Official Review: Sketches of Life by A. gavazzoni

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sketches of Life" by A. gavazzoni.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Sketches of Life by A. Gavazzoni is historical fiction and a coming of age story. Born to her French mother and American father in the late 1920s, Lily Campbell becomes a confident young girl. She grows up comfortably in a lovely home with her traditional mother, supportive father, and older sister Adèle. However, World War II begins in 1939 and changes Lily’s future completely.

To keep his family safe, Lily’s father sends her away with her mother to live in America. Their new life provides many challenges. Lily finds herself responsible for her mother in this new land, and soon trying to pursue school and put food on the table becomes overwhelming. Lily also tries to balance her new feelings for a young American man named Tom.

The story also follows Ninon, a young woman supporting herself as a dancer in France. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, though, Ninon jumps at the chance to put dancing behind her. The new job, though, has its own set of challenges and dangers.

I enjoyed a number of aspects about this story. Lily and Ninon are both likable characters, and I found myself wondering what would happen to them even as their stories only began. Jumping between these two characters really helped the story because Ninon’s storyline added excitement and intrigue. The author did a good job at leaving small cliff hangers when jumping between the two storylines. It made me want to read more because I kept wanting to go to the other story and then back again.

This is a book you have to read to the end to fully appreciate. I was impressed by the end but also a little disappointed. This story could really benefit from having a sequel. As it is, I would say I was happy with the overall book but feel there was a bit more potential to the story.

Unfortunately, this book did have a number of errors. Otherwise, I only disliked a few small things that didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the story overall. It was more graphic than I prefer, but that’s my personal preference.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Due to the errors, I would not give it a 4. I also think it’s missing something to push it over the top. I would recommend this book only to mature audiences as there are numerous adult scenes. If you like historical fiction about heroines overcoming tragedy, this is a great book for you.

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Sketches of Life
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[AvidBibliophile]

Wow, born in the 1920s, then being forced to travel to a new land during WWII AND somehow find a way to survive... Sounds like a harrowing tale of determination and perseverance! Thank you for your review of this one.

[derialist]

Lily and Ninon both sound like intriguing characters. It would be interesting to read about their unique approaches to the challenges that they face. Thank you for doing an elaborate review on the book.

[Ogoskino]

The second world war was a devastating one. It is interesting to see how World War II changed Lily’s future completely. Great review.