I was quite disappointed in this book. In my opinion, it was a laborious and boring read. I also thought the premise was a bit far fetched. The ending.....so abrupt! I found myself saying aloud, “WHAT?, it’s ended?” Anything else I could add would contain spoilers, so I will not utter another word. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin;s Press for this ARC and the opportunity to read and review it.

I expected more from this story. The plot kept building and building but didn’t quite make it to the ominous. I enjoyed the backstory and family dynamics of the main character, a quirky writer who moves into a CASA building filled with only artists and other creatives. The ending was very odd to me; it felt like I was only midway through to story then it ended suddenly. The plot seemed to drag out. This story had so much potential and energy yet it came out full of inertia. Wish the author would write a sequel, as it seemed there were enough unanswered questions to fill a subsequent book.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Moments like this are buds on the tree of life. Flowers of darkness they are...”
.... Virginia Woolf,
Mrs. Dalloway, 1925

“Instead of screaming,
I write books”
.... Romain Gary

The breathtaking writing in “Flowers of Darkness”, is like a delicious fruit salad. The ingredients include:
....a unique-creative story,
....memorable characters, .....and C.A.S.A residents.
....literary mystery suspense,
....consequences of what seem like inconsequential actions.
....a little blindsiding
....betrayal, lies, secrets, distrust, skepticism,
....compelling place and setting....with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Surveillance cameras.
....loneliness- sorrow - love - hope - threats - courage, intrigue,
....dystopia/ science fiction-‘light’. [the last 30% was a little over the top for my taste], ...but I LOVED sooooo many other things about this book ...which both energized my ‘old-school’ thinking—in the first 70% .....yet challenged me in a ‘REALLY????’.....kind-of-way....in the last chapters....( don’t mind me - I bumped up against my ‘yuck’ judgement)....
........THE PART I AM NOT GOING TO SHARE...( no funny- business-spoilers from me)...
....outrageous possibilities.....THEY SHOULD MAKE A MOVIE from this novel.
....Chablis: the purring soft-fur cat, is a spotlight-scene-stealing heart-warmer, luv-bug.
....You’ll meet ‘Mrs. Dalloway’.....Clarissa’s virtual assistant.
....AND.....there are wonderful tidbits mentioned about Virginia Woolf, and Romain Gary.

We meet Clarissa Katsef....an older woman - author - who didn’t publish her first book until she was fifty years old. Clarissa had just left her second husband, Francois, after twenty years.
She moves into an ultra-modern apartment in Paris. The building is brand new. Artists all had to apply to get into the residency called C.A.S.A. Many people/artists were turned away, ( it was competitive), but for those who were accepted, rent was inexpensive.
Rule/protocols were expected to be followed.
Clarissa was on the top floor - the eight floor - her view was spectacular.
Not everything ‘inside’ her apartment is spectacular....but the storytelling is fascinating.

Jordan was forty-four...(a hydrologist). She was Clarissa’s daughter - lived in London.
Toby, was Clarissa’s first husband. He lived in London.
Clarissa’s father, ( also lived in London), was 98 years old.
Francois was Clarissa’s second husband. He could have lived in a dirt hole as far as Clarissa was concern.
Andriana, (Andy), was Jordon’s daughter; Clarissa’s granddaughter.
Andy, is a spunky, adorable, bright, wise, charming, kick ass fourteen year-old. She calls her grandmother, ‘Mums’.....and I loved it!

There’s a lot going on in this story - easy to follow - but it wasn’t a speed-rush. I savored the writing, and enjoyed my thoughts between readings.
This novel was constantly on my mind; cinematically visually real....( reading and/or on reading breaks)....this book remained in the thoughts a lot.

This book might not be for everyone - ( parts definitely might be though)....
Personally- I’m THRILLED I READ IT. It’s soooo interesting!!....I hope to have lengthy conversations with other readers.

Lots of LOVELY writing:
“Physically, Jordan had inherited her father dark hair, his green eyes; she had her mothers startling height, her powerful yet graceful shoulders. She had Toby’s kindness, his interest in other people. She had Clarissa‘s belligerence, her sense of humor. But she was also very much herself: both clever and dreamy, tolerant and demanding. You couldn’t fool Jordan. She was rude and highly intuitive”.


