The Girl You Left Behind - Hardcover

Moyes, Jojo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670026611 ISBN 13: 9780670026616

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books, 2013

Synopsis

From the New York Timesbestselling author of Me Before You, a spellbinding love story of two women separated by a century but united in their determination to fight for what they love most

Jojo Moyes’s bestseller, Me Before You, catapulted her to wide critical acclaim and has struck a chord with readers everywhere. Hopelessly and hopefully romantic” (Chicago Tribune), Moyes returns with another irresistible heartbreaker that asks, Whatever happened to the girl you left behind?”

France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everythingher family, her reputation, and her lifeto see her husband again.

Almost a century later, Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting’s true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner isputting Liv’s belief in what is right to the ultimate test.

Like Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress and Tatiana de Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key,The Girl You Left Behind is a breathtaking story of love, loss, and sacrifice told with Moyes’s signature ability to capture our hearts with every turn of the page.

About this title

Review:

Praise for THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND:
"Vibrant and gripping."
--"People Magazine "(***)
"Jojo Moyes expertly weaves a bittersweet tale in this irresistible novel, taking careful interest in the dark corners that exist within great love stories, and the trickiness of simple happy endings. A-"
--"Entertainment Weekly"
"Moyes writes delicious plots, with characters so clearly imagined they leap off the pages in high-definition prose. . . . Clever plot turns make for a satisfying ending . . . Moyes brings fresh strokes to this story about the power of art and love to transcend what imprisons us. Romantics looking for a story set amid the politics of plundered art couldn't do much better than "The Girl You Left Behind.""
--"USA Today" (3 1/2 stars)
"Jojo Moyes builds on her strengths in this moving and accomplished new novel. As she did in the best-selling "Me Before You," she asks readers to think in fresh ways about a morally complex issue. . . . "The Girl You Left Behind" is strong, provocative, satisfying fiction."
--"The Washington Post"
"'In this moving paean to daring, determination and perspicacity, Moyes keeps the reader guessing down to the last hankie."
--"Los Angeles Times"
"Good storytelling."
--"New York Daily News"
"In her latest heart tugger, Jojo Moyes deftly weaves the story of newlyweds in WWI France with that of a young widow in today's London."
--"Parade"
"Lovely and wry, Moyes's newest is captivating and bittersweet."
--"Publishers Weekly "(starred review)
"Moyes ("Me Before You") has created a riveting depiction of a wartime occupation that has mostly faded from memory. Liv and Sophie are so real in their faults, passion, and bravery that the reader is swept along right to the end. This one is hard to put down!"
--"Library Journal "(starred review)
"Moyes ("Me Before You," 2012) writes with such clarity that one can almost see the eponymo

From the Back Cover:

Whatever happened to the girl you left behind?

In 1916 French artist Édouard Lèfevre leaves his wife Sophie to go fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, Édouard's 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, Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks to 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 what they love most - whatever the cost.

'This story is wonderfully well-written and completely engrossing, with exquisitely drawn characters in a brilliantly plotted narrative. It will make you think long after you finish the final page'
Daily Mail

About this edition

• Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0670026611
• ISBN 13: 9780670026616
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 369