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Thalia was a so-so. The first part really dragged for me and I almost bailed but wanted to use it for 1957 #192025. The 2nd part was better but I didn‘t like anyone and hated the ending.

Best of the week was Search, Hijab Butch Blues and the Jane mystery. The Messy Lives of Book People holds the “most hated book of the year” spot to date. Starless Sea is a book I think I will love but wasn‘t connecting so back on the shelf for now

This was for #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub Nov read. I‘m glad I picked this up again after I stopped reading in the early chapters last month. And once I continued, it held my interest. I think the characterisation is really good, I love the evocative descriptions of the places, and I enjoyed the tension. I liked it, melodrama and all.

We were fooled into thinking Claude was the creepy one, when it was Thalia all along. But at the same time, I felt sorry for her.

I‘m wondering if the head on the right side of this photo is the “sandstone “ Nefertiti mentioned in the book? (Akhenaten is on the left.)

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub ⬇️

Well, that was a bit of a gothic melodrama, wasn‘t it? I thought she captured the atmosphere of France, both geographically & culturally, really well. The Paris section was just as evocative as that in Dinard. I can believe that Rachel wasn‘t seeing things exactly as the were, but Cynthia was so capricious & her attitude to her children so indefensible the hints that she wasn‘t so bad really were hard to accept.👇
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

I stayed up way too late the other night, finishing this. It was a very slow starter for me and I wasn't always sure along the way that it would be a pick - I pretty much hated every single character in the book at one time or another - but once I got about halfway through I couldn't stop and ultimately really loved it. It feels very *true* to me and while there was, indeed, a ton of melodrama, so is there in life. 😆#furrowedmiddlebrowclub

I found this book compelling from the start, but the pace of it made me stop & start. But by the time I got to the end, I was really taken with the story! Affecting, emotionally-charged. It's a coming of age story of a young woman & painter & the deeply troubled family she's with for a year in Brittany. I was reminded of Du Maurier in how the sense of place is woven into the psychological drama. You could almost taste the salty air by the sea.

This coming-of-age novel reminded me of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, in its mix of the pathetic and the monstrous. There's a sense, not just of menace, but of wrongness, that nothing is as it should be. But it's also desperately sad.

#furrowedmiddlebrowclub

I followed this story with interest and thought about it when not reading. I loved the seaside town , the metaphors and seaside influences in the writing… the little boat was ‘ rocking like a cockleshell‘ ♥️. I particularly enjoyed the build up and heightened mystery towards the end. This is one of my favourites that we‘ve read of the middlebrows. Thalia had some strong energy! Thalia ! Thalia ! #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

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I enjoyed this plot heavy coming of age novel set in an ex-pat colony in Brittany in the 1930s. At 18, Rachel has come to be an au pair for a year to an English family only just returned from India where the father is in the military. Rachel wants to be an artist and is quite impulsive. This doesn‘t gel with her ice-queen employer, Cynthia, who clearly favors son Claude over her ugly duckling daughter, Thalia.

“On this coast I have left my youth”

A toast to all the teenage girls out there trying to find their way. Had to get some Calvados to try after it was mentioned in the Breton Pardon scene. I think Yves would approve!

I was captivated by this story of a young artist‘s life-changing year in France and the portraits of 1930s girl/womanhood. Look forward to trying more Faviell, especially her memoir, A Chelsea Concerto.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Breton Women at a Pardon, 1887 P. Dagnan-Bouveret

“Marie did not know the exact reason for the Pardon. It was just a special one, she said, a private one without any tourists and vulgar sightseers. She stood with me, her face withdrawn, enraptured. Yves was weeping as were many of the pilgrims. The great Pardon at Mont St. Michel had failed to move me—but this one did…its simplicity was lovely.”

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

This is the first Furrowed Brow selection I‘m panning. The angst and drama was too repetitive for my taste. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I did manage to get through it though! #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

Ewwwww she‘s only 18 and he‘s 38?! Good for her being a “cold fish.” 🐟 Rake & worse for being pushy.

