Amandine

Mar 15, 2012 Sheri rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-by-good-read-authors, first-reads

I won on GR's give-a-ways and was a bit disappointed. The synopsis was interesting, the book was not. It was a bit hard to follow, since the narrator changed often, and it was a bit confusing as to who was thinking and when someone was speaking.

This is the story of Amandine, a girl who was taken to a convent to be raised. Amandine at age 5 finds that she is an orphan and wants to find her mother. Set in 1930-1940's during World War II, there is some wartime details and how it must have been to l...more

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May 13, 2010 Suzanne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads, couldn-t-finish

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 06, 2011 Evie Maiolo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A touching story that was hard to put down, yet written in a way that keeps you at a distance, thus not allowing the reader to emotionally relate to the characters. This was my only disappointment in this book.

From the innocent Amandine who seems to have maturity beyond her years; her heroic and loyal guardian Solange; to the ruthless and hard hearted Mater Paul, the story is full of so much tragedy and hope that it could have evoked a much more emotional response if written perhaps a little les...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Linda C rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this was a lovely little book. While it was initially somewhat difficult to get into, I liked it very much by the end. The writing was lovely; the author managed to convey both the horrors of WWII and the fact that life did go on during the war. So many books set in WWII Europe or England basically hit you over the head with bad things happening. This book was incredibly subtle; the many deaths/disasters were written so softly, that the power came from the internal monologues or from t...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the fall of 1916, Count Antoni Czaritoski shoots his mistress, the Baroness Urszula Droutzky, and then shoots himself. Fortuitously Andzelika, the Count’s daughter and Pitor, the late Baroness’ brother meet in 1920 and produce a little girl. When the Countess Valeska Czaritoski learns Pitor’s true lineage she attempts to convince Andzelika to end the pregnancy. Unable to convince Andzelika the Countess arranges a guardian for the child and fakes the child’s death. Likewise, the Countess purc...more In the fall of 1916, Count Antoni Czaritoski shoots his mistress, the Baroness Urszula Droutzky, and then shoots himself. Fortuitously Andzelika, the Count’s daughter and Pitor, the late Baroness’ brother meet in 1920 and produce a little girl. When the Countess Valeska Czaritoski learns Pitor’s true lineage she attempts to convince Andzelika to end the pregnancy. Unable to convince Andzelika the Countess arranges a guardian for the child and fakes the child’s death. Likewise, the Countess purchases a new identity and board for both the baby and her guardian Solange at the St.Hilare covenant far away from her native Krakow. With his suicide, the Count unwittingly condemns his granddaughter’s future to a life of solitude, cut off from her mother, her title, her heritage, and her inheritance.

Amandine is a delicate depiction of the tragedy of war. It quietly celebrates the courage and honor of the underground soldiers of the French Resistance during WWII. In many ways, Amandine is a love story about a mother’s love.

In Mater Paul, Amandine presents the psychological manifestations of the loss and bitterness that a child develops when in the custody of an unaffectionate parent who, although present physically, has emotionally abandoned the child. Rendering the grown up child bitter and unable to nurture and love a child.

Jossett personifies the self-appointed mother protector of the abused child, Annick, who grows up to become the obstinate, cold, bitter, and vengeful Mater Paul head nun of the St.Hilare convent.

Solange exemplifies maternal love that is generous, kind, loyal, and caring as she accepts and carries out her duties as a guardian, while she herself is still a child.

We follow Amandine’s story as she longs to be reunited with her mother and our emotions are roused as we readers also yearn for justice for Amandine. Amandine’s, Solange’s, and Annick’s plight will evoke compassion and empathy from the reader. Andzelika and Jossett earn the reader’s pity. For the Countess Valeska the reader simply feels outrage at her duplicity and betrayal.

Amandine is an emotional and informative work of historical fiction. The author provides the reader with an informal education on the realities of life during the war from the perspective of members of the Resistance. Readers may be inspired to learn more about the Resistance movement. Amandine will definitely find a home on the shelves of my classroom library.

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Jul 14, 2010 Laurie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amandine de Crecy, a motherless girl being raised in a convent in the south of France, is the central character in this novel set on the cusp of the Second World War. Abandoned at the convent by her birth family, Amandine is raised by the nuns and a former novitiate, Solange Jouffroi. Amandine dreams of finding her mother, and as France capitulates to the Nazis, she and Solange take to the road in search of information about Amandine's mother. Along the way they face the dangers of Nazi occupati...more Amandine de Crecy, a motherless girl being raised in a convent in the south of France, is the central character in this novel set on the cusp of the Second World War. Abandoned at the convent by her birth family, Amandine is raised by the nuns and a former novitiate, Solange Jouffroi. Amandine dreams of finding her mother, and as France capitulates to the Nazis, she and Solange take to the road in search of information about Amandine's mother. Along the way they face the dangers of Nazi occupation, and are taken under the wing of the French Resistance.

