Last Christmas my brother gave me a couple books I was so excited to read. One featured an incredibly gorgeous cover, all in blues, with the image of the Eiffel Tower on it. It was historical fiction, romantic, and had a lovely name: To Capture What We Cannot Keep.
I read the first chapter sometime in January, then set it down and didn't pick it up again until a week ago, after which I read the rest in two sittings. And, if I had less respect for my day job in the mornings, it would have been one sitting.
On the one hand, the story was quick-paced and interesting enough to flow through most of the story. That's clearly a positive.
On the other hand, I was able to set the book down for eleven months. Yes, eleven months. My focus was shifted to the Dark Tower series and so many other books I read, but I should probably not have been able to stay away from it for that long. So that's not so positive.
But look at that cover. Is that not gorgeous? So, so lovely.
This book made me want to go to Paris, even more than I already did. The romance of the city was one thing. But what I loved about this story was the consideration of the reality of women at the time.
The plot is a romance. It follows the construction of the Eiffel Tower and one woman, Cait, a widow and chaperone, who accompanies two young adults, Jamie and Alice, to Paris. There she meets, then re-meets, Emile Nouguier, an engineer working on the Eiffel Tower. There is love, both emotional and physical, but also the consideration of finances and class rankings. Cait and Emile are from very different realities, and they weave their ways through the fabric of society and class and romance.
I enjoyed the book. I like that Beatrice Colin, the author, was implicit in much of her description of the romance. It fit the context of the story. And of course, I love the historical fiction element. The detail was rich and lovely.
"Without moving he had glanced down at her head, at the steady rise and fall of her breath. She had a tiny mole on the lobe of her left ear. Did she know it was there? It was a lover's privilege to know another's body almost better than she herself did.”
My brother said, when he first saw this book, he knew it was a "Krysta book". I think he was right.
That being said, the book did have some shortcomings. While I can say I do like the book, I didn't love it. I think I wanted stronger or more complicated characters. Alice and Jamie were spoiled brats. Cait had the potential to be a complex character, but didn't quite reach that full potential. Emile was similar. Really though, if this story was to be a romance, I wanted more connection, more depth, more feeling between them.
I think the ending is fine. I don't want to say too much about it, but suffice it to say that it was fine.
I think the role of women, particularly widows, at the time was fascinating. I'd love to see more about that. I think, had the story focused more on Cait and Emile, that development could have been there.
Overall, if you are a lover of historical fiction first, and romance second, and women's issues or class issues third, you will probably love this book. Otherwise, it is likely not going to do too much for you.
But for a quick, smooth read in a pretty time, it's all good.
And did I mention the pretty cover?
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