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A French Affair
Some secrets are too devastating to be told...When Natalie Moore is killed in a freak accident in France her mother - the very poised and elegant Jessica - knows instinctively there is more to it.However, Natalie's father - the glamorous, high-flying Charlie - is so paralysed by the horror of losing his daughter, that he refuses even to discuss his wife's suspicions.In the end, when their marriage is rocked by yet another terrible shock, Jessica decides to go back to France alone in search of some answers.When she gets to the idyllic vineyard in the heart of Burgundy she soon finds a great deal more than she was expecting in a love that is totally forbidden and a truth that will almost certainly devastate her life.Set during one long hot summer in a sleepy world of wine, food and romance, A French Affair is a deeply sensual and passionate story of love, resistance, loyalty and betrayal. Susan Lewis is the author of eighteen bestselling novels. She is also the author of the top ten bestselling memoir, Just One More Day. She lives in France. Her website address is www.susanlewis.co.uk
512 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
143 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
About the author
Susan Lewis
67 books1,202 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
October 9, 2022
Um Romance com um final inesperado. Muito interessante. Uma leitura agradável.
September 30, 2013
this was a slow burner if im honest and i have to say i ended up skipping a big chunk and going straight to the last few chapters to find out what happened. I like susan lewis but this was not one of her best. A story about a middle class family whose lives are ripped apart by death, affairs and lies.
August 19, 2018
I get very frustrated reading a horrible book, and this is one of it. The title and synopsis is interesting but the entire story is lousy. It is very long and extremely boring, there are a lot of unnecessary details. I just skimmed through the book just to finish it and to find out how Natalie died. I don't enjoy reading this book at all. Super boring!!!
March 1, 2010
I have read two other books by Susan Lewis - both of which I really enjoyed. However, this book I found to be predictable and very drawn out, I was disappointed with it.
December 24, 2016
Gostei deste livro...um bom momento de leitura!
October 6, 2022
I’m really not sure how I feel about this book? On the one hand it’s beautifully written, you can really see the settings and feel what the characters are feeling, on the other hand it was sooo long and dragged out.
To be honest I thought I was reading a book about the mystery surrounding the sudden death of a couples young daughter but it ended up taking second place to affairs, lies and betrayal it didn’t really ring true?? It’s hard to put it into words without spoiling it for other readers, suffice to say I’m struggling to know how to score this book?
To be honest I thought I was reading a book about the mystery surrounding the sudden death of a couples young daughter but it ended up taking second place to affairs, lies and betrayal it didn’t really ring true?? It’s hard to put it into words without spoiling it for other readers, suffice to say I’m struggling to know how to score this book?
July 30, 2021
Some parts of this were really good and other parts were pretty boring, but they did help set the scene for the ending.
June 27, 2014
A little about the author
Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including Don't Let Me Go, the follow-up to No Child of Mine, as well as Missing, A French Affair, and Stolen. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the deeply moving and often hilarious memoirs of her childhood in the sixties. Having resided in France and the United States for many years, she now lives in the rural county of Gloucestershire, U.K.
Plot summery reviewed
When Natalie Moore is killed in a freak accident in while away France with her nana, her mother Jessica, who was not there knows instinctively there is more to it than her mother is letting on. However, Natalie's father is so shocked by loss of his youngest daughter, that he dismisses his wife's suspicions.
We find Jessica back in France when their marriage is rocked by yet another tragedy. She goes alone in search of some answers but upon arrival at the idyllic vineyard in the heart of Burgundy she soon discovers a great deal more than she wanted to learn. As well as falling in love with her close friends partner and having a, forbidden relationship with him she uncovers the truth about her daughters death that devastates her.
We find that Jessica's husband is also unfaithful. He is in a relationship with the Jessica's friend in France and Natalie found out and she wrote in her diary about them her nana knows she is keeping a secret and tries to get her to talk to her but the girl want to talk to her mum and ends up running away from her nana in despair, trips down the stairs and breaks her neck while on the phone to her mother, which is what gives Jessica the suspicions in the beginning.
The french affair is a interesting read. Slow to start it has a strong if yet slightly predictable ending. The truth of the accident, the affair and the fallout fit well with the structure of the book. Its a good read and is suited best for a adult audience.
