This
book did not grab me at all. The biggest problem might well be the
author's writing style. Vast pages of prose uninterrupted by dialogue
or action. A conversation would be described in prose form, as if
someone was telling you about an overheard conversation. That might
be one reason I never felt attracted to the characters. I felt like I
was hearing about them second or third hand. I found myself skimming
after a while, the prose was so long and tedious often uninterrupted
by paragraph breaks.
The
plot was boring. A photographer flies to Paris to meet his parents
and sister for a family time celebrating the father's birthday.
Nothing really interesting happens until after a fifth of the way
into the book. The author seems to have a sexual orientation agenda
too. I had to convince myself to keep reading. I would have stopped
except that I did agree to review this book.
I
rarely give such a low rating on a novel but this was was
particularly uninteresting. The story line never grabbed me nor did I
ever feel engaged with the characters. The author's writing style of
present tense prose was almost painful to read. I would have
preferred some dialogue from time to time. I found the ending to be
unsatisfactory. One does learn quite a bit about cameras and
photography and what happens in Paris when it rains so much the city
floods.
You
can read an excerpt here.
My
rating:2/5 stars.
Tatiana
de Rosnay is the author of more than ten novels, including the
bestselling Sarah's Key. She lives in Paris with her husband and
their children. Photo by Charlotte
Jolly de Rosnay.
St.
Martin's Press, 240 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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