Book Review: The Girl at the Lion d'Or by Sebastian Faulks (and Other Stuff)

The Girl at the Lion d'Or by Sebastian Faulks (author of Charlotte Gray), was a pleasant read. It shared the life of Ann, a young french girl with a troubled past. Throughout the story the author drops hints of a mystery in her life. While working as a waitress in a hotel she meets a married man, Charles Hartmann. Their love for each other develops which is no surprise for the reader. What is a surprise is the ending.

The author has the art of descriptive writing. Ann is portrayed in such a manner you can feel her calm acceptance of whatever comes her way. Charles on the other hand comes across as more anxious and uptight. Snippets of the history of WW1 and French revolutionary action are woven through the plot with no disruption to the story. My only frustration was reading M. Hartmann instead of Monsieur and Mlle instead of Mademoiselle. It made me feel as if the edits had been missed. The author also POV and scene switched quite a bit, but that just made me realise it is OK to do so and get away with it if the story is interesting.

*****
I am preparing for NaNoWriMo this week. I am definitely going to try and pull off a first draft of The Man in Room Eighteen. My basics are there but the storyline is not. Remember my notepads? They are full of inspirational words, descriptions and dialogue.

Hopefully they will support me enough to produce a novel of sorts. I am still struggling with where this one is going and only Elle Buchanan can show me. NaNo has come at just the right time for me. I am still in baby mode and cannot concentrate on my writing. The challenge of sitting and churning out 2,000 words a day is just what I need.

Ripper My Love is with an acquisitions editor, so my idea of self-publishing is on hold yet again. I check the inbox daily to see if there is any information. Fingers crossed this is the right package for me, if offered of course.

Maggie's Child is sitting quietly and patiently. I am getting frustrated with myself as I appear to be going around in circles and cannot see a way off the merry-go-round. Is it fear of being published and ridiculed for not having paid for a professional edits? I confess I cannot afford one, what with baby things and saving for Vancouver next year. Yes, I hope to visit Canada at last! Anyway, something is holding me back. I have support coming out of my ears and love those who are waiting to help, but still I cannot move forward. Time might tell but time is also moving fast and I want to be published. How fickle we humans are.