This and that

It's been a bit of a week, folks. Working on my next project, busy at the part-time job, and occupied on the homefront. 

But rather than not showing up at all, I thought I'd thank you for the comments, both on the blog and by email, on my boycott post. It really is a complicated issue, though if we're going to go about dismantling structures in society, Amazon isn't the first one I would choose. 

Some writers never read their reviews. I get that. I'm the opposite end of that spectrum, though. I love reviews. I read them all - good and bad - and have a strict 24-hour wallowing rule for bad ones. Thankfully, French Lessons hasn't had any of those yet. Here are a few snippets that are too good not to share:

I was quickly drawn in to this story of life, love and living your best life. A young woman spends a year in post war Paris, looking for inspiration for her writing. Pearl finds inspiration not only in the streets is Paris, but with the strong women in her life. From start to finish, with a backdrop of Paris, I was drawn into the aptly painted picture of Pearl finding herself.

***

This book arrived on a day I got some bad news. You know, the world the way it is right now, that means bad news on top of bad news. I settled down to read it with a cup of tea, blanket around me, and fell headlong into Pearl's story. I read it over two days. I may read it again. In fact, I will read it again.

***

From the houses of the ultra-rich to the pensions of the working class, from the threadbare midinettes of the couture houses to a poverty-stricken nobleman bent on keeping his chateau, author Karen Heenan paints a believable picture of Paris and its people after the Second World War. Written in tight, economical prose that kindles the imagination of the reader, we follow Pearl through her year, her doubts and determination, her triumphs and failures, as she matures both as a woman and a writer.

***

If you felt sympathy for Pearl in the Ava and Claire books, you’ve probably been waiting to read about her successful solo year in Paris. Although it turns out to be a very different year from the year she had imagined, it also turns out to be a year full of self-discovery. Pearl faces the realities of the intense poverty of post-war France, learns about different kinds of love, and with a push from her mother, starts to write her book.

***

It was delightful to see Paris with Pearl’s eyes. The historical details of daily life after the war were vivid.

***

If you fell in love with Pearl Kimber in Coming Apart like I did, then you've been waiting a long time for her to get her (most deserved) days in the spotlight. And what a spotlight! It's not the experience Pearl's been dreaming of - but it turns out to be even better. This is her year to find herself, to shrug off the heavy burden of family and duty she's always carried, to write and walk and make friends and simply live.