★★★★
SYNOPSIS
The Museum of Broken Promises is a beautiful, evocative love-story and a heart-breaking exploration of some of the darkest moments in European history.
Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated - a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby's shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.
Prague, 1985. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences. It is only years later, having created the museum, that Laure can make finally face up to her past and celebrate the passionate love which has directed her life
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
I loved the idea behind the novel and really enjoyed reading about the individual objects that were donated to the museum and the stories behind them. I really liked the author's writing style and the way the story alternates between the past and present. What I thought would be the main focus of the novel, the museum, actually was more of the side story which I personally found disappointing. Although I found it interesting to read about the political struggles in Czechoslovakia at that time, I also found it dominated the book more than I was anticipating and dampened my enjoyment somewhat.
I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction.
Things I loved about the book:
The Museum: What a truly magical place. I loved the description of the museum, the objects and their individual stories as well as the idea of having a place to display objects that hold so much emotional heaviness.
The Characters: Although I didn't feel drawn to any of the characters I felt each character was well developed. The jumped off of the page and I could visualise each and every one.
The Ending: I found the ending fitting. Without giving too much away it was a nice way to round the story off, it held elements of surprise and gave me a warm comforting feeling inside.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for a copy of this novel.