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486th out of 565 books
—
646 voters
To My Daughter in France
An epic tale of impossible love, of families torn apart and a whole world of hidden secrets—"And to my daughter in France, I bequeath the remainder of my Estate." These words, read from the will of Irish academic Richard Kirwan, come as a complete surprise to his grieving family. Solange de Valnay's perfectly ordered world is shattered when she discovers the identity of he...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published
August 7th 2003
by Random House UK
(first published 2002)
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“To My Daughter in France” is a romance written by the sisters Barbara and Stephanie Keating. It starts with a unexpected testament and tells the story of two different families. The narrated events happen in two distinct times: the present, in the 70’s, and in the past, during the 2nd World War. This book is about forbidden passions, sacrifices made for love and courage. Places as Ireland, France and the Connemara’s coast are mentioned.
I completely loved the moments related with the detentions...more
I completely loved the moments related with the detentions...more
A capa não nos revela nada, por isso o conteúdo deste livro vais nos espantar pela sua simplicidade, mas ao mesmo tempo pela sua profundidade.
Tem um vasto leque de personagens e cada uma vai nos contar à sua maneira a sua história, tanto no Passado como no Presente.
As mais presentes são Eleanor e Solange, as duas meias-irmãs, tão distintas uma da outra, apenas com o pai e a descoberta de toda a história familiar em comum. Estas estão rodeadas por um inúmero número de amigos e pessoas que as amam...more
Tem um vasto leque de personagens e cada uma vai nos contar à sua maneira a sua história, tanto no Passado como no Presente.
As mais presentes são Eleanor e Solange, as duas meias-irmãs, tão distintas uma da outra, apenas com o pai e a descoberta de toda a história familiar em comum. Estas estão rodeadas por um inúmero número de amigos e pessoas que as amam...more
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Having read the Blood Sisters Trilogy by the Keating sisters, I was eager to read this too. I love their style of writing and how they manage to pull you into their novels so that it feels like you are right there.
This book did not disappoint. Set in 1970 and the during WW2, it goes back and forth, yet never loses the reader. beautifully written and set in the vineyards in France and the seaside of Dublin. Go and get it now!
This book did not disappoint. Set in 1970 and the during WW2, it goes back and forth, yet never loses the reader. beautifully written and set in the vineyards in France and the seaside of Dublin. Go and get it now!
Helen, the wife of the Irish academic, Richard Kirwin, is struck by grief and surprise when her father’s will is read. He had a secret love child in France.
Solange de Valnay, his French daghter, is shattered and tries to conceal the truth from Henri, the father she loves.
The story plays out in Ireland and France and includes four families and too many generations. I lost interest somewhere along the ill-plotted tale.
Solange de Valnay, his French daghter, is shattered and tries to conceal the truth from Henri, the father she loves.
The story plays out in Ireland and France and includes four families and too many generations. I lost interest somewhere along the ill-plotted tale.
Aug 06, 2011
Mya
added it
I really enjoyed this book to start with (don't be deceived by the horrible cover) but towards the very end it became a bit airy fairy and repetitive.
That said, it's still good. A well told story about two generations of two families, one Irish, the other French, and their friends told in parallel.
That said, it's still good. A well told story about two generations of two families, one Irish, the other French, and their friends told in parallel.
Desde o início que a história captou a minha total e afectuosa atenção.
Passado sob os focos e o rescaldo da Segunda Guerra Mundial, este romance transporta-nos para o seio de duas famílias tão distintas, no que respeita à sua cultura, mas tão iguais entre si, ligadas pelo passado e por uma devastadora revelação.
Richard, Helena e Celine são as três personagens que dão vida à história, embora existam ainda outras como Stefan, Leah, Seamus, Charlotte...sendo que todas elas têm a sua pequenina histó...more
Passado sob os focos e o rescaldo da Segunda Guerra Mundial, este romance transporta-nos para o seio de duas famílias tão distintas, no que respeita à sua cultura, mas tão iguais entre si, ligadas pelo passado e por uma devastadora revelação.
