A beautifully controlled and powerful story of love and conscience will and desire which begins when a mysterious young girl arrives to take up the post at the seedy Hotel du Lion... more
The Girl at the Lion d'Or - a deeply satisfying read on.
A review by nikkifayego on The Girl at the Lion d'Or - Sebastian Faulks September 11th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Would you read it again?
Yes
Story
Good
Characters
Outstanding
Readability
Good
How does it compare to similar books?
Very good
How does it compare to other works by the same author?
Quite good
Advantages:
Faulks creates then implants both character and place deep within you .
Disadvantages:
Not his best novel but better by far than most of this genre .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Sebastian Faulks has an unnerving ability to create people who are flawed and human. Sympathetic and repulsive. Intolerable yet compelling. There is little sensationalism even when life's dramas reach crisis point, and extremes of joy or sadness creep up on you quietly and subtly. His style of writing gives me relief from screaming headlines trumpeting the latest tabloid marital martyr, the self-righteously indignant judgment of 'him whose no better than he should be.' As you sit on your sofa, your train or plane and briefly close your eyes to let the words steep through like autumn tea in the big brown pot, you can almost see the rain sodden streets and smell the oppressive fustiness of provincial hospitality. This is a thought provoking and profoundly moving novel. In my opinion, Sebastian Faulks is a master storyteller who conjures character and atmosphere that live on in the memory, making this a deeply satisfying read.
Advantages: Disadvantages: not as good as the other two
...This is the middle of SebastianFaulks three interlinked books about France and the turmoil of the First World War. For me, it was the least interesting although it is more of a traditional story than Birdsong. This is the story of a young girl working at a hotel between the wars in France. The pain of a country almost destroyed is portrayed in the individual characters and where it could be overplayed, it isn't. It also has that slightly painfull air of a book about French people, written by an Englishman....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Faulks'genius Disadvantages: Without the setting of war, is not as provoking as Birdsong or Charlotte Gray
...The Girl at the Liond'Or is a short, but explosive, moving tale of love, conscience and tragedy, which, although not as harrowing and thought-provoking as Birdsong or Charlotte Gray, is another excellent novel by bestselling author SebastianFaulks.
It tells the story of a young woman, with a secret past, who arrives to work at the dingy Hotel du Liond'Or in a small town in inter-war France. She soon embarks on a passionate love affair with a local married man, and the events of her childhood that planted the seeds of her character slowly reveal themselves.
Faulks uses vivid imagery to create the atmosphere of the setting, and as usual his characters are deep and undergo a process of self-discovery as the novel unfolds. An excellent read - highly recommended!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
...Like a few of SebastianFaulks' novels this is set in France in the second world war. After reading 'the girl at the liond'or' and 'Birdsong' I didn't think I could find another gripping page turner by this author. Beautifully written and characters brought dramatically to life it is a story of love, passion and war which shouldn't put men off reading this. The way this story is written really helps the reader to feel close to the characters and part of the plot causing them to empathise. Sebastian has here created a tale that gives a cocktail of a ficional storyline infused with a great knowledge of a devestating war - apporached in a brave and different way.
Superb - deffinately would read again and deffinately one of my top 10 books. He never fails to impress...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
A beautifully controlled and powerful story of love and conscience will and desire which begins when a mysterious young girl arrives to take up the post at the seedy Hotel du Lion D'Or in a small French town in the mid 1930s.
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Listed on Ciao since : 29/09/2008
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