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Voyeur
WRITER SEEKS ASSISTANT TO HELP WITH ARCHIVING/RESEARCH FOR A NEW NOVEL. Don't bother to apply if your name is Shakespearean or classical.
PARIS AND SOUTH. PART-TIME.
Leah, a young woman who has found herself 'ambitioned' out of London, is now aimlessly adrift in Paris. Tired of odd jobs in cafés and teaching English to unresponsive social media influencers, her heart skips a beat when she spots an advert for a writer seeking an assistant.
Michael was once the bright young star of the London literary scene, now a washed-up author with writer's block. He doesn't place much hope in the advert, but after meeting Leah is filled with an inspiration he hasn't felt in years.
When Michael offers Leah the opportunity to join him and his family in their rambling but glorious property in the south of France for the summer, she finally feels her luck is turning. But as she begins to transcribe the diaries from his debauched life in 1960s Soho, something begins to nag at Leah's sense of fulfilment; that there might be more to Michael than meets the eye.
PARIS AND SOUTH. PART-TIME.
Leah, a young woman who has found herself 'ambitioned' out of London, is now aimlessly adrift in Paris. Tired of odd jobs in cafés and teaching English to unresponsive social media influencers, her heart skips a beat when she spots an advert for a writer seeking an assistant.
Michael was once the bright young star of the London literary scene, now a washed-up author with writer's block. He doesn't place much hope in the advert, but after meeting Leah is filled with an inspiration he hasn't felt in years.
When Michael offers Leah the opportunity to join him and his family in their rambling but glorious property in the south of France for the summer, she finally feels her luck is turning. But as she begins to transcribe the diaries from his debauched life in 1960s Soho, something begins to nag at Leah's sense of fulfilment; that there might be more to Michael than meets the eye.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2021
64 people are currently reading
4816 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
December 31, 2022
The one word I would use to describe this book is “overwritten” — there’s so many moments of beautiful writing but they’re drowned out by the sheer volume of unnecessary details. We really move at a snails pace for most of this book, and I audibly sighed every time I turned the page to see the next chapter was Michael’s POV for the first half of it.
I’ve never known a novel to drag so much in the middle, but I’m glad I persevered because the final quarter is pretty captivating (albeit still slightly too drawn out). The payoff is definitely there, but you have to work for it by wading through sprawling ramblings about totally irrelevant interactions.
Also, take a shot for every time the author uses the words “smarting” or “misanthropic” (or replaces random nouns with an italicised french equivalent) and you’ll be HAMMERED.
I’ve never known a novel to drag so much in the middle, but I’m glad I persevered because the final quarter is pretty captivating (albeit still slightly too drawn out). The payoff is definitely there, but you have to work for it by wading through sprawling ramblings about totally irrelevant interactions.
Also, take a shot for every time the author uses the words “smarting” or “misanthropic” (or replaces random nouns with an italicised french equivalent) and you’ll be HAMMERED.
June 3, 2021
This only really became interesting to me around 70% in. The frequent use of Italics interrupted the reading experience for me. I also found that the splices of sex and food descriptions felt out of place and disjointed. So overall it didn’t flow very well.
Additionally the characters felt a little flat and/or predictable and all unlikeable apart from one.
Additionally the characters felt a little flat and/or predictable and all unlikeable apart from one.
June 10, 2021
Leah is in her mid-twenties, a Brit living in Paris, teaching English and working in a café, and she’s feeling some very typical mid-twenties feelings. ‘I was three years out of university and I was floundering. I felt already like I’d peaked; like my promising adolescence had been an anomaly.’ Seeking a change, she answers an oddly worded advert for an ‘archiving/research’ job and finds herself working for author Michael Young – formerly an enfant terrible of the literary scene, now in danger of being seen as somewhat washed up.
What ensues is partly Leah’s coming-of-age story, one that pans out as she grows closer to the bohemian Young family. It also has a more plot-driven strand, propelled by chapters told from Michael’s point of view, in which we learn his real reason for hiring Leah: her physical resemblance to Astrid, an old girlfriend he seems to consider the love of his life. As Leah is tasked with editing his diaries, the question of what happened to Astrid becomes increasingly sinister and urgent.
Voyeur is both a very current idea for a novel, with ideas about privilege and the male gaze as its touchstones, and very old-fashioned in its dense prose. Leah’s voice is far from the clipped, pared-back tone one usually finds in narratives about young millennials – if the story hadn’t been set circa the mid-2010s I would’ve thought she was in her sixties and reflecting on the follies of youth, but as the book progresses it gradually becomes easier to perceive her as a somewhat precocious/pretentious twentysomething given to romanticising and dramatising every inch of her own life. Still, the writing really comes into its own when we’re with the younger Michael and Astrid. These sections are so arresting that I occasionally resented cutting back to yet another scene of Leah & co going to a party or getting drunk on the beach.
