Beautifully written...but not quite what I expected
The Museum of Broken Promises follows the life of Laure Carlyle across three different time spans: in present day Paris, where she has set up her Museum of Broken Promises; in Prague, 1986 where Laure is working as a nanny; and in Berlin, 1996, when Laure is now working for the British Embassy.
The descriptions of both Paris and Prague are evocative and conjure up entire quarters of the cities. The book also focuses a lot on the Cold War period and how life was in a city like Prague. However, for me, the detail at times slows down the readability of the text.
The thread tying everything together is the love affair which happened during the summer of 1986 between Laure and a young dissident musician named Tomas. The aftermath of that summer will shape the path of Laure's life.
The idea behind the Museum of Broken Promises, where people donate exhibits which illustrate a broken promise is quite a beautiful one. I would've liked it to have featured more than it did. I do believe it could be quite a cathartic institution.
The cover is simple yet striking, and the items featured on the cover continue inside as a repeat pattern on the end pages. I love it when someone considers the minute details in the design layout of a book - like has happened here. Details like these really make you want to pick up a book.
The descriptions of both Paris and Prague are evocative and conjure up entire quarters of the cities. The book also focuses a lot on the Cold War period and how life was in a city like Prague. However, for me, the detail at times slows down the readability of the text.
The thread tying everything together is the love affair which happened during the summer of 1986 between Laure and a young dissident musician named Tomas. The aftermath of that summer will shape the path of Laure's life.
The idea behind the Museum of Broken Promises, where people donate exhibits which illustrate a broken promise is quite a beautiful one. I would've liked it to have featured more than it did. I do believe it could be quite a cathartic institution.
The cover is simple yet striking, and the items featured on the cover continue inside as a repeat pattern on the end pages. I love it when someone considers the minute details in the design layout of a book - like has happened here. Details like these really make you want to pick up a book.