Books & Literature

Book Review: The Yellow Villa by Amanda Hampson

An Australian couple in their early thirties purchase an old yellow house in the picturesque village of Cordes-sur-Ciel in South-West France and become friends with a couple of ex–pat Brits in this tale of sadness, secrets, hopes and Karma.

After being captivated by The French Perfumer, this book was somewhat disappointing. Hampson has penned another easy-to-read tale that keeps you engaged to the very end, but her characters are not easily identified with and do not draw the reader into their stories (as interesting as they are). It is the story of two young Australians who move to France and become friends with a couple of ex–pat Brits.

There are hints of a mystery throughout the book as the back story to Dominic and Susannah is stepped around, but it is never made a strong point and, although explained, remains an almost-imagined excuse when revealed. This is a shame as the circumstances are a tale in their own right and give a point of view that could have been used to develop empathy for Susannah and stronger feelings around Dominic’s character.

While Ben and Mia are characters that draw sympathy from the reader, they too, seem to be mild and just swim along with the current of the domestic, day to day happenings in the picturesque village of Cordes-sur-Ciel in South-West France.

These are the four main characters, with just four more that drop in and out as Hampson tells the tale of sadness, secrets, hopes and Karma. She manages to weave the unravelling of each couple’s reasons for escaping to France with the relationships that form between the quite different personalities. She does this in a way that sees good come to those who deserve it and a somewhat poetic end to others.

Hampson deals with issues of infertility, loneliness, isolation, egocentricities, misogyny, pride, family dysfunction and infidelity delicately. This is a book to sit in the sun with, an afternoon escape, with a small surprise at the end, that will leave you smiling.

Reviewed by Leanne Caune

Rating out of 10:  7

Distributed by: Penguin Random House Australia
Released: April 2018
RRP: $32.99 trade paperback

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