I
loved the cover of this novel. The setting looks like it’s at an outdoor French
bistro. The cover alone makes you want to
sit down, enjoy a glass of wine, people watch or share an intimate conversation
with a lover.
The
dreaminess of the cover evaporates with the first chapter. Marianne and Lothar
have been married for forty-one years. Lothar is a jerk and has no redeeming
qualities. Marianne longs to be loved, to be treasured or heck to just have her
husband pay her a compliment. From the moment the wedding rings went on when
she was nineteen, Lothar proved that he never loved her. He even denied her
children because they would get in “his” way.
On
a vacation (which sounded like hell), Marianne is so depressed that the only
way to be happy is to commit suicide. However, she can’t even seem to do that
right. She is saved by a homeless man and taken to a hospital. Lothar is more
concerned about the cost of a taxi cab ride than he is about Marianne.
As
she slowly recovers in the hospital, Lothar returns to their home in Germany,
leaving Marianne to fend for herself. She steals a painted tile with a
beautiful seascape painted on it, and decided that is where she’ll find her
happily-ever-after. So she takes off for the coast of France, Kerdruc, in
Brittany. Since she has no money, she
must walk. She barely speaks French,
much less the Briton dialect.
When
she arrives, she is welcome with open arms. The residents of this small coastal
town think she is the new chef. That takes a leap of faith for readers. The
story gets bogged down while readers learn all about Kerdruc and its
inhabitants. Anyway, to stay unknown, Marianne replaces her married surname with
her maiden name.
Once
the story comes back to Marianne, we see her discover herself. She becomes the
powerful, passionate and adventurous woman she has always longed to be. The sea
gives her strengths she didn’t know she possessed.
When
her real identity is discovered, Marianne’s future is at risk. Will she have
the courage to jeopardize her new life?
The Little French Bistro receives 4 out
of 5 stars in Julie’s world. The little French bistro is more of a minor
character and the bog that I mentioned earlier are why I rated the novel as I
did.
I
received The Little French Bistro from
Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
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