Author: JoJo Moyes
What happened to the girl you left behind?
In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.
Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...
In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most - whatever the cost.-Goodreads
Review: This is a beautifully written story told in alternating narratives. Similar to other books I've read recently, I enjoyed the historical portion (in this case, WWI) more than the modern story line. Sophie's struggles during wartime and her love for Edouard were fascinating to read. I'll avoid spoilers but I understand the sacrifices she made for her family and I wanted a happy ending for her. Moyes did a great job tying the stories together and I understand Liv holding onto a house she couldn't afford and a painting that may or may not have been legally hers. However, I wish the relationship between Liv and her husband had been more developed. There were very few flashbacks to their time together as a couple, and as such, I never 'felt' their love for each other. I also never warmed to Liv as a character and found her very annoying.
Overall-loved the historical portion of the book but was not as huge of a fan of the modern section.
Grade: 3.5/5
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