about book:
A delicious, sharp novel about a woman who jets off to France after her perfect marriage collapses, putting the broken pieces of herself back together while rediscovering her own joie de vivre—a lust for life, art, and steamy sex.
The worst birthday ever might just be the gift of a lifetime…
It’s Sophie Bloom’s forty-second birthday, and she’s ready for a night of celebration with Gabe, her longtime, devoted husband, and her two besties and their spouses. Dinner is served with a side of delicious gossip, including which North Grove residents were caught with their pants down on Ashley Madison after the secret on-line dating site for married and committed couples was hacked. Thirty-two million cheaters worldwide have been exposed…including Sophie’s “perfect” husband. To add insult to injury, she learns Gabe is the top cheater in their town.
Humiliated and directionless, Sophie jumps into the unknown and flees to France to meet up with her teenage daughter who is studying abroad and nursing her own heartbreak. After a brief visit to Paris, Sophie heads out to the artist enclave of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. There, for the first time in a long time, Sophie acknowledges her own desires—not her husband’s, not her daughter’s—and rediscovers her essence with painful honesty and humor, reawakening both her sensuality and ambitions as a sculptor.
As she sheds her past and travels the obstacle-filled off beaten path, Sophie Bloom is determined to blossom. Allowing her true self to emerge in the postcard beauty of Provence, Sophie must decide what is broken forever...and what it means to be truly unbreakable.
“Artful, feminist, and emotionally gripping. The Unbreakables is a remarkable tribute to a woman’s strength in the face of heartbreak and adversity.” — Helen Hoang, author of The Kiss Quotient
Smart, sure and sexy, The Unbreakables is unforgettable.” — Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale and The Lost Girls of Paris
“This exquisitely wrought novel will appeal to readers who believe in the redemption of new beginnings.” — Publishers Weekly
my thoughts:
For Paris in July I finally picked up my copy of The Unbreakables. I bought the book over a year ago, but never found myself ready to read it. I figured the time was finally now. And so, I dove right in. Let me just say, I wish I had pulled myself right out of it. The book was a dud for me. Definitely not my cup of tea.
The only parts of the book I enjoyed reading about were the ones that included descriptions of France and all its glories (museums, cafes, restaurants, countryside). The story itself, well, I found myself rolling my eyes and skim reading it. There were just too many cliches, caricatures, and unfulfilling storylines. Basically, Sophie finds out her husband has cheated on her throughout their entire marriage. She's devastated and heads to France to be with their daughter - she called her mom crying that her boyfriend had cheated on her. Turns out she cheated on her boyfriend with a married man and may be pregnant. How ridiculous is that? Anyhow, I'm sure you can guess what happens next. Sophie sets about discovering herself in France. And, there you have it. That's the whole story. Talk about predictable with a capital P.
So, why did I keep reading the book instead of DNFing it? France. Reading about France is the only thing that kept me turning pages. Sophie finally visiting the Café de Flore, walking around the Rodin museum, and driving through the French countryside - all of that was worth reading. I couldn't help but daydream about these places as Sophie walked around them or sat outside them. Those were the fun parts of the book. All in all, The Unbreakables was just not for me. Oh well, can't love them all, right?
And now, I'm off to read something by Sally Rooney. I've been managing a book or two a day, and I want to keep that reading streak going, so I have decided to dive into a book by an author that I consider to be "a sure thing" - meaning, the book won't disappoint.
Hope you all are staying safe and enjoying a great read.
4 comments:
With so little time and so many books about Paris, it's really too bad you stuck with this one. You could do better -- and not have to put up with all the cliches. I find it really sad that so many authors are so lazy that they just keep doing the same thing over and over.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I finding reading a little difficult at the best of times, and I learned a while ago to quit early - but I appreciate that if there's a little bit more about Paris over the next page it would be tempting. I do hope your next read is more of a pleasure.
I would keep reading for description of Paris too!
Sometimes there are just aspects of a book that grab you while disliking it generally. I loved the way The Thorn Birds described the Australian outback while thinking the love story was rubbish!
Post a Comment