2 reviews for:

A Garden in Paris

Stephanie Grace Whitson

3.5 AVERAGE

deecreatenola's review against another edition

2.0

Part if this book takes place in Paris so I really wanted to like it. But just about the time the characters get there, the story becomes less about a rekindled romance and more a Christian testimonial. The characters are also largely not believable or even likable. A mother has never given any details of her background to her daughter? Not realistic. And the read husband was an abuser but is never called out in the story - like he gets away with it and his spineless wife compensates for him. Finally, everything and everyone act way too goody goody .one last thing - the writer (who is not bad) failed to keep any kind of consistent POV. 1st person, 3rd person, character to character w/in even a chapter. Sloppy and not necessary .

gea250's review

3.0

This was a sweet book. It's not something I would ever pick up on my own, but I gave it a whirl at my mom's recommendation. I can see why she liked it as an older woman with adventurous younger years, much like the main character Mary. I enjoyed following the twists and turns as Mary and her daughter Elizabeth unraveled family secrets. The Paris setting was enjoyable, but I wish it was a little more detailed. I also thought the religious aspect was nicely woven in. It felt natural and not preachy. I actually didn't even realize this was considered Christian fiction until I noticed a price tag on the back of my copy that showed it was purchased at a Christian store.

The main issue is that there were way too many viewpoints. I wish the viewpoints had just shifted from Mary and Elizabeth. I didn't need to read the perspective of the housekeeper, Elizabeth's completely boring husband, etc.

It was a nice change of pace for me.