parisian adventures but didn't enjoy the abrupt ending to her tale. And I didn't feel like the two narratives meshed very well either. Overall, not a very satisfying addition to the parallel narrative genre.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
Charming - reads like a Hallmark movie. I was looking forward to this novel but I was a bit disappointed with the direction it went. The characters seemed too stiff and formal, never once breaking out of what we expect of the: the mothers are unloving and critical, the daughters are submissive and unsatisfied, and the husbands are uncaring and selfish. It seems that the plot was too simple to encapsulate the feeling that Brown wanted to imbue in the characters. I enjoy Brown's style of writing but it was the characters who were predictable, and worse, unlikable, that ultimately disappointed me.
This was wonderful. It made me want to visit Paris again and made me nostalgic for the time I was lucky to spend there a few years ago.
I loved reading the two alternating points of view. Both were equally enthralling. Can't wait to read more from this author.
I loved reading the two alternating points of view. Both were equally enthralling. Can't wait to read more from this author.
I wanted to like this more and I thought the two stories (grandmother and granddaughter's) had potential. It just wasn't developed enough for me and felt very superficial. When the mom tells the newest daughter not to get along with her mom it's not her fault she's unhappy, I agreed. Societal pressures are real, but this book felt less than real.
I really enjoyed this one. Once again it's the format of alternating chapters, a grandmother and her granddaughter. It's about women doing what's expected of them vs what they really want to do, what's in their hearts. It's about women trying not to disappoint their mothers. It's about the effects of those decisions on each generation.
I received this as an ARC from Netgalley. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable example of women's fiction. I enjoyed Margie's story in Paris much more than the modern story of her granddaughter. However, it all comes together nicely in the end and leaves the reader with a nice hopeful feeling.
the writing wasn't for me but the story is quite interesting. there's so many descriptions. i liked it mor towards the ending and there were points where i felt for Madeleine. deals with a mixture of family pressure and pursuing what you truly love.
Loved EVERYTHING about this!! The characters, the message, the END!