My star rating is: four
Posted 29th March 2013 by suzanne gardenier
Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including Don't Let Me Go, the follow-up to No Child of Mine, as well as Missing, A French Affair, and Stolen. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the deeply moving and often hilarious memoirs of her childhood in the sixties. Having resided in France and the United States for many years, she now lives in the rural county of Gloucestershire, U.K.
Plot summery reviewed
When Natalie Moore is killed in a freak accident in while away France with her nana, her mother Jessica, who was not there knows instinctively there is more to it than her mother is letting on. However, Natalie's father is so shocked by loss of his youngest daughter, that he dismisses his wife's suspicions.
We find Jessica back in France when their marriage is rocked by yet another tragedy. She goes alone in search of some answers but upon arrival at the idyllic vineyard in the heart of Burgundy she soon discovers a great deal more than she wanted to learn. As well as falling in love with her close friends partner and having a, forbidden relationship with him she uncovers the truth about her daughters death that devastates her.
We find that Jessica's husband is also unfaithful. He is in a relationship with the Jessica's friend in France and Natalie found out and she wrote in her diary about them her nana knows she is keeping a secret and tries to get her to talk to her but the girl want to talk to her mum and ends up running away from her nana in despair, trips down the stairs and breaks her neck while on the phone to her mother, which is what gives Jessica the suspicions in the beginning.
The french affair is a interesting read. Slow to start it has a strong if yet slightly predictable ending. The truth of the accident, the affair and the fallout fit well with the structure of the book. Its a good read and is suited best for a adult audience.
My star rating is: four
Posted 29th March 2013 by suzanne gardenier
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2013
Thank god i have finally Finished this book! Woo Hoo! The book has a good story but it is very slow & dragged out that before half way i struggled to continue it, but kept going and found it got much better towards the end. Its a pity its so long as otherwise it would be a good read she needs to lose bout 100-150 pages id say to make this an easy read. Dont think i could read another Susan Lewis book if thats her format.
May 27, 2015
One of the worst Susan Lewis books ever.Starts out ok then just drones on with an almost snobbish approach to food,wine, France and etc as if to bolster the book out a bit. I skipped page after page of pointless writing to get to the point where all is revealed and very much an anticlimax as I think one can more or less guess the outcome.
Very dispointing book and might I add Goodreads do not seem to talking about the same book that I read.
Very dispointing book and might I add Goodreads do not seem to talking about the same book that I read.
November 2, 2015
Um livro que tem uma boa estória, mas que de repente desencantou-me, possivelmente e escrita da autora não me convenceu.Ou a maneira de conduzir a estória não me cativou.Tive pena , pois o livro tem boas opiniões, mas...
January 27, 2013
Ok so there was a good story to this book it was soooooo dragged out and very repetitive! It shouldn't of been long as it was!
I've read worse!
I've read worse!
January 28, 2013
Good start and good end but could have cut about 100 pages out of the middle, too slow for me.
October 13, 2021
Este livro leva-nos ao quotidiano de uma família que acabou de perder um dos seus membros, Natalie que morreu misteriosamente enquanto estava a passar umas férias com a sua avó Veronica em França. Jessica, mãe de Natalie tenta superar a morte da filha, enquanto sente na sua intuição que algo de errado aconteceu, que algo estava a ser escondido dela. Durante a sua infância foi muito negligenciada pela sua mãe o que a torna ainda mais desconfiada de que aconteceu algo mais. Por isso, apesar do seu marido ser contra, ela faz as malas e decide ir para França onde a filha morreu. Uma bela quinta de vinha com paisagens maravilhosas. Já naturalmente encantada por França, Jessica sente-se mais próxima da filha que morreu nesta quinta do que em Londres, onde vive com a sua família.
A sua melhor amiga Lilian mora nessa quinta francesa com o seu marido Luc. Quando as ocupações desta a levam a quase não ter tempo para nada, Luc e Jessica passam muito tempo juntos. O que leva a sentir uma atração forte entre eles, mas que tentam resistir devido ao amor deles por Lilian. Gostei muito de ler e de ver o tipo de pensamentos que as pessoas tem nestes momentos. Afinal, não acredito que todas as traições sejam intencionais, acredito que possam haver casos em que as pessoas simplesmente perdem-se nos seus sentimentos e não conseguem controlar os seus impulsos. Achei interessante ver como a autora descreve os pensamentos e os sentimentos mistos de uma pessoa que se sente tentada a trair, mesmo sabendo que não deve. Como nunca pensei muito nisso, achei interessante ver como essas pessoas se sentem e porque fazem tudo para esconder as suas dúvidas e sentimentos.