Voyeur is one of a trio of books I have recently read with similar themes – ambition, ego, entitlement, unequal relationships – and, as with the others (A Ladder to the Sky and The Favour), it’s almost completely devoid of likeable people and compelling because of, not in spite of, that. It touches on questions of class, living in another language (observations here that reminded me of Fifty Sounds), and the thorny idea of ‘potential’ and the crippling, impossible pressure of living up to it. Wrapped within all that is a truly gripping mystery that kept me turning the pages.
(I do feel like I need to mention somewhere that this is one of the rawest review copies I’ve ever received – so clearly unedited that I’m inclined to forgive the many odd style quirks that would have irritated me in a finished book, and also quite curious to see how the final product might differ.)
I received an advance review copy of Voyeur from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Linktree
What ensues is partly Leah’s coming-of-age story, one that pans out as she grows closer to the bohemian Young family. It also has a more plot-driven strand, propelled by chapters told from Michael’s point of view, in which we learn his real reason for hiring Leah: her physical resemblance to Astrid, an old girlfriend he seems to consider the love of his life. As Leah is tasked with editing his diaries, the question of what happened to Astrid becomes increasingly sinister and urgent.
Voyeur is both a very current idea for a novel, with ideas about privilege and the male gaze as its touchstones, and very old-fashioned in its dense prose. Leah’s voice is far from the clipped, pared-back tone one usually finds in narratives about young millennials – if the story hadn’t been set circa the mid-2010s I would’ve thought she was in her sixties and reflecting on the follies of youth, but as the book progresses it gradually becomes easier to perceive her as a somewhat precocious/pretentious twentysomething given to romanticising and dramatising every inch of her own life. Still, the writing really comes into its own when we’re with the younger Michael and Astrid. These sections are so arresting that I occasionally resented cutting back to yet another scene of Leah & co going to a party or getting drunk on the beach.
Voyeur is one of a trio of books I have recently read with similar themes – ambition, ego, entitlement, unequal relationships – and, as with the others (A Ladder to the Sky and The Favour), it’s almost completely devoid of likeable people and compelling because of, not in spite of, that. It touches on questions of class, living in another language (observations here that reminded me of Fifty Sounds), and the thorny idea of ‘potential’ and the crippling, impossible pressure of living up to it. Wrapped within all that is a truly gripping mystery that kept me turning the pages.
(I do feel like I need to mention somewhere that this is one of the rawest review copies I’ve ever received – so clearly unedited that I’m inclined to forgive the many odd style quirks that would have irritated me in a finished book, and also quite curious to see how the final product might differ.)
I received an advance review copy of Voyeur from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Linktree
September 3, 2021
Taip mane ji intrigavo ir taip nuvylė. Tokia ale pretenduojantis į biški snobišką istoriją. O rezultatas tiesiog joks.
Britė gyvenanti Paryžiuje pamato skelbimą, kad žinomas pagyvenęs rašytojas ieško asistentės. Aišku ji tą darbą gauna ir kartu su visa didele rašytojo šeima išvažiuoja atostogauti dideliam šeimos name pietų Prancūzijoje. Ten jai reikia suspausdinti senus rašytojo dienoraščius. Kur veiksmas nukeliai į 60ųjų Lonodno Soho rajoną. Biški meilės, biški tragedijos, biški literatūros. Ir finale toks lengvas bezdalas gavosi
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Britė gyvenanti Paryžiuje pamato skelbimą, kad žinomas pagyvenęs rašytojas ieško asistentės. Aišku ji tą darbą gauna ir kartu su visa didele rašytojo šeima išvažiuoja atostogauti dideliam šeimos name pietų Prancūzijoje. Ten jai reikia suspausdinti senus rašytojo dienoraščius. Kur veiksmas nukeliai į 60ųjų Lonodno Soho rajoną. Biški meilės, biški tragedijos, biški literatūros. Ir finale toks lengvas bezdalas gavosi
Net pasigailėjau išsvaiščius audible kreditą
June 10, 2021
I feel a bit grimy after finishing this, like I need a good wash. It’s like I was privy to lives and thoughts I absolutely did not need to know and I suppose I enjoyed it, which makes me feel very gross indeed.
Voyeur is told in a hazy, summery way but explores class, sex and drugs with a cast of self important British expats around the time of Brexit (2016). Most of the characters are unlikeable but at the same time they are compelling and maybe it’s just me but my disdain for them made me want to read on. It was interesting uncovering the threads of Michael’s former life along with Leah, piecing together his fragmented chapters to create a narrative that was actually quite evocative.
