Reviewed by Donna 4 Stars
I hate to say this as I think that I will be in the minority but this book did not do it for me the same way that others have already reviewed..perhaps it was because I am in a book funk after reading something that totally rocked my reading world.I will say that the book was very clever and listening to the music whilst reading amazingly enhanced the whole experience. It was a touch of genius on Ella Franks part.
The part that I cannot get my head around is why a woman in a "relationship" would subject herself to pretending to be someone that was dead because the other person was still grieving and loved her still. It just seemed extremely weird and then to top of it she falls "in love" with her too, weird, just weird.
Philippe is a very talented artist who has left the USA and moved to France to run a vineyard and paint in peace, the vineyard was a legacy. Here he meets Chantel who is blind and is an amazing violinist. They quickly fall in love and it is reciprocated. Philippe paints Chantel in a series on 6 paintings called "Blind Obsession". Chantel encourages him to send them to a gallery and quickly the world is love with the pieces. However, Chantel's parents are not happy, they feel the relationship has developed too quickly and somehow Philippe has brainwashed her and is holding her captive, they keep begging her to leave but she never does. Something happens to Chantel and the press basically go after Philippe, totally decimating his character in the process.
Philippe then decides to tell his side of the story to try and clear his name and hires a journalist named Gemma Harris. She is to live at the Chateau for a while to take his story down, he provides her with Chantel's journal..and through this journal she begins to live the life of Chantel, whilst telling the story of Philippe and Chantel.
This book was heart breaking in places and I felt for Gemma badly, however I just could not get my head around why she would put herself in that position in the first place. I felt for Philippe but his treatment of Gemma was appalling, however, I also felt for him too as he was grieving and in my head very confused.
It was a great read but it did not manage to wangle the fifth star from me, but Ella Frank may have just set the book bar with regards to interactive books, the music added greatly to the ambiance and really made you feel that you were there, that part of the book was seriously amazing.
Well done Ella Frank.