“Virginia Woolf didn’t write to seduce readers, to hook them in from the start with glib techniques, no, not at all. Virginia Woolf cast a spell on her readers, leisurely, gently, so that they did not know at first how they had been lured, so that they followed, enchanted and docile. But she made them think; she made them wonder. She surprised them at times; she destabilized them. And that is what Clarissa admired the most: The beauty and the depths of her prose, and how Virginia Woolf let her readers into her characters’ minds, how Mrs. Dalloway‘s entire life was revealed in one single day, by dint of the ceaseless coming and going between past and present”.


And great dialogue:
....Clarissa is speaking with her granddaughter, Andy.

“Remember what you said about my apartment?” ( Clarissa begins speaking)
“Yes. That I felt someone was watching me all the time”. ( Andy speaking)
“Well, that’s exactly what’s going on. The artists who live in the residence are all spied upon”. ( Clarissa)
“Have you talked with Mom about this?”
“No”.
“Why not?”
“Your mom thinks I exaggerate. She worries about me. She thinks I forget stuff. She sees me as a disturbed old lady”.
“That’s because she loves you. And you do forget stuff, sometimes. You repeat things, too. It doesn’t bother me”.

Clarissa wanted to know why she was being watched. Were her dreams being tampered with? And Dr. Dewinter, ( the AI hotshot owner of C.A.S.A), what did she want?”

Last.... you’ll learn more about Clarissa’s two husbands- Toby and Francois. ( the what, why, when, and how comes).

Much more I could share....but I haven’t given any spoilers.
Perhaps a few flaws.... but I found this book ( overall)....very engaging.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Tatiana denRosnay

Tatiana de Rosnay is bilingual and has published books in both French and English. Flowers of Darkness, like some of her more well-known books (Sarah's Key and A Secret Kept), is set in one of the neighborhoods of Paris. Clarissa Katsef, the main character, presents two parallel threads of story.

One of these threads is the backstory of how Clarissa came to apply for and live in C.A.S.A., a special artists' apartment retreat entry to which requires a thorough and very personal interview. Clarissa's backstory, which she comes back to time and time again, is that of a successful and perhaps world-renowned writer, who discovers quite unexpectedly that her husband of twenty five years is having an affair. As Clarissa comes to turns with this betrayal, she plays detective and finds the secret love shack and eventually steels up the nerve to confront the vile adulteress who tore her world apart. Clarissa immediately walked out on her husband and decided to start life anew, leaving the wreak of her old life behind. It is a haunting, dreamlike story and Clarissa's bold decision to leave her life set her adrift and closed her off from her old world.

The second thread of the story is all about C.A.S.A., a gorgeous penthouse artist's retreat in a modern building where the occupants' every need is catered to by a virtual assistant extraordinaire, named Mrs. Dalloway. Move over Siri. Step aside Alexa. And this perhaps is where things get strange. The virtual assistant is quite personal and there are cameras everywhere. And mysterious feelings that someone is always watching. At times, it is so creepy that it feels more like a B.F. Skinner experiment than a modern apartment. And that's where perhaps we are in modern life with Google and Facebook and the ubiquitous cameras that are everywhere always watching, always knowing, always analyzing. What kind of strange mind control experiment has she gotten herself into?

Both threads of the story have a closed-off feeling, a sense of being caged up, separated, and corralled. It is a slow story, not filled with wild action, but there is a sense of a build up, of expectations rising, of a master reveal like when the curtain is lifted to reveal the wizard in the Emerald City throne room. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! For me, the ending was more a whimper than a bang and the build up of the expectations that were never fully realized, leaving the read oddly dissatisfying. I expected more at the end.

Hmmmmm... I finished reading this book yesterday (I read it in one sitting) but I wanted to wait 24 hours before leaving a review as I’m not sure how I feel about it. It wasn’t what I was expecting - the Artificial Intelligence/robots/cameras etc jarred with the narrative of the bilingual, elderly protagonist (I’m not sure if this was intentional?!)

I did however, love the relationships between mother, daughter and granddaughter. I also didn’t guess the twist about the protagonist’s husband’s infidelity!

Overall, some beautiful prose, some lovely relationships but something just didn’t gel for me.

Wait a minute... this book is about artificial intelligence, love and sex? And it's a sci-fi-thriller set in Paris?

GIVE IT TO ME NOW.

What can I say, this premise along with the futuristic/artsy cover made me drop my tbr pile to read this instead. And it certainly was a strange and unique a book as expected. The plot follows Clarissa, a recent divorcee who decided to move into a new, unique artist residency in Paris called CASA. Clarissa did not only lose her husband, but also her child. Now, although she is haunted by the dark memories, she wants to start fresh at the highly selective CASA program. On the surface, the residency is set in an ultra modern apartment with the creme de la creme of aspiring artists.

