'Madame Burova' is the story of Billie, in the present day, who is trying to find out what happened at a seaside holiday camp in Brighton in the 1970s, in order to discover who she really is.
This is such a lovely book. The resolutions for two of the relationships in it are so tender and hopeful.
The setting is great. Specifically, the two settings I most enjoyed were the booth on the seafront where Madame Burova works as a tarot card reader, and the cafe where the characters have meetings.
In the booth, her dog and her mother seem to be always lurking under the tablecloth and behind the curtain, making the atmosphere quiver with life. The cafe similarly feels full of life, just like a real cafe by the sea, with people coming and going. There were people I really wanted to see whenever we were there, and also people I was hoping very much to avoid!
Most of the numerous background characters reflect the themes of the story. My favourite is the discussion Madame Burova has with a girl named Debbie about marriage, which echoes a few of the concerns and choices of the main characters.
Overall, my favourite aspects of this book are the commentary on class and aspiration, the role of dogs in developing or revealing the characters, and the very touching conclusion.
This is such a lovely book. The resolutions for two of the relationships in it are so tender and hopeful.
The setting is great. Specifically, the two settings I most enjoyed were the booth on the seafront where Madame Burova works as a tarot card reader, and the cafe where the characters have meetings.
In the booth, her dog and her mother seem to be always lurking under the tablecloth and behind the curtain, making the atmosphere quiver with life. The cafe similarly feels full of life, just like a real cafe by the sea, with people coming and going. There were people I really wanted to see whenever we were there, and also people I was hoping very much to avoid!
Most of the numerous background characters reflect the themes of the story. My favourite is the discussion Madame Burova has with a girl named Debbie about marriage, which echoes a few of the concerns and choices of the main characters.
Overall, my favourite aspects of this book are the commentary on class and aspiration, the role of dogs in developing or revealing the characters, and the very touching conclusion.