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fatamo's review against another edition
4.0
I really thought this was an excellently written book, and wonder if some of it might be autobiographical; I don't know anything about the author other than that he was an editor also, but he writes with a certain nostalgia that comes when you can tell an author is giving an account that is more personal than fictional. In any case, I made the executive decision to NOT read part 2, which I think is just unnecessary. I feel like Part 2: "Some Explanations" is something that all editors dream of putting in books they are editing, in response to readers who have complaints about the structure, style or characters of the story. I have no interest in reading the scratching of an editor's itch and so preferred to leave the characters as they were exactly in Part 1; young, full of mystery, and in love with France.
clskvarce's review
3.0
First of all, if you're expecting some sort of suspenseful mystery adventure, just stop. This book is literally about nothing. There is no plot whatsoever. It basically reads like a travel diary. I kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does. Now, apart from that, you grow to like the main characters as they traverse around France, making friends, and eating food. You even root for them throughout all their blunders and insecurities. But that's it. That's all there is.
clskvarce's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, if you're expecting some sort of suspenseful mystery adventure, just stop. This book is literally about nothing. There is no plot whatsoever. It basically reads like a travel diary. I kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does. Now, apart from that, you grow to like the main characters as they traverse around France, making friends, and eating food. You even root for them throughout all their blunders and insecurities. But that's it. That's all there is.
mslaura's review against another edition
4.0
Ratings:
Writing 5
Storyline 4
Characters 4
Emotional impact 3
Overall rating: 4
Writing 5
Storyline 4
Characters 4
Emotional impact 3
Overall rating: 4
clairewords's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read that I am still thinking about, wondering how much my thoughts are influenced by having lived in France for six years, so I don't see it through the eyes of someone who hasn't encountered french culture up close, more like someone in-between, not on the inside, not quite on the outside either.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
2.0
Enough! Bastante! Abbastanza! I'm not gonna try to read this anymore. Can this be the same author who wrote the pointed and precise So Long, See You Tomorrow?
I spent days and days forcing myself to keep trying with this book. It was all I could do to get through a chapter a day, sometimes not even that. I made it to page 138. It felt more like drudgery than an enjoyable reading experience, so I quit.
The book has its good moments. I stayed with it as long as I did because it was interesting to see what travel in Europe was like in 1948, when the effects of World War II were still very evident. That factor wasn't compelling enough to keep me reading, because the plot is so dull and the characters so annoying. If you love France and are quite familiar with it, this story might grab you. Otherwise, it's a frustrating grind.
I spent days and days forcing myself to keep trying with this book. It was all I could do to get through a chapter a day, sometimes not even that. I made it to page 138. It felt more like drudgery than an enjoyable reading experience, so I quit.
The book has its good moments. I stayed with it as long as I did because it was interesting to see what travel in Europe was like in 1948, when the effects of World War II were still very evident. That factor wasn't compelling enough to keep me reading, because the plot is so dull and the characters so annoying. If you love France and are quite familiar with it, this story might grab you. Otherwise, it's a frustrating grind.