Customer Reviews

In His Arms: A Novel

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I was surprised to read in the Publishers Weekly reveiw the same word I used when describing the book to friends....the word self-conscious because that is what makes this book tedious. And yet within the pages there are those obvious insights into men, the husbands, the fathers, and the strangers that most of us have observed over time and yet rarely give voice to. In many ways the book is a cultural exploration of French love in all its manifestations. There are differences in the cultural acceptance of affairs, the sexual needs of both men and women, and mostly in the view of marriage. Although Americans like to think of themselves as sexually liberated we are the puritanical people of our forebearers. This is what kept me reading, these differences, these acceptances of what as Americans we scorn or if confronted with hide with a facade of denial. The book jacket stated that this book was a "phenomen in France" and I would love to hear this this "obsessive topic of conversation" discussed by a French group of men and women. My feeling is that my observations of the book would be considered very plebian....

A friend of mine loaned me this book because she thought I'd love it. She knows I love foreign literature, especially French novels. I couldn't get into this book though. In His Arms is the story of Camille, a librarian and writer who's in therapy. She tells her life story to her therapist in a series of flashbacks. She analyzes her parents' marriage and her own failed relationships. What transpires is a story within a story in which the author goes back and forth with the story of the narrator and the character in the heroine's novel that is also called Camille.

The story is very complex, very seductive and very French, but it is also very dull at times. The French culture is rather unique, and their uninhibited ways make Americans look like prudish nuns in comparison. However, I did not like the way the story was told. The narration came across as mechanical, the dialogue wooden. I am sure that a lot of the story and the author's voice are lost in the translation. I wish I knew enough French to read the original stories. I couldn't wait to finish this book. If you want to give In His Arms a whirl, I suggest you do as I did -- loan it from a friend.