Reviews

Gli occhi gialli dei coccodrilli by Katherine Pancol

aakono's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

martheisreading's review against another edition

4.0

Je ne savais pas à quoi m'attendre, je ne connaissais pas du tout l'intrigue, ni l'auteure, juste je me rappelais de la popularité de la saga à l'époque mais je n'avais jamais eu l'envie de le lire jusqu'à récemment. Quelle belle surprise ! J'ai adoré la plume de l'auteur, les personnages et l'intrigue ! Un livre que j'ai dévoré.

mrsfrozzie's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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

4.0

taste_column's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-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? Yes

3.5

heta96's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

malaneycwick's review against another edition

4.0

When I started reading this book I was in search of something wholesome and without too much weight to it; something light.
Though this story carries some heavy topics, the author did a phenomenal job putting the right amount of time into said topics while still keeping the story light.
I loved it. Would absolutely recommend 💛

ditahunter's review against another edition

1.0

Cuando empece a leer este libro me desquicie demasiado. Su narrativa me parece muy desorganizada, cambiando tan rapidamente y en la misma frase de primera a tercera persona cuando, si se trata de un pensamiento podria usar la cursiva o las tipicas comillas.
Los personajes no dan la sensación de evolución hasta casi el final del libro y el cierre de los diferentes arcos (la historia de Marce, la de Iris y todos los demas) no me dejo sino más descontenta, aunque no me parecieron malos pero si bastante predecibles. Ademas se plantea a la mujer desde un punto de vista un poco machista.
No ha sido hasta el final cuando este libro a logrado despertar en mi curiosidad y ganas de saber que seguia despues. Lo que me hace plantearme si sería una muy mala idea leerme los otros dos libros de esta saga que tanto parece haber gustado.
En definitiva es un libro pasa pasar el rato y si no tienes otra cosa más a mano que leer, pero que requiere de paciencia para no acabar odiandolo y dejarlo de lado -yo misma me lo plantee-.

sometimes_iread's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve always been rather aware when a work that I’m reading is a translation because it tends to read clunkier than if it were originally written in the language that I’m reading it in. The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles by Katherine Pancol and translated by William Rodarmor and Helen Dickinson, however, was anything but. It wasn’t till I checked the author information that I realised I was reading a translation. Impressive, indeed. 

Crocodiles is a multi-narrative that follows Josephine and her family as they navigate life after Josephine’s split from her husband. We watch Josephine as she grows into herself, cheering on each success and groaning through each setback. The plot itself holds little surprise, yet it remains enjoyable due to the journey and not the just the destination. 

Although Josephine is undoubtedly the main character of the book, and the character I liked the most, various other narratives were woven in that gave greater depth to events and characterizations, giving us lots more show than tell. We have the bit on Josephine’s stepfather’s quest to have a son of his own which in turn gave greater insight into the dynamics of the mother-daughter triad of Josephine, her sister Iris, and their mother. We also have the bit on Josephine’s ex-husband to contrast and highlight Josephine’s growth. All in all, I thought this was a delightful read and was pleased as punch to find out that there are two sequels to this. Definitely going to pick them up to continue Josephine’s journey!

Diversity meter:

Strong female characters

jacki_f's review against another edition

4.0

This is a delightfully frothy french novel centered on two sisters: Iris and Josephine. Iris has gone through life as the beautiful and glamourous one and is married to a high profile lawyer with whom she has one son. Josephine is the introverted intellectual, a historian specialising in the 12th century. When the book opens she is kicking out her husband Antoine who has been having an affair with another woman and is trying to ascertain how she will take care of her two daughters. When Iris asks her to write a novel for her - one that will be published under Iris's name - Josephine agrees, not really thinking through what the consequences will be.

I adored this book which reads like a French screwball comedy movie. It's crammed with a host of sub-plots and quirky characters, from Josephine's enigmatic neighbour Shirley who is mysterious about her past but highly skilled at karate, to their gold digging mother, from a secretary with a heart of gold to Prince William and Mick Jagger. While it touches on serious subjects such as sibling rivalry and creating your own Second Act in life, it's also a tremendously entertaining and occasional laugh out loud romp. Apparently it's the first of a trilogy and I can only hope that English translations of the two subsequent novels follow quickly.

pachypedia's review against another edition

2.0

Todos los personajes de este libro me han parecido horribles, no me ha gustado ni uno solo. Además, las historias son irreales, para nada creíbles.