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Monsieur (2012)

by Emma Becker(Favorite Author)

2.55 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1780335210 (ISBN13: 9781780335216)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Constable and Robinson

review 1: I enjoyed the opening of this book, with the introduction of the self-aware, sexually voracious narrator who has a taste for older men. The early sections are full of a sense of intense if non-specific longing, and lines that induced a wry smile, such as "there are men, and then there are men in their forties." The structuring of the book, however, was very odd. Rather than following the typical path of an affair, the story becomes mired, much like the affair itself, and large sections revolving around Ellie's obsessive doubts were far duller and less original than they needed to be. I did read this book quickly, and enjoyed a few parts of it very much indeed. But I found myself wanting to tear the story apart and restructure it more satisfyingly, or in a way more acutely ... moreand masochistically unsatisfying.I would also like to note that the book is not as dirty or taboo as some of the things I've read about it led me to believe. 'Monsieur' likes anal sex, and talks dirty. I expected their physical relationship to become more extreme, increasing Ellie's emotional instability, but this is the level of 'perversion' introduced at the beginning, and it is not surpassed. (Reviews on here shocked by the anal or, heaven forbid, use of the word 'cunt' made me roll my eyes. Who knew readers of explicit fiction were such prudes...?)
review 2: I got 71 pages into this book and just couldn't bring myself to finish it. I like finishing books, even books I don't necessarily enjoy. No matter how disinterested I am in the topic, I can't go out without know what happens in the end.Thankfully, Emma Becker saved me the time and effort by telling me what happens in the end, though that is exactly what killed it for me. What's the point of writing about an illicit romance if you tell people up front how it's going to end? The fun of this book could easily have been in the sheer anticipation of wanting to see what happens. You know deep in your heart that it can't work out, but you want to see if it finds a way.I wouldn't bother with this one if I were you, unless you hate any sort of suspense in your reading. less

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