Book Description:
At the dawn of the First World War, the French provincial village of Briecourt is isolated from the battles, but the century-old feud between the Toussaints and the de Colvilles still rages in the streets. When the German army sweeps in to occupy the town, families on both sides of the feud must work together to protect stragglers caught behind enemy lines. Julitte Toussaint may have been adopted from a faraway island, but she feels the scorn of the de Colvilles as much as anyone born a Toussaint. So when she falls in love with one of the stragglers—a wealthy and handsome Belgian entrepreneur—she knows she’s playing with fire. Charles Lassone hides in the cellar of the Briecourt church, safe from the Germans for the moment. But if he’s discovered, it will bring danger to the entire village and could cost Charles his life.
My thoughts:
I was attracted to Look to the East by Maureen Lang because it was set during World War I. I had a very hard time getting into the story. The books starts with introducing the main character Julitte Toussaint, who has a very mysterious background. Instead of having a feeling of mystery surrounding Julitte, I felt very confused about her. It wasn't until the middle of the book that you are told why their is a mystery. The story didn't seem to have any exciting action until after page 200. After that point I was able to get into the story a little better. I think you could have taken this story and set it in World War II since the I didn't find the historical events any different, but that could be my ignorace about World War I. Overall, I was disappointed in the story and I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel when it comes out.
Thank you for your honest book review. I don't believe I'll waste my time with it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for stopping by my blog & for leaving a message.
Hi, Beth,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you for your honest review of my book, Look to the East. I'm sorry it didn't deliver for you until later in the story, and that's something I'll keep in mind as I continue with future projects.
But I do hope you won't give up on the series. I think I can safely say the next book (Whisper on the Wind, releasing in Sept. of 2010) was written as if I'd already read your review of this first book. There's much more action, even from Page One, with entirely new characters. Whisper on the Wind is absolutely one of my favorite projects to date, and I'd hate for you to miss it. :-)
All the best to you,
Maureen Lang
Thanks for your review. I think I'll see if this book is at my library instead of buying it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much for books set during real wars, so I think I'll pass on this one.
ReplyDelete