The story at first held my attention and as the story progressed I started to lose more and more interest in the story. By the end of the book, it was very disappointing.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

What a delightful journey. It started off a little slow, but as it built up I was thoroughly invested in the adventures of Alice and Daldry. Even though I guessed where the story was going, I still could not put it down. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. There is a hint of magical realism, the poetic descriptions of the places they went, the beautiful friendships they made, it all made for a wonderful story. Maybe because I read it during COVID, while dreaming of traveling, and this reminded me of places I long to go that it worked for me. Would recommend to those that don't mind a slower start, don't need a lot of action and love beautifully written, magical realism feeling novels.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

So much potential and I loved this story until the middle. The ending fell flat for me. Loved the descriptions throughout the book but I felt it lacked emotion.

Cute book! The story wrapped me up and I couldn’t put it down. Slow in some parts but I enjoyed it.

I enjoy reading Marc Levy's books and this one is no exception. The plot itself may have been rather weak, but I love the description of the people and the places, and I can't help but love Alice, Can, and Daldry.

The author has the gift of a descriptiveness that I have never encountered as a reader before. I could smell the rain, see the water droplets, feel the humidity on my skin. His style of writing captured each detail so vividly, which made it such a joy to a read. However, I felt like my love of the style of writing greatly overshadowed my love of the story. I felt like the plot fell a little flat for me, it was not developed enough. I loved the setting, the descriptions, the ideas, but I did not feel like the story was dynamic enough to match.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for arc.
I have not read anything by this author previously and found this book enjoyable, if not predictable. The poetic language, the subtle suspense - who will Alice fall for - the descriptive language and her "nose" for scents all make for a pleasant read.
I liked Alice searching for her roots and being very brave in an unknown land. Her cluelessness about love, however, was a little annoying especially at the end of the novel. I wanted to shake her and say come on!!! (lightly of course) Mr. Daldry is definitely eccentric but definitely likeable all the same. I found him throwing money at Alice a little off putting, but I get why he did it.
An overall good read. Not my usual genre, but I enjoyed it!

This new novel by Marc Levy held a lovely chain of events! I found it very enjoyable exploring the unexpected quest of the past and future life of Alice Pendelbury. Lots of quirky characters, friendships and aromas. Thank you NetGalley for the e-reader for my review, all opinions are my own.

This was the perfect snowy weekend novel as the story had me from the first page and I found the book hard to put down. Marc Levy’s writing style and the engaging English translation allowed for a seamless read, with one part of the story slowly fading into the next. The subtle sense of perplexity kept me guessing, and although certain twists were slightly predictable, the overall plot arch was incredibly satisfying. I found the trip to Istanbul wonderfully exotic and the story’s focus on the history there very educational as I was unfamiliar with the tumultuous changes in Turkey. Full of enchanting characters and vivid descriptions, this is the perfect book for any wanderlust armchair traveler.

The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury: A Novel by Marc Levy. AmazonCrossing, 2019.

This book swept me away to Istanbul with a story about Alice, who followed a fortune teller’s advice. There are books with similar plots where the main character takes a journey and learns something unexpected, as Alice does. But this book tells a better story. Characters, including the chronically cranky next door neighbour, are described so that I knew enough about them to like characters to know them and care about them.

The writing style was smooth; the story flowed at an appealing pace. I saw no inconsistencies, errors or other jarring distractions; no racist, sexist or other upsetting details. The book is an appropriate length for the story it tells, but I finished it with regret that it was not longer.


Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy Marc Levy’s novels, and find his whimsical and charming style…well, charming! They’re gentle reads, usually with a happy ending, and if lightweight then also heart-warming and amusing. In this one he wades in much deeper waters than usual and although his trademark whimsicality is still in evidence there’s a darker aspect to the writing that shows another aspect of his literary ability and insight. Alice Pendelbury visits a seaside fortune-teller – on a whim – and is told that she needs to pursue her destiny by finding the most important person in her life. At first sceptical, she gradually comes round to the idea that there may be something to it, and encouraged by her neighbour Mr Daldry, sets off on a journey that will take her to Turkey and a glimpse into that country’s shameful past. Quite heart-rending at times, the narrative draws the reader in and Levy eschews his normal light-heartedness to show a more serious side to his writing. I very much enjoyed this tale of love and loss, and found it a compelling and absorbing read.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

I was given an ARC of this book. I try my best to speak in generalities, but a minor plot point may slip in on occasion, so be aware. However, there are no major spoilers!

The Basics:
Written by Marc Levy
Published on 2/19/19
Set in London and Istanbul in the early 1950s

The Positives:
I love the locations! England and Istanbul: both places with a lot of history and atmosphere, and they are well-described here, especially Istanbul. Of course, the two locales are played nicely against each other as London in winter -- cold and harsh – is eclipsed by Istanbul – warm and welcoming, a symbol of Alice’s own journey.
The fact that Alice has a job and is supporting herself, as are her other friends – all single men and women – is different than is often seen in books set in the early 1950s (even when they are written in 2018). Her job too, as a “nose,” is fascinating.
The chemistry between Alice and Ethan, Ethan and Can, and Can and Alice is strong, but it also a little off-kilter which kept me wondering how the story would play out, which is fine. In the end, I was happy.

