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kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs is a beautifully rendered, poignant novel that mainly takes place in the present but also flips back in time to World War II in order to solve an intriguing family secret.
Camille Palmer Adams was at one time fearless and adventuresome as she embraced love and life without reservation. However, five years ago, in a heart-stopping instant, a tragic loss changed her into a woman who now refuses to take risks and rarely steps out of the sedate, safe life she has created with her fifteen year old daughter Julie. After experiencing another life-altering moment, Camille becomes aware that she has somehow overlooked some important changes in her daughter. Will this stunning realization allow her to see past her own fears in order to allow Julie the freedom to spread her wings and enjoy life to the fullest? Or will Camille continue to let her past to shape her future?
Camille is quite close with her father, Henri Palmer, who left his small town in the French countryside to emigrate to America. As an American who romanticizes and idealizes the French, I immediately turned to my husband and asked, "why would a Frenchman abandon an idyllic life in FRANCE to permanently move to the United States?" The answer to that question stretches back to World War II and the beautiful, brave woman who refused to allow the Germans to defeat her after they invade her small country village.
In Map of the Heart, Susan Wiggs seamlessly weaves these two seemingly disparate story arcs into a heartwarming novel of healing and love. The novel's picturesque settings spring vibrantly to life and readers will have no difficulty visualizing the coastal town of Bethany Bay or the bucolic French countryside. The characters are multi-dimensional with true to life human frailties and foibles that make them easy to relate to as they attempt to make peace with their respective pasts. I absolutely adored and highly recommend this captivating novel to fans of the genre.
Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs is a beautifully rendered, poignant novel that mainly takes place in the present but also flips back in time to World War II in order to solve an intriguing family secret.
Camille Palmer Adams was at one time fearless and adventuresome as she embraced love and life without reservation. However, five years ago, in a heart-stopping instant, a tragic loss changed her into a woman who now refuses to take risks and rarely steps out of the sedate, safe life she has created with her fifteen year old daughter Julie. After experiencing another life-altering moment, Camille becomes aware that she has somehow overlooked some important changes in her daughter. Will this stunning realization allow her to see past her own fears in order to allow Julie the freedom to spread her wings and enjoy life to the fullest? Or will Camille continue to let her past to shape her future?
Camille is quite close with her father, Henri Palmer, who left his small town in the French countryside to emigrate to America. As an American who romanticizes and idealizes the French, I immediately turned to my husband and asked, "why would a Frenchman abandon an idyllic life in FRANCE to permanently move to the United States?" The answer to that question stretches back to World War II and the beautiful, brave woman who refused to allow the Germans to defeat her after they invade her small country village.
In Map of the Heart, Susan Wiggs seamlessly weaves these two seemingly disparate story arcs into a heartwarming novel of healing and love. The novel's picturesque settings spring vibrantly to life and readers will have no difficulty visualizing the coastal town of Bethany Bay or the bucolic French countryside. The characters are multi-dimensional with true to life human frailties and foibles that make them easy to relate to as they attempt to make peace with their respective pasts. I absolutely adored and highly recommend this captivating novel to fans of the genre.
blondeeishere's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book!! Such a sweet story in a time of sadness :)
whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition
3.0
Camilla has gotten used to her quiet life in her small town. After the tragic death of her husband she’s decided to play life safe. But life can’t always be played safe and when the opportunity of a lifetime comes up to visit her father’s hometown in France, she has to take it, reluctantly. From there she finds out so much about her family’s past, which sparks new life for her. This was a moving and touching novel that was fast paced, easy to read and easy to follow. The reader thoroughly enjoyed their read of this, but it didn’t wow them in any sort of way. The romance plot the reader saw coming from the first couple pages and as much as it was sweet, it was really predictable what it was trying to do. The plots that were supposed to be surprising or shocking, didn’t feel like they were worth the shock value the author was going for. The reader liked that the reactions to the shocking plots were met with love and admiration, because it could have easily gone the other way. This novel had so many elements to it, which was good because it did keep things moving and this could have gotten boring fast without them. Everything came together and played out well, but it also felt so neat and tidy; like everything was easily fixed or cured because they took a summer trip to France. The characters were really well created; the reader enjoyed reading about them because they had such deep roots and were developed really well. They had a lot of character to them, even the secondary ones, and there were a lot of them, were memorable in small ways. Characters who have deep pasts with a lot of passions and hobbies always stand out among the rest. In the end, this was well written with really good characters. If you’re looking for a quick, getaway type novel with cute towns and villages and endearing love stories, this is the read for you.
lynburn's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this latest work by Susan Wiggs. I loved the wartime love story of Lisette and Hank. I loved the current day love story of Camille and Finn. I loved the transformation of Julie from bullied "ugly duckling" to mature teenager. I loved when Hank and Henry found each other. The storyline of using old film to find missing soldiers or missing loved ones fascinated me. I just really enjoyed this novel. Another great story by one of my favorite authors!
missjustynak's review against another edition
4.0
Great story. Not exactly what I thought it would be and predictable from the beginning but still great.
mombond's review against another edition
3.0
This book tells a modern story mixed with a story from WW2 in France. I really liked the portion for the 1940's, but the modern portion was just so-so.