Hey bookish friends,
Today I have another audiobook listen/book reading mashup! I've been doing alot of this type of reading in the last few months. I like it.
The Girl You Left Behind was one of the faster Moyes reads. I finished this book in 2 days! Of which, one of those days was a work day, so I only got a couple hours in reading and the rest of the work day I was listening to the audiobook. Followed by a Saturday of reading to finish the 2nd half of the book.
Today I have another audiobook listen/book reading mashup! I've been doing alot of this type of reading in the last few months. I like it.
The Girl You Left Behind was one of the faster Moyes reads. I finished this book in 2 days! Of which, one of those days was a work day, so I only got a couple hours in reading and the rest of the work day I was listening to the audiobook. Followed by a Saturday of reading to finish the 2nd half of the book.
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books | Penguin Audio
Release Date: August 20, 2013 (first published 2012)
Format: Hardcover & Audio MP3
Pages: 369 pages | Audio Length: Approx 13 hours
Narrators: Clare Corbett, Penny Rawlins
Source: Paperback courtesy of the Publisher & Scribd audiobook
Genre: Historical Fiction, Chick Lit
Review Date: December 30, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life—in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.
Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...
In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most—whatever the cost.
Disclaimer: This US hardcover edition of this book was given to me courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The story jumps back in forth in time, modern day London and 1916 France. While it is a dual timeline, the story was still easy to follow. In the present day, Liv is fighting to keep in her position a painting that her deceased husband gifted to her. That painting is called The Girl You Left Behind. Said photo is of Sophie - which her painter husband painted of her in 1916 before he was sent off to war shortly after the Germans occupied France.
The Girl You Left Behind has a very interesting premise with an engaging story. The main focus of this century long story are Liv and Sophie, but as the story goes on, lots of characters are introduced, including Paul, who is the man that Liv meets and starts to date during her fight for the painting. The secondary characters, both then and now all add an additional and purposeful layer of drama and depth to the storylines. We experience love then loss with Sofie and then we get to experience the opposite of a loss followed by love with Liv.
The Girl You Left Behind has a very interesting premise with an engaging story. The main focus of this century long story are Liv and Sophie, but as the story goes on, lots of characters are introduced, including Paul, who is the man that Liv meets and starts to date during her fight for the painting. The secondary characters, both then and now all add an additional and purposeful layer of drama and depth to the storylines. We experience love then loss with Sofie and then we get to experience the opposite of a loss followed by love with Liv.
While I enjoyed both storylines, I felt invested in Sophie's story. It was sad, shocking and very deep. To hear the horrors and the issues and tribulations of being outcast by your community because one dared to interact with the Germans for the sake of keeping one's family safe - is just sad. I think that I could have enjoyed an entire book dedicated to Sophie's time alone. We the reader are learning even more details of Sophie's story as the history of the painting is discovered by Liv and Paul. During this time we are also learning more about Liv. What makes Liv fight for this painting and what makes her connect to it.
As I mentioned earlier, this was a mashup, in which I both read the book and listened to on audiobook. I believe the women narrating this story did an amazing job. One narrated Liv's story line and the other narrated Sofie's storyline. Hearing different accents and dialects really gave the story an extra boost. The two narrators helped draw a clear line when determining what time and place the story is in at any given moment.
The Girl You Left Behind is a complex story with lots of levels rolled into a tightly weaved plot. Moyes delivers a solid story with solid characters. Her writing style is dependable and I'm confident that I'll always enjoy her work. She's mastered the balance of dread and positivity, While the situations seem very realistic and gritty, especially during war time, I was still able to root for the characters and keep hope alive that they'd end up on the right side of things and that justice would prevail.
If you're a fan of Jojo Moyes other books, then you should definitely add this title to your TBR list. If you're not familiar with Moyes, this would be a good introduction.
Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara
As I mentioned earlier, this was a mashup, in which I both read the book and listened to on audiobook. I believe the women narrating this story did an amazing job. One narrated Liv's story line and the other narrated Sofie's storyline. Hearing different accents and dialects really gave the story an extra boost. The two narrators helped draw a clear line when determining what time and place the story is in at any given moment.
The Girl You Left Behind is a complex story with lots of levels rolled into a tightly weaved plot. Moyes delivers a solid story with solid characters. Her writing style is dependable and I'm confident that I'll always enjoy her work. She's mastered the balance of dread and positivity, While the situations seem very realistic and gritty, especially during war time, I was still able to root for the characters and keep hope alive that they'd end up on the right side of things and that justice would prevail.
If you're a fan of Jojo Moyes other books, then you should definitely add this title to your TBR list. If you're not familiar with Moyes, this would be a good introduction.
Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara
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