Strong Start, Disappointing Finish
I picked up The Girl You Left Behind as I waited for other library holds to come available. The cover caught my eye, and I recalled enjoying Jojo Moyes’ historical novels (particularly Giver of Stars!).
While the novel started off with a strong premise, it lost me in the middle, and I was left quite disappointed by the end.
A Summary!
The Girl You Left Behind introduces us to Sophie, a young woman in small-town France during the German occupation in WWI. In the absence of their husbands off at the front, she and her sister are struggling to survive. When the hotel they run — the Hotel Coq Rouge — is commandeered by the Germans for their mealtimes, the sisters are put to worker serving their enemy. After learning her husband has been sent to a German camp, Sophie decides she will do whatever is necessary to bring him back to her safely.
Then our tale shifts to present-day London where Liv Halston grieves the death of her husband. Even after four years, it’s been hard for her to let go and move on. When she finally finds herself falling for someone new, their relationship takes a painful turn when he discovers a painting in her home that he’s been searching for. A painting that had been stolen by the Germans in WWI and needed to be returned to its rightful owner.
What I Liked About The Girl You Left Behind
The novel had a strong start and a good premise. I was invested in Sophie’s story and felt her pain and struggle were written well. The setting of small-town France in WWI was painted beautifully.
Why It Fell Flat for Me
Unfortunately, the dual-timeline ruined this historical fiction novel for me. I did not like Liv or the present-day narrative at all. Here’s why:
- Unlikable female main character: Whereas Sophie was a layered, thoughtful young woman, I found Liv to be unlikable. She was unreliable, frequently rude, and generally an unpleasant woman. She was unwilling to hear others out, which made for unnecessary drama in the story.
- Problematic romance: The romance between Liv and Paul felt forced, meant only to serve the plot. While I generally liked Paul, I didn’t find there to be chemistry between them. I did not like the way Liv treated him, and I did not like how they kept getting together while glaring issues still existed between them.
- Unnecessary subplots: Call me boring, but the art restitution part of the story felt like it should be the primary plot point in the present-day part. But with all the drama surrounding Liv and Paul, it ended up feeling like a subplot. I think other things could’ve been cut out to give it due emphasis.
- Unreliable pacing: The novel started out rather slowly before picking up to a reasonable pace. When we switched to modern-day, the pacing dragged again. And then it was just unnecessary plot points filling up the latter half until the main legal battle over the artwork. The resolution was satisfactory enough.
- Out of place content: There was (somewhat) infrequent but strong language thrown into the story that frequently took me right out of the story. It was too jarring.
Final Thoughts
I rated this 2.5 stars rounded up. I was simply not impressed by this novel and did not enjoy it very much. It was, overall, lackluster and forgettable with unnecessary drama. The story didn’t work for me, once the present-day part kicked in. It felt like a rom-com trying to masquerade as historical fiction. The writing itself is not bad, and, again, the premise is interesting.
It was refreshing to see a WWI story get some attention, since typically WWII overshadows it.
But all in all, I personally wouldn’t recommend it. There are many other WWI or WWII historical fiction out there (with romance!) that I’d recommend before The Girl You Left Behind.
Content Rating: Moderate
for infrequent strong language, some sex scenes (not graphic, but not closed-door)
Copyright Jojo Moyes and Penguin. Image from Amazon.