julia_may's review
3.0
I liked it. An interesting and unusual story, with two connected timelines, The Past and The Present. For the first half of the book this worked well, but after that point I felt like The Past timeline had served its purpose and was only dragging down the pace of The Present timeline. The Past timeline needed more substance and interest to hold my attention.
In many ways, this is the same story as [b:The Godmother|49392474|The Godmother|Hannelore Cayre|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567277807l/49392474._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73148456] - a woman of limited means and one who is ignored by the mainstream society grows disenchanted with said society and takes matters into her own hands in a morally questionable way. Yet the protagonist and the plot are different enough that I didn't mind. The historical background on military substitutions in France was fascinating, I'd never heard of this before and it blew my mind. The book was worth reading just for that piece of history alone.
As with the Godmother, I enjoyed the story intellectually but I struggled to connect emotionally to the characters. Maybe it's the translation, maybe it's the writing style. It comes across cool and detached and I am not sure that we are meant to connect anyway. Maybe the human characters are only there to guide us through the social commentary that is really the main protagonist in Cayre's stories.
In many ways, this is the same story as [b:The Godmother|49392474|The Godmother|Hannelore Cayre|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567277807l/49392474._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73148456] - a woman of limited means and one who is ignored by the mainstream society grows disenchanted with said society and takes matters into her own hands in a morally questionable way. Yet the protagonist and the plot are different enough that I didn't mind. The historical background on military substitutions in France was fascinating, I'd never heard of this before and it blew my mind. The book was worth reading just for that piece of history alone.
As with the Godmother, I enjoyed the story intellectually but I struggled to connect emotionally to the characters. Maybe it's the translation, maybe it's the writing style. It comes across cool and detached and I am not sure that we are meant to connect anyway. Maybe the human characters are only there to guide us through the social commentary that is really the main protagonist in Cayre's stories.
chloeeebeee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and War
kimswhims's review
4.0
Another terrific story from [a:Hannelore Cayre|456403|Hannelore Cayre|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563480781p2/456403.jpg] with a range of characters who shouldn't be underestimated.
Partly set in Paris and partly set in and around an Island in Brittany.
The contemporary narrative is driven by a Robin Hood type of character and her response to their rich corrupt relatives.
The past narrative is set just before and at the time of the Prussian siege of Paris and the rising of the Paris Commune 1970-1871.
An excellent short novel.
Partly set in Paris and partly set in and around an Island in Brittany.
The contemporary narrative is driven by a Robin Hood type of character and her response to their rich corrupt relatives.
The past narrative is set just before and at the time of the Prussian siege of Paris and the rising of the Paris Commune 1970-1871.
An excellent short novel.
susannes_pagesofcrime's review
3.0
There is some good writing here but ultimately this book is not for me.
If you're into French history and social commentary then this book may be right up your alley.
If you're into French history and social commentary then this book may be right up your alley.
cvdvbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.25
touchingmyshelf's review
3.0
I really enjoyed Hannelore’s writing style and I loved how gritty and dark this story was. This was a very unique book for me - different to anything I’ve read before which is always really interesting. I found the two timelines manageable while reading and was equally interested in both sets of characters. I did get a little confused with all the family members but the family tree diagram really helped remind me who everyone was.
However, for some reason I can’t put my finger on, I also really struggled to get into reading this one. I was super excited to pick it up but to be honest a lot of the time while reading it, I mainly just felt confused. I feel like the author tried to pack so much into a small package and I felt like I wasn’t able to take or the layers in. Maybe it was because I tried to read it more slowly and it would have been better read as a whole at once but nevertheless I’m in the minority of people who did enjoy this one as much!
However, for some reason I can’t put my finger on, I also really struggled to get into reading this one. I was super excited to pick it up but to be honest a lot of the time while reading it, I mainly just felt confused. I feel like the author tried to pack so much into a small package and I felt like I wasn’t able to take or the layers in. Maybe it was because I tried to read it more slowly and it would have been better read as a whole at once but nevertheless I’m in the minority of people who did enjoy this one as much!
ninadb's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lucytulloh's review
5.0
This started out good, and then got ridiculously brilliant. Complex in terms of character links (thank goodness for the family tree in the first third which I bookmarked and referred to a LOT) but so so worth it! It's French wartime history + darkly funny murderous action + anticapitalism. Adored it.
clericgirl's review
2.0
While I do love a good eat the rich premise, this just fell flat for me. Something that I’ll forget about in a month or so