I read this in the space of two days so I know I enjoyed it, but I feel like the loose ends at the end of the novel were wrapped up quite quickly - we spend so much time in the depths of these characters thoughts and yet I felt like there was something missing. 4 stars because I can’t give it an exact 3.5, but it hovers around there for me.
The moral I got from this book overall is that rich people should do less drugs!
Voyeur is told in a hazy, summery way but explores class, sex and drugs with a cast of self important British expats around the time of Brexit (2016). Most of the characters are unlikeable but at the same time they are compelling and maybe it’s just me but my disdain for them made me want to read on. It was interesting uncovering the threads of Michael’s former life along with Leah, piecing together his fragmented chapters to create a narrative that was actually quite evocative.
I read this in the space of two days so I know I enjoyed it, but I feel like the loose ends at the end of the novel were wrapped up quite quickly - we spend so much time in the depths of these characters thoughts and yet I felt like there was something missing. 4 stars because I can’t give it an exact 3.5, but it hovers around there for me.
The moral I got from this book overall is that rich people should do less drugs!
January 18, 2022
I found this book so difficult to get through. Not only is the language ridiculous and pretentious but the way it jumps through time constantly made it very difficult to follow and it really didn’t have a flow. The book switches perspective’s throughout but I couldn’t have cared less about Michael’s perspective and they were painfully male (which is what I think the author was aiming for) - I would have much preferred to just have Leah’s perspective as there is already so much from Michael in his diaries. I did like the ending where there is a hue contrast between Leah who changed and Michael who is exactly the same which was difficult to accept as a reader but had a strong impact nonetheless.
December 28, 2021
Rounded down because there's several identical 5 star reviews from shallow accounts that all like one another's five star reviews...Thought it was an average book but this pathetic marketing from either the publisher or author's friends has sullied even the mediocre 3 stars I initially doled out.
Many thanks to the publisher, Tinder Press, for allowing me to read an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Leah, a young British expat in Paris, takes a job as an editorial-cum-personal assistant to Michael, a prolific British novelist based in Paris, and is invited to work through the summer from his holiday home in St. Luc alongside his family. Voyuer started off fast-paced and witty, and for awhile there was an interesting interplay as to who was the titular voyeur: is it Michael in the most literal sense, as an entitled, perverted narcissist, or is it Leah, reading Michael's diaries as a youth in 1960s London, learning all his mistakes and pretenses, and observing the tense dynamic of his family?
Unfortunately this rhythm reached a sticky, slow middle before unravelling completely toward the end for me.
I had no sympathy for either of the narrating characters, Leah is used by Michael in a perverse fantasy and to redeem himself for a past mistake, he is the celebrated author who is a horrible person at heart, but Leah was was equally apathetic, self-destructive and dismissive of people who mean her well before decrying that nobody likes her. She is a member of the working-class milieu who in the same breath denounce middle-class families like the Youngs as elitist and delusional, but takes advantage of their generous offerings of holidays and company, and is utterly delusional in her own relationships (I would also add on that if she's "slumming it" in Paris on low wage and unreliable jobs, then she isn't doing too bad).
The writing in Voyuer is strong and stylish, with some acerbic commentary here and there on class and politics, but eventually the pages, dripping with clever adjectives and metaphors to describe something irrelevant, become cloying and frustrating. Similarly, the secrets and surprises are withheld and drawn out until the end, but when you get there it's very low impact and due to the messy intertwining of POV's and timelines, I had to re-read a chapter or two to double check it was the dénouement for the whole story, not just one timeline. Another stylistic choice I hated was the stuffing in of French words to describe one thing, we know the narrator is fluent, and judging from the excerpts of French literature and philosophy preceding some chapters, I'm going to guess the author is too - we don't need to have the word for milk, telephone, or something equally trivial interspersed throughout the text.
Francesca Reece writes very well and I would check out her future work but ultimately, the plot was too anti-climatic and the narrative too messy for me to go above 3 stars.
Many thanks to the publisher, Tinder Press, for allowing me to read an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Leah, a young British expat in Paris, takes a job as an editorial-cum-personal assistant to Michael, a prolific British novelist based in Paris, and is invited to work through the summer from his holiday home in St. Luc alongside his family. Voyuer started off fast-paced and witty, and for awhile there was an interesting interplay as to who was the titular voyeur: is it Michael in the most literal sense, as an entitled, perverted narcissist, or is it Leah, reading Michael's diaries as a youth in 1960s London, learning all his mistakes and pretenses, and observing the tense dynamic of his family?
