Provença - O Lugar Mágico Onde Se Curam Corações Partidos (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
It's a sweet book,to begin with!The story is basically simple-Despite the fact that the plot gets quite complicated according to Heidi,the novel's main protagonist.You read similar stories by many female authors who believe in happy endings!All in all,it makes for a good read;I won't call it a must-read but you won't regret reading it,in any case :)It's not all that intense but you sort of get into the story and its setting(I love the setting); a sweet love story,and yes, you'll enjoy it,I promise :) If you had asked me 50 pages in, I would have said this book is a waste of time and worth about 2 stars if you're feeling particularly generous that day. Now that I'm done reading it, I would give it more like 3.25 stars.The plot is known: Heidi Buckley is still mourning the death of her husband who passed away in a car accident the year before. Heidi's 8 year old son Abbott, has become obsessive compulsive as a way to manage his own grief. Heidi's mom is heartbroken that the family summer home in the south of France (isn't that where your summer home is located?) has been damaged due to a fire. The house is the backdrop to centuries of love stories and apparently has the power to heal a broken heart. Heidi's mom dispatches Heidi, Abbott and Charlotte, the sarcastic stepdaughter of Heidi's sister, to go to France to repair the house and take in some of its healing powers to boot. I struggled in some critical places with this book. One, Heidi was a scatter-brained sap who I didn't feel like was grieving her husband Henry, so much as wishing he were there to do the hard stuff in life for her. He's presented as the one who kept the trains running on time in their lives and not a partner and being of his own. What was missing was sorrow. Heidi presented him as the one who'd find your lost car keys. Two, this windswept love they supposedly shared felt immature and childish. Bridget's writing felt like how you'd write about love if you were 16 and not in your late 30s as these characters were. It wasn't the love of a lifetime. It didn't have that deepness and richness you'd expect from people that really love and support each other have. It was in fact surprisingly vapid.Third, whole bits of life are just forgotten about. Heidi has a business called Cake Shop that apparently the indentured servant manages while Heidi is mourning her dead husband in France. Money also doesn't appear to be a problem either as when a robbery takes place and all their belongings are stolen, Heidi goes to the French equivalent of Wal-Mart and replaces pretty much everything. That on top of the money to renovate this healing summer home seems to just flow from unknown sources. The book picks up significantly once the brood arrives at the French house. Other characters are revealed namely Veronique, who is sort of the Morgan Freeman of French love and romance for this story. Veronique is something of a caretaker for the house and one of Heidi's mom's oldest friends. Certain secrets are revealed, the obligatory panic is interjected ("Oh no, Abbott is missing!") and resolved, new love blossoms and the ending tidies up as expected. Something about the narration of the book threw me off. It's in first person but probably should have been in third. The pacing didn't match how a person thinks in real time and while some of the musings were thoughtful and worth shoring up in the back of your own mind, there were definite shades of Lifetime movies past, present and future in these thoughts, feelings and observations. The most interesting character was Charlotte as she showed the most wisdom and insight of the whole bunch. Then again, I always find self-possession and grace in teenagers to be interesting. I might read another book by this author and while this one is not a beach read per se, it qualifies as a rainy day read.
What do You think about Provença - O Lugar Mágico Onde Se Curam Corações Partidos (2012)?
This book is the trifecta of fun for me: food, romance, and an international setting!
—Nellieboo
Nice easy read. Love the French backdrop and the recipes at the end.
—Kieubui
Three and a half stars. I thought it was predictable and sweet.
—Alaa
Kinda fluff but part of my effort to read FSU faculty this year.
—vintage
It's the French version of Under The Tuscan Sun.
—countrygirl
