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ClareR (5864 KP) rated The Museum of Broken Promises in Books

Sep 8, 2019  
The Museum of Broken Promises
The Museum of Broken Promises
Elizabeth Buchan | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I would absolutely visit this museum!
This is a story about a museum that contains the physical objects that symbolise a broken promise or a betrayal to those who have donated them (and this is SUCH a good idea for a museum!). The Museum of Broken Promises is in Paris, and its owner Laure chooses the items that go in to the museum after she either speaks to the donator, or simply reads the note that is sent with the item. Laure has experience in these matters: her own object sits in the museum.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this novel, but I was so surprised by the way this story progressed. Laure as a young woman becomes an au pair for a Czech family in Paris after her father dies. She then realises that she needs a break from university to grieve and get away from her life for a while. So when the family return to Prague for the summer, Laure goes with them. And so begins her life behind the iron curtain.

What follows is a love story between Laure and a musician and political activist, Tomas. We see how restricted people and their thoughts were, and we see why Laure becomes the woman she is in present day Paris.

I really liked the way we moved back and forth through time with Laure, and got to see Prague before its Velvet Revolution, Germany just after the Wall comes down and Paris in the present day. Laure is far more complex a character than I expected her to be at first.

I adored this book. It’s a sad story told so well - and I warn you that the end should be read with tissues to hand.

Many thanks to the publisher Corvus and NetGalley for my copy of this book, and to Pigeonhole for actually making me read it on time (I love my Pigeonhole gang!)!
  
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ClareR (5864 KP) rated Melmoth: A Novel in Books

Nov 2, 2018  
Melmoth: A Novel
Melmoth: A Novel
Sarah Perry | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A gothic, spellbinding novel.
A dark, gothic story, of a woman living an austere life in Prague, set in winter - which makes it all the more foreboding!
Melmoth is omnipresent throughout the novel. Helen, the main character, seems to have something in her past that she is punishing herself for. She makes sure that she has no enjoyment in her life: from food to clothes, to friendships. She does have some friends, though: Thea and Karel.
Karel finds some documents about Melmoth the Wanderer, and so an obsession begins.
For a dark, depressing novel, there is a lot of hope in it too. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It got to the stage where I was sure I could see a dark shadow in my peripheral vision - could it be Melmoth looking for company in her lonely wanderings?
This is a compelling read - once started, I really didn't want to stop. I enjoyed the historical detail in Karel's documents too.
Another great story from Sarah Perry.