ProvençaO Lugar Mágico Onde se Curam Corações Partidos by Bridget Asher

ProvençaO Lugar Mágico Onde se Curam Corações Partidos Reviews

• 
  Sandra

  This novel has been compared to Eat, Pray, Love, a memoir that I absolutely hated. Thankfully for The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, this novel was everything that Eat, Pray, Love wasn't. It had characters that I cared about and a plot that actually moved. By the end of the book I wasn't happy it was over; I was sad there weren't more pages to read.
  
  Two years after her husbands tragic death, Heidi is still struggling to come to terms with it. Then, when her family's home in southern France is damaged in a kitchen fire, her mother convinces her to take her young son and jaded-with-life niece to France to begin repairs and renovations. There Heidi will learn more about herself and her relationship with her deceased husband, her son will grow, and her niece will harbor a life-changing secret that will bring the family together in a way they've never been together before.
  
  Heidi's character was not selfish. It would only be natural for her to take on a sense of "woe is me" because her husband was gone, but she was also focused on her son, whom she loved with all her heart. The characters in this novel are real, believable and deep. The scenery is gorgeous and themes throughout the novel are woven together. It was complex and beautiful.
  
  Note: Despite the fact that I won a free copy of this novel, that fact didn't influence my review in anyway. I genuinely loved this novel
• 
  Jodi

  I know this book has gotten a lot of good reviews but it bordered on drivel. Part of that is because while I am the first to say that recovering from grief takes as long as it takes, you have to have some desire to stop wallowing in it, bathing it in, reveling in and defining yourself by it. And that's what Heidi does. Her husband was killed in a freak accident 2 years earlier. Her business (a pastry shop) is alive only because of her business partner. Her son has become extremely neurotic. And she just doesn't give a damn. Her mother convinces to go to Provence with her son and her step-niece to renovate the old family house. There, despite herself, she find love again. But it isn't a romance. Nor is it a food memory story, though the author tried to make it so. But Heidi was so weak, so dislikable. I pitied her son and I did blame her for much of what happened as she chose to sleepwalk through life. I understood that she had a perfect marriage or at least a perfect love but celebrate that you had it, because most people never get that much. It was very well read which is why I kept listening.
• 
  Sara

  This book did not begin until page 130. Yes, that is right, you have to wade through that many pages for the story to really get its start, to become interesting. The first hundred pages deal with the depth of grief a widow has over her deceased husband and how every moment is consumed with thoughts of him and protecting their young child. The grief was overwhelming and strong and had me thinking that this was not the book that I wanted it to be. Finally, after page 100 or so our widow and her son will travel to the family house in Provence. FINALLY! If you have lasted this long it the book, this is where the story gets better. Immersed in a new country with a new language and foreign shops and people, the widow and her son start to breathe again. The dead husband is no longer all-consuming. In fact the widow starts to taste food again for the first time in two years. Soon the widow meets up with Julian, once the little boy who sat across from her when she was a child, now a grown man who shows them the town and adventures. Predictably you can see where this is headed.
• 
  Zoe

  This book touched me in a deep and personal way. I have seen countless portrayals of love; most are simplistic. All of Bridget Asher's books manage to capture this elusive concept in staggering detail and complexity. With each passing book her storytelling skills increase and she is able to reach ever higher levels of truth.
  
  In addition to love, her books give equal attention to loss and grief. Most, if not all, of this complexity comes from the melding, blending, and transforming power of these two emotions.
  
  The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted focuses more than ever on the latter emotion. What I found most striking was the transcendent nature of the characters' grief. While there have been countless portrayals of love, I have never found such a true story of mourning. There were several instances of (I'm sorry I can't come up with a better word) truth. Here is but one example:
  
  "I was painfully aware how selfish my grief was. My eight-year-old son had lost his father. Henry's parents had lost their son. And Henry had lost his life. What right did I have to use Henry's death as an excuse--time and again-- to check out?"
  
  The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted may be propelled by death-- both literal and figurative-- but it manages to have light moments, too. How could it not? Life is full of both, and this book is such a wonderful homage to just that.
  