...But the reality is much weirder than it seems. Clarissa hears odd sounds and feels that she's being watched. Her subconscious knows something is very wrong, but it's difficult to explain - is she just paranoid? Big Brother seems to be watching, though is that even okay, given what the residents get in return?

Read this book if you like dystopian thrillers and sci-fi novels. Read it if you've ever wondered what role artificial intelligence will play in our private lives.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am forever grateful to #netgalley and #saintmartinspress for the ability to read and review this novel before it publishes on February 23, 2021. I’m ready to just pretend it’s 2021 already. Is that okay with y’all?

…
I’ve been a fan of Tatiana de Rosnay since Sarah’s Key, so when I spotted this new release, I knew I had to read it.
The themes of this new novel are ones we can all relate to (see description below), but the author so subtly takes you there that the act of reading seems like hypnosis (protagonist Clarissa happens to be a fan).

Reading this was like gliding on a kayak with your best girlfriend for several hours on a perfectly clear, sunny day, while leisurely eating a peach, and letting your guard down only to be pleasantly surprised by some rapids that aren’t terrifying — just entertaining and interesting — and then turning to your friend and saying, “well now! That wasn’t what I was expecting! Let’s do it again.”


Please check out this book when it is available and also get your hands on her backlist!






Description
New York Times bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay's Flowers of Darkness explores how artificial intelligence tampers with love, sex, and the basis of artistic creation in a new future Paris.

CASA is a brand new artist residency in an ultra-modern apartment, with a view of all of Paris. A dream for any novelist in search of tranquility. But is this residency a dream or a nightmare? Since moving in, Clarissa Katsef has had ominous discomfort, the feeling of being watched. Who is behind CASA? Is Clarissa right to be wary or does she too easily give in to paranoia, falling victim to an overly fertile imagination? Meanwhile, Clarissa is still haunted by the betrayal that led her to divorce.

Staying true to her favorite themes—the imprint of the place, the weight of secrets—de Rosnay weaves an intrigue of thrilling suspense to explore the threats hanging over a precious asset: our privacy.




#books #bookstagram #bookblog #bookworm #bookblogger #bookstafeatures #literaryfiction #reading #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #booklover #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #goodreads #currentlyreading #fortheloveofbooks #readersofinstagram #bookstack #booksonbooks #coffeeandbooks ⁣⁣
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This novel is told from the perspective of Clarissa, a bilingual English/French writer who is enamored of Virginia Wolfe and Romain Gary. She is currently in the midst of a separation and divorce during the post-Brexit era. Clarissa is searching for a place of her own, and finds an artist's retreat in Paris called CASA. This home becomes aless than nurturing place due to the constant monitoring by CASA founders- somewhat like Big Brother in 1984.
I found deMornay's writing rather stilted and forced in this book, much unlike her wonderful book Sarah's Key.

I was so excited by the premise of this book. However, it just could not capture my attention. From the start, the reader is enveloped by ominousness — which I loved — but there was nothing compelling me to keep reading. I was hoping there would be more tension or action early on. It's possible my expectations were off, and hopefully other readers find this to be a better fit for what they want.

Sarah’s Key is one of my top book choices, so I was thrilled to receive this advance reader copy from Netgalley. The author, and the setting of Paris is where this book is like Sarah’s key. They rest is a departure. That being said, this book is so thought provoking and flows at an excellent pace. Set in the future, but not hard to see how today’s event could lead there. Imagine how our phones and computers are keeping an eye on us. How unnerving would it be if you knew how much information they were collecting. If you’ve ever read 1984, pick up this updated edition. I think it would be an excellent book club discussion and can’t wait for its release.

de Rosnay's newest is set in Paris - in the future. A future that is sad, frightening in its possibilities, and delicious. I loved it. It kept me on the edge of my seat end I read it straight through in one sitting. Wow.

It’s THE place to be for an artist. CASA is housed in a sleek modern Paris apartment building and writer Clarissa Katsef feels blessed to be there. At least at first, then she begins to feel she’s being watched, but how can that be. Surely it’s just her imagination. Still, Clarissa can’t get over the feeling something is wrong. Is she still suffering from the fallout of a painful divorce, or is something more sinister going on. de Rosnay’s legion of fans will enjoy her newest, most original story