Official Review: Leaving the Pieces Behind
Posted: 18 Jul 2019, 21:49
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Leaving the Pieces Behind" by R. M. Demeester.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Serenity Rupert spent most of her childhood moving around to different foster homes. Though she is now an adult, Serenity’s relationships with her biological mother and siblings have never been repaired. Moreover, Serenity was laid off from her job months ago and has no way to pay her portion of the rent for the apartment she shares with two roommates. In a chance moment during her job search, Serenity meets William, a man who helps her find work at a bakery. Serenity begins to develop romantic feelings for William, but she is unsure of his intentions in Leaving The Pieces Behind, a novel by author R.M. Demeester.
Although I was introduced to this book as a sweet romance, I would not say it is of the romance genre. The plot of a romance novel must hinge on the romantic relationship. In this book, the plot is rather evenly divided between the romantic theme and the familial theme, especially concerning Serenity’s tenuous relationship with her mother. Even if Serenity and William were to be nothing more than good friends, the storyline about family dysfunction and possible reconciliation would stand on its own as a complete story.
Therefore, I would classify this novel as women’s fiction. It deals with Serenity’s pain, anger, and inward insecurities as well as her moments of good fortune and pleasure. The story moves at a steady pace, and it wraps up with a fitting, realistic blend of what goes wrong for Serenity and what turns out well for her.
However, the novel’s overall style lacks color, nuance, and originality. Much of the dialogue is stilted, and most of the characters do not come fully alive on the page. The author sometimes gives the reader commentary through Serenity’s thoughts without sufficiently supporting that commentary through the characters’ words and actions. For instance, Serenity thinks of her roommates, Sophia and Crystal, as “annoying,” “mean,” and less than “tolerable.” Yet, what Sophia and Crystal actually say and do in their few scenes hardly matches the level of Serenity’s negativity toward them. Also, Serenity says in one scene that William has “so many layers, so many great qualities,” but at that point, the author has not clearly shown many layers to William’s character or specifically shown how his “great qualities” are “so many.”
The emotional development in the romance falls fairly flat, without fresh or dynamic descriptions to create compelling romantic chemistry. At one stage in the novel, the author spends time building up significant doubt in the romantic relationship. However, because Serenity and William reach such a basic and short resolution for it with no deeper challenge, the buildup of doubt seems like a wasted plot point. Nearly half the book goes by before Serenity and William engage in meaningful, detailed conversation that holds weight for this specific story.
There are technical errors throughout the novel, such as errors in verb tense, letter case (including in the book’s title), and punctuation. The wording in a number of places is awkward or inaccurate. The author’s word choice and phrases become repetitive at several points, including in the profanity Serenity uses as the same adjective quite a few times.
Overall, the basis of this story holds merit, and the plot strikes a good balance of focus between the protagonist’s relationships. Yet, the stylistic weaknesses and the technical errors are a hindrance to the novel’s potential. Therefore, I give Leaving The Pieces Behind a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. While I’d recommend it to readers who can enjoy sweet romance elements woven into women’s fiction, the book should be reedited for its audience.
******
Leaving the Pieces Behind
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
2 out of 4 stars
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Serenity Rupert spent most of her childhood moving around to different foster homes. Though she is now an adult, Serenity’s relationships with her biological mother and siblings have never been repaired. Moreover, Serenity was laid off from her job months ago and has no way to pay her portion of the rent for the apartment she shares with two roommates. In a chance moment during her job search, Serenity meets William, a man who helps her find work at a bakery. Serenity begins to develop romantic feelings for William, but she is unsure of his intentions in Leaving The Pieces Behind, a novel by author R.M. Demeester.
Although I was introduced to this book as a sweet romance, I would not say it is of the romance genre. The plot of a romance novel must hinge on the romantic relationship. In this book, the plot is rather evenly divided between the romantic theme and the familial theme, especially concerning Serenity’s tenuous relationship with her mother. Even if Serenity and William were to be nothing more than good friends, the storyline about family dysfunction and possible reconciliation would stand on its own as a complete story.
Therefore, I would classify this novel as women’s fiction. It deals with Serenity’s pain, anger, and inward insecurities as well as her moments of good fortune and pleasure. The story moves at a steady pace, and it wraps up with a fitting, realistic blend of what goes wrong for Serenity and what turns out well for her.
However, the novel’s overall style lacks color, nuance, and originality. Much of the dialogue is stilted, and most of the characters do not come fully alive on the page. The author sometimes gives the reader commentary through Serenity’s thoughts without sufficiently supporting that commentary through the characters’ words and actions. For instance, Serenity thinks of her roommates, Sophia and Crystal, as “annoying,” “mean,” and less than “tolerable.” Yet, what Sophia and Crystal actually say and do in their few scenes hardly matches the level of Serenity’s negativity toward them. Also, Serenity says in one scene that William has “so many layers, so many great qualities,” but at that point, the author has not clearly shown many layers to William’s character or specifically shown how his “great qualities” are “so many.”
The emotional development in the romance falls fairly flat, without fresh or dynamic descriptions to create compelling romantic chemistry. At one stage in the novel, the author spends time building up significant doubt in the romantic relationship. However, because Serenity and William reach such a basic and short resolution for it with no deeper challenge, the buildup of doubt seems like a wasted plot point. Nearly half the book goes by before Serenity and William engage in meaningful, detailed conversation that holds weight for this specific story.
There are technical errors throughout the novel, such as errors in verb tense, letter case (including in the book’s title), and punctuation. The wording in a number of places is awkward or inaccurate. The author’s word choice and phrases become repetitive at several points, including in the profanity Serenity uses as the same adjective quite a few times.
Overall, the basis of this story holds merit, and the plot strikes a good balance of focus between the protagonist’s relationships. Yet, the stylistic weaknesses and the technical errors are a hindrance to the novel’s potential. Therefore, I give Leaving The Pieces Behind a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. While I’d recommend it to readers who can enjoy sweet romance elements woven into women’s fiction, the book should be reedited for its audience.
******
Leaving the Pieces Behind
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