Unfortunately this rhythm reached a sticky, slow middle before unravelling completely toward the end for me.
I had no sympathy for either of the narrating characters, Leah is used by Michael in a perverse fantasy and to redeem himself for a past mistake, he is the celebrated author who is a horrible person at heart, but Leah was was equally apathetic, self-destructive and dismissive of people who mean her well before decrying that nobody likes her. She is a member of the working-class milieu who in the same breath denounce middle-class families like the Youngs as elitist and delusional, but takes advantage of their generous offerings of holidays and company, and is utterly delusional in her own relationships (I would also add on that if she's "slumming it" in Paris on low wage and unreliable jobs, then she isn't doing too bad).
The writing in Voyuer is strong and stylish, with some acerbic commentary here and there on class and politics, but eventually the pages, dripping with clever adjectives and metaphors to describe something irrelevant, become cloying and frustrating. Similarly, the secrets and surprises are withheld and drawn out until the end, but when you get there it's very low impact and due to the messy intertwining of POV's and timelines, I had to re-read a chapter or two to double check it was the dénouement for the whole story, not just one timeline. Another stylistic choice I hated was the stuffing in of French words to describe one thing, we know the narrator is fluent, and judging from the excerpts of French literature and philosophy preceding some chapters, I'm going to guess the author is too - we don't need to have the word for milk, telephone, or something equally trivial interspersed throughout the text.
Francesca Reece writes very well and I would check out her future work but ultimately, the plot was too anti-climatic and the narrative too messy for me to go above 3 stars.
August 12, 2021
I am left feeling disappointed because the promise and potential of this book was not realised for a variety of reasons: flat, stereo-typed characters; lack of momentum; poor structure; jumbled timeline and ultimately no real investment by the reader in anyone except perhaps Astrid. I was waiting for something to happen and plot development for too long and most of the little action that came occurred in the last 60 pages. Frustrating and a shame. It could have been better.
June 22, 2021
Gorgeously written and utterly seductive, this is the best book I've read all year. So many contemporary millennial novels are over-hyped - THIS is the elegant, insightful, savagely funny summer read that everyone should be talking about.
May 1, 2022
Warum er genau sie engagiert, weiß Leah nicht, aber neben den Aushilfsjobs als Englischlehrerin und Bedienung in einem Café ist die junge Engländerin froh, einen echten Job zu finden. Paris war eigentlich nur für ihr letztes Studienjahr gedacht, aber aus Angst vor der Arbeitswelt in London ist sie Frankreich geblieben und treibt seither ziellos durch die Stadt. Der Autor Michael Young stellt sie als Assistentin ein, die seine Tagebücher digitalisieren und seine Korrespondenz bearbeiten soll, damit er wieder die Zeit findet, sich dem Schreiben zu widmen. Gemeinsam mit seiner Familie lädt er Leah ein, den Sommer in der südfranzösischen Villa verbringen. Es klingt fast zu schön, um wahr zu sein, doch es dauert nicht allzu lange, bis am Sommerhimmel dunkle Wolken aufziehen.
Francesca Reeces Debütroman „Ein französischer Sommer“ spielt zwar im Jahr 2016, erinnert aber stark an das Bohème Leben einer längst vergangenen Zeit. Das kultivierte Nichtstun an der Mittelmeerküste, wo sich die Intellektuellen im Sommer in den Villen niederlassen, entstammt einem anderen Lebensgefühl, dazu passt auch der Schreibstil, der wundervoll fließt und sich stark von dem aktueller Romane abhebt. Auch die Figurenkonstellation ist geradezu typisch mit dem alternden, erfolgsverwöhnten Autor, seinen erwachsenen Kindern, die mit dem goldenen Löffelchen im Mund aufgewachsen sind, und der Außenseiterin, die sich zwar durch das Studium in den erlauchten Kreis der Intellektuellen vorgearbeitet hat, aber ihre Herkunft aus dem Arbeitermilieu und die fehlende Nonchalance im Umgang den Erfolgreichen und Schönen nicht verstecken kann.
Leah ist eine durchaus sympathische Protagonistin, die mit ihrem Verlorensein in der Welt und der Verweigerung eines Karriereplans einen gewissen Typ ihrer Generation repräsentiert. Sie ist in den Gedanken des Bohème-Daseins in Paris verliebt, wie sie es aus der Literatur kennengelernt hat. Die Rolle des Mauerblümchens, vom dem man ahnt, dass es unter die Räder der falschen Gesellschaft gerät, füllt sie hervorragend aus.
