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French Sand
The South Pacific island of New Caledonia is home to many ex-patriats, to include Melanie, a young English woman who is suddenly - and totally inexplicably - abandoned by her husband. Based on a true story and set in the 1960s in the days of stiletto heels and the Beatles, the reasons for Melanie's loss slowly unravel ..... This award-winning novel is aimed at women readers and is a page-turner you will want to recommend to your friends.
452 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 2, 2020
Well, I’m furious that I spent $0.99 on this tripe in pursuit of internet points. The author does not deserve my pennies.
THIS. IS. AWWFUL. In every possible respect.
First the major... I was appalled that this was written in 2012. Read this only if you love colonialism and casual racism. Early example of Melanie contemplating non-whites:
“ They were on the whole quite attractive, the island people. They were Polynesian in origin and although they had none of the Negro ebony beauty one might expect, nor any of the porcelain beauty of the Orientals and nor did they show a trace of the finely-chiselled features one saw among the Indian classes, the locals here were … she searched for the word … wholesome people, with soft-skinned faces and a broad bone structure. Greg had once told her that the Kanaks were especially lovely in comparison to the aboriginals of Australia”
WTF There’s no addressing that bullshit in the text. What modern writer could just plop that down as perfectly fine? Oh, one that thinks the British are literally the White Saviors of the world . From the author’s blog:
http://turquoisemoon.co.uk/blog/the-b...
“Every black African in Africa has never to worry about being enslaved by slavers and sold overseas or to Arab lands because institutionalized slavery is effectively dead and gone. Without Great Britain stopping the slave trade in the Atlantic, slavery still exists.
Every Indian who enjoys the modicum of freedoms they possess they can directly thank the teachings and laws of Great Britain and the people who forced it upon your ancestors. Same with Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, (good lord, this list will go on for a while…)”
And the list does go on, and on.... OMFG. I feel like my browser and purchase history is forever tainted.
And finally, the minor: this needed editing. And proofreading. BADLY. There is a lengthy section that is a repeat of the pages that came before. At first I thought I lost my place due to hating this book and was re-reading, but nope... just self-published junk so in love with itself it could not be bothered with the bare minimum of critical effort. It reads like a very early draft - lots of scene and voice (and tense) shifting without context, and not in an experimental way.... the characters are insipid and miserable.... the book somehow becomes more dull when it turns into a mystery/caper....the only good thing I can say about this book is that I’m done with it. Thank god I can speed read.
THIS. IS. AWWFUL. In every possible respect.
First the major... I was appalled that this was written in 2012. Read this only if you love colonialism and casual racism. Early example of Melanie contemplating non-whites:
“ They were on the whole quite attractive, the island people. They were Polynesian in origin and although they had none of the Negro ebony beauty one might expect, nor any of the porcelain beauty of the Orientals and nor did they show a trace of the finely-chiselled features one saw among the Indian classes, the locals here were … she searched for the word … wholesome people, with soft-skinned faces and a broad bone structure. Greg had once told her that the Kanaks were especially lovely in comparison to the aboriginals of Australia”
WTF There’s no addressing that bullshit in the text. What modern writer could just plop that down as perfectly fine? Oh, one that thinks the British are literally the White Saviors of the world . From the author’s blog:
http://turquoisemoon.co.uk/blog/the-b...
“Every black African in Africa has never to worry about being enslaved by slavers and sold overseas or to Arab lands because institutionalized slavery is effectively dead and gone. Without Great Britain stopping the slave trade in the Atlantic, slavery still exists.
Every Indian who enjoys the modicum of freedoms they possess they can directly thank the teachings and laws of Great Britain and the people who forced it upon your ancestors. Same with Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, (good lord, this list will go on for a while…)”
And the list does go on, and on.... OMFG. I feel like my browser and purchase history is forever tainted.
And finally, the minor: this needed editing. And proofreading. BADLY. There is a lengthy section that is a repeat of the pages that came before. At first I thought I lost my place due to hating this book and was re-reading, but nope... just self-published junk so in love with itself it could not be bothered with the bare minimum of critical effort. It reads like a very early draft - lots of scene and voice (and tense) shifting without context, and not in an experimental way.... the characters are insipid and miserable.... the book somehow becomes more dull when it turns into a mystery/caper....the only good thing I can say about this book is that I’m done with it. Thank god I can speed read.
December 10, 2014
Another great story from Catherine. Well written and very enjoyable. I loved the characters and the descriptions of New Caledonia. It made me feel like I was there. I could hear, see, smell and feel the islands. I want to visit them now! I got lost in the book which I love to do; totally absorbed into the characters and the story. It made me feel quite emotional in places. All in all I loved it. Quite a few unanswered questions in my mind at the end though but that is good, makes me think!
April 8, 2013
Again the author's knowledge of the setting really brings the story to life. I found the moral dilemma of the main character intriguing and found her a brave and imaginative person. A very well written book and I was fed up when I came to the end. I think more could have been made of the story. It left me with a big question mark in my mind. I wished it had carried on longer. I had read somewhere the start was slow but I disagree. A great read!
July 26, 2012
Yes, I liked this. It is a love story in a totally different way. The first bit is from the woman's point of view then it switches to the man. It is also an adventure with a bit of murder thrown in. I enjoyed it.
July 24, 2012
Another book I just cannot put down!! The last one I can find of Catherine Broughton's books unfortunately, I have read all the others!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews