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Rose
by
Tatiana de Rosnay (Goodreads Author)
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept comes an absorbing new novel about one woman’s resistance during an époque that shook Paris to its very core.
Paris, France: 1860’s. Hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes. By order of Emperor Napoleon III, Baron Haussman has set into motion a series of large
Paperback, 247 pages
Published
March 3rd 2011
by Hlose d'Ormesson
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As the shelves tell, although I am "currently" reading (listening?) to this (though I stopped maybe 2 months ago) I most likely won't be finishing it.
I know, you're probably thinking (and I am too), "It's an audiobook, just finish it," but somethings are so bad that you can't even power through them to the end.
This is one of those things.
I'd like to discuss a category, now. A category that explains why I can't finish, and why I hate most things that I do.
This category is known as "Award Bait"....more
I know, you're probably thinking (and I am too), "It's an audiobook, just finish it," but somethings are so bad that you can't even power through them to the end.
This is one of those things.
I'd like to discuss a category, now. A category that explains why I can't finish, and why I hate most things that I do.
This category is known as "Award Bait"....more
Disappointing ... Sarah's Key haunted me after I read it, but I think de Rosnay may be a one-hit wonder. The themes of A Secret Kept don't interest me - keep your mouths shut people! This one sounded promising - love of houses, letter writing and old Paris - but fell flat in execution.
The main character is an extremely unlikable, weak-willed and whiny woman, and the story is told through her letters to her dead husband. Reading her letters was like fingernails on a chalkboard. She is a self-pro...more
The main character is an extremely unlikable, weak-willed and whiny woman, and the story is told through her letters to her dead husband. Reading her letters was like fingernails on a chalkboard. She is a self-pro...more
13 likes · like · see review
view all 5 comments
An epistolary novel written from the point of view of Rose Bazelet, a 60 year old women, determined to oppose the modernization, or destruction, depending on your point of view, of old Paris. The Emperor and his Prefect have crafted a plan to tear down much of the city to make way for the broad boulevards and buildings that now define Paris. While many were in agreement with their plans, the longer it wore on, the larger and more vocal the opposition became. Rose is a fictious example of this mi...more
It is difficult to rate this one, and I find myself going between a 3 and a 4. Since it kept me reading into the night I will give it a 4. I enjoyed her other two books much more though, probably because I cared more for those characters. Rose was difficult to get connected to for me. Her feelings for her daughter were my biggest issue. The other characters in the story were flat. However, the history of Paris was more than enough to keep me engaged. Overall I really did enjoy the book. I would...more
Mar 16, 2013
April
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-book,
historical
This book in a word? POINTLESS! Could not believe the hours wasted when I got to the end.
The main character was foolish and selfish, clinging to the ridiculous notion of remaining loyal to a house (which was tainted by trauma and sorrow!) slotted for destruction rather than moving forward in life and making the best of loving her family and those who cared for her. AND to top it off, she brought about the death of the friend she loved best, a young woman, only 29 years old!
Lame, totally lame. T...more
The main character was foolish and selfish, clinging to the ridiculous notion of remaining loyal to a house (which was tainted by trauma and sorrow!) slotted for destruction rather than moving forward in life and making the best of loving her family and those who cared for her. AND to top it off, she brought about the death of the friend she loved best, a young woman, only 29 years old!
Lame, totally lame. T...more
Mar 25, 2013
Deborah Maganza
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013,
historical-fiction
The only reason I gave it 1 star is that I did finish it, which says something. I love Paris and as a character, Paris was the most likable. I didn't understand Rose at all. She loved her house, her dead husband and her dead son. Her very much alive daughter she never loved, nor did she love her own mother. This quote says it all about her mothering skills, "They say mothers prefer their sons, is this not the secret truth? Are we not born to bring sons into the world?" Well, glad no one let me o...more
My thoughts as I started this book: “Huh, I didn’t know Napoleon remodeled Paris in this way. This should be interesting!”
My thoughts as I finished this book: “Hmmm… well, that happened.”
I guess I was expecting more than I got from this story. What I wanted was a story of a woman fighting against progress to save her beloved home. What I got was a story of a woman repeating herself over and over, visiting one city official, and then refusing to leave her home. But not in a “chain herself to her...more
My thoughts as I finished this book: “Hmmm… well, that happened.”