Als Kontrast der souveräne alternde Autor, dessen Motive zunächst unklar bleiben. Die Villa füllt sich nach und nach, Leah verliert die Distanz und fühlt sich fast schon in der Gesellschaft angekommen, zu der sie jedoch nicht gehört. Es folgen leider sehr vorhersehbare Versatzstücke – der Streit, der unerwartete Gast, der das Geheimnis lüftet, plötzlich auftauchende alte Fotos, die Fragen aufreißen – die dem Inhalt die Spannung und Originalität nehmen.
Wegen der überzeugenden Atmosphäre und der gelungenen sprachlichen Umsetzung doch noch wohlwollende Leseempfehlung, auch wenn die Geschichte leider nur eine Variante eines unzählige Male bereits erzählten Themas ist.
Francesca Reeces Debütroman „Ein französischer Sommer“ spielt zwar im Jahr 2016, erinnert aber stark an das Bohème Leben einer längst vergangenen Zeit. Das kultivierte Nichtstun an der Mittelmeerküste, wo sich die Intellektuellen im Sommer in den Villen niederlassen, entstammt einem anderen Lebensgefühl, dazu passt auch der Schreibstil, der wundervoll fließt und sich stark von dem aktueller Romane abhebt. Auch die Figurenkonstellation ist geradezu typisch mit dem alternden, erfolgsverwöhnten Autor, seinen erwachsenen Kindern, die mit dem goldenen Löffelchen im Mund aufgewachsen sind, und der Außenseiterin, die sich zwar durch das Studium in den erlauchten Kreis der Intellektuellen vorgearbeitet hat, aber ihre Herkunft aus dem Arbeitermilieu und die fehlende Nonchalance im Umgang den Erfolgreichen und Schönen nicht verstecken kann.
Leah ist eine durchaus sympathische Protagonistin, die mit ihrem Verlorensein in der Welt und der Verweigerung eines Karriereplans einen gewissen Typ ihrer Generation repräsentiert. Sie ist in den Gedanken des Bohème-Daseins in Paris verliebt, wie sie es aus der Literatur kennengelernt hat. Die Rolle des Mauerblümchens, vom dem man ahnt, dass es unter die Räder der falschen Gesellschaft gerät, füllt sie hervorragend aus.
Als Kontrast der souveräne alternde Autor, dessen Motive zunächst unklar bleiben. Die Villa füllt sich nach und nach, Leah verliert die Distanz und fühlt sich fast schon in der Gesellschaft angekommen, zu der sie jedoch nicht gehört. Es folgen leider sehr vorhersehbare Versatzstücke – der Streit, der unerwartete Gast, der das Geheimnis lüftet, plötzlich auftauchende alte Fotos, die Fragen aufreißen – die dem Inhalt die Spannung und Originalität nehmen.
Wegen der überzeugenden Atmosphäre und der gelungenen sprachlichen Umsetzung doch noch wohlwollende Leseempfehlung, auch wenn die Geschichte leider nur eine Variante eines unzählige Male bereits erzählten Themas ist.
January 1, 2024
Ну такое. Мне кажется, сокращение сюжетных линий пошло бы роману на пользу
July 4, 2025
ich bin irgendwie sehr verwirrt. Erst fand ich das Buch ganz schrecklich, es ist wirklich absolut garnicht das, was man erwartet (ein leichtes Sommerbuch). Der Protagonist ist unfassbar unsympathisch, daran musste ich mich erstmal gewöhnen. Und für mich war der Schreibstil schon sehr sehr anspruchsvoll. Aber es hat mich am Ende total gepackt! ich wollte unbedingt wissen, wie es ausgeht!!
June 25, 2021
Thank you Headline for my gifted copy.
I massively enjoyed this! Having been in a slump the last few weeks, this novel felt like a breath of fresh air.
The plot follows Leah, a 24 year old who feels a bit lost after graduating from university in the UK, who lives in Paris and does odd jobs working in a cafe, doing some part-time English teaching work and generally feeling a bit aimless. She stumbles upon an ad for an admin job transcribing for a British author, and thus our story begins. It is set primarily in the south of France, where Michael invites Leah to spend time with his whole family and this is where she starts transcribing Michael's diaries from the end of the 60s.
I found the whole plot fascinating, I loved the jump back to the 1960s, Astrid's story, all the while whilst following Leah's (mis?)adventures. Whilst the sort of millennial trope and creepy old man narrative can feel a bit tired, I thought this was a new take on it and I absolutely /despised/ Michael with all my heart. I felt deeply uncomfortable at times and I could relate to Leah so much.
Overall, this was an easy, perfect and thoroughly compelling read - highly recommend and great for summer.
I massively enjoyed this! Having been in a slump the last few weeks, this novel felt like a breath of fresh air.