  If I had one critique, it would be that there is the slightest tinge of corniness, or cheesiness, or hokiness, or whatever you want to call it, concerning the house in France. Chalk it up to my lack of faith in mysticism, but the repeated "miracles" were hard to swallow. As they were minor enough in the scheme of things, it is easy to let slide, especially in the onslaught of emotional resonance. (Does that even make sense? I'm having a hard time conveying this idea.) It can, perhaps, be best summed up with this:
  
  "Every good love story has another love hiding within it."
  
  and...
  
  "Grief is a love story told backward just as love is a grief story told backward."
  
  I highly recommend this book to pretty much anyone. We're talking about pretty universal stuff, after all.
• 
  Deb

  Heidi is brokenhearted and lost after the death of her husband and soul mate Henry in an auto accident. Her mother "sends" her to renovate and repair the broken down family house in a small village in Provence, along with her 7 year-old obsessive-compulsive son and her teenage niece, also suffering some heartbreak of their own.
  
  I will be reviewing this book in more detail for a Book Tour in March but I really enjoyed it. Well-written, good characters and a good blend of humor and sadness.
  
  update: here's the link to my more detailed review and a dish inspired from it:
  http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
• 
  Kimberly

  I just have to finish what I start which is how I got the end of the book. This book is a great example of why first person narrative can be frustrating; Heidi has lost her beloved husband, Henry to a freak car accident...and Heidi's narrative meanders all over the place, illustrating how her life is out of focus since Henry's death...I just found it tiresome instead of feeling her grief. I was on page 70-something and considered giving it up...but I liked the character of Charlotte, the teen with issues...but the author only skirts around the issues, there is no real explanation for some of the characters motivations. There was no build up, no suspense to the discoveries Heidi needs to make...it took me a few extra days to finish it, I kept waiting for a twist or turn...
• 
  Heidi

  It took me to well over half way through this book to forgive the author for making this a sappy romance instead of a book about Heidi going to France to put her mother's house and herself in order. It was in my humble opinion for too heavy on Heidi's grief which she obviously wanted to keep hold of instead of living. I thought the book was just okay and cannot say I would recommend it to anyone.
• 
  Angie

  3.5 stars...
  
  Parts of this book I really liked, but it took a bit to get to them. The first almost third of the book drags a bit with details of Heidi's grief over her Husband, who has been dead for 2 years. She wallows in it, refusing to accept and move on. The story finally moves on and gets interesting once Heidi moves to Provence at her Mother's prodding and starts to see and feel a little again.
• 
  Lance Carlson

  never rose above chicklit.......i shoulda checked reviews before reading. when women write romantic novels the men are always reduced to incredibly handsome, sensitive, always concerned about the women's needs and never theirs......should be in the fantasy genre.
  ah...well......on to something better and slightly less ensconced in romantic fog
• 
  Mafi

  3,5 estrelas Um livro já antigo de uma editora que acho que já nem existe ou pelo menos já não publica este tipo de livros. Um livro cliché que fala de superação da morte de alguém, que fala de família. A tradução é exemplar, hoje em dia já nem se traduzem romances assim, com isto quero dizer que este simples romance tem mais de 50 notas de rodapé e no final até tem uma página com perguntas sobre o livro e temas de debate! Apenas a pontuação não é maior porque duvido que daqui a uns tempos me lembre dele mas no geral gostei tanto da história como das personagens.
• 
  María

  4 de 5 estrellas.
  - Lo mejor: El entorno, la maravillosa provenza francesa. La felicidad de las cosas sencillas, la forma de encontrarse, de perderse y de salir adelante.
  - Lo peor: Un tanto previsible y con un toque algo dramático que entristece un poco.
  - El mejor personaje: Abbot, es adorable... un niño especial
  - El que menos me ha gustado: Daniel, que ser tan tan egoísta.
  
