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A review by beate251
Under a Riviera Moon by Helen McGinn
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.
Maggie is still grieving her failed marriage to Jack, her inability to have children and her loneliness in a stressful job as TV producer that she isn't sure she likes anymore. Her father has dementia and her mother asks her to go to Cannes to visit Allegra, an old American friend of her grandmother Elizabeth. They both lived in Paris together for a year in 1961 and now Allegra wants to hand over some old photos. Maggie is intrigued and wangles time off with alarming ease for such a high-pressured job.
This is the framework for flashbacks to Allegra's story which is engrossing, and while there are two timelines and POVs, it feels like Allegra's story is way more interesting and rightly gets more exposition. Maggie's emotional troubles and her romance are almost an afterthought, but that is okay.
The Swinging Sixties in Paris, an art gallery in New York and then retirement in the Riviera - Allegra has had a full life and even though her first love didn't work out, she had a good long marriage to a good guy. That father of hers though - yikes.
What a lovely book this is. The characters and plot are interesting, the setting of Southern France is jealousy-enducing and the food is mouth-watering. This is well-written and reads easily. I just wish we've had heard more of Elizabeth's life - did we ever find out what happened to Luc? I'm glad there is a healing process for Maggie, kick-started when she realises that other lives are available and she can reinvent herself.
This is a wonderful holiday read that reminds you that if life doesn't go as planned you can still make the most of what you've got, with bells on (and a gorgeous cover). Recommended.
Maggie is still grieving her failed marriage to Jack, her inability to have children and her loneliness in a stressful job as TV producer that she isn't sure she likes anymore. Her father has dementia and her mother asks her to go to Cannes to visit Allegra, an old American friend of her grandmother Elizabeth. They both lived in Paris together for a year in 1961 and now Allegra wants to hand over some old photos. Maggie is intrigued and wangles time off with alarming ease for such a high-pressured job.
This is the framework for flashbacks to Allegra's story which is engrossing, and while there are two timelines and POVs, it feels like Allegra's story is way more interesting and rightly gets more exposition. Maggie's emotional troubles and her romance are almost an afterthought, but that is okay.
The Swinging Sixties in Paris, an art gallery in New York and then retirement in the Riviera - Allegra has had a full life and even though her first love didn't work out, she had a good long marriage to a good guy. That father of hers though - yikes.
What a lovely book this is. The characters and plot are interesting, the setting of Southern France is jealousy-enducing and the food is mouth-watering. This is well-written and reads easily. I just wish we've had heard more of Elizabeth's life - did we ever find out what happened to Luc? I'm glad there is a healing process for Maggie, kick-started when she realises that other lives are available and she can reinvent herself.
This is a wonderful holiday read that reminds you that if life doesn't go as planned you can still make the most of what you've got, with bells on (and a gorgeous cover). Recommended.