The plot follows Leah, a 24 year old who feels a bit lost after graduating from university in the UK, who lives in Paris and does odd jobs working in a cafe, doing some part-time English teaching work and generally feeling a bit aimless. She stumbles upon an ad for an admin job transcribing for a British author, and thus our story begins. It is set primarily in the south of France, where Michael invites Leah to spend time with his whole family and this is where she starts transcribing Michael's diaries from the end of the 60s.
I found the whole plot fascinating, I loved the jump back to the 1960s, Astrid's story, all the while whilst following Leah's (mis?)adventures. Whilst the sort of millennial trope and creepy old man narrative can feel a bit tired, I thought this was a new take on it and I absolutely /despised/ Michael with all my heart. I felt deeply uncomfortable at times and I could relate to Leah so much.
Overall, this was an easy, perfect and thoroughly compelling read - highly recommend and great for summer.
March 1, 2022
Where do I start?
The painfully dragged out expectation of the main female character’s redemption from being the men’s ditzy plaything results in anti-climax.
There are too many chance encounters and convenient timings that feel like unimaginative plot hole patches.
The endless obsessing about class and poshness makes this novel another status-possessed wart on British literature of today.
This is the second book I’ve read recently that is written by a young woman about a young woman smitten with Leonard Cohen’s artsy bohemian adventures on Hydra. Completely unrelated to that, I have a holiday in Greece coming up this summer.
The painfully dragged out expectation of the main female character’s redemption from being the men’s ditzy plaything results in anti-climax.
There are too many chance encounters and convenient timings that feel like unimaginative plot hole patches.
The endless obsessing about class and poshness makes this novel another status-possessed wart on British literature of today.
This is the second book I’ve read recently that is written by a young woman about a young woman smitten with Leonard Cohen’s artsy bohemian adventures on Hydra. Completely unrelated to that, I have a holiday in Greece coming up this summer.
April 3, 2024
BLOODY AWFUL!!!! Do not waste your time like I did. The story drug on and on with no plot and the final reveal at the end was dumb and pointless. Just when you thought something interesting was going to happen there would be a chapter of non important garbage just to delay the reveal that wasn’t even that exciting or original. The author obviously had nothing worth writing about so 75% of the book was drug use and adultery. This should have been a 20 page short story. Characters were not likable. I thought maybe the book would get better…it didn’t. I can’t believe I wasted my life reading this book.
June 22, 2021
Sexy, intoxicating and merciless in its satirical observations of both millennials and baby boomers. I couldn't put this book down - I just wanted to escape into its gorgeously written pages.
November 20, 2022
3.5
I really enjoyed this book. It was sexy, funny, clever, and intriguing, but it was let down by an anti-climatic ending, and the fact that Micheal was clearly a creep from the get go. Also, I didn’t enjoy how much French was peppered throughout it. I imagine it’s supposed to contribute to the atmosphere, but it just took me out of the story.
I really enjoyed this book. It was sexy, funny, clever, and intriguing, but it was let down by an anti-climatic ending, and the fact that Micheal was clearly a creep from the get go. Also, I didn’t enjoy how much French was peppered throughout it. I imagine it’s supposed to contribute to the atmosphere, but it just took me out of the story.
August 27, 2021
‘A beach read with a strong female protagonist’ said my fabulous local bookstore- she wasn’t wrong! Page turning building towards a twist. I loved the French Riviera setting. Some predictable characters with surprises along the journey.
July 13, 2021
Mediterranean hot girl summer in book. Read this in lieu of your European summer holiday (@Melbs) in 2021.
July 8, 2023
what was going on in this
July 4, 2021
3.5 stars.
Thanks to Hachette and NetGalley, for a reading copy of this title.
I was sold on this from the minute I heard it described as a “sultry, summer read”. Since we haven’t been able to go anywhere in approximately twenty years, I needed the escapism and atmosphere that comes with a great holiday book - and this definitely delivered. While I agree that none of the characters are particularly pleasant or endearing people, it was this raw honesty (particularly on the part of the protagonist) that I appreciated. If I were to be feeling especially harsh, I would call Leah a whiny, privileged, narcissistic millennial. Having said that, she is also me, and therefore I can see past these problematic flaws. I’m not excusing her or myself, but it was so refreshing to read my own thoughts and feelings within a book’s character: I feel it doesn’t happen often, because authors think they have to solely create fascinating, beguiling, or mysterious people. This makes a lot of modern fiction very readable, but wildly unrealistic. My affinity with Leah dropped off towards the end of the book, as her life came to resemble those of the people she had previously scorned: she lands a lucrative job in the arts, that would be vastly oversubscribed and underpaid; men start to fall all over her; she ends up on a free holiday in the south of France; etc. There’s also a great deal of build-up to a conclusion that comes about quite swiftly, and doesn’t pack the punch that I had expected it to. Yet I still enjoyed it, and look forward to Reece’s next title; this was an ambitious and impressive debut.