This is a beautifully-written book. The prose is evocative, and wonderfullly illustrative of the southern French countryside. The writing is just as beautiful as the cover art. Unfortunately the plot was not nearly so exciting. The first half of the book is nearly all descriptive. Within the walls of the convent very little happens. The plot does get decidedly better once Solange and Amandine take to the road. The pair's journey through war-torn France is suspenseful and danger-ridden. I found the discussion of the French resistance to be extremely interesting, illustrating how the secret networks operated. De Blasi gives a strong sense of the danger and uncertainty that faced all of those involved in the resistance movement: never knowing where one was headed, if one would survive, or the fate of of one's friends and family. There is no romanticizing the violence of resistance here.

The second half of the book is also stronger because it's in the second half of the book that Amandine's character becomes more believable. Amandine grows up in the first half of the book, spending her first decade in the convent. Despite this significant passage of time, her speech, actions, and mannerisms fail to change along with her age. Throughout Amandine acts and speaks as though she is far older than her years. While some of that could be explained by the fact that she is surrounded by adults in the convent, her behavior and speech patterns are simply not believable until she reaches her teenage years. It's not until she grows older that I could really believe in Amandine's mannerisms.(less)

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Jun 14, 2010 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amandine is the first novel written by Marlena de Blasi, an author known for her memoir writing. The story is captivating and the author’s writing is simply beautiful, filled with sense details and unforgettable characters. Amandine is born out of wedlock into an aristocratic family in Krakow, Poland in 1931. She is born with a heart defect and not expected to survive. Under the pretext of bringing her to a hospital in Switzerland, Amandine’s grandmother brings her to a remote convent in France...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Rusty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Amandine was sent to a convent as a baby because her mother dallied with a brother of the woman who was mistress to her grandmother's husband. Since her husband and his mistress committed suicide together the grandmother wants to avoid any hint of scandal. Furthermore, the child has a heart condition which gradually heals with time and care.

The baby has no history so she is called Amandine by Solange, the woman engaged to care for her. She grows to be cherished by almost all the sisters who lov...more

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Jun 07, 2010 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received a free advance uncorrected proof through Goodreads giveaways. The author has a wonderful way with descriptions - objects, scenery, character movements, and especially food. It is poetry. I can see why she is a bestselling author in memoirs. I especially liked Solange's first person POV chapter, maybe because the writing seemed more comfortable and natural. I wouldn't call it epic, but several interesting and unexpected things happen along the way. I liked seeing how different people h...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Lauren Murphy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

This review was first posted @ The Australian Bookshelf

Amandine is Marlena De Blasi’s first novel following much success with her travel memoirs that tell a tale of her falling in love with a Venetian man and moving to Italy where she moves from Venice to the countryside. I really quite enjoy De Blasi’s writing style which is full of rich pose and poetic descriptions of sceneries, cultures and cuisine. See my reviews for A Thousands Days in Venice and Tuscan Secrets.

Amandine is a baby girl who i...more This review was first posted @ The Australian Bookshelf

Amandine is Marlena De Blasi’s first novel following much success with her travel memoirs that tell a tale of her falling in love with a Venetian man and moving to Italy where she moves from Venice to the countryside. I really quite enjoy De Blasi’s writing style which is full of rich pose and poetic descriptions of sceneries, cultures and cuisine. See my reviews for A Thousands Days in Venice and Tuscan Secrets.

Amandine is a baby girl who is born into a Polish family out of wedlock and is taken to a French convent to be raised by young caregiver Solange who becomes a mother-figure. Amandine wishes to seek out her mother, only her mother was not aware that she survived after the grandmother lied to her of the child’s fate. Amandine grows up in the convent and then at about age ten her and Solange make their way back to Solange’s family home to try and seek information about Amandine’s mother. Their journey is during the Second World War.

Amandine shows off De Blasi’s beautiful writing style but at times I felt a little lost. There are various character perspectives told throughout the book but not of Amandine’s. I think my expectations of this book interfered with me being able to enjoy it. I had an image that this book would be about Amandine as a grown woman searching for her mother; rather it is about Amandine as a young child and the lives of the adults around her. Amandine is merely a passive presence for most of this story. Although the storyline sounded intriguing, it did not deliver as it was a slow build- up of character development with limited plot advancement. It is not until just before halfway through the book (about page 190!) that I finally became immersed in the story as things started to happen. It was very sad to read the experiences of Amandine and Solange as they trample through the countryside during the war. And I was very disappointed by Solange’s fate in this story.

