Many thanks to Suzanne and Suzy Approved Book Tours for my spot on this Blog Tour.
A different book, for sure.
Trevor ran a bicycle shop on a street in Paris. Born in New York, traumatized by early childhood loss, they moved to Paris. No ambitions or desires fired his passion, with few friendships and fewer relationships, his life was almost colorless. Till the transit strike occurred, and people now wanted his bikes to travel. Then a risqué relationship imbalanced his family equations. What would Trevor do now?
My first book by author Mary Fleming saw me quite immersed in the different sections of the story. The dynamics of the prose were on a constant move. Trevor’s moods were like night and day, active in certain section, complacent most times. I wouldn’t say I connected with him, but I could understand the shades of his life that the author showed throughout the prose.
His relationship with his brother was like a wave, with constant ebb and flow. And it moved with time. Trevor had much to learn too. His dim view of his life needed a makeover. I liked how the author made him try to sort out his past so that he could live his future unencumbered. I loved the parts of his introspection as they gave clarity to my life too in some aspects. The last few pages had a shocker which turned the book, and Trevor’s outlook of his life and family.
This entire book was Trevor’s slow journey in discovering himself and his family. He grew from indifference and complacency to strength and independence. As said before, a different read with a Parisian vibe flowing through the pages of the book.
Recommended for lovers of literary fiction.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be read here
Trevor McFarquhar lives a controlled, contrary existence. Traumatized by early childhood loss, the silence surrounding those losses, and then a sudden family relocation from the United States to France, he has no ambitions or dreams for his struggling Parisian bicycle shop or even for himself. Now in his late thirties, his romantic relationships are only casual—his friendships, few. He’s both aloof and exacting, holding everyone to his own high standards while being unforgiving of their faults.
But then two things happen. The 1995 transit strike forces Parisians through Trevor’s shop door to procure bicycles, and his once-sluggish business suddenly turns around. To his surprise, he is pleased. At the same time, Trevor enters into a relationship that threatens to destroy his relationship with his entire family. Humbled and ashamed, his veneer cracks, and he emerges from his cocoon a different man, ready to reconnect, to rediscover possibility, and ultimately to redeem himself.
Publication Date: 22nd October 2019
Publisher: She Writes Press
4 Responses
Trevor sounds like an intriguing character.
This was sooooo different from my normal reads.
A lovely and thoughtful review
Thank you so much ❤️ difficult book to review.