Customer Reviews

Finding Margo

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finding Margo left me so frustrated with the character, in a good way though. In the beginning pages, Margo would react one way to her circumstances, when I wanted her to react another. The author wrote Finding Margo in such a way that one quickly becomes vested in Margo's life. Margo's husband is a verbally abusive swine that you just want to slap him into the next century.

Margo leaves her husband on the motorway when his verbal abuse reaches new heights.

The people that she encounters along the way are richly drawn giving the reader secondary characters that move the story along.

Finding Margo is Susanne O'Learys second book that I have read, the first was Swedish For Beginners which I thoroughly enjoyed as well. Thank you Susanne, I look forward to reading Fresh Powder next.

"Finding Margo" by Susanne O'Leary tells the story of a woman who had already made and accepted the choices that would determine her path. Suddenly, during a road trip in France, she is slapped in the face when one of those choices -- her sophisticated doctor husband -- shows his true, dark colors. Now, Margo must decide what she really wants -- and does not want -- in her life.

On her own in Paris, and abandoning all she has expected and accepted in the past, Margo faces a string of obstacles -- friends, mates, class structure, long-hidden family dynamics -- in discovering her new self.

To the last moment, you wonder whether Margo has in fact redirected her destiny, or if she has instead repopulated the original script. Will she realize her original choices in life were the right fit for her, or has she broken the chains that bind one to an undeviating course? You may think you see the ending but, sadly or not, the new Margo will surprise you.

The characters in "Finding Margo" are beautifully created and possess familiar and believable personalities. These people evolve in realistic and sometimes unexpected directions, a credit to Susanne O'Leary's ability to understand and portray the complexity of real-life personalities. Add in the author's Parisian city and French countryside backdrops, and you find yourself pausing to savor the scenes of this created world but feeling compelled to continue on Margo's journey -- just not too quickly please; make it last.

Susanne O'Leary has a smooth, flowing and unrestrained writing style. She has written "Finding Margo" with a playful and energetic touch, yet with a depth suitable to the eternal quandary of how one chooses to live life.

Some may think it as a strange claim, but I see "Finding Margo" as a coming-of-age story. Margo's emotionally abusive and controlling husband and her efforts to please him have in many ways stilted her growth into adulthood. When she reaches her breaking point and leaves him while in a foreign country she has no plan - she just has to escape. What follows is Margo "finding herself" in all the ways that cliché implies. Margo learns to take care of herself, stand up for herself, and make decisions for herself, all against a cultural backdrop as foreign to Margo as it will be for most readers. An excellent read.

I read this book over the course of 2 days. I was drawn to purchase this book because of the reviews I read. I would like to know - what will Margo's future hold?! Let us know, Susanne! I would love to read more!

No matter how great your life is, who hasn't dreamt of running away from everyone and everything to some exotic place. In this particular story, Margo's life was far from great so she literally walks away from her obnoxious husband... at a gas station haha! This book was a delight. The characters were hilarious, and I was a little sad when I finished the book because it was over! I'll definitely have to try some other of Ms. O'Leary's books.

This is the second novel I have read by Susanne O'Leary, and they have both been hazardous to my sleep. With my husband snoring softly next to me in the dark, I cuddle up with my laptop with its Amazon Kindle app, and read far too long into the night. This was a perfectly realized story. It has a well-contrived plot, great characters, clothes, food, travel, and twists all the way to the end. There are no red-herrings here, but the foreshadowing is so delicate you can ignore it, or posit your own conclusions.
I read Fresh Powder just a few days ago, and enjoyed it immensely. It was with some concern that I purchased Finding Margo; afraid it couldn't possibly equal Fresh Powder. But I think it even surpassed it. I'm so happy to have a new author to follow!

This is the first book I have read by Susanne O'Leary and it will NOT be my last. I enjoyed every minute of the journey this book took me on. The ending was the best and I could read that part over and over. Great job Susanne.

Margo has been married for ten years when she finally gets enough of her husband's emotional abuse. He blows up at her one time too many and, without making any plans, she simply walks away at a rest stop in France. From there Margo learns how to make her way in the world and discovers what she really wants out of life. Over a period of months she grows as a person and learns she can survive even when she's removed from her former life of privilege.

The setting and the customs of France were really interesting to me since I've never been there. The characters were well-drawn and all of them, including Margo, had their flaws as well as their good points.

Although there were no real surprises in the plot, the solid writing and the characters drew me in and I stayed up late finishing the book, which came to a satisfying conclusion. Ms. O'Leary is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her books.

Have read all three of Ms O'Leary's books and liked them all but this one is my favorite. Good read, stayed up all night finishing it. Thanks susanne

I enjoyed, Finding Margo. At one time or another, haven't we all felt like leaving our current lives behind and embarking upon a new one? That's exactly what Margo does ~ and it opens up a whole new world to her. The book takes place in France, needless to say, I couldn't resist...Love international settings, so I'm definitely looking forward to reading, Swedish for Beginners, by this author.