From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, a sweeping bestseller of love and loss, deftly weaving two journeys from World War I France to present day London. Paris, World War I. Sophie Lefèvre must keep her family safe while her adored husband, Édouard, fights at the front. When their town falls to the Germans, Sophie is forced to serve them every evening at her hotel. From … every evening at her hotel. From the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie’s portrait—painted by her artist husband—a dangerous obsession is born.
Almost a century later in London, Sophie’s portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before his sudden death. After a chance encounter reveals the portrait’s true worth, a battle begins over its troubled history and Liv’s world is turned upside all over again.
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5 Stars So this book deserves a 5 simply because JoJo Moyes is an incredible wordsmith & storyteller! At the beginning of the story, I was enchanted by brave, compassionate Sophie, a new favorite heroine. In the middle of the story, I was frustrated by stubborn Liv & was ready to delete this review from my Goodreads feed. A bit further on & I was ready to write an irate email to the author about what she was doing to these fictional peeps. But then that ending . . . Yes, the ending & the epilogue satisfied my heart & freed me to love the story again 🙂
(***Lest you believe I unthinkingly rate every story a 4 or 5, I’ll remind you of my book review “policy.” This year If a book is a DNF or a 3 or below, I typically will not rate it. It’s too discouraging to the authors. And as for all the 4’s & 5’s? I simply love stories & appreciate the ones who tell them—whatever genre & whatever style. Thanks to all you hardworking authors out there! You’re appreciated.)
Great story
I loved this book.
Very well written and plot points came together nicely. Surprise and satisfying ending. Don’t give up, as I almost did, halfway through when the time period shifts. All is explained.
Amazing !! A must read !!
It gave me loads of perspective, understanding how good we have it here, understanding how hard when the enemy is right there, in your kitchen, week after week, and your friends are angry for your cooking for them, but you can’t say no, and you don’t know if your husband is dead or alive — what on earth do I worry about each day, such little things compared to this.
Jojo Moyes is a favorite of mine and this book did not disappoint. I loved it and recommended it to my friends.
One of the best books I’ve read. Many twists to keep your interest
One of my all time favorite books.
Loved this book. Very interested in the historical part about WW1 and the hardships of the occupied town in France and how those times connected the painting to present day. It’s truly a story of the steadfastness of love and the human spirit.
I enjoy historical fiction I have never read much that has to do with WWI but this book confirms the universal suffering, separation and heart break that goes on regardless of the point in history. The plot was interesting and kept me guessing as to how the love story would be resolved.
Beautifully written. Engaging story. Her best yet.
This book! I loved the world building and the characters— I felt as if I were right there with them. I am not as familiar with WWI as I am with WWII and this book opened my eyes to the suffering of the women who were judged by their family, their neighbors— their entire towns. I loved everything about the twin stories and highly recommend this book.
JoJo Moyes once again proves herself a master storyteller.
She skillfully weaves together so many intriguing elements in this historical novel, that spans 100 years:
• The atmosphere of suspicions and deceptions that were part of everyday life in German occupied France, during World War I
• The looting of priceless art works by the Nazis
• The difficulties involved in determining any art work’s complete provenance
• A love story between a supposed collaborator and a lesser known artist, Edouard Lefevrre, from the Impressionist Movement
• The complexities of reaching just decisions in court cases involving stolen art.
This is a quick and enjoyable page turner, where all the pieces ONLY come together at the very end.
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes is a positively wonderful novel about the power of love.
The tale is set in London in 2006 and in France in 1916. Both time periods are linked by a painting.
Love is a powerful force. Both female protagonists have lost the love of their life. In 1916 Sophie’s husband is fighting the Germans, while in 2006 Liv’s husband is dead. The women have their memories to keep them warm. Sophie hopes her husband will return again. Liv needs to learn to live once more. “Am I allowed to be this happy again?” It is natural to feel guilt when we begin to smile again.
Occupied France is a dangerous place to be. The Germans are cruel – but not all. Germans are people too with feelings and families. Far too often we make judgements based on the uniform but a heart beats underneath and there is compassion.
There is fear all around in 1916. “I can’t remember what it was like to not be afraid.” People live as best as they could. There were some extraordinary acts of bravery. Juxtaposed were abominable acts of cruelty from the French villagers who pronounce people ‘guilty’ and collaborators based on hearsay and very little evidence.
I loved the leading ladies. Both were strong females, desperately in love and who would fight for what they believed was right.
I always love Jojo Moyes novels. I sink into them like a cosy armchair and get lost in the action. The Girl You Left Behind was positively enchanting.
I learned more about the citizens affected by WWII. Good story line!
I loved every minute of this book! So refreshing to have a story about WWI. The characters were believable and the pros were delightful.
Love everything I’ve read by JoJo Moyes!
This is my first Jojo Moyes book I’ve read and I am surprised that I’ve loved it more than I had thought I would.
So I got interested in this book because of World War One because there is not a lot of books that takes place at this time.
I know she is a romance author and I want to delve into the genre but I was nervous it would be too much for me, but although there is romance it is not the main thing in the story.
The story is mostly focused on the painting of Sophie Levere and getting to know the history of it was really interesting. I also loved the two timelines, one during World War One and the contemporary world. That’s all you need to know and I highly recommend you read it without any knowledge other than the things I said above.
Our book club read this and we all agreed, it is a good book. Sad but kept up interested.