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evawondergem's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death
peculiarwriter's review against another edition
4.0
This is exactly the kind of book that I’d like to see a movie made.
spunkylib's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
beckymrtn's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars! I wish we could do halves, they make a world of difference!! :)
yodamom's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, breathtaking prose, romantic, succulent foods, vivid scenery, dreamy settings, realistic lovable characters that are easily connected with and so many life awakening quotable moments. The main characters are mature, well lived, full of experiences and yet full of wonder. Oh it's fantastic. I adore this author's style. This is the second book I've read from her, the first being The Little Paris Bookshop. I loved that one but this one held on to my heart a bit more and never let go, so far it's my favorite. Good luck topping this one Ms. George.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
I can boil the book down to this: 60-year-old German manic pixie dream girl* flees her emotionally abusive marriage by going to Brittany, France. Complete review to come, and it's going to be an interesting ride.
(*Okay, so, technically she doesn't fit the definition of manic pixie dream girl because the book is about her rather than her being a character who exists only to propel a male character's narrative forward. However, she has all the other hallmarks of this trope: everyone loves her quirks, everyone loves HER in general; she's good at all kinds of stuff because plot reasons, etc. Technically, "Mary Sue" probably fits her more, but the manic pixie trope suggests the kind of flightiness and fluffiness and giddiness I ended up associating with this character.)
Full review:
So, months after the fact, I am finally sitting down to write a full review of this book. Why has it taken me so long to get around to it? Because I didn't like this novel much, and detailing the reasons why just made me feel tired. There were things I really liked about it, but other things I didn't, so it made for a very strange stew of a novel I find hard to really review. Spoilers to follow, so continue reading at your own risk.
On the plus side, when the novel opened, I was very much in Marianne's corner. I thought George did a nice job of portraying how grinding and soul-destroying Marianne's marriage was. I did think, though, that there was a bit of mischaracterization here, as the novel is referred to as "loveless" when, really, what George is depicting is a mentally abusive relationship. Marianne's husband may never have hit her, but he's spent every day of their marriage slowly wearing away at her very sense of self. He uses insults and belittlement to tear away any assurance she feels in her own capabilities, he controls her economically, and he convinces her that no one else could love her because she's fundamentally unlovable, and she's lucky he's willing to put up with her. These are classic symptoms of an abusive marriage, albeit not the kind of abusive marriage most people recognize--which is part of the problem. Marianne absolutely has to get away from her husband, not because there's no love in their marriage, but because he's doing his best to destroy her with words instead of fists. I thought her confusion and her disordered state of mind was very convincing.
However, later in the book, when her husband reappears, I struggled more with Marianne's behavior. She spends so much of the novel gradually building herself back up, finding love, finding purpose, and regaining a sense of her own competence and the satisfaction that comes with it. Needless to say, I didn't want her returning to her husband, but I could understand how, after years of his careful, meticulous programming, she would find it hard to say no. Yet I struggled because the book portrays her as having made such progress I couldn't totally buy the idea that she'd return to her husband at the drop of a hat. I felt like she had reached a point where she would have had more confidence in herself and more understanding of how her destructive her marriage had been, enough so that she would have put up more of a fight, even if she did ultimately acquiesce. However, I do see where there's room for argument against my interpretation, since abuse is extremely hard to recover from and is a very long process--hence why so many people wonder "why doesn't she just leave him", as if a woman trapped in an abusive relationship can just walk away and have everything in her life magically become better. The problem is, because I felt like Marianne had reached a point where it seemed she should have put up more of a fight, I had a hard time with her caving as suddenly as she did.
My other problem with the novel was Marianne herself. I liked her on an individual level, and while I do think a single person can touch the lives of and have a profound effect on numerous others, I just didn't like how magical Marianne came across in this novel. Everyone in the town where she ends up needs her in some fashion, and she delivers for every one of them. That she can single-handedly fix everyone's heartache struck me as more than a tad unrealistic, especially since the problems are so diverse. This means Marianne ends up having all of these hidden traits that suddenly burst forth once she's in this enchanted Breton town. Sure, I can see where her abilities were lying dormant, Marianne afraid to use them because she feared her husband's verbal blows, but she comes across as more than a little too resourceful. And while I liked many of the secondary characters, I ended up feeling like most of them were there simply to be acted upon by Marianne, reducing them to plot devices, and that was unsatisfying.
