Mini - Comments

My online life has been very limited lately but I hope the rest of the month might go more smoothly...

In January I'll likely be absent again if my work situation doesn't have a quick resolution, but so far there isn't much I can't "control" about it. I do feel the anxiety, without a doubt!

Anyway, here are two of the books I've read in the past weeks, which I haven't been able to properly post, as I devised for my "diary blog".

When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect caretaker for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite and devoted woman who sings to their children, cleans the family's chic apartment in Paris's upscale tenth arrondissement, stays late without complaint and is able to host enviable birthday parties.
The couple and nanny become more dependent on each other. But as jealousy, resentment and suspicions increase, Myriam and Paul's idyllic tableau is shattered...

Comment: This is a psychological novel about what it means to feel so isolated, alone and dismissed that one's mind my snap. Louise seems to be the perfect nanny but as we turn the pages, we discover that she, as probably everyone else, hides secret thoughts and pain no one understands or wants to. I can see why this book was considered for several prizes and why the critics liked its tone and content but in terms of reading experience, I've felt it was a bit vague. I use this word in the sense that there doesn't seem to exist any real goal here, except exposing the idea and the possible consequences of not helping people to have better social networks and support. Since it was my first book by the author, I'll try to check the library again, where I got this one, to see if others are available. The writing itself was engaging, I liked some choices the author did, but I also think the characters didn't have to feel as impersonal as I suppose the author intended for the book's full impact.

Grade: 6/10

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Much has happened in idyllic Ivy Hill in recent months, and while several villagers have found new love and purpose, questions remain--and a few dearly held dreams have yet to be fulfilled.
Jane Bell is torn. Gabriel Locke is back and has made his intentions clear. But Jane is reluctant to give up her inn and destine another man to a childless marriage. Then someone she never expected to see again returns to Ivy Hill. . . .
Mercy Grove has lost her school and is resigned to life as a spinster, especially as the man she admires seems out of reach. Should she uproot herself from Ivy Cottage to become a governess for a former pupil? Her decision will change more lives than her own.
A secretive new dressmaker arrives in the village, but the ladies soon suspect she isn't who she claims to be. Will they oust the imposter, or help rescue her from a dangerous predicament?
In the meantime, everyone expects Miss Brockwell to marry a titled gentleman, even though her heart is drawn to another. While the people of Ivy Hill anticipate one wedding, an unexpected bride may surprise them all.

Comment: This is the third story in the Ivy Hill series (there is a fourth novella installment), and we keep on following the lives of several characters, right after the events of the previous story. Here, Mercy is now a governess to little Alice and her life has now more novelties than what she would expect, but she is still thinking about mr Kingston. Jane and Gabriel also seem to want to take the next step, but Jane is still worried... this might feel as if the book is too boring or slow since things take time to be presented and developed, but I did like the feeling of cozy village the covers seem to indicate. I've liked the characters and the situations for the most part and I still had a great time reading, but I will say this didn't grab me as strongly as the second story did. Probably because certain things have been in the works for a while now and it seemed as if there was still too much reluctance from some characters to act, to speak...understandable but a little frustrating. I will read the final novella some day...

Grade: 8/10