This seemed like it was going to be one of those charming summer reads along the lines of Under the Tuscan Sun, and it was, for the most part. The summary is a bit deceiving though, and I don't think it's revealing a plot twist to note that Marianne's idea of how to leave her loveless marriage is to literally leave this world. (This is downplayed as "taking action" in the summary.) The problem I have with this is that while she escapes into a completely implausible picturesque new life, she still entertains thoughts about suicide. I am not trying to belittle these thoughts in any way, but instead, I felt like the author was merely pandering in perpetuating this storyline. Perhaps if there had been a little more conflict in Marianne's ideal new life, George wouldn't have had to continue with the half-hearted plot. To be fair, there are some terrific characters here, and, between them and the inspired setting, they make up for the lapses in plot. I am going to believe that something was lost in translation.
And yes, I am totally jealous of the new life Marianne is living, so there's that. But lucky for me, I have a wonderful husband who's walked along the Seine with me, without ever making me feel the need to jump.
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