I must say the biggest disappointment for this novel was the ending. It was building up to Amandine and her mother being reunited only to finish up with an ambiguous ending which really drives me crazy! I had to re-read it just to make sure I got it right. I find these kinds of endings really frustrating as I tend to second-guess whether what I think has happened are really the author’s intention. So, I finished up the novel with a feeling of doubt which is not a great way to end a story!

Despite my disappointments, De Blasi is a very skilled writer and she illustrates the life of a young European girl caught up in the conflict of the adults around her and a brutally honest depiction of the Second World War. If you enjoy a story with rich prose and intriguing characters then Amandine is the perfect novel to sink your teeth into.
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Jun 15, 2010 Jackie Van Buren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amandine was a novel full of magical words in an unsettling time in Europe's history. The story centers around a baby left at a French convent with no trace left of her past. Raised as an orphan, she has to surpass a childhood full of trials all the while longing for the mother she never had the chance to get to know. Though World War 2's effects rage through France, she sets out on a journey with her caretaker to find her family, but this itself is no easy task. This part of the novel takes th...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-other, first-reads

Thank you, Goodreads, for this giveaway.
I just read (and re-read) the last page of this book and was left with chills... This was a lovely story written in beautiful prose. Unlike others who reviewed this book, I didn't mind the switch from 1st to 3rd person and felt that it enhanced and contributed to the overall feeling of hope (with a big dose of melancholy) that was prominent in all of the characters. I found myself empathizing constantly with the child, Amandine, and believed in her will,...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not sure what I was expecting; this wasn't it, but far surpassed the story I thought I would have. Amandine is a tiny illegitimate infant when her grandmother delivers her to a French convent, with a farm girl hired to be her nurse and a very sarge stipend given to the bishop along with very strict instructions that no one ever is to know the child's identity, EVEN, especially members of the child's high ranking social family.

And that's pretty much what I expected from the book -- what I got wa...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I actually listened to this book on CD. I started it simply because my mom had it, and I was going to be in the car for three hours, so she suggested I take it with me since I had forgotten my ipod.

Surprisingly, by the end of that drive, I was completely hooked, and kept it on constantly even just during my 10 minute commute to my office. So it did take quite some time to finish the book.

But it was absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed the little girl and her musings and trouble. She really seemd to...more

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May 15, 2013 Regina Spiker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-ll, france, 1800s, fiction, convents

Tiny Almadine, born with a defective heart and a defective royal family, is left at a French convent in 1931. Also left with her is a large sum of money to ensure the silence of those who take care of Almadine. Solange is chosen to care for the infant and the entire Carmelite convent falls for the adorable Almandine, all except for Mater Paul. As Almadine grows older, more astute and more healthy, she enters the convent school but is shunned by her peers, until she wins them over by embarrassing...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war, disappointing

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May 25, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

This was a First Reads win for me, and I received a copy of the "advance uncorrected proofs." Let me first say that I really liked this book. Whatever criticisms I have about it could have been addressed in the final product, but I don't know that they were. My only complaints are regarding the switching from third person to first person. Usually, when the author switches to first person, the text is in italics (this took some time to get used to, as early on one is not always sure exactly which...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Bikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amandine follows the story of a young orphan girl as she searches for her heritage during WWII in France. The story starts in Krakow in 1931 when a baby is born out of wedlock and placed in a convent in France with a governess Solange. The book follows the story of Solange and Amandine - from life in the convent through to the end of the war.

I had hesitated to pick this up - it had been given to me to read - but was totally wrapped up in Amandine's story. I liked that there were twists, turns, a...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Ronda M rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I almost stopped reading this one in the first few chapters, but I persevered and came to like it more. The characters were great and I enjoyed the look inside the inner workings of a convent. My problem was the slow storyline and the pretentious French vocabulary. (I'm fine with a certain amount, but this was way overboard. I mean, okay, it's set in France, just translate it! ) It was interesting to read about the responses of ordinary French people to WWII, though. I would have given the book...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Trudi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting to read but not a great book. Follows the life of a young girl of Polish birth who is placed in a French convent by her grandmother just prior to World War II. The girl's mother (Andzelika) has borne the child (Amandine) out of wedlock to the brother of the woman who was her father's lover. Amandine is born with a heart defect, and Andzelika's mother tells her daughter that Amandine died during surgery to repair the defect. She then places Amandine in the convent. The story then conc...more

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May 31, 2010 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book, but it took me a little while to get into it. However, once I got about 100 pages in, I couldn't put it down.