  Lo recomiendo para estos días de verano, es entretenido, sentimental y te permite viajar a un pueblo precioso
• 
  Janelle

  Very predictable, I found the characters unrealistic, unsympathetic and hard to follow at times.
• 
  Donna

  This was a book challenge read for me. I didn't think I'd care for this one, but I actually liked it, even though the romance was predictable and a little too sweet. The story was also slow to start. The set up seemed like it took forever, but I liked Heidi, the MC, and her son Abbott. The story was also a "feel-good" fluffy kind of book. Some of this had me laughing out loud and some of it had me rolling my eyes. But it fit perfectly into my day. So 3 stars.
  
  
• 
  Peachyteachy

  Horrible, predictable, tedious- had to force myself to finish it. So much whining- it was hard to feel anything but impatience for the protagonist.
• 
  Giuls

  Questo libro non mi ha convinto del tutto.
  Nel complesso non è un brutto libro, però non ha rispecchiato le mie aspettative, anzi.
  
  L’inizio è veramente lento e troppo noioso: non so bene che forza di volontà mi abbia fatto superare le prime 100 pagine senza buttare il libro giù dalla finestra.
  Non succede nulla, le pagine sono un continuo di Heidi che si lamenta per la morte del marito e per il fatto che tutti pensano che dovrebbe cercare di superarla.
  Poi, finalmente, arriviamo in Provenza e lì le cose iniziano a risvegliarsi un po’. Esattamente come la protagonista, che finalmente si risveglia dal torpore della sua vita e inizia a superare gli avvenimenti di due anni prima e ad innamorarsi di Julian.
  Nel complesso, in realtà, è tutto molto prevedibile.
  
  Per quel che riguarda i personaggi, devo dire che alcuni mi sono piaciuti molto, altri decisamente no.
  Tra i no, al primo posto spicca la protagonista: sua mi è piaciuta la crescita che subisce il personaggio, la sua capacità, alla fine, di ricominciare ad amare. Però per tutto il tempo sembra quasi che non lo voglia fare e questa sua modifica avviene praticamente in un battito di ciglia e nemmeno te ne accorgi. Inoltre l’ho trovata abbastanza piatta e noiosa.
  Negativo anche Julian, che per un sacco di pagine potrebbe benissimo essere sostituito con un manichino. Non viene mai descritto come vera e propria persona, solo come ciò di cui Heidi ha bisogno in quel momento.
  E allora vi chiederete: Che personaggi mi sono piaciuti? La risposta è tutti quelli secondar. In primis vi è Charlotte, che ho trovato un personaggio molto forte per la sua età, con la testa sulle spalle. E poi Abbot, che mi ha fatto molta tenerezza. Anche Abbot subisce un’evoluzione importante e devo dire che anche questa è stata un po’ affrettata, ma al contrario rispetto a sua madre: al posto di avvenire completamente alla fine del romanzo, avviene appena arrivano in Provenza.
  
  La cosa migliore del libro, però, è rappresentata da tutte le storie sulla casa e sull’amore: mi hanno molto affascinato e credo che siano state queste a farmi continuare, e finire, la lettura.
  
  Nel complesso il libro risulta però molto mediocre e scontato. Una lettura che non consiglierei.
  
• 
  Ana Duque

  Un libro delicioso sobre los nuevos comienzos. Muy feelgood.
• 
  Deyse Carvalho de barros

  Singela e sabiamente fala do resgate da escuta a si mesmo, por meio das linguagens da alma: o sentir e as sensações
• 
  Latarsha

  If you had asked me 50 pages in, I would have said this book is a waste of time and worth about 2 stars if you're feeling particularly generous that day. Now that I'm done reading it, I would give it more like 3.25 stars.
  
  The plot is known: Heidi Buckley is still mourning the death of her husband who passed away in a car accident the year before. Heidi's 8 year old son Abbott, has become obsessive compulsive as a way to manage his own grief. Heidi's mom is heartbroken that the family summer home in the south of France (isn't that where your summer home is located?) has been damaged due to a fire. The house is the backdrop to centuries of love stories and apparently has the power to heal a broken heart. Heidi's mom dispatches Heidi, Abbott and Charlotte, the sarcastic stepdaughter of Heidi's sister, to go to France to repair the house and take in some of its healing powers to boot.
  
