false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165620491m/7480.jpg 7480 14 At the outset of Sebastian Faulks's <I>The Girl at the Lion d'Or</I>, lovely, abandoned Anne Louvet seems almost willing to retreat into the anonymous routines of her waitressing duties--until she meets Charles Hartmann. He, trapped in a loveless marriage and feeling increasingly adrift more than a decade after serving in the Great War, is as enchanted by Anne's vulnerability as she is by his tender, almost paternal attentions. Their affair, and the cruel paradox of seeking a clandestine sufficiency, allow Faulks to pit the demands of desire against the necessities of duty, a task he pursues with tireless charm.<p> When Anne first arrives at the Hotel du Lion d'Or in the French town of Janvilliers, it is with the dual hope of escaping an unhappy past and discovering some degree of happiness. Undeniably beautiful and just bold enough to prod her own fate, she sees in the wealthy and restless Hartmann a soul that might redeem her own. "How was it possible, she wondered, to be awed by someone and yet to feel protective towards him too?" For his part, Hartmann senses in her the woman who, finally, might satisfy his need to offer refuge.<p> The secret of Anne's past, which she fears will drive Hartmann from her, conspires along with his gnawing uncertainty about her ultimate contentment to place their romance at a crossroads. Faulks, with deft restraint, never allows matters to lapse into the maudlin. Assessing the apparent inappropriateness of his love for Anne, Hartmann reflects that "there was something wrong ... in a society that could think of such generous feelings as unacceptable." Faulks's own generosity illuminates each page. <I>--Ben Guterson</I> 1093014 1989 The Girl at the Lion d'Or total:337|5:33|4:113|3:132|2:50|1:9| 337 1122 432 30 1 1 false false Sat Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 00:32:37 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 09:51:29 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Fri Apr 10 10:28:43 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 10:29:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Wed Mar 05 09:44:55 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 05 09:47:43 -0800 2008 2 1 false false Tue Apr 24 08:02:08 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 24 08:02:36 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 10:08:14 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 10:13:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 29 11:20:54 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 11:23:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 16 15:25:23 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 15:29:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 18:24:22 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 18:27:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 18:06:39 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 18:14:18 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jan 07 02:28:15 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 02:30:15 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu May 07 09:26:04 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 09:27:11 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Thu Jun 05 07:38:27 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 05 07:42:50 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Fri Feb 08 08:11:15 -0800 2008 Fri May 01 07:47:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 14 11:58:20 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 11:58:57 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Tue Sep 01 07:32:44 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 07:32:44 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 02 20:18:41 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 20:19:17 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Jul 06 13:19:05 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 18:51:49 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 22 07:47:01 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 09:09:46 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 07:47:01 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 29 03:49:58 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 03 02:12:14 -0700 2008
A soppy romance with little interest as far as I was concerned; thus I stopped reading it after about 10 chapters, at which point I could take no more. This was recommen...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 02:25:20 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 11:58:39 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=7480