Hello to all of you lovelies! So I'm a little behind, but it took me a little longer to finish my most recent book (longer than anticipated). However because I am a annoyed with myself for missing an entry, I'm going to double up this week.
I have recently finished "The Girl You Left Behind," written by Jojo Moyes. Now for those who have read her other works, "The Girl You Left Behind" follows a similar emotional roller coaster. The reader follows the lives to two young women, separated by time and space--nearly a hundred years-- but connected by their determination to fight and survive.
We begin in 1916, in the midst of a German, occupied France during World War I. We are introduced to Sophie Lefevre, the wife French artist Edouard Lefevre, who is also the matriarch of her family (although she is the second oldest). While the war is progressing, Sophie's small town falls into German hands and Sophie and her sister are forced to feed and serve the German soldiers that occupy her town. The soldiers strip the town and the hotel that Sophie's family owns, of all of their comforts--everything from art and literature to furniture and blankets are taken from their rightful owners. While Sophie struggles to feed and keep her family healthy, she slowly earns the unwelcome attention of the local Kommandant--or really a portrait of Sophie does. The Kommandant becomes memorized by the painting done by Edouard Lefevre. But this attention, will force Sophie to risk everything she holds dear--her family, her reputation, her husband and her life. Yet, she is willing to give up everything if it means she can see her husband one last time, and she
does.
A hundred years later, the portrait of Sophie Lefevre is still captivating people. One in particular is a young woman named Liv Halston. The portrait is given to Liv by her late husband, as a wedding gift. And after the crushing death of Liv's husband, there are few things that actually bring joy to her life--the portrait is one of those items. It conjures up memories of their honeymoon, moments they shared together and most importantly it reminds Liv of the loved they shared. But now it's been four years since Liv's husband past away, and she finds herself in a completely different life situation than she ever thought possible. Her once secluded and reserved life, has morphed into one full of chaos and unpredictability.
After four years of denying affection, Liv randomly meets Paul-- an ex- New York detective that now hunts down lost/stole artifacts and returns them to the legal owners. And as if over night, Liv and Paul find a camaraderie with one another, which blossoms into something more. Unfortunately the closer Liv and Paul become, the more trouble falls in their wake. After spending the night together, Paul sees the Sophie's portrait titled "The Girl You Left Behind," for the first time-- but it just so happens to be the latest case Paul is working on. It is his job to procure the portrait and return it to the Lefevre family.
This chance encounter reveals the painting's true origins and it's financial worth (which is substantial). And soon a battle begins between Liv and the Lefevre family, putting Paul directly in the middle and in the line of fire. He was hired to get the portrait back, but he has come to realize how important and meaningful the painting is to Liv, and Liv has become exceptionally meaningful to Paul.
Liv on the other hand is putting herself into financial ruin, in order to keep the painting. Legal fees and discovering/ legitimizing the painting's province is a costly endeavor, not to mention Liv was already broke before the case began. However the struggle to find out who is the legitimate owner is, testing Liv's beliefs on what is right and what is wrong. Sophie's portrait has a dark, passionate history-- filled with sacrifice and lose, which only makes Liv want to keep it more. Liv loves the portrait for what it represents and it's unique beauty. The financial worth means very little to her.
But the fact that Paul is on the opposing side, the side trying to take one of the last remaining pieces of her marriage away-- she finds it difficult to trust him. Even though, Paul is an honorable man with no alternative agenda, other than just wanting Liv to be happy and secure.
As I was reading, I found myself becoming quite annoyed with Liv. As I have said before, in real-life I am incredibly rational and I find it difficult to relate to characters that do not have "flight" response. I believe it is a part of our human DNA to have an element of self-preservation, but Liv was willing loose her home, loose all of her money and security to fight a battle that she would have historically lost. If it wasn't for Paul (of all people) who sacrificed his career and looked for hidden clues, Liv would have lost everything. However the romantic in me, loves the idea of sacrificing for love and art.
Also, "The Girl You Left Behind" toggles between several different points of view. We are given Liv's, Sophie's and Paul's perspective-- which gives the audience more insight into the "behind the scenes" story, as opposed to what each character reveals to other people. And I believe that might be one of the reasons I became so annoyed with Liv-- because we the readers, knew Paul was an upstanding man, with the purest intentions-- who was put in an impossible position, however Liv did not always acknowledge Paul's character.
Though Liv's storyline was the primary focus, I found myself drawn to Sophie's life more. I found Sophie's life path was incredibly three- dimensional, vivid and full of emotion. I could feel her struggles and I was routing for her survival, while Liv's world felt empty. Her friendships and relationships seemed forced, and aspects in her life seemed like they were added in just to create more (unnecessary drama)-- for example Liv's father was not "all there," and his wife kept leaving him, which made Liv be the voice of reason to her father's emotional troubles. Also Moyes did such a beautiful job crafting the relationship between Sophie and Edouard, and Sophie and her sister, but I felt that the contemporary relationships lacked some tangible qualities.
"Just for carrying on really. Sometimes, my darling girl, that's heroic in itself."
Overall I would recommend this novel. However, I do feel like you need to be in the right mind-set to really enjoy the journey. At times it is incredibly sad, other times I felt myself cringe because the details were so clear, I could picture the events unfolding right in front of my eyes. But it is not all doom and gloom, there are moments that were slightly more light-hearted. Because "The Girl You Left Behind" is not what I would call a "happy" novel, I do think it is important to be prepared for some violence, some graphic descriptions and definitely some tears.
What do you think? Have you read the book? How would you react to the discovery of stolen art? Would you have gone to court over a painting? Let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
For now, I say good night and hope that the my random ramblings have peeked your inner bookworm.
