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aye_sha's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sophiavass's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Blue Bay Palace is a tale of doomed love set in the Mauritius. Maya comes from an impoverished background which she is determined to escape. But she catches the eye of an older, wealthier man and decides to work at the local tourist resort to be closer to him. When he enters an arranged marriage without even telling her, her mental state spirals, leading to obsession, then tragedy. This was a little overwritten, although in places that certainly reflected Maya’s mental state. But I did appreciate the insight into the class/caste dynamics in the Mauritius as well as the contrast and conflicts between the tourist resorts and the much poorer local communities. Appanah succeeded in creating a strong sense of place, especially the sea, the market, and the artificial resort environment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
stephlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
barbarabarbara's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
yajna's review
3.0
J'aime bien le style d'écriture de Nathacha Appanah qui, encore une fois, dans ce livre, arrive à transporter ses lecteurs dans l'univers de l'île Maurice, et plus particulièrement à Blue Bay et Mahebourg.
Même si c'est une histoire assez sombre, je me suis facilement laissée emporter par les émotions que ressent Maya. Je dirai que ce livre est simple et efficace. Facile à lire, chose que j'ai faite en un aprèm. Ce n'est pas tant une analyse de la société qui sépare les deux amoureux de deux classes sociales différentes (même si il y a quelques références à ça dans le texte), mais plus une description d'une histoire d'amour qui tourne mal (la problématique de la classe sociale étant dans le fond de l'histoire).
J'apprécie tellement le style de l'auteur (dans les Rochers de Poudre d'or ou encore Le Dernier Frère que ce livre, tout en étant beaucoup plus simple que les autres, m'a beaucoup plu.
Même si c'est une histoire assez sombre, je me suis facilement laissée emporter par les émotions que ressent Maya. Je dirai que ce livre est simple et efficace. Facile à lire, chose que j'ai faite en un aprèm. Ce n'est pas tant une analyse de la société qui sépare les deux amoureux de deux classes sociales différentes (même si il y a quelques références à ça dans le texte), mais plus une description d'une histoire d'amour qui tourne mal (la problématique de la classe sociale étant dans le fond de l'histoire).
J'apprécie tellement le style de l'auteur (dans les Rochers de Poudre d'or ou encore Le Dernier Frère que ce livre, tout en étant beaucoup plus simple que les autres, m'a beaucoup plu.
harryr's review
1.0
Looking over some of my old posts about books, I've noticed a tendency to bend over backwards to find nice things to say in an attempt to seem fair-minded, to the point that I re-read the reviews and think they are a bit misleading. So I decided to be a bit harsher when necessary. This is one of those times.
I had problems with the prose style from the first page; it's trying too hard for a certain kind of literary gravitas that it can't manage, and as a result it is badly overwritten. In fact the combination of florid prose and a rather conventionally told love story reminded me above all of Mills and Boon: especially since it features a poor girl with a rich lover in an exotic location (although the 'exotic' part is fair enough). The main difference is that Mills & Boon novels have happy endings, and this book doesn't; in fact, one the love story starts going wrong, it gets a bit more interesting… but then it blows it with a melodramatic and unsatisfying ending.
On the positive side, it was very short.
I had problems with the prose style from the first page; it's trying too hard for a certain kind of literary gravitas that it can't manage, and as a result it is badly overwritten. In fact the combination of florid prose and a rather conventionally told love story reminded me above all of Mills and Boon: especially since it features a poor girl with a rich lover in an exotic location (although the 'exotic' part is fair enough). The main difference is that Mills & Boon novels have happy endings, and this book doesn't; in fact, one the love story starts going wrong, it gets a bit more interesting… but then it blows it with a melodramatic and unsatisfying ending.
On the positive side, it was very short.
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