  I struggled in some critical places with this book. One, Heidi was a scatter-brained sap who I didn't feel like was grieving her husband Henry, so much as wishing he were there to do the hard stuff in life for her. He's presented as the one who kept the trains running on time in their lives and not a partner and being of his own. What was missing was sorrow. Heidi presented him as the one who'd find your lost car keys. Two, this windswept love they supposedly shared felt immature and childish. Bridget's writing felt like how you'd write about love if you were 16 and not in your late 30s as these characters were. It wasn't the love of a lifetime. It didn't have that deepness and richness you'd expect from people that really love and support each other have. It was in fact surprisingly vapid.
  
  Third, whole bits of life are just forgotten about. Heidi has a business called Cake Shop that apparently the indentured servant manages while Heidi is mourning her dead husband in France. Money also doesn't appear to be a problem either as when a robbery takes place and all their belongings are stolen, Heidi goes to the French equivalent of Wal-Mart and replaces pretty much everything. That on top of the money to renovate this healing summer home seems to just flow from unknown sources.
  
  The book picks up significantly once the brood arrives at the French house. Other characters are revealed namely Veronique, who is sort of the Morgan Freeman of French love and romance for this story. Veronique is something of a caretaker for the house and one of Heidi's mom's oldest friends. Certain secrets are revealed, the obligatory panic is interjected ("Oh no, Abbott is missing!") and resolved, new love blossoms and the ending tidies up as expected.
  
  Something about the narration of the book threw me off. It's in first person but probably should have been in third. The pacing didn't match how a person thinks in real time and while some of the musings were thoughtful and worth shoring up in the back of your own mind, there were definite shades of Lifetime movies past, present and future in these thoughts, feelings and observations.
  
  The most interesting character was Charlotte as she showed the most wisdom and insight of the whole bunch. Then again, I always find self-possession and grace in teenagers to be interesting.
  
  I might read another book by this author and while this one is not a beach read per se, it qualifies as a rainy day read.
• 
  Roberta

  Bellino anche se me l'aspettavo un po' diverso, meno corale di quanto si è rivelato. Finale poco sviluppato, a mio parere.
• 
  Lisa

  This is a good ole easy read which is good for a sunny day (or cloudy as we have in the Pacific Northwest) when you need to feel some love!!
  
  This story is about Heidi who has recently lost her husband, Henry, and is now lost in a cloud of sadness and remembrances. Fortunately she has her son Abbott, who I am sure keeps her grounded. Heidi's mother and sister, seeing that she is in the rut that she is in, "force" her to go to the family home in France (you wouldn't even have to think about forcing me - I'm on it right this minute!!).
  
  This house holds some sort of "magic" which opens the heart and frees one's mind. Can this "magic" help heal Heidi? You will have to read the book to see!! The story also involves a handsome Frenchman (ooh la la!!); Charlotte, a 16-year old who is battling her parents; and other various but important characters. It is nice to "fall into" this story and feel the love that comes out of it.
  
  I'm now planning a trip to France.... (in my dreams!!).
• 
  Jane Gregg

  Forget the title. This is a better book than what that indicates. I bypassed this book in the library for ages because the title simply made my teeth ache for sweetness. And yet the Provence bit continued to draw me to it. This is in fact not a sweet book. It is a rich book about grief, loss, restoration and hope. Things that we need to know more about. Also - quite, quite beautifully written. Recommended.
• 
  Sandra

  I loved this novel. It's aimed at the heart, big-time. I teared up so many times reading it. I adored being back in France; Asher evokes that setting wonderfully, the food, the light, the French. She is especially spot-on in bringing to life the sweet and sad complexities of family life. Three thumbs up.
• 
  Andreia Silva

  #desafiodeleitura2017
  
  
  Categoria: Livro de um autor que nunca tenhas lido
  
  
  Ebook #1
• 
  Rita Chapman

  I should state that I read the abbreviated version of this in Reader's Digest so I may have missed some of Heidi's grieving which I can understand some readers have found tedious. However I can recommend the Reader's Digest version which features Provence, love and complex family situations. For me it was the fanciful tales surrounding the house which made the story.
• 
  Julia Butz

  A thoughtful story that puts you inside the head of a grieving widow as she tries to move on with life. A clean romance story, with well written descriptions and characters.
• 
  Adelaide Silva

  Um livro dividido em duas partes, uma sobre superação à morte e outra sobre mecanismos de recuperação à tristeza.
  Para quem gosta de livros com receitas aconselho este 😉
• 
  Nicola L

  (This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk)
  
  "..We were told the house could make love manifest. It was capable of performing miracles."
  
