According to all standard and logical thinking, I did this all wrong, I read French's second book in the series; Desire, before I read her first book Muse. Big Mistake? Actually, no it wasn't. Desire was an excellent stand-alone novel that I enjoyed immensely, as you would see if you read my review of it.
But, the question remained, could I enjoy Muse as well, given that I was already familiar with all the characters and knew what was going to happen to them in the later story. If I'm honest, I was doubtful myself whether I would enjoy Muse as much, but I needn't have worried at all. Muse was a fantastic read and I took great pleasure with reacquainting myself with many of the characters I'd grown to love in Desire.
From the very first chapter I was drawn into young 17 year-old Ava's life. Robbed of her mother in a horrible car accident she is thrown into first a temporary foster home and then meets the father she has never known. Sent to live with her father's aunt, who she also has never met, much of the story revolved around the difficulties of coming to terms with a parent's death at such a young age and suddenly finding yourself all alone in life at 17. Of course, Ava wasn't all alone as she set out to build relationships with relatives who up to that point had been no more than her mother's memories.
I'm not a chick-lit devotee, although I am a bit of an old, romantic and I loved this story of burgeoning romance between a young girl and her older, art teacher, who also had a skeleton or two in the closet.
To put it simply, this is a wonderfully well written, sensitive portrayal of a female's rite of passage into the adult world. French has a wonderfully simple writing style that was easy to identify with. I am looking forward to more from this talented woman. A fantastic story, that fully deserves the five stars I gave it. Great job!
But, the question remained, could I enjoy Muse as well, given that I was already familiar with all the characters and knew what was going to happen to them in the later story. If I'm honest, I was doubtful myself whether I would enjoy Muse as much, but I needn't have worried at all. Muse was a fantastic read and I took great pleasure with reacquainting myself with many of the characters I'd grown to love in Desire.
From the very first chapter I was drawn into young 17 year-old Ava's life. Robbed of her mother in a horrible car accident she is thrown into first a temporary foster home and then meets the father she has never known. Sent to live with her father's aunt, who she also has never met, much of the story revolved around the difficulties of coming to terms with a parent's death at such a young age and suddenly finding yourself all alone in life at 17. Of course, Ava wasn't all alone as she set out to build relationships with relatives who up to that point had been no more than her mother's memories.
I'm not a chick-lit devotee, although I am a bit of an old, romantic and I loved this story of burgeoning romance between a young girl and her older, art teacher, who also had a skeleton or two in the closet.
To put it simply, this is a wonderfully well written, sensitive portrayal of a female's rite of passage into the adult world. French has a wonderfully simple writing style that was easy to identify with. I am looking forward to more from this talented woman. A fantastic story, that fully deserves the five stars I gave it. Great job!
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