Take a photo of a barcode or cover
chaptersofmay 's review for:
Goodbye, Paris
by Anstey Harris
2.5 stars.
Firstly, this book is described as “Jojo Moyes meets Eleanor Oliphant” and I just can’t understand this comparison. Majority of Moyes books and Eleanor Oliphant were five star reads for me, but I didn’t get a similar vibe from this book at all.
As soon as I started the book, I didn’t like the main characters. David is a selfish, narcissist who doesn’t understand the meaning on loyalty. I can’t comprehend how Grace, a seemingly intelligent and self-respecting woman, would bother with someone for 8 years, especially when they give you nothing but empty promises and half (or actually, a third) of their heart. I found her frustrating, because I just wanted her to wake up and realise this relationship was a waste of time.
Grace is talented, but has faced a lot of trauma in her life, some of it unimaginable, which moved me. I felt for her in certain chapters, but in others she was irritating. But, that means she has flaws which is what makes her more realistic.
Nadia and Mr Williams are the real winners of this tale, and their friendship with Grace is what saved the book for me. It wasn’t until I was around 70% through that I found the story to be interesting, which was a shame.
Nadia is a typical teen, maybe a little extra, but nonetheless, a good person at heart. She deals with the struggles of growing up in a broken household, which trying to navigate friendships and her talent. Mr Williams is a wise man, and has such a gentle giant personality. I loved him! As Grace says, “I cannot believe so much compassion can come from one lonely old man. I want to tear out my heart and give it to him.”
I did find myself wanting to skip bits. A lot of the detail felt unnecessary and fell flat. The frustration built up in the beginning just annoyed me. The fact that Grace wasted so much of her life didn’t seem to make sense. While the story was “meh” for me, the description of music, the unlikely friendship between lonely people, and the uplifting idea of real triumph is what managed to earn this book a few stars.
Firstly, this book is described as “Jojo Moyes meets Eleanor Oliphant” and I just can’t understand this comparison. Majority of Moyes books and Eleanor Oliphant were five star reads for me, but I didn’t get a similar vibe from this book at all.
As soon as I started the book, I didn’t like the main characters. David is a selfish, narcissist who doesn’t understand the meaning on loyalty. I can’t comprehend how Grace, a seemingly intelligent and self-respecting woman, would bother with someone for 8 years, especially when they give you nothing but empty promises and half (or actually, a third) of their heart. I found her frustrating, because I just wanted her to wake up and realise this relationship was a waste of time.
Grace is talented, but has faced a lot of trauma in her life, some of it unimaginable, which moved me. I felt for her in certain chapters, but in others she was irritating. But, that means she has flaws which is what makes her more realistic.
Nadia and Mr Williams are the real winners of this tale, and their friendship with Grace is what saved the book for me. It wasn’t until I was around 70% through that I found the story to be interesting, which was a shame.
Nadia is a typical teen, maybe a little extra, but nonetheless, a good person at heart. She deals with the struggles of growing up in a broken household, which trying to navigate friendships and her talent. Mr Williams is a wise man, and has such a gentle giant personality. I loved him! As Grace says, “I cannot believe so much compassion can come from one lonely old man. I want to tear out my heart and give it to him.”
I did find myself wanting to skip bits. A lot of the detail felt unnecessary and fell flat. The frustration built up in the beginning just annoyed me. The fact that Grace wasted so much of her life didn’t seem to make sense. While the story was “meh” for me, the description of music, the unlikely friendship between lonely people, and the uplifting idea of real triumph is what managed to earn this book a few stars.