Lastly, the description of this book made me think it was something very different from what it turned out to be. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did make for some confusion when I first started reading, since it came across as a lot heavier and more literary than the somewhat lighter fare I was expecting. I don't mean to suggest that there's a lighthearted way to portray marriage abuse, just that I think I expected to find a book where a woman emerges with blazing triumph from the shadows of her terrible marriage. This book is a lot more timid as far as Marianne's evolution goes, and there is a fair amount of magical realism woven within its narrative. I don't entirely mind magical realism, but there were so many things going on in this book that I found it hard to hold on to all of them. Is it a book about a woman escaping an unhealthy relationship? Is it a book about the strange magic of Brittany? Is it a comical depiction of vivid characters living in a small town? It's all of these things and more, and while it didn't hang together for me, I can see where it might for readers coming from a point of view differing from mine.
While this was not a bad book, it was one that took me a lot longer to read than it probably should have, and I didn't like it enough to convince me to read anything else from this author. I definitely have to chalk it up to the "not for me" category.
(*Okay, so, technically she doesn't fit the definition of manic pixie dream girl because the book is about her rather than her being a character who exists only to propel a male character's narrative forward. However, she has all the other hallmarks of this trope: everyone loves her quirks, everyone loves HER in general; she's good at all kinds of stuff because plot reasons, etc. Technically, "Mary Sue" probably fits her more, but the manic pixie trope suggests the kind of flightiness and fluffiness and giddiness I ended up associating with this character.)
Full review:
So, months after the fact, I am finally sitting down to write a full review of this book. Why has it taken me so long to get around to it? Because I didn't like this novel much, and detailing the reasons why just made me feel tired. There were things I really liked about it, but other things I didn't, so it made for a very strange stew of a novel I find hard to really review. Spoilers to follow, so continue reading at your own risk.
On the plus side, when the novel opened, I was very much in Marianne's corner. I thought George did a nice job of portraying how grinding and soul-destroying Marianne's marriage was. I did think, though, that there was a bit of mischaracterization here, as the novel is referred to as "loveless" when, really, what George is depicting is a mentally abusive relationship. Marianne's husband may never have hit her, but he's spent every day of their marriage slowly wearing away at her very sense of self. He uses insults and belittlement to tear away any assurance she feels in her own capabilities, he controls her economically, and he convinces her that no one else could love her because she's fundamentally unlovable, and she's lucky he's willing to put up with her. These are classic symptoms of an abusive marriage, albeit not the kind of abusive marriage most people recognize--which is part of the problem. Marianne absolutely has to get away from her husband, not because there's no love in their marriage, but because he's doing his best to destroy her with words instead of fists. I thought her confusion and her disordered state of mind was very convincing.
However, later in the book, when her husband reappears, I struggled more with Marianne's behavior. She spends so much of the novel gradually building herself back up, finding love, finding purpose, and regaining a sense of her own competence and the satisfaction that comes with it. Needless to say, I didn't want her returning to her husband, but I could understand how, after years of his careful, meticulous programming, she would find it hard to say no. Yet I struggled because the book portrays her as having made such progress I couldn't totally buy the idea that she'd return to her husband at the drop of a hat. I felt like she had reached a point where she would have had more confidence in herself and more understanding of how her destructive her marriage had been, enough so that she would have put up more of a fight, even if she did ultimately acquiesce. However, I do see where there's room for argument against my interpretation, since abuse is extremely hard to recover from and is a very long process--hence why so many people wonder "why doesn't she just leave him", as if a woman trapped in an abusive relationship can just walk away and have everything in her life magically become better. The problem is, because I felt like Marianne had reached a point where it seemed she should have put up more of a fight, I had a hard time with her caving as suddenly as she did.