The Negatives:
Alice and Ethan, the main characters, are affable, but I thought Alice was much younger than she is revealed to be later. I think that is because she seems so unsure of herself and tends to let people do for her. Despite knowing she is in a rut, she does not get herself out but instead, she has to be guided, by many (many) people.
I also took issue with how manipulative Ethan is with Alice throughout. There is a difference between helping someone to move outside their comfort zone and shoving them out without their consent. I felt like Ethan was trying to control her, even when she was beyond his direct influence, and I found that unnerving. At one point, Alice and Can are talking about Ethan, and she says, “once again…, it doesn’t matter to him what others want. It makes me so angry.” The feelings of the characters (as well as my own) change as the book goes on, but those feelings from early on made me distrust Ethan a bit throughout.

Overall:
3.75 Stars: To tell the truth, I wasn’t so sure about this book at the beginning. I felt the Prologue was a little cheesy, and I couldn’t get into the characters right away. However, I kept going, and even before my usual 10% cut-off*, I was drawn in. This is my first book by Marc Levy, but I will definitely check out some of his other books too.

A sweet post-war story about a travel to Turkey. I don't love historical fiction but the characters were well developed and enjoyable.

Book. Hang. Over.
That is what I have right now. Massive. Book. Hang. Over.

Marc Levy is fast becoming one of my new favorite authors and I am so glad that I got to read this book!!

It is difficult to review this book without giving anything away and trust me, you DO NOT want to have any kind of spoiler with this book - this book is best read knowing nothing going in but the title and just diving in and savoring it and falling in love with it and with the characters. Alice and Ethan are just such great characters and I just loved them almost from the moment you meet them in the book. They are just so well-written and believable and just so glorious; them and their story. Glorious. Fantastic. Magical. One I am so glad that I got to read and experience. One that will stay with me for a long time. A beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and AmazonCrossings for proving an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a strange journey indeed! I took a while to warm up to this title, but I'm glad I did. Marc Levy brings his readers on a wonderful and unexpected trip to Instanbul on a search for a man seen in a dream (literally!). There's a beautiful twist at the end. Levy's smooth writing and feel good plot points make this an obvious choice to recommend.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury takes place in the 1950s, and it follows a young woman named Alice, who works as a perfume maker, and Mr. Daldry, her grumpy neighbour across the hall. A few days before Christmas, Alice finds herself in a fortune teller’s tent, and even though she’s a skeptic, she’s haunted by what the fortune teller tells her. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mr. Daldry and Alice become close friends, and they travel to Istanbul together to see if there’s any truth to the fortune teller’s words.

My favourite thing about this book is that the author incorporated scent into almost every page. I enjoyed reading about the scents and smells of Istanbul, and it helped me imagine being there with the characters. I also liked that Mr. Daldry was an artist who painted cross-walks because I enjoyed reading about all the life he saw while watching people cross the street. I found that these descriptions added a unique element to the story that makes helps make it a memorable read.

Another thing that I liked about this book is that it takes place in a time and location that I haven’t read much about. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that takes place in Turkey, and I haven’t read many books that take place in the 1950s. I enjoyed seeing Istanbul through Alice’s eyes, and the descriptions made me feel like I had been there before. I also liked that this book mentions the Armenian Genocide, which is an unfortunate period of history that often gets overlooked.

Another reason why I liked this book is that I liked Alice. I admired her determination to find out more about her past and her drive to keep learning and perfecting her perfume making. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of Mr. Daldry, but I was amused enough by his stories that I was able to keep reading and enjoying the book.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it was fairly predictable. However, even though I was able to guess what was going to happen, I still enjoyed watching it all unfold. I liked following Alice, and she followed the steps to find out the truth about her path, and I enjoyed the characters that she met along the way.

I’d like to thank Mark Levy for the delightful (and unexpected) trip to Istanbul with Alice!
“The Strange Journey” takes us on a search for the man of Alice’s dreams (in both a literal and figurative sense.) By a strange twist, the very British Alice ends up in Istanbul, and discovers far more than she expected about her history.
This novel was just plain fun, with an endearing cast of characters, and an exotic setting.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet story that follows a young woman from post war Britain to Turkey as she searches for the answers to a mystery from her past. Alice Pendelbury is a " nose", she designs and creates perfumes, and her life is very ordinary until one day she visits a mysterious fortune teller in Brighton. The stranger tells her that she was born far away in the east and this confounds Alice immensely, as she was convinced that she was born in England. She tries to put it out of her mind, but finds herself pacing the floors at night as she ponders the mystery. Eventually her curmudgeonly neighbor is so fed up that he drives her back to Brighton, and finds himself drawn into the story too, so much so that he finances a trip to Turkey for them both. Could he be the first of the six people that the fortune teller has told Alice she will meet in her quest for answers? As the journey continues we meet truly fascinating characters that leap off the page, and gradually reveal the tragic secrets of Alice's past, while possibly having a role to play in her future.
Sweet, simple and moving, this charming tale was a pleasure to read, the author writes with real warmth and heart and has a truly impressive skill when it comes to bringing places vividly to life on the page.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.