Violette Between

...is a book about a young woman who is an artist... is in an accident... relives her love from the past... must choose the past or the present. (Sorry there isn't a picture, I can't get Blogger to cooperate with posting them.)

It is different. It is rather written well. But... I absolutely hate, let me repeat, hate books that flip from the past to the present to the past to the present and all points in between with no guide except a chapter heading "August 4-5, 2005". I hate them with such a passion that I won't read them. I have read a little over 1/3 of this book and suffered the flips from past to present while gritting my teeth. This isn't the first one like this that I've had to review... I do not know what the world of publishing is coming to... this kind of flip is becoming the norm and I have to wonder why. It does nothing for tension and it usually causes a disconcertment on the reader's part. I'm in one mind set then I have to draw back and get used to a whole new set of characters. Reading for pleasure should not be work.

Alison Strobel wrote Violette Between and if it were not for her writing, I would have tossed it to the side after the second chapter... seriously. Here's the thing. This book should have been at least 175,000 words instead of about 97,000 in order to develop both love stories. The tension is there, the conflict is there early on which makes for a great story, but the development--easing into the second story isn't there. This could very easily have been the fault of the editor and not Alison. I don't know because I didn't ask.

I immediately cared about Violette. I don't know if it was because she is an artist or because her burnt umber paint got squished all over the parking lot... I just did. Knowing she was going to have an accident, the tension built by her going after that tube of paint was delicious. Then it all fell flat... rather Violette fell flat off a ladder in the high school gym while painting a mural of knights. (I didn't spoil anything, that's on the back cover.) I also immediately cared for Christian, her love interest. He is adorable. Any guy who will buy lunch for me and bring it to me at work... hey, I'm in love!

I didn't ask Alison any questions. Either I am too embarassed because I didn't like the continuity (or lack thereof), or I am too embarassed to ask questions and then say what I have to say because I can't lie or fake it when it comes to books.

Alison, if you read this, please do not take it personally. I am old and set in my ways and I just do not want to have to get used to reading books meant for twenty year olds.