Christine: A tale of love, lies and liberation

by Eva Mazza

Eva Mazza's latest page turner is evocative of the Netflix hit series Emily in Paris. When 24-year old Christine realises that unless she escapes her abusive husband Louis, their marriage vow "till death do we part " might just become her reality. On securing a job as a hair stylist at a salon in an exclusive hotel in Amsterdam, Christine's eyes are opened as she discovers a world of glamour and magical experiences. And when she meets bad boy Giovanni she encounters unexpected sexual liberation. 

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2021

Reviews

[Claire Hondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on Eva Mazza when I read her book Sex, Lies, and Stellenbosch and fell in love with her work and writing hence getting Christine was a no brainer🤷🏾‍♀️

Christine was such a fun book to read, getting to understand the protagonist from her marriage in South Africa to Louis to her new life of self-discovery in Amsterdam. Traveled a lot whilst sitting on my couch😜 so many places visited and described my imagination went wild. I love how the book has beautiful themes from beginning to end, you laugh, cringe, cry but end up being happy. She touches on marriage(the good, the bad, and the ugly), religion and the abuse of it, the fluidity of sexuality, relationships and friendships, dynamics of a family including friends who turn to be family.

I enjoyed reading this plus football season is over lol might be coming back to the reading scene now🤗

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book. Romantic, will make you miss traveling more than you are missing it now. So many moments evoked nostalgic memories. This passage reminded me of a moment at the airport nearly 11 years ago, "...she was flashing the ring as only a new bride is wont to do...". I took pieces of our wedding cake on our honeymoon, and I was dishing to all and sundry at the airport. 😁😁😁😁

Christine is a reminder that when life gives you lemons, make a margarita 🍸. In between reading this, I also watched a full season of "Emily in Paris."A fantastic story for escapism. The sights, how I want to visit Amsterdam and take a detour to the Red Light District. The museums, the gardens, the canals🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿.

Christine escapes her abusive ex-husband to discover herself. She splurges on her first pair of Diesel jeans (I remember buying three pairs of Levi's with my first salary and asking Mom for transport fare for the rest of the month😘😘😘😘😘)is seduced by an Italian stud things begin to unravel.

If you are looking for good old RomCom, laughs, and a few tears, Christine is your gal. The story celebrates family, friendships, and adventure. Take a chance on yourself. Swim against the tide; you will emerge a changed person.

Thank you @helenay_p @melindafergusonbooks @nbpublishers

A big thank you to @meklismazza for seeing Christine right through to the end in between giving us the two Stellenboschs🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿

Attend that creative writing class. You never know which story is begging to be told.

[Ingrid Lomas]

I met Eva Mazza on a writing workshop in Venice a few years ago and fell in love with her as well - (I say as well as I have never fallen out of love with Eckhart you understand!) Eva was writing Christine at the time (so I got to know “C” quite well too). But low and behold it was Sex, Lies & Stellenbosch that was going to prove to be her first book as well as a No 1 best seller. Being more geared towards books of a spiritual and biographical nature at the time of it’s launch I never-the-less found myself sprinting through this page turner. It has been the same with the long-awaited and recently released Christine. I particularly enjoyed the relationships and accompanying dialogue Eva captured in her inimitable style in the South African section of the book. Go girl go. You’re a winner through and through and I love you for being you and for all that you have achieved! Mwah.

[Cathy Park Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great holiday (beach, if you're lucky enough!) read. It reads like one long, lovely letter from your fun, yet crazy friend who lives the kind of life you wish you dared to live. It's written in a breathless and funny tone and keeps you turning the pages to find out what Christine will do next! It also helped to calm my travel 'angst' with its vivid descriptions of the city of Amsterdam.
Strongly recommended.

[Casey-Jade Deakin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book 💖
The characters were great. The only thing I didn’t like was the Italian accent and the way it was written 😂
But I found myself constantly rooting for Christine and wanting the best for her

[Tarryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this little gem of pure escapism!

[Yondela Roboji]

I really enjoyed this great book!

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and tender look at family and life, and starting over!

[Leushantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by this author that was a page turner. I love the way she tackles serious topics and South African issues but still provides wit and humour in her unique style.

[Gay-Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM OBSESSED. I JUST LOVE READING EVA MAZZA'S BOOKS. I LOVE THESE KIND OF READS, IT KEEPS ME ENTERTAINED. WHEN I READ EVA'S BOOKS I JUST HAVE TO HAVE A GLASS OF CHARDONNAY, IT CREATES THAT KIND OF ATMOSPHERE AND I AM LOVING IT. EVERYTIME I READ HER BOOKS I DO NOT WANT IT TO END. YAY FOR EVA MAZZA!!!! SHE IS MY FAVOURITE SOUTH AFICAN AUTHOR. PERIOD.