Este livro é quase como uma viagem, no inicio muito agitado com muito mistério que quase não nos deixa largar o livro, depois do furor da partida estar concluído, passamos ao descanso como se realmente estivéssemos de férias, a história passa a um passo lento e sinuoso em que a atração entre os dois personagens principais se sente longamente, ficamos num suspense imenso à espera se dão o passo para a traição ou não... Um bom livro para quem gosta de França, vinicultura e muito suspense.
Gostei muito mais do que esperava, apesar de por vezes ter ficado um pouco exasperada com tanto mistério, mas tem uma boa descrição dos sentimentos das personagens, conseguimos quase sentir que estamos mesmo em França e ajuda-nos a refletir sobre as traições e o que é realmente importante nos relacionamentos.
A sua melhor amiga Lilian mora nessa quinta francesa com o seu marido Luc. Quando as ocupações desta a levam a quase não ter tempo para nada, Luc e Jessica passam muito tempo juntos. O que leva a sentir uma atração forte entre eles, mas que tentam resistir devido ao amor deles por Lilian. Gostei muito de ler e de ver o tipo de pensamentos que as pessoas tem nestes momentos. Afinal, não acredito que todas as traições sejam intencionais, acredito que possam haver casos em que as pessoas simplesmente perdem-se nos seus sentimentos e não conseguem controlar os seus impulsos. Achei interessante ver como a autora descreve os pensamentos e os sentimentos mistos de uma pessoa que se sente tentada a trair, mesmo sabendo que não deve. Como nunca pensei muito nisso, achei interessante ver como essas pessoas se sentem e porque fazem tudo para esconder as suas dúvidas e sentimentos.
Este livro é quase como uma viagem, no inicio muito agitado com muito mistério que quase não nos deixa largar o livro, depois do furor da partida estar concluído, passamos ao descanso como se realmente estivéssemos de férias, a história passa a um passo lento e sinuoso em que a atração entre os dois personagens principais se sente longamente, ficamos num suspense imenso à espera se dão o passo para a traição ou não... Um bom livro para quem gosta de França, vinicultura e muito suspense.
Gostei muito mais do que esperava, apesar de por vezes ter ficado um pouco exasperada com tanto mistério, mas tem uma boa descrição dos sentimentos das personagens, conseguimos quase sentir que estamos mesmo em França e ajuda-nos a refletir sobre as traições e o que é realmente importante nos relacionamentos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2017
(The plot here is not the right plot of the story. This is the plot "When Natalie Moore is killed in a freak accident in France her mother – the very poised and elegant Jessica – knows instinctively there is more to it.However, Natalie’s father – the glamorous, high-flying Charlie – is so paralysed by the horror of losing his daughter, that he refuses even to discuss his wife’s suspicions.
In the end, when their marriage is rocked by yet another terrible shock, Jessica decides to go back to France alone in search of some answers.When she gets to the idyllic vineyard in the heart of Burgundy she soon finds a great deal more than she was expecting in a love that is totally forbidden and a truth that will almost certainly devastate her life.
Set during one long hot summer in a sleepy world of wine, food and romance, A French Affair is a deeply sensual and passionate story of love, resistance, loyalty and betrayal."
Is a good mystery story . I loved the characters so much. Also feelings and Images travelled me to that place. It was beautiful and the plot twist was there till the last page. I really couldn't put it down.
In the end, when their marriage is rocked by yet another terrible shock, Jessica decides to go back to France alone in search of some answers.When she gets to the idyllic vineyard in the heart of Burgundy she soon finds a great deal more than she was expecting in a love that is totally forbidden and a truth that will almost certainly devastate her life.
Set during one long hot summer in a sleepy world of wine, food and romance, A French Affair is a deeply sensual and passionate story of love, resistance, loyalty and betrayal."
