Review: The Vanishing Half

Title: The Vanishing Half

Author: Brit Bennett

Publisher: 9th June 2020 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 343 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, contemporary, race, cultural

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' story lines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

My Thoughts

The Vanishing Half  is an insightful and highly relevant book given the current situation in the global society. How much of an impact and influence does the past have on the present? Can you ever truly move beyond what may be innate? 

“She’d imagined, more than once, telling her daughter the truth ... how she’d pretended to be someone else because she needed a job, and after a while, pretending became reality. She could tell the truth, she thought, but there was no single truth anymore. She’d lived a life split between two women - each real, each a lie.”

Identical twins who grow up in a town where the population is composed mainly of light-skinned African-American people dream of a new life. After adventuring out together, they eventually separate with one, Desiree, returning to her hometown with her young daughter; and, Stella, the other twin, choosing a very different life, one in fact based on a lie. The book is divided into sections alternating between both the twins and eventually their daughters' stories - that being of particular interest when their paths intersect. 

The book has strong messages on how family bonds can be so strong and decisions made one day can have lasting implications through to the next generation. It also broaches the theme of transgender, however personally, I thought to tackle two really strong topics - racial and sexual (three if you include family relationships) - may have been a bit much in my opinion. I would have preferred to solely focus on the racial identification issue for a comprehensive tale. 

 “Sometimes she wondered if Miss Vignes was a separate person altogether. Maybe she wasn’t a mask that Stella put on. Maybe Miss Vignes was already a part of her, as if she had been split in half. She could become whichever woman she decided, whichever side of her face she tilted to the light.”

Taking place from the 1950s to the 1990s the book naturally moves with the times exploring biases within and without the immediate characters then and now. There are obvious conversation starters given the world’s current social climate and I admire that this is done in a gentle and engaging way. This is a book to get you thinking. Whilst I gained much from reading it, I still was left with wanting more answers, however,  maybe it was purposefully left open to interpretation. A smorgasbord of characters and circumstances are offered to make you empathise or oppose what was taking place. 

This is not an action, plot driven book. This is a story to make you question and consider - identity and its impact, consequences of making changes (legitimately or otherwise) and the sacrifices that will need to be made in order to elicit those changes. Will the price then, be too high? A most timely book that is recommended to readers who wish to be immersed to viewpoints that may in reality be unfamiliar to them. 

 “In the morning .. she closed her eyes and slowly became her. She imagined another life, another past ... she let her mind go blank, her whole life vanishing, until she became new and clean as a baby,”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Girl in the Afternoon

Title: Girl in the Afternoon: A Novel of Paris

Author: Serena Burdick

Publisher: July 12th 2016 by St. Martin's Press

Pages: 288 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, romance, cultural-France

My Rating: 3 cups

Synopsis:

Born into a wealthy Parisian family at the center of Belle Epoque society, 18-year-old Aimée Savaray dreams of becoming a respected painter in the male-dominated art world; and secretly, she also dreams of being loved by Henri, the boy her parents took in as a child and raised alongside her.

But when Henri inexplicably disappears, in the midst of the Franco-Prussian war, the Savarays’ privileged lives begin to unravel. Heartbroken, Aimée tries to find him, but Henri doesn’t want to be found—and only one member of the family knows why.

As Aimée seeks refuge in the art world, mentored by the Impressionist Édouard Manet, she unwittingly finds her way back to Henri. With so many years gone by and secrets buried, their eventual reunion unmasks the lies that once held the family together, but now threaten to tear them apart.

A rich and opulent saga, Girl in the Afternoon brings the Impressionists to life in this portrait of scandal, fortune, and unrequited love.

My Thoughts

"Girl in the Afternoon' is a historical fiction set in Paris and England in the 1870's during the impressionist movement and revolves around a well off family, their secrets and ensuing scandals. The title of the book is based on a painting that proved pivotal to the story.  The main focus is on the daughter, Aimee, attempting to be her own person but often conflicted with outside circumstances. Overall, this was a good,  but a somewhat predictable mystery.

The writing is at times poetic and the character I enjoyed most was Madame Savaray for the depth she bought to the story.

"Dust floated like a strip of tulle in the dull light. Colette swirled her arm through it, scattering the motes with her open hand."

Unfortunately this books suffers for a few reasons. Burdick launched straight into it, attempting to create intrigue, however, I was not yet invested and for me, it fell flat. I also found the going back and forth between points of views challenging at times, especially within a short passage. This did not assist the story, often feeling like it wasn't going anywhere, and contributed to my lack of involvement with the characters at times. Everything explained, no guessing as told in the third person too often. 

There is a lot of future forecasts interspersed throughout, when all you really wanted was for the story to be told, not inferenced. The preemptive took all the angst, drama and anticipation out of the story.

"he had no idea of the crippling events that would unfold over the next few months" 

Finally, with one third of the book remaining, a compelling story began to unfold and we have raw emotion. Now I was invested, but a little too late. Still, it helped make it a three star, worthwhile read.

"He turned onto his side, feeling the tremendous expanse of Aimee's grief as if it were his own."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: A Perfumer's Secret

Title: A Perfumer's Secret

Author: Adria J. Cimino

Publisher: 16 May 2016 by Velvet Morning Press

Pages: 258 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: womens fiction, contemporary, cultural-France, romance mystery

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

The quest for a stolen perfume formula awakens passion, rivalry and family secrets in the fragrant flower fields of the South of France... 