Thanks to Hachette and NetGalley, for a reading copy of this title.
I was sold on this from the minute I heard it described as a “sultry, summer read”. Since we haven’t been able to go anywhere in approximately twenty years, I needed the escapism and atmosphere that comes with a great holiday book - and this definitely delivered. While I agree that none of the characters are particularly pleasant or endearing people, it was this raw honesty (particularly on the part of the protagonist) that I appreciated. If I were to be feeling especially harsh, I would call Leah a whiny, privileged, narcissistic millennial. Having said that, she is also me, and therefore I can see past these problematic flaws. I’m not excusing her or myself, but it was so refreshing to read my own thoughts and feelings within a book’s character: I feel it doesn’t happen often, because authors think they have to solely create fascinating, beguiling, or mysterious people. This makes a lot of modern fiction very readable, but wildly unrealistic. My affinity with Leah dropped off towards the end of the book, as her life came to resemble those of the people she had previously scorned: she lands a lucrative job in the arts, that would be vastly oversubscribed and underpaid; men start to fall all over her; she ends up on a free holiday in the south of France; etc. There’s also a great deal of build-up to a conclusion that comes about quite swiftly, and doesn’t pack the punch that I had expected it to. Yet I still enjoyed it, and look forward to Reece’s next title; this was an ambitious and impressive debut.
October 14, 2023
Well it fully engaged me. Lots of selfish, self centered behavior from most characters. No one seemed to ever do any housework haha. Why we leave this essential element from everyday life out is a good question. Some cooking was participated in by two characters.
But if the book was about the male gaze and the internalization of the same by women it was fully there.
The main male gazer was such a narcissistic,selfish, arrogant, well, sociopath. But he was plagued by his obsession with one woman he ‘felt’ he loved but betrayed totally and criminally, then spent his life in denial and eventually on repeat of former behaviours.
Can a person change ??
The saving culmination of the drama was the young woman’s breaking the gaze. Ok she was young, lost and trying to find her way but was an unlikeable character too. Maybe she moved on then.
Also another young woman, Astrid, was decent not to mention talented which was unbearable for narcissistic Michael. And long suffering friends Jenny and husband also worthy in my pedestrian judgy view.
So it was interesting to read and much of the writing was very beautiful in describing place and sensation. The author has talent and ha ha potential. Hey she’s realized it, phew - the pressure ! Which is quite a theme in the book too. To make something of yourself. Work such as waitering or parenting, teaching, rubbish collection or cleaning so devalued. So denigrated. Which topically was shown to have utmost importance recently in the Pandemic. We’ve really got it all arse about.
It could have been one quarter shorter in length.
But if the book was about the male gaze and the internalization of the same by women it was fully there.
The main male gazer was such a narcissistic,selfish, arrogant, well, sociopath. But he was plagued by his obsession with one woman he ‘felt’ he loved but betrayed totally and criminally, then spent his life in denial and eventually on repeat of former behaviours.
Can a person change ??
The saving culmination of the drama was the young woman’s breaking the gaze. Ok she was young, lost and trying to find her way but was an unlikeable character too. Maybe she moved on then.
Also another young woman, Astrid, was decent not to mention talented which was unbearable for narcissistic Michael. And long suffering friends Jenny and husband also worthy in my pedestrian judgy view.
So it was interesting to read and much of the writing was very beautiful in describing place and sensation. The author has talent and ha ha potential. Hey she’s realized it, phew - the pressure ! Which is quite a theme in the book too. To make something of yourself. Work such as waitering or parenting, teaching, rubbish collection or cleaning so devalued. So denigrated. Which topically was shown to have utmost importance recently in the Pandemic. We’ve really got it all arse about.
It could have been one quarter shorter in length.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2023
I'm really glad I picked this up on a whim. While a lot of reviews criticise the book for being overwritten, I think they miss the point - it's a book about wealthy, pretentious characters spending a summer doing all sorts in Marseille. It sets a tone. Even Leah is self-indulgent to a degree. In my view, it's thoughtfully written - a kind of literary thriller that keeps you reading while being well crafted. The style isn't tossed aside as the plot reaches its climax, which I appreciate.
That being said, I think the end was drawn out a smidge and certain words (smarting, careering, misanthropic) were overused to the point where it became grating. However, those are small criticisms for what I thought was overall a strong debut. I'll be reading any subsequent work by Francesca Reece.
