The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m a little unsure of what I want to tell you about this amazingly written story that Jojo Moyes has crafted.
The Girl You Left Behind … The story begins in 1916, German occupied France to be exact. Sophie Lefevre is our narrator. Her husband, a talented artist, left 2 years earlier to fight in the war, leaving Sophie, her sister and her children, and her younger brother to maintain the family business. But the Germans have claimed everything of worth from their home… The only thing that Sophie still holds dear is a portrait the Edouard painted of her. It tells a different story of a different Sophie, in a different life. The new Kommandant is immediately captivated by it and Sophie herself. When Sophie hears information of her love, Edouard she is determined to do whatever it takes to see him again, even if it means giving up something she never thought she would. The consequences of her choices tear her and her family apart leaving them to figure out what to do next.
But then you’re suddenly ripped from that time with so many unanswered questions… you’re thrust into the life of Liv Halston in present day London. Four years earlier she lost her husband, but a gift from their honeymoon keeps him in her thoughts. It’s a portrait of a woman who she immediately felt a connection to, and the love she has for it is second only to that she has for her deceased husband. The portrait is revealed to possibly be a stolen treasure from the war and as the history of the artwork is revealed, so are the answers you were looking for from Sophie’s life and what may have happened to her.
I can’t honestly tell you much more about the story without taking away from the experience of reading it.
Ms. Moyes has crafted an impeccable story with The Girl You Left Behind. The way the portrait connects both the past and the present was wonderfully done, and while I was a little hesitant at first to dive into this one, I’m so glad I did. The dual narratives didn’t detract from the story in any way for me. I was concerned once I realized that Sophie’s part was done that I wouldn’t connect to Liv as well, having found myself so engrossed in Sophie’s story, but that absolutely was not the case. You get just enough time with Sophie, just enough time to get to know her, and her situation and her faith to take that into the present with Liv.
I found that once I started this I couldn’t even put it down, devouring it in a day and staying up way too late to finish. I had to know how the story ended… not only for Liv, but for Sophie, because this was definitely both of their stories.
I’ve been asked if this is ‘another sad one’. And I can honestly say that while it has bits of sadness, especially when you’re reliving the plight that Sophie and her family and those of her time period in general had to endure, I didn’t find myself on the edge of tears like I had with Me Before You. It’s a different kind of sadness, with so much hope and determination underneath it.
If you’re looking for a book filled with spectacular writing and a unique and captivating plot, a story with emotion, suspense and romance, then definitely grab this one when it comes out in September. I can’t rave enough about Ms. Moyes and her writing in general but The Girl You Left Behind is joining Me Before You on my absolute favorites shelf.
Recent Comments