Map of the Heart audiobook

4+starsThis is a well written novel with a compelling storyline and mysteries to solve. It moves between present day and WWII. Dual storylines can often be bothersome and confusing but the author, Susan Wiggs, is gifted by an ability to write them so they are easy to follow, interesting, and well organized. Another of her gifts is creating believable, true-to-life characters and their relationships with each other. Kudos to her for a captivating story and respectable romance without gratuitous sex scenes and foul language. Although I am really tired of finding requisite lgbtq+ characters in nearly every novel, film, or sitcom I've experienced in recent years, Wiggs handles this tastefully. This novel is what I'd call a good beach read.

I have been a long time reader of Susan Wiggs and this is my favorite book by her. It's a wonderful story told in a dual time line with characters that readers can identify with. The settings in France are beautiful and the plot keeps the reader interested until the last page. Camille and her teenage daughter, Julie, live by themselves in a small town and both are still mourning the loss of their husband/father five years after his death. Camille used to be brave and fearless but since her husband's death in a climbing accident, she wants to live safely in her own little bubble and (much to her daughter's dismay), she wants to keep Julie in the bubble with her. A mysterious package sent to her father from his family in France, starts the three of them on an adventure to find answers to all of their questions about her father's parents. The second story line is the story of Camille's grandparents in France during WWII. These story lines are told simultaneously and when they meld together at the end, the secrets are revealed. This is so much more than a typical love story - it's a perfect blend of a love story and historical fiction and is a fantastic book to read. I highly recommend it.Thanks to librarything for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

My favorite genre—dual time line/WW II & contemporary—from a talented story teller and narrator combo. Once I started listening, I could not stop! Great listening experience. Really enjoyed it.

Este libro ha sido para mí como un soplo de aire fresco, ese libro que llega a ti en el momento justo, cuando no te sientes bien al 100% y te hace volar y desconectar de tal manera, que a veces no se encuentra palabras para ello. Concurren diversas situaciones que ocurren a día de hoy, y las trata con mucha naturalidad y delicadeza, y que para nada son fáciles sino todo lo contrario. Aceptar el hecho que nos ocurre, dejarlo ir y seguir adelante sin guardar os esos secretos años tras años, como al final acaba ocurriendo con los personajes de esta historia. Por ello al final la superación de esas dificultades los hace más fuertes y valientes, dispuestos a realmente buscar su felicidad. Quizás así expresado suena como castillos en el aire, pero realmente no quiero desvelar partes de la historia, que es mejor descubráis por vosotros mismos.La pluma de la autora es tan fresca y liviana, y sus descripciones literalmente te trasladan al lugar, sentí como si realmente estuviera en la campiña francesa, en esos campos de lavanda y campos de vid y que decir del pueblo en el que viven Camille y su hija Julie, tan singular y esas playas que describen, te hacen añorar estar por unos días perdida allí.

Loved it.

I loved the two stories happening back and forth.

What an enjoyable read! So glad I decided to download this audio version. It's been years since I've read a book by Susan Wiggs; now I remember why I always loved her books. Great story, great charaters, lots of emotionally writing. Happy reading!

Susan Wiggs is my new favorite author. She takes ordinary people and make a excellent book out of it. The book starts with Camile who lost her husband and her daughter is having a tough time with life. As the story develops you see four generations deal with their own problems that later intertwine with each other to open their eyes to solutions. Well written book and very clever.