  I have to say first of all that even though this book was well written it was actually even more depressing initially than I expected from the title! I wasn't expecting a wholly happy story, obviously- but this book was a bit of a slog to get through from the go and I did wonder if I should continue to persevere with it. I was having a fairly happy Friday- until I opened this!
  
  Joking aside, it does get off to a bit of a slow start and for me doesn't get going until about a quarter of the way through- so be prepared for that. The book centres on Heidi, a pastry chef who is still struggling with her grief two years after the death of her husband, Henry. Bringing up their young son on her own, she still seems to be in a fog, and its her well-meaning (interfering) sister and mother who suggest that she take some time out at the long-abandoned family home in Provence for a `lost summer' and a way of getting back a bit of herself. Heidi heads to France with her son and her niece and whilst there learns about love, loss and most importantly- healing.
  
  Though I've probably made that sound a bit like this is a self-help book, it was inferred to be more of a foodie-type romance which is why I bought it. I have to agree with the other reviewer that the romance is a bit lacking though and seems a bit rushed- although the descriptions of Provence itself are beautiful and you can imagine yourself being there. I think though for me, I was never fully engaged with this book the way I'd hoped to be as I couldn't really get into Heidi's head. I think that's because the start of the book was so angst-ridden and emotional that it was a bit bogged down in detail and you learned more about Henry than about her and she retains a real sense of distance from the reader (perhaps she was intentionally written this way?). Situations were depicted very well but perhaps in an overly wordy, sentimental manner and she always seemed to be reflecting on encounters with Henry through flashbacks. I feel that the author `tells' you rather than `shows' you certain things which doesn't always work for me.
  
  Nevertheless, Heidi's determination to keep Henry's memory alive for her son is admirable and lies at the heart of this novel. Poor little Abbot has been deeply affected by his father's death and along with a fear of people leaving him and him constantly worrying, he also has OCD. Abbot is depicted very well. The strongest character of all though is probably teenage niece Charlotte who is again angst ridden but at least knows her own mind. I didn't like Heidi's bossy, interfering sister particularly and her brother-in-law didn't make much of an impression on me either.
  
  The underlying premise of this novel is that It teaches you not to take things for granted and embrace life a bit more- you never really know what you have until it's gone. It's a story of a lost summer, family secrets and of people learning to heal after a loss. It's not the happiest novel in the world admittedly, but I actually enjoyed it though I did feel a bit sad by some of the content towards the beginning-- but I'm still glad I persevered.
  
  Recommended if you enjoy women's contemporary fiction- as I type this it's a bargain price on Kindle so would make a good holiday read! If you enjoy this then I can also highly recommend: "Sophie's Bakery for the Broken-hearted" which has a very similar premise- though much more descriptions of food in it.
• 
  Ricki Treleaven

  This week I read The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher. I know many of you have emailed me about this book, wondering when I was going to read it. I finally got around to it, and I love it.
  
  I want to warn you that if you have been grieving lately, the first 124 pages of the book might be a bit too intense because Heidi, the main character, is grieving over the death of her husband who died two years previously. They truly had a great marriage and loved each other very much. Some of the details about the marriage I find heartbreaking. I literally cried during a couple of passages because Heidi's memories of her late husband and her grief was too much for me. Making life even more difficult for Heidi is that her sister, Elysius, is about to be married, and Heidi is a bridesmaid. She is also worried for her seven-year-old son, Abbot. Abbot has been exhibiting signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: he is obsessed with germs, washing his hands, and hand sanitizer. Heidi has also allowed her grief to hinder her creativity as she has not created a single cake at her business, the Cake Shop. Heidi and her husband Henry started the Cake Shop together. They both shared a love for cooking and pastries, and they even met in a kitchen. Amazingly, a family secret is the key ingredient that eventually led to Heidi's meeting Henry.
  
