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weez_reads's review against another edition
5.0
What is special to the museum of broken promises is the explanations. In ours , it is you, the public , who do so. Our museum gives a voice to the people in a way that few other institutions provide.
I loved this book , I am always intrigued by sentimental value of objects and this book takes a new take on objects the fact some objects hold broken promises and this book explored Laures own broken promises with objects she had cept in the museum. This is a beautiful book and heartbreaking all at the same time. The fact I brought this book from a charity shop because I'm intrigued by objects and there meaning means I could enjoy this book knowing someone donated it for there own reasons for someone else to love it.
Extract from the book which I loved :
Every seven to fifteen years, the cells in the body were replaced , bine , skin , liver. The lot. Having read about it in a scientific journal , Laure was cheered because it suggested renaissance and renewal were possible. But it also ment she was walking around with every cell in her body replenished and he would be too.
I loved this book , I am always intrigued by sentimental value of objects and this book takes a new take on objects the fact some objects hold broken promises and this book explored Laures own broken promises with objects she had cept in the museum. This is a beautiful book and heartbreaking all at the same time. The fact I brought this book from a charity shop because I'm intrigued by objects and there meaning means I could enjoy this book knowing someone donated it for there own reasons for someone else to love it.
Extract from the book which I loved :
Every seven to fifteen years, the cells in the body were replaced , bine , skin , liver. The lot. Having read about it in a scientific journal , Laure was cheered because it suggested renaissance and renewal were possible. But it also ment she was walking around with every cell in her body replenished and he would be too.
nocto's review
3.0
Not an author that I'd come across before but I totally judged a book by it's title (and a bit by it's cover) and liked it.
It's mostly Laure's story, she's half French, half English and, in 1986, goes to work as an au-pair with a family in Paris who then relocate back to Prague where she starts a relationship with a Czech musician. The book is mostly split between what happened then in Prague, and modern day Paris where Laure lives now and runs the titular museum, with a few parts taking place in between in 1990s Berlin.
It uses the mechanic of telling you the ending (of one part of the story at least) in the beginning, which means it's not about what's going to happen but how and why, and I mostly liked that since those are the more interesting questions. And the tangled up timeline in the book means that you learn why some things are significant after they've happened which is also fun to read.
I enjoyed the book on the whole but found it too long on uninteresting details in some places, and yet there were odd corners of it that were delightful and I wanted to know more about. I didn't feel I ever figured out what was really important in the book but I prefer not quite figuring everything out to having things explicitly explained so that's ok with me.
It's mostly Laure's story, she's half French, half English and, in 1986, goes to work as an au-pair with a family in Paris who then relocate back to Prague where she starts a relationship with a Czech musician. The book is mostly split between what happened then in Prague, and modern day Paris where Laure lives now and runs the titular museum, with a few parts taking place in between in 1990s Berlin.
It uses the mechanic of telling you the ending (of one part of the story at least) in the beginning, which means it's not about what's going to happen but how and why, and I mostly liked that since those are the more interesting questions. And the tangled up timeline in the book means that you learn why some things are significant after they've happened which is also fun to read.
I enjoyed the book on the whole but found it too long on uninteresting details in some places, and yet there were odd corners of it that were delightful and I wanted to know more about. I didn't feel I ever figured out what was really important in the book but I prefer not quite figuring everything out to having things explicitly explained so that's ok with me.
thequeenofsheba3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
bunniesandbooks123's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.5
laurieisreading's review against another edition
2.0
Dit boek heeft een achterflap die heel interessant klinkt, maar het wist me van begin af aan al niet mee te nemen. Dit was een ware worsteling.
readerlas's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
thumbetina's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
pam_ritchie's review
4.0
The Museum of Broken Promises by Elizabeth Buchan is a heart wrenching story set in 1985 in Prague, mid 1990s in Berlin and modern day Paris. You see Prague whilst the Communists are in power, Berlin when post the different sides are making peace after the Berlin Wall coming down.
Laure is the central character whom we follow to each of these places. It is in Prague that she falls in love, and in Paris that she is the chief curator of the Museum of Broken Promises, with different things that have been donated, such as a baby's shoe, and a train ticket.
This is a look at a dark period of history, behind the Iron Curtain, and shows how dangerous life was. The story is well told, leading through revelations, and moments of clarity, whilst showing so much emotion.
The Museum of Broken Promises was published on 5th September 2019, and is available from Amazon , Waterstones and Bookshop.org .
You can follow Elizabeth Buchan on Twitter , Facebook and her website .
I have also read Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan, and you can read my review here .
I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Atlantic Books .
Laure is the central character whom we follow to each of these places. It is in Prague that she falls in love, and in Paris that she is the chief curator of the Museum of Broken Promises, with different things that have been donated, such as a baby's shoe, and a train ticket.
This is a look at a dark period of history, behind the Iron Curtain, and shows how dangerous life was. The story is well told, leading through revelations, and moments of clarity, whilst showing so much emotion.
The Museum of Broken Promises was published on 5th September 2019, and is available from Amazon , Waterstones and Bookshop.org .
You can follow Elizabeth Buchan on Twitter , Facebook and her website .
I have also read Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan, and you can read my review here .
I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Atlantic Books .
hanrutous's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
audrey01's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If there was one way to describe this book it would be this: a timeless classic. Sweeping you away to Prague, Vienna, Berlin and Paris, follow along as the main character Laure discovers the inner workings of what it means to live, to be loved, to hope and to mourn. In short, what it means to be human. We’re often told that it’s not the ending that counts but the journey. This story proves it! To quote: « We don’t need prophets. What we need is decency and honour. »
You’re asked to wonder what beliefs really mean when faced with life and death. Helping people or making money? Capitalism be communism. Through the characters, we come to learn it’s all a matter of perspective.
But you learn to dream and hope for a better future. Something that youth rock band embodies throughout the story. Honestly, it feels a little like a dream you don’t want to see end even if you nothing lasts but the journey was worth every penny!