That being said, I think the end was drawn out a smidge and certain words (smarting, careering, misanthropic) were overused to the point where it became grating. However, those are small criticisms for what I thought was overall a strong debut. I'll be reading any subsequent work by Francesca Reece.
June 8, 2021
My high school French was reasonably up to reading "Voyeur" although some phrases eluded me. Investigating further took me out of the story so eventually I resigned myself to skipping those bits. You mostly get the gist anyway.
Leah is a young English woman, adrift in Paris. Michael is misanthropic, despairing of the youth of today whilst yearning for his younger years. Through Michael, Leah gets a taste of bourgeois life and is drawn into Michael's unhealthy obsession with the past.
Francesca Reece beautifully animates Paris; the sights, sounds and smells. "Voyeur" is a sultry, sexy novel encompassing a variety of themes including class, food, drink, sex, culture and the Arts.
Leah is a young English woman, adrift in Paris. Michael is misanthropic, despairing of the youth of today whilst yearning for his younger years. Through Michael, Leah gets a taste of bourgeois life and is drawn into Michael's unhealthy obsession with the past.
Francesca Reece beautifully animates Paris; the sights, sounds and smells. "Voyeur" is a sultry, sexy novel encompassing a variety of themes including class, food, drink, sex, culture and the Arts.
February 19, 2024
Books with a lot of vibes that still manage to fit in a compelling plot? Set in Paris, the South of France, London in the 60s? Count. Me. In.
This type of book is my personal catnip.
Yes, I see why others reviewed this as being overwritten and wordy, but it also made sense in a way, and had quite a gorgeous effect mostly. (Also, it only applied to some sentences but not the overall writing in my opinion.)
The pretentiousness worked.
Made me miss summer and heat and lounging under the sun until it gets unbearable but you‘re too lazy to get up.
This type of book is my personal catnip.
Yes, I see why others reviewed this as being overwritten and wordy, but it also made sense in a way, and had quite a gorgeous effect mostly. (Also, it only applied to some sentences but not the overall writing in my opinion.)
The pretentiousness worked.
Made me miss summer and heat and lounging under the sun until it gets unbearable but you‘re too lazy to get up.
August 3, 2025
‘despicable male’ character was written with a lot of judgment and nothing to offer. every character was a casual intelectual with high brow references regardless of background. the build to a climactic reveal felt clumsy with the time jumps and ultimately underwhelming and predictable… wasn’t sure what the takeaway for the protagonist was. didn’t learn anything new about the characters really. wish the protagonist had more of a chance to evolve her thinking.
there were some interesting acute observations but they were sort of drowned out by how overwritten everything was— good thoughts about certain moments but didn’t make good use of language/brevity to describe them
there were some interesting acute observations but they were sort of drowned out by how overwritten everything was— good thoughts about certain moments but didn’t make good use of language/brevity to describe them
August 15, 2024
3.5
ich dachte dieses Buch wäre ein entspannendes Sommerlesevergnügen aber stattdessen musste ich (mitunter) aus der Perspektive eines frauenverachtenden Möchtegern-Intellektuellen lesen 😀
(3.5 Punkte weil teilweise sehr unterhaltsam, flüssig zu lesen & die weibliche Protagonistin war trotz ihrer destruktiven Art irgendwie sehr relatable)
ich dachte dieses Buch wäre ein entspannendes Sommerlesevergnügen aber stattdessen musste ich (mitunter) aus der Perspektive eines frauenverachtenden Möchtegern-Intellektuellen lesen 😀
(3.5 Punkte weil teilweise sehr unterhaltsam, flüssig zu lesen & die weibliche Protagonistin war trotz ihrer destruktiven Art irgendwie sehr relatable)
September 24, 2022
Es ist schwierig, dieses Buch zu bewerten. Am Anfang war es abstoßend, dann verwirrend und letztlich konnte ich es nicht aus der Hand legen. Es bietet den Einblick in eine Welt, in einen Verstand, den ich mir so hätte niemals vorstellen können. Mit ganz viel Ekel und dennoch auch Mitgefühl bin ich durch die Geschichte gestolpert und jetzt, nachdem das Buch einfach vorbei ist, immernoch und vollkommen in ihren Bann gezogen. Ich bin perplex und war es die meiste Zeit.
Kurios und fesselnd.
Kurios und fesselnd.
June 11, 2021
Really wanted to give 4 stars, but felt like it lost its way in the final third
September 8, 2022
DNF around the 300 Page mark. I couldn't bother for the characters anymore. 100-120 pages less and it would have been a fine to read book
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