Review: An expert at plot and pacing.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2013
This book, as the name suggests, is the story of an Englishwoman's affair with a Frenchman, an affair that had surprising repercussions, not just for Margaret, the woman involved, but also for me as a reader. It begins as a fairly ordinary story of Margaret's break-up with her fiancé and her attraction to, and subsequent liaison with Jean, the Frenchman. Jean has a wife and a two adult children, but says that he and his wife are husband and wife in name only and, since he is a good catholic, so long as Margaret handles the contraception, they can have their affair.Trouble is, Margaret wants a baby and her dreams of family bliss with Jean don't work out. There's more, of course, but I can't tell you without spoilers.Mortimer is an expert at plot and pacing. The story moves seamlessly along without extraneous baggage and with a good dose of tension. I had the feeling for a long time that something was going to happen, and the story did not disappoint. What did disappoint, however, was the prose. It wasn't bad, but it was too much on the telling rather than showing side of things, so I always felt somewhat removed from the action. More immediate prose would give this story a lot more power and impact.On a positive note, however, the main character was well fleshed out and the story makes a clear statement about how wrong our fantasies and expectations can be.All up, the book is worth a read, and when Ms Mortimer takes her pose to the next level, she will be a mighty author indeed.I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.