~BL
Hello to all of you lovelies! Welcome to March! I'm really excited to discuss the latest book I've read "Me Before You," written by Jojo Moyes. This novel is full of humor and emotion. "Me Before You," tells the story of two individuals with dramatically different pasts, but because of external and random moments, their lives become intertwined. Lou (Louisa) Clark is quarky, creative and clever-- a little unconventional and definitely the type of person to do whatever it takes to help out those she loves. Will Traynor, is a successful, wealthy, adventurous and smart man. He is also a man who lost the portion of his life, which he appreciates the most. Three years ago, Will suffered from a debilitating motorcycle accident, rendering him as a quadriplegic.
After his loss, Will was forced to relinquish romance, career aspirations and most of all, control of his life. Before Lou, Will knows his accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels rather small, joyless and he has lost the desire to even wake up in the morning. After a few attempts to end his own life, Will's parents hire Lou to be his caregiver.
Lou too, knows a lot. She knows her life was mundane, predictable and a bit of a struggle. Everyday she wakes up in the same room she has for years, goes to work all day in order to help provide for her family and expects to live an ordinary life. She knows she enjoyed her former job at The Buttered Bun Tea Shop and she also knows that she no longer has anything in common with her boyfriend-- and may not love him anymore. However there are things Lou doesn't know.
Unbeknownst to Lou, she was hire not only to be a caregiver and companion to Will, she was also hired to give Will a reason to live. Will's parents wanted Lou, to be a breath of fresh air for him. To give him a reason to wake up each day, instead of throwing in the towel. Over the course of their relationship, Lou and Will go from mutual disdain to a deep affection for one another. Lou brings Will out of his shell of pain and sorrow, while Will gives Lou the courage to actually live her life.
I found myself connecting deeply to Lou's character. Though she and I have different objectives, her personality is something I can relate to. I like to believe, I share some of Lou's qualities-- and if I haven''t already I'd like the opportunity to explore Lou's range of emotions. I also related a lot to Will's character, in the sense that I believe we have the right to make decisions for ourselves and no one has the right to take that away from us.
As I was reading, I found the arch of their relationship to be profoundly powerful. It made me rethink how even the smallest events in our lives, have the ability to shape the person we are, and the person we become. "Me Before You," also gave a new perspective on the choices people face. Though we all have problems in our lives, we also have the ability to control our own destiny and to change our mind; to make different choices or decisions-- we just need the courage or determination to do so. This was one of my favorite aspects of the novel, Moyes was able to intertwine so much longing and joy with overwhelming sadness and despair. I found myself crying uncontrollably one moment and laughing the next.
I loved how Will and Lou's relationship didn't start off well, but blossomed into this truly wonderful story. As I read, I could feel the struggle Lou felt, trying to figure out a way to connect to Will, without forcing him to become her friend. But at the same time, you could sense Will's resistance in allowing Lou in. It was a constant give and take with their relationship-- Lou provided Will with joy and laughter, and small adventures that gave him some escape from his health issues. While Will challenged Lou intellectually, helped her face her fears and provided comfort and forgiveness where no one else did. Will also inspired Lou to believe in herself and live her life fully.
I believe the turning point of Will and Lou's relationship happened when Will allowed Lou to shave and cut his hair. It was such a small act, but it was a scene full of intimacy and emotion. This broke down Will's walls and it gave Lou a glimpse into the man he once was. But I believe it was after Lou's birthday dinner that their relationship really came into fruition. Will came as a support system and as a friend and Lou was attempting to show Will, how enjoyable a normal evening out could be. Though to the surrounding guests, their friendship was odd (Lou was literally helping Will eat and drink--feeding him and lifting his glass to his lips), to them it was as natural as breathing. But to the others, it was awkward and far to intimate.
However, it was Will's gift that really made the night memorable. Will's gift was modest-- a pair of bumble- bee tights. But it was a gift that gave Lou real joy-- as a child Lou had a pair of tights exactly like them and they were one of her favorite belongings. Now in comparison, Patrick, Lou's boyfriend gave her a necklace. Something gold and flashy-- nothing that Lou would select or wear for herself. And in that moment, I realized (even if Lou hadn't yet) that Patrick didn't really know her and Lou didn't really love Patrick. It was Will that listened to her childhood story, it was Will who respected her unique fashion sense and it was Will who put time and thought into a memorable gift.
"You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible."
But I think the moment, both Will and Lou really fell for one another was at Will's ex-girlfriend's wedding. They both recognized there was something more to their relationship. And though the next few chapters were filled with many ups and downs. It was a night where they were both truly happy.
There were so many amazing moments throughout the book, which really lended to the growth of these two individuals. And even though, the book ended with me in tears, I couldn't imagine a better way to conclude this story. Or at least this portion of the story. It broke my heart when I read Will and Lou's goodbye scene, but it was true to the characters--which is one thing I really enjoyed about Moyes writing. She defined each character's personality so clearly that it allowed their interactions and relationships to be unique, but she also provided each character with the potential for growth.
"Me Before You," was more than just another romance. It spoke of family issues, unemployment, education, love, living life to the fullest and aid with dying. This novel had so many different layers that classifying it as strictly a romance, is limiting and doesn't do the content justice. I am looking forward to reading the sequel "After You," which continues the story. I am hoping to see Lou mature even further and to take Will's advice, love and support with her as she continues to grow.
"Don't think of me too often. I don't want to think of you getting all maudlin. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will"
What do you think? Have you read the book? Do you plan to read the second novel? If so, what are you looking forward to seeing? Let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
For now, I say good night and hope that the my random ramblings have peeked your inner bookworm.
~BL
Hello to all of you lovelies! So I'm a little behind, but it took me a little longer to finish my most recent book (longer than anticipated). However because I am a annoyed with myself for missing an entry, I'm going to double up this week. 
