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Want to know if you should read Half-Blown Rose by Leela Cross-Smith? Read my full review to help you decide!
At forty-four, Vincent - the privileged daughter of artists - enjoys strolling the streets of Paris and teaching at the modern art museum; she has a vibrant group of friends; and she’s even caught the eye of a young, charismatic man named Loup.
But Vincent is is also in Paris to escape a painful betrayal. Her husband, Cillian, has published a bestselling book divulging secrets about their marriage and his own past. Now estranged, Vincent has agreed to see Cillian again the following summer, but Loup introduces new complications. They began an intense affair, and somewhere between cigarettes smoked in the moonlight, hazy evenings in nightclubs, and long, starry walks along the Seine, Vincent feels herself blossoming.
In a journey both transportive and intimate, Half-Blown Rose traverses Paris, travel, art, liminal spaces, and the messy complexities of relationships and romance, with playlists, journal entries, and Cillian’s novel excepts woven throughout. As Cillian does all he can to win her back, Vincent must decide what she wants…and who she will be.
SUMMARY: HALF-BLOWN ROSE
REVIEW: HALF-BLOWN ROSE
Half-Blown Rose, Leesa Cross Smith’s fifth work, is the 2022 recipient of the American Library in Paris Book Awards Coups de Coeur Recognition.
Half-Blown Rose is a really solid read. Leesa Cross-Smith does a great job of transporting the reader to Paris. I felt like I was sitting at the sidewalk cafe with Vincent and Baptiste. The only thing missing was my own croissant, which I fixed with weekend visits to my favorite French bakery.
The characters in Half-Blown Rose are really well developed with full stories. In my opinion, the characters are a main strength of the book. We really get to know Vincent: her hurts, motivations and her desires…as much as she knows her own desires. I really appreciate that the characters are authentic, multi-dimensional, and a bit unconventional (by American standards). They have desires, dilemmas, tensions and ideas. They are motivated by love, passion, connection and adventure. Just writing that makes me smile. Living a life full of love, passion, connection and adventure sounds like a great life. Just add purpose to the list, and I’m good to go.
The story flows nicely and is well developed. At all times, the reader can understand who the players are, what’s happening and why. There’s suspense, intrigue, wonder. The desire to find out Vincent’s ultimate decision kept me eagerly turning the the pages. I will say that at times, I found Vincent to be a bit annoying. Like everyone, she has opinions, insecurities, and worries, but to me, she went overboard at times. Also, I didn’t love the way the book ended. It was a little poetic and unclear.
All in all, I would recommend Half-Blown Rose. It’s romantic, transportive read that lets the reader tag along a passionate love affair that takes place in one of the most romantic cities in the world (so I’ve heard).