Book Review
Feb. 25th, 2023 05:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariBriefly, A Delicious Life
Nell Stevens
This short, interesting novel is told from the perspective of Blanca, a ghost inhabiting the defunct monastery of Valldemossa on the island of Mallorca, as she observes and attempts to interact with George Sand, Chopin, and Sand's children during their stay there. During that time, things go awry for the visitors and Blanca falls in love with George.
Having a centuries-dead ghost for a narrator gave the novel an interesting perspective on the flow of time and the sense of place. I liked Blanca as a narrator - she is a sharp and empathetic observer, with the dual perspective of someone who died young but has hundreds of years of experience watching the people around her. She views Chopin, George, and the children with both a generous sympathy and an honest assessment of their flaws and quirks. I liked the fresh view of events I was already familiar with. However, while individual elements of the book were good, they never quite coalesced into a great whole.
Nell Stevens
This short, interesting novel is told from the perspective of Blanca, a ghost inhabiting the defunct monastery of Valldemossa on the island of Mallorca, as she observes and attempts to interact with George Sand, Chopin, and Sand's children during their stay there. During that time, things go awry for the visitors and Blanca falls in love with George.
Having a centuries-dead ghost for a narrator gave the novel an interesting perspective on the flow of time and the sense of place. I liked Blanca as a narrator - she is a sharp and empathetic observer, with the dual perspective of someone who died young but has hundreds of years of experience watching the people around her. She views Chopin, George, and the children with both a generous sympathy and an honest assessment of their flaws and quirks. I liked the fresh view of events I was already familiar with. However, while individual elements of the book were good, they never quite coalesced into a great whole.