My other problem with the novel was Marianne herself. I liked her on an individual level, and while I do think a single person can touch the lives of and have a profound effect on numerous others, I just didn't like how magical Marianne came across in this novel. Everyone in the town where she ends up needs her in some fashion, and she delivers for every one of them. That she can single-handedly fix everyone's heartache struck me as more than a tad unrealistic, especially since the problems are so diverse. This means Marianne ends up having all of these hidden traits that suddenly burst forth once she's in this enchanted Breton town. Sure, I can see where her abilities were lying dormant, Marianne afraid to use them because she feared her husband's verbal blows, but she comes across as more than a little too resourceful. And while I liked many of the secondary characters, I ended up feeling like most of them were there simply to be acted upon by Marianne, reducing them to plot devices, and that was unsatisfying.
Lastly, the description of this book made me think it was something very different from what it turned out to be. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did make for some confusion when I first started reading, since it came across as a lot heavier and more literary than the somewhat lighter fare I was expecting. I don't mean to suggest that there's a lighthearted way to portray marriage abuse, just that I think I expected to find a book where a woman emerges with blazing triumph from the shadows of her terrible marriage. This book is a lot more timid as far as Marianne's evolution goes, and there is a fair amount of magical realism woven within its narrative. I don't entirely mind magical realism, but there were so many things going on in this book that I found it hard to hold on to all of them. Is it a book about a woman escaping an unhealthy relationship? Is it a book about the strange magic of Brittany? Is it a comical depiction of vivid characters living in a small town? It's all of these things and more, and while it didn't hang together for me, I can see where it might for readers coming from a point of view differing from mine.
While this was not a bad book, it was one that took me a lot longer to read than it probably should have, and I didn't like it enough to convince me to read anything else from this author. I definitely have to chalk it up to the "not for me" category.
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't connect to the story or the characters. I'm sure there were things lost in translation. A short book and I plodded through but at times wondered why.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook read by Emma Bering.
Marianne is 60 years old and feels trapped in a loveless marriage. On a trip to Paris with her husband she decides she has had enough and walks out of dinner intent on throwing herself into the Seine. Running away from it all she winds up in Britanny and finds a community of friends who embrace her and help her find her inner strengths. And love.
I was not a big fan of George’s previous hit - The Little Paris Bookshop - but, like that earlier title, this was a selection for my F2F book group. So here I am again.
It’s an okay story and there are some moments that are really tender and enjoyable. But mostly I found it just ‘meh.’ The whole Celtic Druid connection didn’t work for me at all. However, I did like how Marianne eventually comes to take charge of her life. There’s one scene in a church confessional that is particularly entertaining!
George also peoples the town with a variety of residents, all of whom seem to have some story of love gone wrong. And some of these side stories are very entertaining.
Emma Bering does a marvelous job performing the audio. She sets a good pace and has a pleasant voice. She has many accents to deal with and really shines voicing the many characters, bringing all their individual characteristics and quirks to life. I was never confused about who was speaking.
Marianne is 60 years old and feels trapped in a loveless marriage. On a trip to Paris with her husband she decides she has had enough and walks out of dinner intent on throwing herself into the Seine. Running away from it all she winds up in Britanny and finds a community of friends who embrace her and help her find her inner strengths. And love.
I was not a big fan of George’s previous hit - The Little Paris Bookshop - but, like that earlier title, this was a selection for my F2F book group. So here I am again.
It’s an okay story and there are some moments that are really tender and enjoyable. But mostly I found it just ‘meh.’ The whole Celtic Druid connection didn’t work for me at all. However, I did like how Marianne eventually comes to take charge of her life. There’s one scene in a church confessional that is particularly entertaining!
George also peoples the town with a variety of residents, all of whom seem to have some story of love gone wrong. And some of these side stories are very entertaining.
Emma Bering does a marvelous job performing the audio. She sets a good pace and has a pleasant voice. She has many accents to deal with and really shines voicing the many characters, bringing all their individual characteristics and quirks to life. I was never confused about who was speaking.