What do readers think of The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan? Write your own review.

It's enough to make your head spin.

I enjoyed the book but had trouble keeping up at points.

Perfect to read when their are no other distractions.

The author has created a book with interrelated chapters involving two main characters (Henri and Louise) with different chronological reverences - dates, personal issues and settings. It involves a monetary crime committed by Louise and Henri trying to get the money returned to the rightful owners. As the story progresses both characters learn a lot about each other as well as engage in personal self reflections. The reader needs to be ready to read each chapter and keep track of each character's involvement in solving the crime. The reader will have to decide whether Louise is justified in committing the crime and if Henri is really responsible for retribution.

I had trouble getting into this story at the beginning, but after reflection I realized that Christine Mangan did such a good job conveying the ennui of the first narrator, Henri -- that it transferred to me while reading the first chapter. I enjoyed this novel. It was interesting to follow Henri and Louise, learn their stories and watch as their relationship develops. An entertaining read.

This is not a simple book. These are not simple characters. On the one hand, we have Louise, a woman who is drowning in an emotional morass that requires copious amounts of alcohol and pills for her to make it through a day. She is fleeing a neglected childhood, a sacrificed youth and visions of a reclusive, lonely spinsterhood for her future. On the other hand, we have Henri, a solitary man who has recurring nightmares about his vanished idyllic childhood, who also sacrificed his youth to please his parents and who suffers intense guilt for past transgressions. These two troubled people meet and are thrown together through a complicated series of events, a coil that winds tighter and tighter as the story progresses. I loved Louise's character because she is no cookie-cutter woman. She isn't the sacrificial lamb I expected from a woman of this time period. She had enough of martyrdom and, once a line was crossed, looked out for herself with a cold, steely-eyed determination. Henri needed to pull himself up the seedy, life of crime that threatened to take over and cripple his future. So, we have two complex characters, each running from disastrous pasts towards impossible futures, until…they meet. Intriguing story. Not the happiest book I've ever read, but satisfying, nonetheless. It would make a good movie.

This book is really two stories. One was the story of Henry a Louise and what is each one's real story and what drives each one in addition to the stolen money.
each one in their journey across Europe. The second story is a beautifully written travelogue of the cities they visited.

I was about halfway into this complicated story when I began agreeing with the prime character, Henri, that "none of it makes any sort of sense." Two totally different people attached by a single incident are traveling in parallel across Europe to Istanbul. Each in their own way is trying to resolve the events of their past. However, upon arriving in Istanbul the story explodes with excitement, clarity and conclusions. The final escapade involving the labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar is so richly described, I felt like I was there.

Where the story is ambiguous in the beginning, the travel locations, Paris and Belgrade fill in with appealing sights and cuisine. The use of French and Arabic is used frequently but sometimes there is no passable translation. Reading on a Kindle might be an advantage to attaining a translation. I believe this book will appeal to readers that enjoy international destinations that they would not likely be able to visit.

Henri and Louise meet under unusual circumstances. They are both in Granada, Henri on "business" and Louise running from a troubled past. A large sum of money that Henri is supposed to pick up is found by Louise who decides it is her chance to have a new life. Henri is intrigued and follows Louise to Paris and Belgrade with the ultimate destination being Istanbul. Beautiful descriptions of all the locations, excellent character development and lots of suspense make this a book I didn't want to put down. One thing I did notice though was the overuse of the word "frown". Seriously, "he frowned" "she frowned" "the dog frowned". Ok, there wasn't a dog but he would have frowned if there was! Editor please! Otherwise, I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

I enjoyed reading THE CONTINENTAL AFFAIR. It is a fast read because the author keeps you engaged through the skillful use of the past and present and the development of the characters and their relationship.