Reviews tagging 'War'

Die Dame mit dem blauen Koffer: Roman by Valérie Perrin

5 reviews

mabus's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Una lettura piacevole e scorrevole, piena di sentimenti e di rivelazioni. Troviamo Justine, che lavora in una casa di riposo, ricostruire la storia d'amore vissuta da un'ospite, Hélène. Nel frattempo verrà anche rivelato il segreto della famiglia della ragazza. Un libro pieno d'amore, attesa e scoperte che però in certi punti ho trovato eccessivamente artefatto, con delle forzature. Avrei preferito più fluidità in certi passaggi ma nel suo insieme la Perrin scrive molto bene e per essere un romanzo d'esordio è molto interessante e ben eseguito.
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rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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catandherbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my digital ARC in exchange for a review!

I don’t know what it is about Valérie Perrin’s writing and Hildegarde Serle’s translations but damn the two combined make for books you can’t help but devour! Everything about the style just flows so easily, yet it’s not simplistic. Forgotten on Sunday follows two narratives - Justine, a 21-year-old care worker who lives with her grandparents and cousin, and Hélène, an elderly woman whose story Justine is writing down.

In the end, I preferred Hélène’s story, a woman who learns to read braille from a blind man’s son since she had no education, later marrying that son only to have their lives derailed by World War Two. There’s barely any detail about the war itself, which honestly I appreciate, the focus is on its aftermath - devastating for Hélène but not in the way you’d usually expect.

Justine’s narrative… went to some places I was not expecting, and found a little too… scandalous? Melodramatic? Soap opera-ish 😅 But I did love the passion she had for her work at the care home - the title refers to those folks in care homes who have no visits from family on a Sunday, and Justine does her best to afford them the respect and attention they deserve. Perrin writes with lovely tenderness, but then the ~big secret~ that is revealed towards the end put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. She did a similar thing with Three - puts in a huge twist which just seems overdone and put in for shock factor.

Although neither this novel or Three have come close to the brilliance that is Fresh Water for Flowers, I can’t deny that they are addictive reads! Perrin creates great atmosphere, her characters pop, and her style is smooth - I just resent the over-the-top twists!
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menomica's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Il faut écouter dans l’urgence parce que le silence n’est jamais loin.

Cet livre est wild. Un peu bizarre, parfois un peu déroutant. Mais il m’a toujours tenu investi. L’histoire d’Hélène m’a captivé dès le début c’était comme si elle était ma propre grande-mère.
Je n’ai pas aimé Justine. Je veux pas dire que je la détestais, c’est juste que je l’ai trouvée parfois irritante. Genre, tout ce truc avec elle et l’homme dont le prénom elle a même pas pris le temps d’apprendre. Quel malheur.
Et tous ça qu’elle se languissait d’un homme marié dont elle ni savait rien??? STAND UP!!!!

Et ça sur Edna????? Elle finira définitivement à aucune plage au paradis. Horrible, elle. Et maintenant ni ta propre fille ni ton petit-fils te parle 🤨

Armande je ne crois qu’existe un mot dans la langue française pour décrire ta … perversion. Je veux dire, Annette est pas innocente, mais toi, Armande. Baiser la femme de ton fils? Je suis bien sûr que c’est quelque genre d’inceste.

Eugénie, tu me donnes peur. Je comprends ta colère et ton douleur, mais mon dieu. HOMICIDE???? Et maintenant ça résulte que t’as tué t’es fils. Karma, I guess.
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