Review by jazzygirl625 -- VieVie La Fontaine
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Review by jazzygirl625 -- VieVie La Fontaine
[Following is a volunteer review of "VieVie La Fontaine" by Linda Heavner Gerald.]
VieVie La Fontaine by Linda Heavner Gerald beings in Germany on the day Hitler is appointed to Chancellor. The parents of a Jewish boy regretfully studying law send their son, Mark, to Paris to practice his true passion, art, in order to avoid the upcoming horrors of Nazi Germany. In Paris, Mark lives with an esteemed French General and his wife, VieVie La Fontaine. As time passes, Mark pursues debaucheries and eventually comes to realize the weight of the situation in Germany when the German forces begin to overtake France and his beloved Paris. This story follows Mark in his experiences throughout World War II, from his love affairs to his attempts to help Paris survive German invasion.
This book is narrated by Mark, as he looks back on his experiences with some distaste and some pride. The reader is left wondering why Mark has so many details about events that he was not at, because this book reads similarly to a textbook at many points, giving many superfluous details. He is presented as omniscient at some points and as having a very limited viewpoint at others, which can become confusing. Mark, however, is a contradictory character. At some points, he has strong morals and ethics, but at others, he does not give any mind to morals or his actions. Likewise, at some points, he seems to be oblivious to the political situation of the world, yet at others, he knows about everything. These contradictions do not gradually occur through character development; rather, he switches between the contradictions with no prompting.
Overall, the book is predictable. Most of the book is simply a history lesson; there are entire chapters with little or no mention of the characters, because they are only describing the political and historical events of the time. While the story covers many years, most of the time that passes is simply told by a shift of date; there is no insight into the characters’ lives for many stretches of time. Part of this is due to a supposed repetitive nature in the characters’ lives; part of it is due to an unnecessary hyper focus on the war and its effects outside of the characters’ lives. The story truly feels as if the author wanted to write a nonfictional book but felt compelled to add her own fictional aspects.
Each of the main characters falls flat. While they do experience character development, it is minuscule and not relatable. Each supporting character enters and leaves the story abruptly, giving no emotional connection or closure to their story lines. The reader is left feeling disconnected from the story and characters, with no emotional investment. This book gives the story through a detached story teller, which lends itself to a detached reader.
Overall, I give this book one out of four stars . This book would have scored better had it encouraged emotional attachment. It also scored poorly due to frequent grammatical errors; the book is rife with fragmented and run on sentences. Because this book reads as a textbook, I felt as though I was studying for a test rather than enjoying a story. If a person really wanted to learn about Paris during World War II, I might suggest this book; however, I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping read with interesting characters. The only way that this book could score worse is if it had been historically inaccurate in the facts that it endlessly gave. I kept finding myself wanting to be invested in the characters, especially VieVie, but the story never allowed for her to become more than two-dimensional, as was the case with every aspect of the book. I felt no drive to finish the story, and the book gave no reason to return after I set it down.
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VieVie La Fontaine
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
VieVie La Fontaine by Linda Heavner Gerald beings in Germany on the day Hitler is appointed to Chancellor. The parents of a Jewish boy regretfully studying law send their son, Mark, to Paris to practice his true passion, art, in order to avoid the upcoming horrors of Nazi Germany. In Paris, Mark lives with an esteemed French General and his wife, VieVie La Fontaine. As time passes, Mark pursues debaucheries and eventually comes to realize the weight of the situation in Germany when the German forces begin to overtake France and his beloved Paris. This story follows Mark in his experiences throughout World War II, from his love affairs to his attempts to help Paris survive German invasion.
This book is narrated by Mark, as he looks back on his experiences with some distaste and some pride. The reader is left wondering why Mark has so many details about events that he was not at, because this book reads similarly to a textbook at many points, giving many superfluous details. He is presented as omniscient at some points and as having a very limited viewpoint at others, which can become confusing. Mark, however, is a contradictory character. At some points, he has strong morals and ethics, but at others, he does not give any mind to morals or his actions. Likewise, at some points, he seems to be oblivious to the political situation of the world, yet at others, he knows about everything. These contradictions do not gradually occur through character development; rather, he switches between the contradictions with no prompting.
Overall, the book is predictable. Most of the book is simply a history lesson; there are entire chapters with little or no mention of the characters, because they are only describing the political and historical events of the time. While the story covers many years, most of the time that passes is simply told by a shift of date; there is no insight into the characters’ lives for many stretches of time. Part of this is due to a supposed repetitive nature in the characters’ lives; part of it is due to an unnecessary hyper focus on the war and its effects outside of the characters’ lives. The story truly feels as if the author wanted to write a nonfictional book but felt compelled to add her own fictional aspects.
Each of the main characters falls flat. While they do experience character development, it is minuscule and not relatable. Each supporting character enters and leaves the story abruptly, giving no emotional connection or closure to their story lines. The reader is left feeling disconnected from the story and characters, with no emotional investment. This book gives the story through a detached story teller, which lends itself to a detached reader.
Overall, I give this book one out of four stars . This book would have scored better had it encouraged emotional attachment. It also scored poorly due to frequent grammatical errors; the book is rife with fragmented and run on sentences. Because this book reads as a textbook, I felt as though I was studying for a test rather than enjoying a story. If a person really wanted to learn about Paris during World War II, I might suggest this book; however, I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping read with interesting characters. The only way that this book could score worse is if it had been historically inaccurate in the facts that it endlessly gave. I kept finding myself wanting to be invested in the characters, especially VieVie, but the story never allowed for her to become more than two-dimensional, as was the case with every aspect of the book. I felt no drive to finish the story, and the book gave no reason to return after I set it down.
******
VieVie La Fontaine
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Snatched Up to Heaven for Kids by Jemima Paul, Arvind Paul