I guess I was expecting more than I got from this story. What I wanted was a story of a woman fighting against progress to save her beloved home. What I got was a story of a woman repeating herself over and over, visiting one city official, and then refusing to leave her home. But not in a “chain herself to her...more
I found this book to be a slow starter. At one point I even slated it to take back to the library. But then there was a love letter from the main character's husband to her. It was so romantic and from another era, I felt compelled to keep reading. I'm glad I did. The book builds slowly. It took me a while to feel invested in this woman's struggle.
She is staying in her Parisian house while the prefect, Haussman, who reshapes and modernizes Paris, tearing down entire neighborhoods. Hers is slate...more
She is staying in her Parisian house while the prefect, Haussman, who reshapes and modernizes Paris, tearing down entire neighborhoods. Hers is slate...more
Since I love houses and thoroughly enjoyed Tatiana de Rosnay’s other book, Sarah's Key, I thought I would like this next book as well.
There is much to recommend it. It is a retrospective period piece which paints nineteenth century Parisian city life and architecture with breathtaking precision. If the reader is imaginative, and patient, with a historically curious nature, she is sure to delight in the rich descriptions woven throughout Ms. De Rosnay’s novel. Readers who love all things French—e...more
There is much to recommend it. It is a retrospective period piece which paints nineteenth century Parisian city life and architecture with breathtaking precision. If the reader is imaginative, and patient, with a historically curious nature, she is sure to delight in the rich descriptions woven throughout Ms. De Rosnay’s novel. Readers who love all things French—e...more
1 like · like · see review
Apr 14, 2013
Alexander
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
english-fiction,
historical-fiction
I read this book because the library didn't have "Sarah's Key". I was curious about de Rosnay's writing style, and the blurb seemed interesting enough for me to try this out. The setting is 19th-century Paris, the topic is baron Haussmann disowning Parisian homes for his plans to renew the city and build grand boulevards and buildings. The main character, Rose, lives in one of these homes - it was her late husband's family home and his family had lived in it for over a hundred years.
There are tw...more
There are tw...more
Rose Bazelet woont in Parijs, dichtbij de kerk St. Germain des Pres. Het huis is al generaties in het bezit van de familie. Haar overleden man Armand hield heel veel van dit huis. Het is de tweede helft van de negentiende eeuw, net voor de Wereldtentoonstelling. Keizer Bonaparte en de prefect Hausmann hebben een plan gemaakt om de stad te moderniseren, met mooie boulevards. De broer van Rose is inmiddels al verhuisd, omdat zijn huis afgebroken is. Hij woont nu buiten Parijs en is daar niet zo ro...more
This book renews my resolution to not force myself to finish every book, no matter how much I dislike it! A senile old woman, who loses her beloved son to cholera but can't bring herself to see that the improvements being made In Paris will stop these tragic plagues? And forsakes the daughter she has because of a difficult birth? Who clings to her love of a man for 10 years, and can't move on. The look of the book & the writing makes me yearn for another Sarah's Key....but it even close
I enjoy Tatiana De Rosnay's books, this is the 2nd one I have read and I am hoping to read the 3rd. I enjoy how she always weaves a story around a portion of history that is not known by many people. This book is based around the "remodel" of Paris in the 1800's during Napoleon's reign.
Although the changes that took place in Paris were necessary, and have sculpted Paris into what we know it as today; I'm sure for those families being displaced it was indeed a very difficult hardship.
The main c...more
Although the changes that took place in Paris were necessary, and have sculpted Paris into what we know it as today; I'm sure for those families being displaced it was indeed a very difficult hardship.
The main c...more
1 like · like · see review
An unexpected gem. This novel doesn't have the same high drama as Sarah's Key. This is a quiet tale of peaceful resistance.
The heroine's life was simple and quiet, made up by her love for her husband and the quiet life they shared. After losing her family, she finds a new fulfillment through her friendships with the neighbors and the new interests they introduce her to. Throughout the tale, we are provided glimpses of Paris, a small and intimate community, transforming and growing into a modern...more
The heroine's life was simple and quiet, made up by her love for her husband and the quiet life they shared. After losing her family, she finds a new fulfillment through her friendships with the neighbors and the new interests they introduce her to. Throughout the tale, we are provided glimpses of Paris, a small and intimate community, transforming and growing into a modern...more
Like many of the other reviewers, I read The House I Loved because Sarah's Key was so powerful. This book is different. There can be no comparison between the story of the French government sending Jewish citizens to German death camps during World War II and the story of the hardship caused by eminent domain laws that were used as part of a massive renovation of Paris during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III. But every book does not have to be about genocide. The House I Loved is about memories...more
Hmmm. Well, I really loved Sarah's Key and I love Tatiana de Rosnay's writing. That being said, I wasn't fully engaged with this book. Is it because it's 'so' Parisian? I knew the roads and streets she refers to, but there is something a bit forced about how much this old lady loved her house. I mean, LOVED her house, the things that happened there, the life she lead. And while I get that change can scare older people (this was set around the Bonaparte II years, Baron Haussman's regeneration of...more
The House I Loved was a book I definitely did NOT love. I expected it to be a great book based on the story line, and what I'd read previously by the author. (I read Sarah's Key a few years ago - a book that I loved, and I've been VERY eager to read more from de Rosnay ever since).
