Veronica’s Nap by Sharon Bially is a fantastic read! I’ve been struggling with my reading lately as most of you know and this was the book to pull me out of it. I breezed through this book in one day and I can only hope my next read is as good as this one. Veronica’s Nap takes us from New Jersey to France and then back again with a woman who seems to have everything yet is unable to find herself and what really makes her happy amid the chaos of family life.
Veronica has it all or so it seems. On a vacation to the south of France she meets and marries the man of her dreams and goes on to have twins. Not only does she live in an idyllic setting but her husband Didier makes sure that she has a great studio set up and a nanny who watches the twins so she can achieve her dreams of being a painter. The only problem is that Veronica has lost her ambition to paint and instead spends her days doing piddly jobs around the house and taking her normal two hour naps in the afternoon.
Of course this sounds fantastic but it’s not. Veronica’s husband Didier is becoming very tired and frustrated of coming home and finding that, yet again, his wife hasn’t even attempted to paint that day. When they met he fell in love with a woman who had dreams, was an artist, and was excited to help him pursue his dreams as well. This woman seems to have disappeared on him and as the days pass their relationship becomes even more rocky until it explodes and has Veronica running home to mommy and daddy in New Jersey. It is there that she begins the journey back to finding out just who Veronica is and what she wants out of her life.
Veronica is a great character and one that I think so many women will relate to. Many women struggle to figure out who they are and where they fit amid the craziness of trying to balance family life with a fulfilling job. The author also does a wonderful job of describing Provence making you feel as though you are there and walking through the countryside. I also enjoyed the portrayal of how cultural differences affect a relationship as Veronica is American and Didier is a Shephardic Jewish man. I really enjoyed this novel and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
I read Veronica’s Nap by Sharon Bially for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book and you can also check out what others on the tour thought of the novel here. Be sure to visit Sharon on her website and you can find her on Facebook and Twitter as well. You can pick up your own copy of Veronica’s Nap here in the US and here in Canada.
My copy of Veronica’s Nap was received for review from Pump Up Your Book and the Author.
Hmm, this book sounds interesting.
I’m not sure I get it – She travels while she naps? And her husband doesn’t know it?
Wish I could do that, LOL
Wendy, no she doesn’t travel while she naps. She naps to just escape everyday life and mostly to get away from the fact that she can’t seem to pick up her paintbrush and create anything.
OOOHHHHH! Hahahahahaha boy do I feel stupid!
I do think my idea sounds like it would make a great book though!
And I still would like to travel while I nap!
No need to feel stupid Wendy and you’re right, you’re idea would make a good book! lol.
Great review Darlene. It does sound like this is a book that would speak to alot of women, including me. It’s all too easy for women (and men too I guess) to sort of let go of who they are or what really would make them happy when they are just struggling to do all the things on the daily “to do” list that life sometimes becomes.
Beth(BookGirl), I think you’d like this book. It does really speak to women on so many levels and what I really liked is that is was so realistic. Some books dealing with women make the women’s lives seem so different from my own but this one showed a woman who may be feeling depressed and weighed down and needs to find her way back. It really is good.
Oh, so her entire life is one big nap? Sounds like a dream to me! LOL.
I could relate to this character. There are so many things that I want to do, yet I got distracted by being a wife and mother. I don’t blame anyone but me though. It’s still inside me though whereas this character sounds as if she’s lost it.
Ti – she hasn’t lost it at all. Just doesn’t know how to find it… till things change. Hope you’ll read and see! -Sharon
Ti, yes a daily afternoon nap might be nice, wouldn’t it? I think you’d relate to this character as well.
Veronica didn’t lose it as Sharon says, she just needed to find it again. I’m the same as you, I had so many plans and it seems too late now to go anywhere with them. The hope is still there. I’m just not sure the ambition is.
Thanks for hosting Sharon today, Darlene! Wonderful review!
Hi Dorothy, thanks for including me in the tour. This was a great book!
I think a lot of women will be able to relate to this story and it does sound rather realistic. I am glad to hear that this one pulled you out of your reading slump and that it was such a good read for you. Excellent review today, Dar!
Heather, yes finally a book that was so good it kept me reading. I did find it realistic and just a good read.
Thanks so much, Darlene! You made my day. Some readers don’t “get” Veronica, and I’m always excited to meet those who do and who understand how indeed many women might be able to relate to her.
And thanks for the thorough, thoughtful review.
Happy reading!
Sharon, thanks so much for popping in and for such a great book. Yes I can see some readers maybe thinking Veronica should just quit complaining and get on with it but there is so much more to her. Like so many women, she isn’t happy with where she’s at but needs a good nudge to get out of it. I certainly look forward to reading more of your work.
This sounds great! I’m glad that it helped you out of that semi-reading slump you’ve been in. Excellent.
Serena, it is really good and yes it felt good to want to get back to a book every time I had to put it down.
This sounds like such a fun and unique read! Definitely adding it to my TBR list.
Happy weekend to you and Sammy!
Beth H, you should definitely add it to your list. It was a great read. Sammy is sending you some Sammy slurps.
Great review Darlene and glad this book rescued you from your reading doldrums 🙂
Jen, I know – it felt so good to enjoy a book so much again. I hope this means the book blahs are over for a good long while again.
Veronica sounds like a character a lot of women could relate to.
Kathy, I think a lot of women could relate to this novel. The setting is great as well.
Fantastic review, Dar! I’m so happy for you that you found a book to help you out of your slump! This book sounds so relevant to today when women have so many options I think sometimes they trip up trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do. Even talented women such as Valerie.
The settings of this book are fantastic, too!
I’m listing this book on my tbr!
Amy, I agree. Women have a lot more options but more than that I think sometimes they are pulled in so many directions that it just makes it all the more difficult. I think you’d like this book.
Sounds like a good book. And I have to admit that I’m drawn to a character that naps, even if it’s to put off doing something else.
Carol, it was good and what could be bad about napping in the middle of the day right. lol.
This sounds like a really good read and your enthusiasm for it makes me want to read it any more. I hope you continue to break out of your reading slump with books like this 🙂
Sam, this was a good read for me. Anything that I can read through a slump is a good book for sure.
This sounds like a book I could relate to. It sure is easy to put those dreams and ambitions in the back of our minds and hearts. Once there it can be difficult to pull them back out. I imagine many women never do get back on track. I am glad this book helped you out of that slump.
Beth(bookaholicmom), you’re right. Women often put their dreams on hold and often don’t to go back to them which is really sad when you think about it.
This sounds like a great read and it must have been if you read it in a day!
Staci, I really enjoyed it and you know I had to really like it if it kept my attention through this awful slump of mine.
This sounds really good Dar. I like the South of France setting.
Naida, I loved the setting of this novel as well. You know me, anything in France, Italy or Ireland are high on my list of favorite places to read about.
This sounds wonderful. I’m currently liking books on balancing family and work, since that’s something I struggle with. I’ll definitely be getting this soon!
Joanna, it was a really good book for me. I think that’s why this book is so good because so many women have the same issues as Veronica and end up losing themselves a bit. I hope you get to read it one of these days.