The Forget-Me-Not Sonata
Mar. 12th, 2023 11:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearThe Forget-Me-Not Sonata by Santa Montefiore tells the story of Audrey, a young woman growing up in an English colony in Argentina in the late 1940s, eventually spanning most of her adult life, up to 1984.
It's a lush, sweeping family saga, charting the ups and down of multiple relationships and characters' lives, set in both Buenos Aires and the English countryside.
The universal point-of-view was a bit jarring in places, as the narrative hopped in and out of all the characters' heads without compunction. But overall, the writing was immersive and the story engaging.
I particularly liked the fact that it charted the relationships over many years, rather than presenting them as a fait accompli, once they were established. I enjoyed seeing Audrey's family go through various incarnations and many reversals, over the decades of the story. Everything about the people and the situations was complex and layered, which made for a satisfying read.
I would say that the 'prologue' (projecting into the future of 1984) contained quite a few large spoilers, which made the story predictable in some ways as it progressed. However, the ultimate conclusion surprised me, especially since it took a turn I would normally not like, but I felt it was really the only way the central relationship could have turned out, given everything that had come before.
The aspects relating to spirits and psychic powers seemed rather out of keeping with the ret of the tone and subject matter, but I didn't mind it by the end.
I would definitely read more of this author's books.
It's a lush, sweeping family saga, charting the ups and down of multiple relationships and characters' lives, set in both Buenos Aires and the English countryside.
The universal point-of-view was a bit jarring in places, as the narrative hopped in and out of all the characters' heads without compunction. But overall, the writing was immersive and the story engaging.
I particularly liked the fact that it charted the relationships over many years, rather than presenting them as a fait accompli, once they were established. I enjoyed seeing Audrey's family go through various incarnations and many reversals, over the decades of the story. Everything about the people and the situations was complex and layered, which made for a satisfying read.
I would say that the 'prologue' (projecting into the future of 1984) contained quite a few large spoilers, which made the story predictable in some ways as it progressed. However, the ultimate conclusion surprised me, especially since it took a turn I would normally not like, but I felt it was really the only way the central relationship could have turned out, given everything that had come before.
The aspects relating to spirits and psychic powers seemed rather out of keeping with the ret of the tone and subject matter, but I didn't mind it by the end.
I would definitely read more of this author's books.
