Rainy Day Reads

I picked this up on a whim on my latest jaunt to the library and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this book, it was so much fun. It was like a mix of Downton Abbey and Anastasia, and who doesn't want that? It is about Anna, a young Russian countess, whose family is forced to flee Russia during the revolution, and like so many of their countrymen they end up in London. Here they must find jobs to support themselves, often ending up in service to families who would once upon a time have been their quals. Anna finds a job as a housemaid in a big house in the country. This house is preparing for the weeding of its owner, the young Earl, who is marrying a heiress, partly out of love, partly to save the house from being closed down and sold off. Needless to say Anna and the earl, Rupert, hit it off, but he is forced to choose between following his heart or his mind. I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. They might seem a little caricatured, like Anna is the upbeat,...

I debated whether or nor I should even write a review for this book, as I wasn’t sure I would have enough to say about it. In the end I decided why not? I’m sure I can think of something useful to say.  This book is written by Jojo Moyes, who also wrote “Me Before You”, the latest it-book in the chick-lit genre. It takes place partly in France during the First World War and partly in modern day London. We follow two women who are connected through a painting. This painting is called “The Girl You Left Behind” and it is a portrait of Sophie, the first woman, living in France during the war, painted by her husband. Many many years later the painting is bought by Liv’s husband, who gives it to her as a wedding gift. The husband dies and Liv sees the painting as a tangible connection to him, along with the house he built for them to live in.  When Liv meets a new man he turns out to be on the hunt for her painting, as it is believed to have been looted during the wa...