Where Would I Be Without You? by Guillaume Musso

Introduction: I trusted to read this book partially because I loved the first book I read by Guillaume Musso (Will You Be There). But to tell you honestly, the beginning part was fab. But the ending... well the least I can say is that, "it just didn't impress me much!" :p

Overview: Parisian cop Martin Beaumont has never really got over his first love, Gabrielle. Their brief, intense affair in San Francisco and the pain of her rejection still haunt him years later.
Now, however, he’s a successful detective – and tonight he’s going to arrest the legendary art thief, Archibald Maclean, when he raids the Musée d’Orsay for a priceless Van Gogh.
But the enigmatic Archibald has other plans.
Martin’s pursuit of the master criminal across Paris is the first step in an adventure that will take him back to San Francisco, and to the edge of love and life itself.

My opinion: This is a really ‘different’ read, with no clear genre to categorize it with. It’s a love story, a police thriller and then turns towards the paranormal at the end. So a bit of everything, really.
Set in Paris and San Franscisco in the mid 90s, the story revolves around Gabrielle and Martin – a young couple who met during their younger days and fell in love. The story leaps forward to find Martin working as  a French policeman with a special interest in art crime. Martin and Gabrielle have not met since that summer twelve years before and it is clear that both their lives has gone pretty empty and lonely.
Martin is determined to capture the famous art thief Archibald Maclean who has outsmarted him for many years. His chase led him back to San Francisco.

It’s an interesting read, a unique plot line and although I had guessed a couple of the twists, it’s an entertaining read.

The story enters into the paranormal at the close, which was for me, a safe way of explaining some things and tied the story up quite well, but on a personal level I really didn't like. Anyway, I still enjoyed reading this book. Its different, and some of you might just like it.

My rating:

Will You Be There? by Guillaume Musso

Introduction: I was going through a number of books at the library when this tiny treasure caught my eyes. Well, the title and the subtitle fairly intrigued me (since I always loved these kinds of stories anyway), but I guess this is a story that will always make me wonder what the ending would be. Anyway, I’m sure most of us must have asked ourselves this question atleast once in our lifetime: if you could go back in time, what would you change?
 
Overview: Elliott Cooper is a sixty-year-old famous sur­geon whose life revolves around his twenty-year-old daughter, Angie. He would have been per­fectly happy if Ilena, the woman he was pas­sion­ately in love with, hadn’t died thirty years ago.
One day, he was given a chance to go back to his own past and meets the young man he had been thirty years ear­lier. In that time, where the Seventies were going full swing, the young Elliott was a pas­sionate, enthu­si­astic and ambi­tious young doctor who had no idea of the tragedy that he will cause the woman he loves.


Since then, the two Elliotts weirdly face each other, in a series of intense circumstances, debating and coming up with an agreement of saving Ilena. But saving Ilena raises complications involving his daughter, Angie and his lifelong friendship with his best friend, Matt. Not to mention the toll its adding to his fight for his own life – where he is suffering from lung cancer and with only few months to live.

My opinion: This book will make us believe in second chances, but will also raise a question – will you really dare to change something in your past? I think this book will appeal to those who have loved and lost, and wished for a chance to do things differently. Its an intriguing story about love, friendship, hope and destiny. Love – that transcends death, and the sacrifices we are willing to make, even the hardest one which is letting go. Friendship – that most of us are blessed with to have someone we can trust with our lives. Hope – that we will be able to change things for the better. And if not, that everything happens for a reason. And Destiny -  that we do make our own destiny. But to change it after its done? I guess this book will give us that chance to go through it and later ask ourselves, what are you willing to give up to change fate? 

Although I hate to say that the conversation seems flat at times, but I still applaud how the time differences of being in the past and in the future were established strongly. And the best thing that I love in this book… are the quotes at the start of each chapter.

My favorite quote so far:
“We go through the present blindfolded… Only later, when the blindfold is removed and we examine the past, do we realize what we’ve been through and understand what it means” – Milan Kundera

My rating: