Reviews

The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes

lorikleininak's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

43 year old Valeria Cossati makes a spontaneous decision one day - she buys herself a black notebook to keep as a diary. It's not something she feels she can share with anyone - not her loving husband of over 20 years, not her two grown children who still live in the house. For six months, this diary is Valeria's undoing. Her carefully constructed persona - dutiful wife, loving mother, working woman unravels as she sneaks around her small home to write and then subsequently hide the notebook. Not only does she record day-to-day activities and dramas, she shares her thoughts and feelings about being overwhelmed, taken for granted, and ignored by her family. Is Valeria a martyr or is she simply a woman in mid-life, trying to find value in herself and her life. The reader recognizes things in Valeria's entries that even she refuses to recognize.

Overall, I found The Forbidden Notebook immensely relatable, even though it was written in 1952 and takes place in roughly that post WWII time frame. It's a book in translation, one of the first I've ever read cover to cover. 

zimm_liz's review against another edition

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

5.0

lisagray68's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

amesbond's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

orianabovary's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

laamavi's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dameverte's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

adripapa's review against another edition

reflective tense 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

4.0

therags's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

pso326's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

3.5