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A review by desiree930
The Garden of Letters by Alyson Richman
3.0
When I first began this book, I was entranced. I am a fan of WWII stories, and I haven't read one before that took place in Italy. I loved the idea of using music as a code for a resistance group. As the story went on, however, I began to lose interest. In the end, I felt like this book went on a bit too long, despite the fact that it was only 366 pages.
What I liked:
1. Angelo's story. I ultimately felt like Angelo's story was more intriguing for me. Perhaps that's why I began to lose interest in this story. His tragic backstory is outlined in the first half of the book, and we don't get much about him afterward.
2. The importance of music and literature in the story. I love the idea of using music and books to create codes to aide the Italian resistance.
3. I like that the author uses actual historical figures in her novel that are probably unknown to most people.
4. Lena. I think I would've preferred a book about the flawed Lena as opposed to Elodie, who felt very goody-goody Mary Sue to me.
What I didn't like:
1. Pacing. Elodie's story tends to drag. There are parts that become somewhat repetitive and I honestly didn't care about Elodie's parents backstory. Normally I love my characters to be fleshed out, but in this case I felt like it didn't really add anything to the story, and just made moments drag. Also when she and her mother travel to Venice...that entire section did nothing for me. I get that it was meant to flesh out side characters and backstory, but I didn't care about that.
2. The story gets very soapy with the romance between Elodie and Luca. I didn't feel connected to either of them as characters or as a couple, so I had a difficult time caring about their relationship. I mean, seriously... they are supposed to be on the run from German soldiers, keeping a low profile and finding a place for their group to hide and in the middle of all of that they decide it's a great time to bathe and hook up? What?
3. The ending was incredibly anticlimactic. She and Angelo getting together just didn't sit right with me. We're supposed to believe that she and Luca had this amazing love story and less than four months after he's killed we're supposed to believe that she's now in love with Angelo? It felt like they were both settling. Maybe I wouldn't have minded as much if more of the narrative took place after he took her in, to give some time for that relationship to develop, but as it is written I didn't feel any chemistry between the two characters. Also, it seemed very strange to have a book that was about a girl joining the Italian Resistance as a spy to end without any kind of real climax to the story. It turns full romance and I was bored.
Other odds and ends:
1. There are some serious timing issues in this book. Luca and Elodie have sex in September, 1943. In October, when she is taken in by Luca, she says that she's already missed two periods and her belly is beginning to round. Umm...no
2. In the author's note, Richman says that the initial inspiration for this story came from a story she heard from a friend of hers whose grandfather (maybe father? I don't quite recall) was actually saved during WWII by a man at a train station just before he was about to hand his forged ID to a German soldier. I think it is such an amazing story and could've been so impactful, but it felt like it was ultimately used as a plot device for a romance story.
I will probably try another Alyson Richman book in the future, but it will most likely be from the library.
What I liked:
1. Angelo's story. I ultimately felt like Angelo's story was more intriguing for me. Perhaps that's why I began to lose interest in this story. His tragic backstory is outlined in the first half of the book, and we don't get much about him afterward.
2. The importance of music and literature in the story. I love the idea of using music and books to create codes to aide the Italian resistance.
3. I like that the author uses actual historical figures in her novel that are probably unknown to most people.
4. Lena. I think I would've preferred a book about the flawed Lena as opposed to Elodie, who felt very goody-goody Mary Sue to me.
What I didn't like:
1. Pacing. Elodie's story tends to drag. There are parts that become somewhat repetitive and I honestly didn't care about Elodie's parents backstory. Normally I love my characters to be fleshed out, but in this case I felt like it didn't really add anything to the story, and just made moments drag. Also when she and her mother travel to Venice...that entire section did nothing for me. I get that it was meant to flesh out side characters and backstory, but I didn't care about that.
2. The story gets very soapy with the romance between Elodie and Luca. I didn't feel connected to either of them as characters or as a couple, so I had a difficult time caring about their relationship. I mean, seriously...
3. The ending was incredibly anticlimactic.
Other odds and ends:
1. There are some serious timing issues in this book.
2. In the author's note, Richman says that the initial inspiration for this story came from a story she heard from a friend of hers whose grandfather (maybe father? I don't quite recall) was actually saved during WWII by a man at a train station just before he was about to hand his forged ID to a German soldier. I think it is such an amazing story and could've been so impactful, but it felt like it was ultimately used as a plot device for a romance story.
I will probably try another Alyson Richman book in the future, but it will most likely be from the library.