Did anyone else think the book had a slow start?

I found it hard to get into the book until the second half. I was glad I kept on because the second half went fast. I think the first half was necessary to understand the second half but the first half was kind of boring.

Yes, I agree with you. It was lots of description. It was setting the stage for the rest of the book.

Yes! I'm glad you thought so too. Plodding was the word that came to my mind. But once Maud was "drowned" it really picked up. That's why I have a 100-page rule. If a book isn't interesting by 100 pages in, it's probably never going to be.

I agree with jeannew I usually have a 100 page rule myself. I'm glad I kept going with this book but I was about to give up on it. Then Maud got accused of stealing from the countess and things picked up after that.

I actually enjoyed it from the beginning! I was curious about Paris during that time period.

Yes, and none of the characters appealed to me. They all seemed very shallow and insipid. Maud's immediate attachment to Sophie was totally incomprehensible and I couldn't figure out why they were going to kill her. I almost gave up, too. The second half was somewhat better but I got bored with the whole revenge thing.

I thought so too. I had a hard time getting into it, even though I appreciated the writer's graceful language and descriptions of the setting. Maud was so guarded and we did not get into her head or heart very deeply, in the early part of the book. I wondered if that was to lull us... a little mystery, but mostly all is looking good... until suddenly the Morels turn on her and she gets thrown into the river. Then the pace picked up, and when the flood came along, the story just swept along with it. Interesting approach, but risky. Some readers might not have stuck with it.

Did I ever! As well, it had slow moments in many places, in my opinion. The dramatic pacing was never established. I did not feel a sense of urgency at the moments when I should have felt it and that made for a LONG and disappointing read.

I have never said this before, but I really feel like her editor let her down. Either that, or this was the best the editor could salvage. I will never know.

What I do know is that I was truly disappointed in the book as a whole due to this.

I did think the book was a slow start for me. However, someone told me one time that you need to read at least fifty pages before you give up on it. After fifty pages, the plot of the book unfolds to the point where you either want to continue or give up.

I think it was a little slow but I am interested in that period so I didn't find it hard to continue reading. I'm so used to reading about the male artists of the period that it was refreshing to see everything from the woman's perspective.

I did think it dragged and found myself wondering if there was actually going to be a plot to this book! The attempted murder of Maud felt like I finally woke up and started reading because I wanted to.

I didn't think it was slow starting. I enjoyed it right from the beginning.

I agree that it was a slow start....and while I think background and description are necessary for any plot to be workable, for some reason in this one it felt disconnected to me. There was so much time spent in the Lafond studio in the first 1/4(ish) of the book, and none for the rest of the book. So much time was dedicated to discussing the craft of painting, and then almost nothing the rest of the book. In addition to being slow (for me) it felt disjointed. I realize it was set up for the entire rest of the novel, but I wish there had been a way to weave a little more of the studio throughout the rest of the book, because it seemed so important in the beginning ... I was wondering what happened or if I missed something when they never went back.

Yes. The thought about abandoning the read but things picked up fortunately.

I did not think it was a slow start, I was interested in Maud right away. I did think the close friendship between the three girls developed too quickly. It did not seem reasonable to me

I thought it was okay, Maud was interesting. I started having questions right away about why Tanya was taking Maud under her wing and wondered about how Yvette was going to fit in since she was so different in background from the other two. All three seemed like odd ducks and so they gravitated to each other. The descriptions of the paintings also made me curious. Who painted them? Why was the author describing them?

I agree that the book had a really slow start. The older I get, the harder it is for me to stick with a book for more than 50 pages if I can't get into it! I have too many other books to read.... But I am glad I stuck with it.

Yes, it was horribly slow. I almost gave up on it as I too have a "100-page rule". This one barely made it. But once it got started it never slowed down. So I thought was worth it.