The problem: the letters written to Armand were awful. There was much too much having to fill in plot details (such and such happened "as you already know...") which made them seem fake and stilted. Another narrative f...more
The problem: the letters written to Armand were awful. There was much too much having to fill in plot details (such and such happened "as you already know...") which made them seem fake and stilted. Another narrative f...more
4 likes · like · see review
Story Description:
St. Martin’s Press|February 14, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-250-01288-3
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept comes an absorbing new novel about one woman’s resistance during an époque that shook Paris to its very core.
Paris, France: 1860’s. Hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes. By order of Emperor Napoleon III, Baron Haussman has set into motion a series of large-scale renovations that will permanent...more
St. Martin’s Press|February 14, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-250-01288-3
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept comes an absorbing new novel about one woman’s resistance during an époque that shook Paris to its very core.
Paris, France: 1860’s. Hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes. By order of Emperor Napoleon III, Baron Haussman has set into motion a series of large-scale renovations that will permanent...more
I find it hard to explain why I'm giving the novel only 2 1/2 stars on GoodReads without giving away the end, but the best summary I can make is that, overall, I found the story to be wholly improbable. In the first place, I don't see the point of the central action, Rose's hiding in the basement of her home as wrecking crews work their way to her house. She doesn't tell anyone she's there and makes no public statement, so she's not protesting. Getting buried in her home won't save the home or h...more
In the 1860's, Napoleon wanted to modernize the city of Paris. Baron Haussmann was selected to plan the destruction of the small neighborhood streets in Paris, and to replace them with modern wide boulevards, new water lines, and sewers.
Rose Bazelet receives the order that she must vacate her house which was to be destroyed. The house was in her husband's family for generations, and had a flower shop and bookstore on the street level. Rose writes a series of letters to her deceased husband, Arma...more
Rose Bazelet receives the order that she must vacate her house which was to be destroyed. The house was in her husband's family for generations, and had a flower shop and bookstore on the street level. Rose writes a series of letters to her deceased husband, Arma...more
This book follows the thoughts, letters and life of Madame Rose as she hides out in the basement of the home she has loved and which she has been loved by, for most of her life. She is awaiting "the wrecking ball" and is determined to perish with the house, as the Emperor of France, Napoleon III is razing streets and entire neighborhoods in order to improve the infrastructure of the city. Through her memoir-filled and sometimes frantic writings, we learn about her life, her love, her family, her...more
I LOVED Sarah's Key. Didn't everyone? It was an incredible book -- evocative, tragic and compelling. So I was hesitant to read a followup, terribly afraid I'd be disappointed. It's so hard to follow a success like Sarah's Key.
Sadly, I was more than disappointed by The House I Loved. I was annoyed. The ONLY reason I bothered to finish the book at all was because it was (thankfully!) very short and a quick read, so I knew I could finish it at one sitting. Had I set it down, even once, even for a m...more
Sadly, I was more than disappointed by The House I Loved. I was annoyed. The ONLY reason I bothered to finish the book at all was because it was (thankfully!) very short and a quick read, so I knew I could finish it at one sitting. Had I set it down, even once, even for a m...more
3 likes · like · see review
After reading Sarah's Key, I never thought that Tatiana de Rosnay could write another book like it. I was right. This book is nothing like Sarah's Key. I applaud Tatiana for coming up with a totally different story about her beloved country and city, Paris. It is the 1800's and the beautiful little streets and neighborhoods of old, are planning to be demolished in order to build the boulevards of today's Paris. While the Emperor and the Prefect are planning this new modern city with sewers, the...more
Mon avis: Oui, en ce moment, je lis beaucoup Tatiana de Rosnay. Il faut dire que j'ai complètement été conquise par Le Voisin donc pourquoi ne pas continuer l'aventure avec cette auteure.
Ce roman nous plonge en plein Second Empire et en pleine rénovation de Paris. Rose voit sa vie basculer lorsqu'elle reçoit une lettre du préfet lui précisant que sa maison va être détruite, remplacée par un boulevard. Mais Rose ne compte pas laisser sa maison...