  After Elysius's wedding, Heidi's French mother decides that Heidi should visit the family home in Puyloubier, Provence. The house needs work especially in the recently fire-damaged kitchen. Heidi decides that it will not hurt her to have a "lost summer" like her mother did when Heidi was thirteen. So she packs her bags and takes Abbot and her niece, Charlotte, to France. While there, Heidi regains her senses and feels alive again. She becomes interested in her creative outlet (baking), and throws lots of energy into renovating the neglected family home. She reconnects with the neighbors she knew as a child, and family secrets are revealed as Heidi and Abbot both heal.
  
  I love the setting for this book. Heidi's family home has a history, and most of the stories tend to be romantic ones. Marriages have been proposed, babies conceived, and love has flourished under its roof. It seems that the house likes attention, and it fosters romantic feelings and desires in its inhabitants. I adore books where the family homes are really characters rather than mere settings. I also enjoy books with a homecoming theme, so the whole idea that returning to the home of one's heart can truly heal heartbreak appeals to me.
  
  A glorious setting in Provence, struggling characters the reader roots for, a house that comes with its own set of lore, and a budding love story kept me reading late into the night. What more could I possibly ask for in a summer reading book? The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted will definitely cure your Summer Reading List blues.
  
• 
  Stefi Il Giardino delle rose

  Dopo la morte di Henry, la vita di Heidi sembrava non avere più senso, il suo futuro ormai spento, i suoi pensieri erano sempre altrove, aveva iniziato a perdere le cose, a perdere gli amici ed il tempo era scivolato su di lei, la vita procedeva di gran carriera, ma lei non ne faceva parte. L’unica cosa che le dava ancora un po’ di forza per tirare avanti era suo figlio Abbot, troppo piccolo per sopportare quella situazione. Dopo la morte del padre, aveva iniziato a preoccuparsi per qualsiasi cosa.
  
  L’ultima cosa che si era dimenticata Heidi era il matrimonio di sua sorella che dava a quel momento un’importanza incredibile, ma proprio in quell’occasione, l’arrivo di una brutta notizia le cambierà la vita: nella vecchia casa di famiglia in Provenza c’era stato un incendio.
  
  Quella era la loro casa delle vacanze e moltissimi ricordi ne erano legati, ma soprattutto lì dentro era racchiusa una bella storia d’amore: un loro antenato aveva chiesto ad una giovane di sposarlo, ma lei aveva rifiutato perché i suoi genitori erano contrari a quell’unione. Per dimostrare le sue vere intenzioni, donò alla ragazza quella casa che aveva costruito lavorando giorno e notte, ma tutto quel lavoro lo aveva indebolito. Si ammalò, ma lei lo curò per un anno intero. La loro vita insieme fu lunghissima e quando lui morì di vecchiaia, lei lo seguì dopo una settimana.
  
  La madre di Heidi le spiegava che la casa era nata per un gesto d’amore era quasi una casa magica perché poteva aiutare l’amore a manifestarsi, aveva il potere di unire due innamorati.
  
  Heidi poteva chiudere gli occhi e ricordare tutte le estati passate con la sua famiglia, rievocare profumi, colori, storie, tutto le riaffiorava alla mente.
  
  Il modo di raccontarci la storia è dolce e commovente, la Asher passa dai tristi ricordi del passato di Heidi, impregnati dalla devastante perdita del marito, alla luce che oltre il buio comincia a brillare quando Heidi si trasferisce nell’ incantevole paesino ai piedi del Mont Sainte-Victoire.
  
  La Asher ci fa immergere in una terra splendida, la Provenza, una regione tra il mare e le Alpi, ricca di suggestioni, di profumi, di sapori, di colori, e di notti magiche, il vento che qui si chiami Mistral, sembra accompagnare con la sua musica questa romantica storia. E’ un libro che si legge tutto d’un fiato, come la rapida pennellata di un pittore, inebriati dal vino e dal buon cibo, cullati da una commovente storia iniziata con il dolore e terminata … … a voi la scoperta!