I‘m struggling to get invested in this story. #furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Sorry, but imo it was merely innuendo that moved this story along—the constant hints that there is something not quite right about Thalia, and Cynthia, and Catherine, and Madeline, etc. It‘s all so thinly veiled, the only compelling thing for me was wondering how long it would take Rachel to figure it out. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

This is going to be a rougher read than I thought. Cynthia is so ghastly!

I just started this—about 3 chapters in—and I can't lie, friends. I'm not vibing with the lil demon, Claude 👦🏼 #furrowedmiddlebrowclub

@CarolynM @catebutler@Cathythoughts @elkeOriginal @erzascarletbookgasm @Jess_Read_This @jlhammar @kimzey @LeahBergen @MrsK @quietjenn @Sparklemn @Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads @Tamra

Rachel is packed off to France for a year to act as companion to Cynthia and her two children while their husband and father is in India. Six-year-old Claude is a horrible little thing and 15-year-old Thalia rapidly becomes obsessive and possessive about Rachel. There‘s an underlying menace from the onset and we KNOW things won‘t end well when Rachel falls in love with a local boy.

A page turner of a middlebrow read, set in 1930s Brittany.

In case anyone is interested, this month‘s #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub pick is free for #Kindle today. #KindleDeal #ebook #FurrowedMiddlebrow

@quietjenn @Jess_Read_This @Kimzey @erzascarletbookgasm @catebutler @CarolynM @leahbergen @elkeOriginal @batsy @Tamra @Cathythoughts @jlhammar @Sparklemn @Ruthiella @MrsK

On the beach, Dinard, 1928 - Pablo Picasso

One more interesting tidbit I came across today. Picasso painted there in in the 1920s.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Fun vintage travel poster! Rachel mentions this casino at the start of Chapter 3.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

“It was very hot and still in the September sun, and to sit on the stone terrace under the palm trees with white pebbles under our feet and drinking our coffee to the rhythmic sound of the waves beating against the steps below seemed unbelievable to me…Well, not only my aunt had palm trees! I had them too—and yuccas. It was glorious!”

Had to find some pics of Dinard. It does look glorious. Not sure I‘d want to spend a year with Claude though.

Just doing a little internet browsing before starting our #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub pick for the month.

I didn‘t know that Faviell was a professional portrait artist and that this first edition cover illustration of Rachel, our narrator, is her work. Love that!

Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reading friends! This is to remind you of our bi-monthly pick for November 2022. The general goal is to post your thoughts by mid-month. Be sure to tag everyone when you do.

However, This is a super laid back group, so please do not feel any pressure and read at your own pace!

Any other Littens want to join in? Please do! We‘d love to have you. 😃

Some Furrowed Middlebrow #bookmail today. Really looking forward to our November and January picks!

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

I splurged and got physical copies for the next two rounds. The covers are so pretty! 😍

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Repost for @LeahBergen See her post for details.

It looks like the majority of the votes are in, #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub, so here are our next two reads!

And, as always, anyone else is welcome to join in and read along with us. 😊

@Ruthiella @Tamra @LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @CarolynM @Cathythoughts @catebutler @Kimzey @Jess_Read_This @elkeOriginal @batsy @Sparklemn @MrsK @erzascarletbookgasm @jlhammar

Apologies if I missed anyone!

Bounjour and grüezi ! #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Here are my options for November. It‘s coming to the end of the year, and I‘m longing for a holiday! A trip to Brittany or the Alps? Also, we haven‘t read these authors in the club, I think.

I hope I‘m tagging everyone.

This one was free on kindle yesterday. Love it when that happens

Our other cat Thalia, named after the Muse of comedy. She‘s very clumsy (for a cat), and keeps us amused.

Despite showing its age in some of the sexist attitudes of side characters this was an intense read. Our narrator is helping a family on the French coast as she comes of age. Between the damaged daughter and the very flawed choices in relationships she makes it's a ride. I liked the dimension on all the characters and the comments on 'truth' the most. I'll definitely be getting more from this author from Dean Street Press.