L'intrigue en soit un peu simple, se révèle palpita...more
Ce roman nous plonge en plein Second Empire et en pleine rénovation de Paris. Rose voit sa vie basculer lorsqu'elle reçoit une lettre du préfet lui précisant que sa maison va être détruite, remplacée par un boulevard. Mais Rose ne compte pas laisser sa maison...
L'intrigue en soit un peu simple, se révèle palpita...more
I very much enjoyed "The House I Loved" by Tatiana de Rosnay. There is no doubt about the creative ability of de Rosnay to capture the interest and the heart of her readers. She has a wonderful way with words and her style of writing is most enjoyable.
This novel takes place in Paris during the 1800's when Emperor Napoleon III decides to modernize Paris. Baron Haussmann carries out these large-scale renovations much to the distress of many of the local people. Although, some are intrigued with th...more
This novel takes place in Paris during the 1800's when Emperor Napoleon III decides to modernize Paris. Baron Haussmann carries out these large-scale renovations much to the distress of many of the local people. Although, some are intrigued with th...more
The setting of this novel is superb. It is Paris during the renovation of 1853-1870 when a major portion of the medieval city was destroyed by the order of Napoleon III to make way for new and modern boulevards, buildings, water and sewer...and much more. I was not familiar with this Parisian event and spent several hours researching it. In my mind, this is always a good outcome for a novel...driving the reader to develop some interest piqued by the work of fiction. The story line itself, a refu...more
A great light read and very enjoyable. I had not read Ms. de Rosnay's previous book "Sarah's Key" that was a national best seller and now a major motion picture. The author, a Parisian, very beautifully brings to life images of what Paris must have looked like in the 1850's when Napoleon had his master vision of changing the lay out of the city to more closely emulate that of larger cities like London with the grand boulevards. Paris at the time, was criscrossed with small alleys and streets tha...more
As with her first two novels, Tatiana De Rosnay has created a story with vivid prose. This book is set in Paris during the 1860s when Napoleon III and his Prefect, Haussmann, were carrying out extensive renovations of the city. The plot centers on the home of Rose Bazelet, a widow who does not wish to vacate her late husband's family home. Situated on a small "rue" in the Latin Quarter near a church, it had been in the family for over 130 years.
While the concept of the novel is interesting and i...more
While the concept of the novel is interesting and i...more
2 likes · like · see review
Apr 11, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library,
historical-fiction
Of the three books by de Rosnay that I have read, I think this one is my favorite. Set in France during the reign of Napoleon, it describes the renovations that created the city of Paris as it is known today. The story is told from the point of view of an older woman who is about to lose her family home. She describes her life in the house after her marriage, her neighbors, the shops, her children. There is a very strong sense of memory and nostalgia.
Quotes:
The next thing I remembered was that G...more
Quotes:
The next thing I remembered was that G...more
Lately each book I read offering a window into the history of another part of the world, reminds me of how little I know and understand. I know that history is all connected. I need to take the time to see how each piece fits - Cleopatra and the Roman Empire, Masada and King Herod and the Roman Empire, Louis George, Louis Charles, Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, Madame Toussaud, Franklin, Jefferson, Napoleon - these are the names and times that have been swirling around in what I have b...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: Publication year | 5 | 34 | Aug 26, 2012 11:16am | |
| Goodreads Librari...: The Fix I Loved | 5 | 166 | May 01, 2012 04:54pm |
My new book The House I loved (Rose in French) will be published in the USA by Saint Martin's Press on Februaary 14th 2012.
Follow me on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/tatianaderosnay
My website :
http://www.tatianaderosnay.com/
Facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/tatianaderosnay
TATIANA DE ROSNAY was born in the suburbs of Paris and is of English, French and Russian descent. She is the author of 8...more
More about Tatiana de Rosnay...
Follow me on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/tatianaderosnay
My website :
http://www.tatianaderosnay.com/
Facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/tatianaderosnay
TATIANA DE ROSNAY was born in the suburbs of Paris and is of English, French and Russian descent. She is the author of 8...more
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“The more I read, the hungrier I become. Each book seemed promising, each page I turned offered an escapade, the allure of another world, other destinies, other dreams.”
—
14 people liked it
“It is not easy to explain how I felt while I read, but I will try. No doubt you, as a reader, will understand. It appeared I found myself in a place where no one could bother me, where no one could reach me. I grew impervious to all the noises around me.”
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