Just started The Nightingale and....

[Decorhate]

I know the author is American but is it too much to ask that the French characters don't use words and phrases that are pure American rather than what would be used in France? I suppose she is writing for a US audience mainly. But so grating. It's for book club btw otherwise would abandon.

And all the descriptions seem to be an American's fantasy of life in France rather than realistic.

Any one else find this or AIBU?!

This book is not for you op
abort and start a new one

Oh book club

in that case still abort and that can be your feedback… you couldn’t tolerate the inaccuracies!

I am hoping the actual story will be good enough to carry on but will see!

It gets good reviews....

I've read a book recently by an English author set in England, yet she uses "elevator" and "sidewalk". Extremely annoying. I've got The Nightingale on my library list so I'm interested to know if it will be worth my while paying the reservation fee!

Apart from the language, my gripes so far are: a postman being able to afford a bottle of champagne to drink at a picnic in the 1930s ( an ordinary picnic , not a celebration)

Baking your own baguette and then servicing it up a day old.

I hated that book despite all my friends telling me how much I would love it. I found her writing style really jarring and I almost dnf. It was a slog.

It’s possible you had a US edition, though? An English novelist friend’s US publishers routinely Americanise terms in her novels. Or it could be that they’re published by a US firm.

I hated that book too. I only read it as it had been on my kindle for ages and I was off sick following a hysterectomy so was bored. But that was several hours I’ll never get back. I just wanted to scream ‘give the bloody painting back!’

Even if it’s a book club read doesn’t mean you have to finish it. If I hate a book club read I just go to the next meeting and say ‘I hated it and couldn’t get past chapter two before throwing it across the room.’ It’s not like a GCSE read!

ETA I’ve just realised you were talking of a book called the Nightingale. I got it mixed up with the Goldfinch!!!!

Thanks for that info! It was on my reading list but now I won’t bother.

Thanks for that info! It was on my reading list but now I won’t bother.

That made me laugh.

Although I know what you mean about the painting. And the book is far too long to be so annoying.

I loved it, but I agree on your points. I also found it strange that she was so openly friendly with her Jewish best friend and next door neighbour, and yet seemed to suffer no repercussions from the resident gestapo for it. I’m sure that would never have happened.

I’ve just finished ‘Winter Garden’ by the same author and loved that too.