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There are currently 19 member reviews
for The Lovers
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Linda G. (Walnut Creek, CA)
Turkey's 'Lovers'
There's a certain genre in fiction; the 'woman traveling alone in foreign country when things start to go wrong' story. Though it's been done many times before, (we've all read one), not every writer can capture that feeling of isolation, that sense of impending doom and suspense that is almost Graham Greenish.
Vendela Vida has nailed it with her 50 something, widowed protagonist Yvonne. From the moment her plane touches down in a small airport in Turkey, she immediately suspects she's been 'duped' with the vacation house she's leased.
From there the novel takes off, pulling you along by a thread, not knowing which direction you're going. With sparkling prose, and just the right amount of suspense, Vida takes you not at all where you may have thought, but gives a satisfying resolution all the same.
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Marion S. (Los Angeles, CA)
The Lovers
I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn't, in fact, put it down. The author vividly captures the subtle images of Turkey, and the bond that exists between husband and wife, and mother and daughter. I would recommend it to all women, mothers, and daughters alike who have at one time, questioned their role as parents and wives and believe that hope can be redeemed.
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Carrie L. (Albany, NY)
A beautiful, complex journey
Vida's prose enchanted me from the first page. The story follows Yvonne, a widow and history teacher as she takes a trip (alone) to Datca, Turkey. Although Yvonne is a generation older than I am, I instantly connected with her. The complexity and depths Vida managed to explore in only 200 truly astonished me. This book would be ideal for book clubs: it's short enough no one should have trouble finding time to read it, it's filled with rich, luminous prose, and it's deceptively delicate plot and pacing provide ample topics for discussion.
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Randi E. (Walnut Creek, CA)
The paralysis of grief
In "The Lovers", the main character Yvonne is on a trip to Turkey, her first travel since her husband Peter's death two years ago. This story is a study of grief, and Vida does a very good job of conveying Yvonne's erratic emotions. It seemed that Yvonne felt she was under a microscope, and her insecurities color her experiences and relationships in Turkey, creating a character who seemed perpetually on edge, and exhausted by self-doubt.
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Kathleen L. (Buffalo, NY)
The Lovers by Vendela Vida
We are treated to three themes in The Lovers;the widow reflecting on her life,husband and children,The woman alone in a strange culture, and descriptions of the exotic place in Turkey that she visits. The beautiful scenery and luxurious house are combined with her feeling of isolation. The story is gripping, although slightly marred by examples of "fine writing"
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Barbara S. (Brick, NJ)
Stop, look and listen...
How many of us have lost a partner and looked into the future and said, "what now?" How does one take that next step to continue to live life? Whether it is for an hour, a day, a week, that first step has to be taken. Life as we knew it must stop a moment for us to think and prioritize. Travel is one of the tools commonly used to make that transition but it is the experiences during that moment that help form the person we become to face the future.
The author brings us the experience of a widow as she looks at herself, her relationship with her family and her ability to go on alone. I became a widow at age 48 and had such a moment in time so it was a familiar experience. We walk through that moment with the protagonist and feel her pain and joy. Great story!
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Linda M. (Three Oaks, MI)
The Lovers
As with all new authors, I didn’t know what to expect from Ms. Vida. The premise sounded interesting and the story took place in Turkey, a country I really don’t know too much about. I was quite surprised to find that once I started the book, I couldn’t put it down. Yvonne, the main character, embarked on a vacation to the place where she and her late husband celebrated their honeymoon in the hope of trying to recapture those precious moments in their lives. We can’t always go home Yvonne soon finds out, that it’s the journey and not the destination that leads to discovery. This was a good read full of emotional highs and lows, elegant humor and worthy of some great discussions.
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