I loved the characters and could completely feel for them. I actually gasped at one point and was mentally pleading, "no, no, no!" in a couple of different spots in the story. I love when I can get that wrapped up in a story!

What kept me from rating this 5 stars, is that the beginning was hard to follow with the internal monologues. I didn't know th...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Rissi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Intriguing story of life in France just before and during WW II...I really liked it. Good character development for the 2 main protagonists and sense of place established as fractured as it probably really was.

This author spins a fine tale, but she (and her editor) has a marked propensity for run-on sentences, incomplete sentences and a shaker to sprinkle punctuation about freely, but without any semi-colons. She also needs to learn what conjunctions are. If you can handle that mess of run-on se...more

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May 26, 2010 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Heartbreakingly beautiful. I have not read a book before this that touched me deeply enough to not bring me to tears just once but several times. A magnificent blend of the central story of the orphan girl Amandine against the back drop of World War II that culminates into the perfect dance. Who will see and feel the atrocities of war not just through the eyes of a young girl but through the eyes of those who fought against them. The feelings the story evokes will haunt you long after you have f...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Sarah Mac rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this book embodies the saying 'It's not the destination but the journey'. It follows Amandine, quickly 'disposed of' as a sick infant by her grandmother and left to grow up surrounded by an assortment of characters in a convent.
The writing is lovely, the setting rich and visual, the characters, both good and awful are all well written, well rounded and interesting. Amandine herself is a darling.
I don't normally like these 'coming of age' books, but I didn't realize I'd read and enjoyed o...more

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May 23, 2010 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: swapped-donated, early-reviewers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 06, 2011 Richelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amandine is born to a noble/aristocratic Polish family's young unwed daughter. The grandmother takes Amandine to a convent in France and sets up her care and then tells her daughter that the baby died of heart complications. After spending almost her entire childhood being raised and educated in the convent, Amandine's caretaker, Solange, decides to leave and bring Amandine with her to her family in the country. WWII is underway, and with the German occupation of France, Amandine and Solange str...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-reviewers-copy, three-stars

The opening of this story still makes me think how on earth was this allowed to happen? How can a mother tell her daughter her baby did not survive and then shift that baby off for a potentially lifelong lie? And then I think to myself, I know this is a fictional story but these things have happened in reality in the past and will more than likely happen again in the future, although it may be harder to carry out these days. It’s sad. It leaves me feeling very sad for all of those concerned, for...more The opening of this story still makes me think how on earth was this allowed to happen? How can a mother tell her daughter her baby did not survive and then shift that baby off for a potentially lifelong lie? And then I think to myself, I know this is a fictional story but these things have happened in reality in the past and will more than likely happen again in the future, although it may be harder to carry out these days. It’s sad. It leaves me feeling very sad for all of those concerned, for Amandine, for her mother, her grandmother, Solange and everyone else Amandine’s life touched. How can one know the true Amandine when she doesn’t know who she truly is?

I could make this a long review, give a lot of time to explaining what happened, how I thought about certain situations and characters, how this is a book about searching for one’s self, et cetera, but I won’t be doing that. Good, you’re probably thinking, I don’t want to read a long review – ha ha. I will however briefly touch on the brilliant job Marlena de Blasi did with her characters.

One thing I will say about this book and Marlena de Blasi’s writing is I loved the characters – even those I loved to hate. Amandine is just gorgeous and I wanted the best for her. Solange is an angel sent from heaven. Mater Paul seems emotionless but you just know you’re not getting the full story with regard to her. I never gave up on Mater Paul. The aforementioned three characters would be the main characters but there are a whole team of others who add to this story and also Amandine’s life. Marlena’s descriptions of the characters made me feel for them as if they were people I knew and I believe if the character development hadn’t been just so then the story would have suffered. Marlena gets my praise for this.

Amandine is a book about life, about struggle and about people. It is quite emotional at times and I will admit to the appearance of tears on the bus during one of my reading sessions. I won’t go into what made me cry but will say it was something I will never forget; even thinking about it now I get a shiver.

Overall, a quick comfort read; great characterisation; interesting premise; emotional - 3.5 stars.
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Jul 17, 2010 Susan Bright rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished reading an advance copy of Amandine, which I recieved from Ballantine Books. When a short lived love affair results in the birth of a girl with a weak heart, the child’s grandmother, a countess decides to take matters into her own hands. Thinking she is protecting her unwed daughter, she tells her the child has died and takes her to a remote convent to be raised by a young Governess named Solange. The Countess arrange for the child’s financial needs to be met and in return is ass...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Tonya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, 2010-reads

I enjoyed this book. I struggled a little bit but last night was the right night to read it I guess because I finished it, with about 150 pages!

