Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes

The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes
Published August 2013 by Pamela Dorman Books
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Publisher's Summary:
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.  

My Thoughts: 
Last year, JoJo Moyes' Me Before You was one of the breakout hits of the year. I passed on it for review. Yeah, I know, still kicking myself for that one. Needless to say, I wasn't passing on this one.

The Girl You Left Behind is not just the name of a painting - it is Sophie whose husband has gone off war leaving her to take care of an entire village, it is Liv whose husband died leaving her filled with guilt and an emptiness she can't find a way to fill. Neither Sophie nor Liv will remain left behind; they are both stronger than they know. Sophie's tremendous courage and willingness to do whatever it takes to save her husband, Liv's incredible  grief and inability to let go - Moyes made me care about what happened to these women.

It's not uncommon to use two different stories, set in two different time periods in one book. What is unusual is to have both stories carry equal weight, both in the story line and the emotional aspect of the story. Moyes does just that, fully immersing the reader in first Sophie's story and then Liv's before starting to move back and forth more frequently. Authors utilizing this story telling method often tie their two stories together by the most tenuous of threads or the connection does not become obvious until you are nearly done with the book. In The Girl You Left Behind, seven pages into the modern story line, the connection becomes clear and Sophie's story plays a prominent role in Liv's story. Never once did I find myself racing through one part just to get past it and on to the other story line - a rare thing indeed.

Moyes is a gifted storyteller, able to handle complex plots and create nuanced characters. I look forward to reading more of her work.



11 comments:

  1. This is on my TBR and I can't wait to pick it up, although it might not be anytime soon :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so enjoyed this book! I am going to read her backlist. She bridges a gap between the serious historical novelist (like Kate Morton) and the frothy stuff. Good storytelling with interesting plots--and she does suck you in!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've heard so much about Me Before You. I need to get on both of these!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't know how I missed hearing about Me Before You, but I did, completely. I'm so glad everyone's been raving about The Girl You Left Behind this year though--I read it in a bookstore the other day and thought it was just delightful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just Started "Me Before You" it was peeking out at me from my bookcase since it's release...So Good..a New Very Talented Author

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm actually going to be reading this one soon!

    -Rebecca @ Love at First Book

    ReplyDelete
  7. I still need to read Me Before You... have an audio review copy I need to get to soon.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can't wait to read this one! I'm glad to hear both the past and present story lines are both equally engaging. It's so hard to find historical fiction like that, where the story in the past doesn't overshadow the present-day one.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I won this one and also just recently found out that the narrators alternate--a popular tool that I'm sadly growing tired of. I'm glad to hear you say that both parts carry equal weight--I thought it was all set around WWI.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I loved Me Before You (review in progress) and can't wait to dive into this new release! I'm so glad to hear that the dual narrative work. I'm not usually a fan of that device (didn't like The Violets in March or Sarah's Key), but I'll trust your opinion on this one.

    ReplyDelete