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A review by mjwerts
City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn
3.0
When choosing a reading order for books, the publication date/author's intent usually is gospel to me, especially when the books in question are by one of my favorite authors, so I dutifully read the novella Whispers of Jasmine before starting City of Jasmine. I wish I hadn't, as it clouded my whole experience of the novel—and not in a good way.
Set in 1920s Damascus and the surrounding areas, City of Jasmine tells the story of Evangeline "Evie" Starke and her archeologist husband Gabriel Starke, a man Evie and everyone else has thought was dead for the past five years. As is typical of Deanna Raybourn's writing, her characters and settings are imbued with vitality and realism. I'm just not sure I really liked any of the characters, which is atypical. Due to the aforementioned knowledge from the novella, I spent most of the novel screaming at Evie and Gabriel to just be honest with each other, even while recognizing that it was five years of built up hurt and remorse that kept them from being so. Then again, those five years would never have happened if they were honest with each other in the first place. Ugh. The one positive to their estrangement is that they do sizzle together.
Beyond my frustration with Evie and Gabriel's relationship, their never-ending adventure grew a bit tedious. How many times can the same two people get out of tight binds in the desert?
Not a terrible book, as Raybourn is a compelling writer and I'm judging this book based on a profound love of her other work, but it is my least favorite of her works thus far.
Set in 1920s Damascus and the surrounding areas, City of Jasmine tells the story of Evangeline "Evie" Starke and her archeologist husband Gabriel Starke, a man Evie and everyone else has thought was dead for the past five years. As is typical of Deanna Raybourn's writing, her characters and settings are imbued with vitality and realism. I'm just not sure I really liked any of the characters, which is atypical. Due to the aforementioned knowledge from the novella, I spent most of the novel screaming at Evie and Gabriel to just be honest with each other, even while recognizing that it was five years of built up hurt and remorse that kept them from being so. Then again, those five years would never have happened if they were honest with each other in the first place. Ugh. The one positive to their estrangement is that they do sizzle together.
Beyond my frustration with Evie and Gabriel's relationship, their never-ending adventure grew a bit tedious. How many times can the same two people get out of tight binds in the desert?
Not a terrible book, as Raybourn is a compelling writer and I'm judging this book based on a profound love of her other work, but it is my least favorite of her works thus far.