Is a good mystery story . I loved the characters so much. Also feelings and Images travelled me to that place. It was beautiful and the plot twist was there till the last page. I really couldn't put it down.
January 16, 2021
A lot of people ask me why I'm so insistent on finishing every book I ever start even if I'm not enjoying it and it's books like this that are the reason that I do. The first third of this book I really didn't like. It was long, dragged out and had some of the most incredibly annoying characters in Nikki and Melissa. Once Jessica goes to France however, the story really came into its own. Lewis is brilliant at setting the scene and I could feel the heat and the sounds of the summer and I lost myself in the second third of the book. The big secret surrounding Natalie's death was in parts predictable but there was one big shocker that I didn't expect.
Had I not pushed through the first chunk I would have missed out on the really great bits of this book so I'm very happy that I persevered.
Had I not pushed through the first chunk I would have missed out on the really great bits of this book so I'm very happy that I persevered.
March 31, 2020
Susan Lewis does a great job in this story of bringing the French countryside and vineyards to life. Such a lovely place set around a challenging story line. A child has died and many couples would struggle to get through it but when something doesn't quite feel right, Mum Jessica needs to know more and returns to where it happened. The story deals with a subject which would be very hard to read about except it manages it in a positive and happy way leading to a twist at the end.
August 8, 2025
Why did this book kinda feel traumatic I’ll never know, personally I didn’t expect it to go the way it did which made me rly shocked but I rly fell in love with ever part of it. I felt as so I’m living it and it did make me tear up a little at some point, I love the mix of French and English it gave the book such a special character and I have a deep connection w the main character “Jesica” now <3
March 22, 2020
It was a good book. Kept me guessing till the end, but I found it just too lengthy. It has been dragged unnecessarily. Since the book is about a mother finding the truth behind her daughter's death,I felt as if even after reading the whole book I don't know who natalie is (the daughter) There wasn't enough description about her. Just my thoughts! Overall it was a nice read :)
February 24, 2022
Διαβάσα το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο παλιότερα, ήταν απο τα πρώτα βιβλία που άρχισα να διαβάζω και θυμάμαι οτι μου άρεσε πολύ. Συνδυάζει ένα ατύχημα ενός μικρού κοριτσιού με ερωτικά προβλήματα της οικογένειας. Εχει ωραία περιγραφή των γεγονότων αλλά μερικές φορές γίνεται κουραστικό και ίσως οι 500 σελίδες δεν χρειαζόντουσαν.
April 14, 2024
I have read other Susan Lewis books and enjoyed them all, however, this was very disappointing. The blurb really intrigued me ... but I did not enjoy this book at all. The characters were not likeable and were very boring! I just wanted to finish it quickly to find out what happened to Natalie and that was not interesting at all.
October 4, 2017
Very enjoyable. By the end of the book, I felt like I'd truly experienced life in a french vineyard and manoir! Lovely setting, interesting characters but an (annoying!) 'secret' that only came to light at the end - and I didn't guess it all!
April 17, 2019
There’s a good story in there but it felt like a lot of unnecessary infilling. Maybe to meet the required page length. I also found the lapses into French annoying and the references to wine patronising.
October 7, 2018
I put off reading this book for a while, I'm not sure why, as I have always thought Susan's books have been brilliant. This one didn't let me down.I could not put it down. 😀
March 28, 2020
It took ages to listen to this book, and it never improved. Disappointing because I’ve really liked the other books I’ve read by this author. It was quite boring really.
April 23, 2020
Amazing story of how a horrible accident changes everyone's lives and with hard work how we can recover from it.
February 1, 2021
Loved the plot but too much unnecessary information and detail which at times I just wanted to skip. It was a bit too stretched but the twist was at least good as I didn't expect it.
August 31, 2021
Super fácil de ler, adoro a maneira como a autora escreve, é um mistério emocionante e leva-nos a viver um experiência fantástica entre traições e segredos, não deixando nunca de ser um romance.
January 17, 2022
Was a good read but could of been 150 pages shorter, great writer makes you believe you are the main character but the storyline was eeked out too much for my liking., but still a good author.
November 21, 2022
Brilliant book
I really enjoyed this book. Could not wait to turn the pages to see what was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed this book. Could not wait to turn the pages to see what was going to happen next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews