The Girl You Left Behind: The No 1 bestselling love story from Jojo Moyes

by Jojo Moyes

THE HEARTBREAKING NO. 1 BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF ME BEFORE YOU

'A masterclass in storytelling that fans of Me Before You will adore' ELLE
'Quite simply one of the best books I've read' 5***** READER REVIEW
'Wonderfully well-written and completely engrossing' DAILY MAIL
'Will make you laugh, cry and ignore everyone around you' 5***** READER REVIEW
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France, 1916.

While her adored husband Edouard fights on the front, all Sophie has of him is the beautiful portrait he painted for her.

But when the picture catches the eye of the village Kommandant, he cannot keep away from its subject, and Sophie is forced to make a terrible decision . . .

Almost a century later, Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before he died.

A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth.

But will its troubled history turn Liv's life upside down all over again?
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'Another heart-stoppingly brilliant novel from Jojo Moyes' Closer

'It will make you think long after you turn the final page' Daily Mail

'A truly beautiful book . . . will make you laugh, cry and ignore everyone around you as you won't be able to put it down!' 5***** Reader Review

'Beware, once you pick up this book you will not be able to put it down!' 5***** Reader Review

• ISBN10: 0141969199
• ISBN13: 9780141969190
• Publish Date: 27 September 2012 (first published 1 September 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[boghunden]

More like 2.75

[Lianne]

I was curious about the premise for The Girl You Left Behind. I really felt for Sophie with her half of the story and how she tries to make the best of her situation. The author does a wonderful job in portraying the difficult line that the residents of this town had to balance with the occupiers they are forced to live with day in and day out.

I initially found Liv’s story in our present-day interesting. I felt sympathy for her as she is still grieving for the loss of her husband and how her life was slowly falling apart with the issue of the mortgage and struggling to live from day to day. But as Liv’s story and the issue about the painting becomes clearer and more involved in the overall story, intersecting with everyone’s lives, Liv became rather irritating to me with some of the decisions she makes along the way. (Putting the following behind a spoiler cut just in case) I understand the sentimental value behind the painting, the importance of keeping to Sophie’s memory and Liv’s indignation that Sophie’s relations are only after the money but Liv is too blinded by her attachment and by her perspective (understandable that she thought that Paul might’ve engineered the whole thing–them meeting, going on dates, etc. just to get closer to her painting; the coincidence is baffling) that she pretty much shuts down every option available to her. Additionally, considering her current situation–the mortgage regarding the house and the bills stacking up–I couldn’t help but think why she would opt to go through all that grief and trouble when she’s already in so much trouble. Luckily things worked out in Liv’s favour but I didn’t feel too relieved; it could’ve easily ended very badly for her.

Overall, I enjoyed The Girl You Left Behind enough. I especially liked Sophie’s story and her struggle to find her husband and reunite with him no matter the cost. But Liv’s stubbornness and lack of rational decision-making left me rather irritated for a good chunk of the novel, hence why I’m rating this novel a 3 instead of a 4.

My complete review of the title was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/08/09/review-the-girl-you-left-behind/