Basically we have a story of a girl gets pregnant by a young man, unknown to either one of them that he is the brother of the lady her father had an affair with and died over. Her mother knows though and takes revenge by telling her that the baby was sick and didn't make it.

However, the mother has lied. Shocker! She took the baby to a convent to have he...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Chrissie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: france, hf

It was hard to get into this book, but I really did like it at the end! The beginning is confusing because the author expresses thoughts of individuals in italics. Whan you begin you don't know whose thoughts you are following. When you come to know the different characters there is no difficulty knowing whose thoughts are being projected. I wasn't until the last 3/4 of the book that I could understand why the author chose to use this technique. It is the thoughts of the characters that play a c...more It was hard to get into this book, but I really did like it at the end! The beginning is confusing because the author expresses thoughts of individuals in italics. Whan you begin you don't know whose thoughts you are following. When you come to know the different characters there is no difficulty knowing whose thoughts are being projected. I wasn't until the last 3/4 of the book that I could understand why the author chose to use this technique. It is the thoughts of the characters that play a central role in the book. If a reader does not like such an introspective approach, I would not recommend this book to them. It is hard to find one quote to explain this because you have to know the people to completely understand, but I think the following does illustrate the introspective nature central to the book:

"So fickle are the convent girls, how can she know what word or action of hers might relight the antipathy? Further, she reasons Paul is constant. Her hate hurts more, but Amandine can count on it. So who is the greater foe, and how can one tell? And what if one can't? The mystery swims and dives and leaps about in her, and she thinks it might continue to do so for some time. Perhaps forever. No, it is hardly the bonhomie that pleases Amandine the most but rather two other spoils of the evening: the first is the thought that she might not be wicked after all and the other a sentiment more difficult to comprehend and to name, is the beginning of her understanding of her own grit"

Furthemore there is a subdued atmosphere to the entire book. There is a distance between the reader and the characters. Not only the "thoughts" but also the descriptive style chosen by the author reinforce this aspect. Another quote:

"Along our route we find burned farmhouses, new graves. Slaughtered animals. Silence. The hoche take the wheat and the potatoes from the field, fruit from the trees, wine from the cellars, they take horses and petrol and autos. They take women when they can. Mostly they can. They leave the lavender along the paths to the farmhouse doors though. And the rosebushes. Gentleman conquistadors. And what the hoche don't take the French keep. To themselves. Go away. All those hissed voices from behind the wide warped doors of the landed gentry. From behind the toile de Jouy drapes of the bourgeoise in the towns. Go away.

The narrator in this instant is omniscient. The author changes who is speaking to fit the message to be conveyed. Particularly in the beginning this feels uncomfortable, but it enhances the mood and fits the message conveyed. It takes awhile to get use to this! I liked it in the end. The author uses many French words. Not all are translated. If you know French you will enjoy this.

The plot is filled with action, but always the telling is distant. There is an emotional barrier put up between the characters and the readers and only at the end do you feel you have torn the barrier down. Without the resistance, you wouldn't feel the accomplishment you do if when you feel you truly know the characters.

The very, very best of the book, and it is utterly heart-wrenching, is Amandine's travels through occupied France! For me this depiction of the French people's struggles under German occupation was brought vividly to life. Exceptionally well done! All the small mundane details of the French people's suffering. The author has a talent for describing the beauty of a meal, of freshly baked bread, of fresh produce. Such descriptions felt very wonderful to people who had little enjoyment in their lives. The enjoyment of such bread or a stew or a fragrant jam brought happiness in the dismal despair of the times.

What Amandine lived through from her birth to her teens is brought poignantly to life. My difficulties with this book at the beginning were well worth fighting to reach the end. The beginning felt like a two star book, the end a four star book. My heart wants to give this four stars, but my head says average the two and four to a three star. That is what I have done! I may go back later and change it to four stars.... Read this book to learn about this wonderful little girl Amandine and to better understand France during its occupation during WW2. I also very much liked the ending!

Thank you Tara for sening this to me!

I am reading this simply because I adored That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story by the same author. Also I like stories that take place in France! I am a bit worried b/c this book is pure fiction, while the other wasn't. I think it is harder to write pure fiction as convincingly as that which depicts real life experiences. Actually I rarely read several books by the same author. I prefer testing new authors, but in this case I simply HAD to try another. Will it be as good? Tara didn't like this at all........ but each reader has different likes and dislikes!(less)

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