Perfumer Zoe Flore travels to Grasse, perfume capital of the world, to collect a formula: her inheritance from the family she never knew existed. The scent matches the one worn by her mother, who passed away when Zoe was a teenager. Zoe, competing to create a new fragrance for a prestigious designer, believes this scent could win the contract—and lead her to the reason her mother fled Grasse for New York City. Before Zoe can discover the truth, the formula is stolen. And she’s not the only one looking for it. So is Loulou, her rebellious teenage cousin; Philippe, her alluring competitor for the fragrance contract; and a third person who never wanted the formula to slip into the public in the first place. 

The pursuit transforms into a journey of self-discovery as each struggles to understand the complexities of love, the force of pride and the meaning of family.

My Thoughts

"Zoe was tired of creating the ordinary. She yearned to capture the diaphanous, the element of magic. That was the key to becoming an exceptional perfumer."

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the luscious cover! Gorgeous. Overall it proved to be a well written mystery, all revolving around the stolen formula for a fragrance. All Zoe has is the memories of her mother and one particular fragrance that she associates with her. It was very interesting to learn about the details that go into creating a fragrance - the whole corporate competition, combined with family infighting surrounding the creation of a winning fragrance - was new to me and noteworthy. Likewise, the descriptions of scents that are scattered all over the book, adds to the whole scentual experience; and finally, the setting in the south of France, is the final aspect that, all in all, provides for a pleasurable escape. 

"Pleasure came like the rhythm of a perfume: starting with the energetic burst of top notes, and finishing with the richness and depth of the base."

The disappointment for me was that I never fully invested in any of the characters. I would have loved to learn more about Zoe's mother, who is never fully involved or described. With her being so crucial to the whole plot, it would have been good to learn more about her as we went along, as opposed to this unknown mystery always being daggled throughout the story; the famous mother, always living in the shadows, and never really learning enough about her. This, then, has a flow on effect to our overall appreciation (in my opinion).

"She wanted to believe that this woman who could produce the scent of warm Floridian sand and early morning sunshine was a fanciful as her creations."

The characters were, at times, a little too stereotypical and I was more interested in the missing fragrant formula and recreating, or attempting to recreate, the long lost scent. Maybe due to the competitive theme throughout the tale, I found some characters to be dislikable, or silly and very self absorbed. I did not really swallow the 'insta-love', there were lots of 'unwanted tears' and that door was slammed so many times, it's a wonder it did not fall off its hinges:

"for the very last time, she had slammed the front door of the house."

What kept me going was the mystery, and how it unfolded in the end, made me happy I persevered. Finally learning the secret behind the creation of her mother's scent was interesting. I just wish the author had not saved it all up for the final few pages. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Under The Spanish Stars

Title: Under The Spanish Stars

Author: Alli Sinclair

Publisher:25 January 2016 by Harlequin Australia MIRA

Pages: 352 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: womens fiction, romance, Australian-Spanish cultural

My Rating: 3 cups

Synopsis:

Charlotte Kavanagh’s beloved grandma Katarina Sanchez is gravely ill, so when she begs Charlotte to travel to her homeland in Andalucía to uncover the truth behind a mysterious painting, Charlotte agrees.  Taking leave from her soul-destroying job and stalled life in Australia, Charlotte embarks on a quest through Granada’s ancient cobble-stoned streets and vibrant neighbourhoods. There she meets Mateo Vives, a flamenco guitarist with a dark past, and through him she quickly becomes entangled in the world of flamenco and gypsies that ignites a passion she had thought lost. 

But the mystery surrounding the painting deepens, reaching back in time to the war-torn Spain of the 1940s and Charlotte discovers her grandmother’s connection to the Spanish underground. Who is her grandmother, really? What is Mateo’s connection to her family history? And why is finding answers to a family mystery turning into a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte?

Weighed down by secrets, betrayals and shattered relationships, Charlotte finds herself questioning the true meaning of heritage, family and love. 

My Thoughts 

"There was nothing so exciting as a blank canvas, the chance to create a world from one's imagination, to pour out the feelings of one's soul."

This tale centres around Charlotte (an Australian) and her Spanish Grandmother. The former is sent on a journey which ultimately leads to her discovering her own path in life. The latter, time to reflect upon a tumultuous past. So in a nutshell it's contains family saga's, exotic Spanish locations, romance with a touch of mystery thrown in. 

There is some good research included and I especially enjoyed the young Katarina's story in Franco Spain. It's fascinating to read about life, cultural expression and family/society divisions at that time.

"Franco had come into power he'd lorded it over the people, his unwavering belief in Catholicism influencing daily life."

It has strong associations with Latin dancing, so if you are at all interested in "Duende" (stated often) or the importance of dance there is much to read and learn here.

"Rondena is part of the fandango malagueno and is the oldest fandango ever known."

For me, it was a little slow for things to get going; it took until about half way through for my interest to be peaked with the Grandmothers questions about her heritage and the mystery painter becoming evident. Sinclair takes the opportunity to reflect on life through her characters and there are many worthy snippets of advice to reflect upon:

"Do not live in a future of what-ifs ..... live in the moment .... life should be scary at times. How else can we push ourselves to dig deeper, climb higher .... regrets are pointless, focus on the good in life, embrace what we have and move on as best we can."

In many ways it could be described as a travel fiction as there are interesting cultural aspects. Ultimately, however, it's about life and finding one's path.

"She'd discovered a new self, connected with a past and found a future.....welcoming Charlotte to her new home under the Spanish stars."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.