M-a atras coperta la aceasta carte, dar nici povestea in sine nu a fost mai prejos!Camille locuieste cu fiica sa ,Julie ,o adolescenta compexata , intr-un orasel de pe litoral, sotul pierzandu-l intr-un accident. Incearca sa isi refaca viata ,dar mereu esueaza,din cauza ca nu lasa trecutul in urma ,nu mai face nimic din ce facea impreuna cu sotul ei si nu o lasa nici pe fiica ei sa participe la vreo activitate care pare mai periculoasa.Julie fiind adolescenta trece printr-o perioada de transformare specifica pubertatii si are parte de hartuiri din partea colegilor.De cele mai multe ori se destainuie bunicului, pe mama sa o evita mereu.Cand bunicul ei primeste o cutie cu lucruri vechi de-a mamei lui,misterul ii invaluie pe toti trei. Camille apeleaza la un tanar profesor de istorie care o va ajuta sa dezlege misteriosul trecut al bunici ei.Povestea e impartita in doua parti , prezentul si trecutul , mi-a placut mai mult povestea bunicii lui Camille, care traieste in perioada razboiului si lupta carea a dus-o pentru iubirea ei! . Nu mai dau nici un detaliu 🙈. Cartea e usoara ,se citeste repede. E o lectie de curaj, iubire,sacrificiu si pierdere. O recomand pentru un weekend relaxant!

This story is a standalone with dual timelines, set in present day with flashbacks to WWII-era France. This is the story of a woman that is afraid to loosen up and live because she is crippled by fear and past hurts. It’s also a story of family.Camille lives as a helicopter parent, doing her best to keep her daughter Julie safe, but mostly stifling Julie’s adventurous spirit (and her own). After the tragic death of Camille’s husband about five years ago, Camille is terrified of risk, afraid she will lose someone that she loves in another accident. When Camille’s father Henry decides that he wants to visit his homeland of France and that he wants Camille and Julie to accompany him, she initially refuses. Eventually she relents, and the trio have the summer of a lifetime.Map of the Heart actually has several intertwining story lines involving Camille, her daughter Julie, Camille’s father Henry, and Finn – a college professor that works along with Camille’s family to find missing pieces of their family history by looking at historical photographs. Camille meets Finn innocently enough, but their story become entangled not only because of business, but because the two fall for one another while working hard to determine Henry’s family’s backstory.I was so excited to start this one because I enjoy Susan Wiggs’ stories so much. When I started reading Map of the Heart, I felt like there were a ton of characters and I wondered if I would be able to keep them separate and follow the multiple little story lines. After just a few chapters, I fell into the story and found that as I neared the end, I couldn’t put the book down. The more the stories and histories of these characters connect, the better it becomes.I particularly love Julie’s part in the story. At the beginning of the book, she is struggling with school and most of her peers are making her life miserable. Add to that the overprotective nature of Camille, and Julie just isn’t happy. I really felt for this young girl with all of the pressure she was under, but I was thrilled to see that she began to grow and change once she went to France for the summer. After the summer and the change of scenery, Julie is a much happier and healthier person. I adored her throughout the entire story, so seeing her do so well by the end of the book made me very happy.I also love the theme of family that resonates so strongly throughout this story. I feel like Ms. Wiggs loves to write about family as much as she loves to write about love, because I tend to feel like her books (the ones that I’ve read, at least) feature relationships and family as much or more than romance. Camille’s story with her father and daughter is the one that I felt was the major story here, and the development of her relationship with Finn seemed to take a little bit of a backseat to that. Their relationship certainly had page time, but they only grew to be a couple while working on Camille’s family project.The way things worked out in the end was wonderful. When I finished the book, I was really touched by how everything came together and how everyone fared.The more books that I read by Ms. Wiggs, the more I want to spend time with her catalog. I’m currently working my way through the Lakeshore Chronicles series and absolutely loving it, and her next book Between You and Me is one of my most anticipated upcoming releases.I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you, Avon Books!Find this review and more like it on my blog, Into the Hall of Books!

O livro perfeito para o seu verão!! Este livro cheira a mar e dias de calor. Um dia ainda vou querer viver uma temporada numa destes aldeias pitorescas dos Estados Unidos, um sonho para realizar. Neste livro vivemos as histórias de várias personagens mas principalmente a história de Camille e da sua viagem para recuperar a alegria de viver depois da morte do marido. Faz me lembrar os livros de Nora Roberts! Adorei todas as histórias paralelas e a grande história de amor que a sua avó viveu durante a guerra. Aconselho vivamente a leitura deste livro 😉

While I gave this 4 stars, I rounded up because I wanted to keep reading, but felt that it tried to cover too much (bullying, nazis, underground allied supporter, homosexuality).