Não há nada como ler um livro que para além de ter uma história que nos encanta ainda nos ensina uma lição de vida. É gratificante saber que aquela história tem uma determinada moral e que não se cinge apenas a um enredo envolto em seda e purpurinas. Que o livro tem uma mensagem para nos transmitir e que vamos retirar uma conclusão após a sua leitura.Esta é a ideia com que fico após ter terminado a leitura de mais um livro desta autora. Santa Montefiore não resiste em deixar-nos uma mensagem em cada romance que escreve. Este livro não é excepção.Ao longo destas deliciosas páginas, que li avidamente, conhecemos a vida de Mischa e da sua mãe, Anouk. Mischa nasceu em Bórdeus há seis anos. Mais precisamente há seis anos e três quartos e tem uma peculiaridade: é mudo. Contudo, a sua mudez é sintoma de um trauma do seu passado e de uma grande injustiça que sofreu, juntamente com Anouk, por parte dos habitantes da aldeia de Maurilliac. Esse incidente condiciona de forma inevitável a vida deste rapaz, fazendo com que este não tenha amigos da sua idade e que as pessoas o olhem com ódio, rancor e desprezo. Daí que as pessoas de que gosta e que gostam dele tenham um lugar especial no seu doce coração. Num dia de vento surge um americano, na aldeia, conhecido como Coiote, que decide hospedar-se no château em que Anouk trabalha. E a partir daí a vida destas 3 personagens muda por completo. Os três mudam-se para os E.U.A. onde irão iniciar uma nova vida, longe dos preconceitos dos habitantes daquela pequena localidade francesa.Coiote representa tudo para Anouk e Mischa. Os dois depositam todo o seu amor, esperança e desejo de serem felizes neste homem. E, durante os primeiros anos, a felicidade polvilha a vida de todos eles. Todavia, sem nada o fazer prever, um dia Coiote sai de casa e não volta mais. Nesse momento, o mundo de Mischa, bem como tudo aquilo em que ele acredita, começa irremediavelmente a ruir.Os anos vão passando mas a amargura de Mischa acentua-se com o passar do tempo. E o que este livro nos ensina ao longo do percurso deste protagonista é que não vale a pena termos mágoas relacionadas com o nosso passado. Não vale a pena termos esqueletos no armário, porque isso só nos torna pessoas tristes, amarguradas e infelizes. É importante resolvermos bem os nossos traumas, os nossos pequenos (ou grandes) dramas do dia-a-dia para podermos viver de forma plena. Outro dos ensinamentos que recebi com a leitura deste livro é que todos nós somos falíveis e cometemos erros dos quais nos arrependemos mais tarde. Por isso, devemos estar abertos a ouvir os outros, tentar compreendê-los e, sobretudo, perdoá-los. Embora esta última parte nem sempre seja fácil.Enfim! Posso dizer que, mesmo sendo apenas o 2º livro da Santa Montefiore que leio, estou rendida à sua escrita. É certamente uma autora a seguir!
This was very well-written. Santa Montefiore surely knows how to tell a story. Mischa, the main character was a very sweet boy with abandonment issues. As he approached his teenage years, he started to loose control and to put more and more walls around himself. Walls who were only down when he was with his beloved mother since their relationship was very special. When she dies, Mischa decides to resolve a mystery left unresolved when she died, and is forced to face some of the demons from his past. Ok so... this was a good book, with a good story and characters. It could have been so much better, though. It was a bit slow until the middle of the book (more or less), I would say and the story had a few clichés, but it was a good book which I enjoyed reading. :)
What do You think about The Gypsy Madonna (2007)?
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4...Another enjoyable read from Santa Montefiore, a love story with an underlying mystery. Mischa is the protagonist, born during WWII in France to Anouk and her German husband. After the liberation they are ostracized by the majority of the villagers in Maurillac where they live and work in a local chateau. Mischa has been severely effected and the trauma is thought to be the reason for his inability to speak. He has no friends apart from Pistou, a young ghost whom only he sees, a young local girl Claudine and Joy a regular guest at the chateau.When Coyote a mysterious and enchanting American turns up at the chateau with his guitar he has a dramatic effect on the lives of Anouk and Mischa. So much changes with his arival and they leave France for a new life in America with him. It is only after his mother’s death many years later that Mischa discovers and unravels a mystery from his childhood involving a valuable unrecorded painting by a famous artist.A good book to curl up with for an easy and relaxing read.
—LindyLouMac
American art dealer Mischa discovers, just prior to his mother's death, that she is in posession of an unrecorded Titian. To discover it's provenance, he has to go back to the French village of his childhood, where he and his mother were barely tolerated because he is the son of a German officer, born during the occupation of WWII. He confronts his past and old ghosts, and finds out the truth about his family.A large part of this book takes place in post-war France, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story. I did want to find out the story of Annouk and the painting, but in the end, when Mischa returned to France, there were just far too many coincidences for it to be credible. There was also far too much sex, as Mischa seemed to fall into bed with pretty much anything in a skirt he came across, and none exept one encounter had anything to do with the story.It was ok, a quick and easy read, but could have been much better.
—Sabina
I wasn't impressed with this book at all. I was surprised though at how many good reviews it got from other people. I wouldn't compare this writer with Maeve Binchey or Rosamund Pilcher, yet others did.I like The French Gardener much better. This book couldn't quite tell the story it was about. There was way too much sex that had absolutely nothing to do with the story (so why is this important for me to know?) The good part of the story started at the end and only covered a few chapters then it was all tied up very nicely and finished. Big let down. I don't think I will be reading any of her other books.
—Helen
