Our leading lady, Gina, is at a loss with a past year full of changes and doesn’t know what direction to take next so her decision to move into her aunt’s cottage in rural France seems to be an ideal plan while she sorts out her head. It was warm and inviting and filled with promises of love. I enjoyed The French for Love for all the reasons you could imagine with such a title. There are many lessons in this novel and Mann takes us on an exploratory journey whether the grass is in fact greener on the other side. I worried about Beth throughout this novel and rooted for her to figure out how wonderful her life is at home. But this might not be nearly as fun as the new spark that draws us like a moth to a flame for that new relationship spark, which is where Beth turns. The emotion was palpable and even though I didn’t agree with Beth’s choices, I followed along realizing how easy it is to grow apart from your spouse, how easy it can be to fall into infidelity, and how easy it is to turn things around, easier even than turning to someone else – if you take the initiative. Is This All There Is seemed so real to me. She starts flirting with a much younger man which comes with heavy consequences. She doesn’t take a class or start taking time for herself by going out with friends. She’s lost herself as a wife and mother, sacrificed herself for her family, and suddenly wants to find herself again, and not in the most socially acceptable of ways. And Beth is no exception.īeth’s journey to find herself and ‘is this all there is’ is a real, raw and gritty journey of self-discovery. But the right thing isn’t always the most pleasant and we somehow always gravitate to pleasure rather than pain and the hard road. She confused, conflicted, and trying to do the right thing. So when she bumps into a former student, a decade her junior, and things turn flirty, Beth suddenly doesn’t quite seem like the average soccer mom anymore. She’s doing the best she can for her family, she doesn’t take time for herself, and things have grown a little stale with her kind, wonderful husband.
I don’t have children myself, but I know many who do and I can see that Beth is like every mom. Beth’s thought-provoking journey will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions regardless of whether you can relate to, or disapprove of her actions. Is This All There Is tackles a sensitive subject with tact, grace, and impeccable emotion.
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