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A review by spersephone
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
4.0
This was a wonderful book, but plodded a little. It didn't feel like other Jojo Moyes books I've read, but that may be a gift she has, to completely separate her stories from one another, rather than following a similar formula and tone each time she picks up a pen.
The story spends a long time plotting out the life of Sophie, as she pines for her husband Edouard. Eventually we move on to the more contemporary story between Liv and her own husband David, living in his shadow and not wanting to move on out of a sense of betrayal if she does.
The link between the two is the painting of Sophie, done by Edouard and which has found its way to Liv as a gift from her husband. All the evidence suggests this painting was stolen by Nazis, and should be returned to Edouard's descendants (What about Sophie's? It was her property!).
Liv feels a spiritual connection with the painting and fights for the right to keep it. She risks losing everything for her convictions. Throughout her court case, we slowly learn a little more about what happened to Sophie.
I questioned how much of the evidence uncovered would really have existed. Some of it was damaging for Sophie and she said herself she didn't want to write down anything which would incriminate her upon it being read later. The recollection of the person who was given the painting was a little too dramatic, with full conversations, rather than a retelling of what happened.
I was also confused about Sophie's house. It sounds like it was amazing, yet was also on top of other apartments? Does that make sense, that a separate and famous piece of architecture is plonked on top of something existing? Or was it the penthouse, the epitome of the building? It is referred to as a house, but it seems as though it was not a stand alone house and it didn't make sense to me.
I feel like the harassment Sophie faced is a true representation of today's intrusive media, and I felt awful for her.
I think however, I would have returned the picture and had a reprint made of it, instead of go through what she did. The picture is the important thing, not whether it was original or valuable.
The story spends a long time plotting out the life of Sophie, as she pines for her husband Edouard. Eventually we move on to the more contemporary story between Liv and her own husband David, living in his shadow and not wanting to move on out of a sense of betrayal if she does.
The link between the two is the painting of Sophie, done by Edouard and which has found its way to Liv as a gift from her husband. All the evidence suggests this painting was stolen by Nazis, and should be returned to Edouard's descendants (What about Sophie's? It was her property!).
Liv feels a spiritual connection with the painting and fights for the right to keep it. She risks losing everything for her convictions. Throughout her court case, we slowly learn a little more about what happened to Sophie.
I questioned how much of the evidence uncovered would really have existed. Some of it was damaging for Sophie and she said herself she didn't want to write down anything which would incriminate her upon it being read later. The recollection of the person who was given the painting was a little too dramatic, with full conversations, rather than a retelling of what happened.
I was also confused about Sophie's house. It sounds like it was amazing, yet was also on top of other apartments? Does that make sense, that a separate and famous piece of architecture is plonked on top of something existing? Or was it the penthouse, the epitome of the building? It is referred to as a house, but it seems as though it was not a stand alone house and it didn't make sense to me.
I feel like the harassment Sophie faced is a true representation of today's intrusive media, and I felt awful for her.
I think however, I would have returned the picture and had a reprint made of it, instead of go through what she did. The picture is the important thing, not whether it was original or valuable.