Richard, Helena e Celine são as três personagens que dão vida à história, embora existam ainda outras como Stefan, Leah, Seamus, Charlotte...sendo que todas elas têm a sua pequenina histó...more
My mother and aunt introduced me to this book while I was visiting them in South Africa this past August. My mother remembered it as "A letter to my daughter in France". I snatched it off their bookshelf and read it in one sitting, refusing to go out all day as I was so absorbed in this story. A hopeless Francophile, I was already hooked just by the title, but this is truly a moving story. A tiny little bit Harlequinish, it nevertheless is the kind of wonderful read one can only hope for and so...more
4.5 Stars
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The book starts off with a family reading of their father's will. They discover their father had another child in France. The story then moves between present time with the family working to put the pieces together and WWII France. I will never know what it must have been like to experience those horrors, but I can't imagine getting any closer to understanding than through the words of a book.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The book starts off with a family reading of their father's will. They discover their father had another child in France. The story then moves between present time with the family working to put the pieces together and WWII France. I will never know what it must have been like to experience those horrors, but I can't imagine getting any closer to understanding than through the words of a book.
After reading Blood Sisters and Durable Fire I craved to read another Keating book and ordered this on-line. So awesome! Great story set during the French Resistance movement of WWII. Such a lovely story.
Lepa, dirljiva, topla, ljudska priča... o ljudskim sudbinama i porodičnim tajnama... Napisana u "četiri ruke", tj. napisale su je dve setre koje u stvarnom životu ne žive u istoj državi...
I loved this book, I enjoyed how it moved about in years, looking at a situation from different characters points of view. A read again book!
It had a little bit of a slow start, and then kind of Romance-Novel-ish. Still, it was a good story that kept me reading all day.
Hmmm... I like this book, though at times it reads a bit like a soap opera. The characters were not as fully developed as they could or should be in order to appreciate and accept their feelings and actions... The authors definitely tried to capture the complex nature of experiencing something so appalling as a holocaust and how that affects our ability to relate with people (as well as specific relationships).
Compelling - I kept reading.
In a nutshell, for those interested: characters are Irish...more
Compelling - I kept reading.
In a nutshell, for those interested: characters are Irish...more
I didn't dislike the main characters as much as I had been warned that I would. I liked the book a lot.
A beautiful and surprising story, about what a war can do to people and to families.
I enjoyed this book although the pace was slower than I would tend to choose..
I think I will just take a break from this one. I am 60 or so pages in and it hasn't gripped me enough to carry on. Too many other really absorbing books came along and tipped it off the bedside table. Maybe another day.
January: Finished and loved it. Found the romance, suspense and action compelling. Strangely, of all the novels I've read dealing with the holocaust this is the one in which the idea of camp internees being made to stand naked in freezing conditions has had the most profound effect on me. Maybe its because London is swathed in snow?! Perhaps the ending was a little predictable but as a sucker for a happy ending I found it very satisfying.
I'd say 3.5 stars. Once the story got going I enjoyed it, it just took a little while.
I was living in France when I saw this book at W.H. Smith...so of course I had to pick it up and read it. It was a few years back that I read this but the story touched me. It was well written and had the right touch of romance, action, suspense!
It was a good read although a tad predictable at the end. A tender and sad at times fictional story of adult children learning details of their parents lives in war-time Paris.
Uma narrativa muito gostosa, uma história que cativa!
Loved this book - was hoping for a follow-up
Jun 18, 2013
Connie Steckel
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2013
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2013
Kerry
marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2013
Penny
marked it as to-read
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Barbara O'Hanlon and Stephanie Berke, sisters who embarked on a literary adventure together eight years ago, are now the successful authors of four novels, the most recent due for publication in September 2010.
The sisters' books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and are sold on all five continents.
Their seamless writing makes it impossible to tell where one finishes and another...more
More about Barbara Keating...
The sisters' books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and are sold on all five continents.
Their seamless writing makes it impossible to tell where one finishes and another...more
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