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A review by lorees_reading_nook
Lea by Pascal Mercier
3.0
This book is more around the 2.5 mark but I've rounded it up to 3.
Martijn van Vliet meets a complete stranger in Provence and the two decide to drive to Bern (where they both reside) together. During the journey Martijn, a former research scientist, talks about his daughter Lea, a celebrated violinist, whose ruthless ambition drives a wedge between them that slowly starts to tear them apart. Martijn gives his daughter everything in an effort to keep her happy and finally commits a desperate act.
Lea is not an action-packed book. Essentially, it is a monologue with van Vliet recounting his story to the book's narrator. It is an example of the extent to which some parents may go to make sure their children are content. While I can understand this type of all-encompassing love, in the end it only leads to destruction and despair. I found Lea to be a good enough story but not a very thrilling one to read. I feel we never really get to know Lea because we only see her through her father's biased eyes. Lea clearly used music as therapy to compensate for the loss of her mother. I think that a psychologist may have been more useful than a violin to help her with this and the end result would not have been so catastrophic.
Martijn van Vliet meets a complete stranger in Provence and the two decide to drive to Bern (where they both reside) together. During the journey Martijn, a former research scientist, talks about his daughter Lea, a celebrated violinist, whose ruthless ambition drives a wedge between them that slowly starts to tear them apart. Martijn gives his daughter everything in an effort to keep her happy and finally commits a desperate act.
Lea is not an action-packed book. Essentially, it is a monologue with van Vliet recounting his story to the book's narrator. It is an example of the extent to which some parents may go to make sure their children are content. While I can understand this type of all-encompassing love, in the end it only leads to destruction and despair. I found Lea to be a good enough story but not a very thrilling one to read. I feel we never really get to know Lea because we only see her through her father's biased eyes. Lea clearly used music as therapy to compensate for the loss of her mother. I think that a psychologist may have been more useful than a violin to help her with this and the end result would not have been so catastrophic.