Wednesday, August 14, 2013

THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND

Author:  Jojo Moyes
Genre:  Historical Fiction (part), Standalone
Published:  2013
Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)
Format:  eBook
Yearly Count:  66


From NetGalley:
France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything—her family, her reputation, and her life—to see her husband again.

Almost a century later, Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting’s true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is—putting Liv’s belief in what is right to the ultimate test.

This was my first book written by Moyes and found her to be a terrific writer!  I was fully engaged with the 1916 storyline (WWI - Sophie) and was so disappointed when I abruptly found myself in 2006 (Liv).  The storyline of Liv was one that I could not relate.  I found it extremely difficult to swallow all she did to keep the painting.  The story continues to go back and forth in shorter spurts, until the full picture is revealed.  I liked that I wasn't sure of how the story would end and was somewhat pleased with it.  I loved the last line, though.      






My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.  It is scheduled to be published on August 20, 2013.

14 comments:

  1. I can't wait to read this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bermudaonion ~ Hope you love it! :)

      Delete
  2. Isn't she a wonderful storyteller?! I loved Me Before You! It's such a nice love story without being sentimental or overly "romancy." Now I'm anxious to read this new one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Les ~ She most definitely is a wonderful storyteller. Even the parts I didn't buy into, I was still engaged. She has an easy-going flow to her style of writing and that makes the pages fly by. I hope you love this one as well. :) I'm looking forward to reading Me Before You, but it probably won't be for a while.

      Delete
  3. I haven't read anything by JoJo Moyes, but I keep seeing her name everywhere these days. I admit I'm on the fence about reading Me Before You, but this one, I think I could get behind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Literary Feline ~ Oh I know . . . her name is everywhere!!! One part of the story is stronger than the other, but definitely worth a read.

      I saw that you read Defending Jacob recently. Great book, huh!?!

      Delete
  4. I have Me Before You on my shelf but I'm going to have to read this one first so I can get to that last line you love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Booklogged ~ Eek! It wasn't necessarily anything super special. I just thought it fit perfectly. Don't expect too much! :)

      Delete
  5. I love when a book ends with a great last line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susanne ~ It worked for me, but don't think it was spectacular if you choose to read it.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:45 PM

    A new to me author. I really need to remedy that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stacybuckeye ~ New-to-me, too! I have Me Before You, which I haven't heard a negative thing about. That worries me, cuz I'll end up being the first. :/

      Delete
  7. I won this one in a giveaway and am really excited about the WWI timeline. Until I saw 2006? Heart just sunk. I'm tired of these back and forth narrators--seems to be a trend in fiction right now! Glad you enjoyed it in the long-run. I really liked her Me Before You.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trish ~ I noticed the back and forth as well and am TIRED of it! I just want a straight forward story. Is that too much to ask?!? :) I look forward to reading Me Before You.

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. :)

I hope you have a great day and ...
Happy Reading!