A beautiful, complex journey
Vida's prose enchanted me from the first page. The story follows Yvonne, a widow and history teacher as she takes a trip (alone) to Datca, Turkey. Although Yvonne is a generation older than I am, I instantly connected with her. The complexity and depths Vida managed to explore in only 200 truly astonished me. This book would be ideal for book clubs: it's short enough no one should have trouble finding time to read it, it's filled with rich, luminous prose, and it's deceptively delicate plot and pacing provide ample topics for discussion.
Rated of 5
by Marion S. (Los Angeles, CA)
The Lovers
I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn't, in fact, put it down. The author vividly captures the subtle images of Turkey, and the bond that exists between husband and wife, and mother and daughter. I would recommend it to all women, mothers, and daughters alike who have at one time, questioned their role as parents and wives and believe that hope can be redeemed.
Rated of 5
by Linda G. (Walnut Creek, CA)
Turkey's 'Lovers'
There's a certain genre in fiction; the 'woman traveling alone in foreign country when things start to go wrong' story. Though it's been done many times before, (we've all read one), not every writer can capture that feeling of isolation, that sense of impending doom and suspense that is almost Graham Greenish. Vendela Vida has nailed it with her 50 something, widowed protagonist Yvonne. From the moment her plane touches down in a small airport in Turkey, she immediately suspects she's been 'duped' with the vacation house she's leased. From there the novel takes off, pulling you along by a thread, not knowing which direction you're going. With sparkling prose, and just the right amount of suspense, Vida takes you not at all where you may have thought, but gives a satisfying resolution all the same.
Rated of 5
by Phoenix M. (Eclectic, AL)
The Independent Yvonne
Yvonne is a widow wishing to take a proactive way of dealing with her grief. She travels alone to Datca, Turkey to remember some of the adventures she enjoyed with her husband. The places are not quite the same, but Yvonne is ready for a new outlook on life in general. Yvonne was told by one grief counselor that she was trying to become invisible.Yvonne sets out to prove that statement entirely wrong. She takes a boat trip to Cleopatra's Island with Deniz, has tea with Ozlem and strikes up a friendship with a local shell collector named Ahmet. Vida provides humor also. Just wait to see what Yvonne finds in one of the guest rooms in the house she rented.
Rated of 5
by Sarah C. (Cape Girardeau, MO)
Coming of age for "women of a certain age"
Very interesting story of one woman's quest to "find" her true self after children have come of age and life changes leave her alone. Any woman of "a certain age" can relate to some part of this book. Told in a interesting easy to read setting.
Rated of 5
by Vicki R. (Casa Grande, AZ)
A haunting, moving tale
The Lovers is a moving tale of a widow's self discovery while on a trip to Turkey, where she honeymooned with her deceased husband. From the first paragraph, I was instantly transported into Yvonne's world--the heat, dust, and the unfamiliar, sometimes bizarre, landscape of Turkey, and the strange and interesting cast of characters she meets during her travels. The book is, at times, odd and almost uncomfortable to read, but in the end I was moved to tears with empathy for Yvonne. As the parent of an adult daughter I felt her pain at missing her child and her sense of being alone in the world.
I enjoyed Vida's previous novel, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, more, but I know that The Lovers will haunt me for days to come, with its intense strangeness and the connection of Yvonne's story to aspects of my own life. I enjoy how Vida spins tales set in unfamiliar locations. Reading her books opens our eyes to other cultures--with their different customs, attitudes and behavior--but also reminds us how our struggles as human beings are, indeed, universal.
Rated of 5
by Julie G. (West Hartford, CT)
The Lovers
Vendela Vida's book about a widow traveling to find herself is sure to speak to many people about love and loss. In Yvonne's escape to Turkey, the location of her honeymoon, she desperately seeks to form connections with random strangers, and one feels her sense of loneliness. What seems like a simple story ultimately has unexpected twists and turns, and the ending is utterly satisfying.
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of 5
by Carrie L. (Albany, NY)
of 5
by Phoenix M. (Eclectic, AL)
