An Improbable Pairing by Gary Dickson

An Improbable Pairing
by Gary Dickson

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Published: January 2019
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Genre: Historical, Romance, Travel, France, Switzerland
Paperback: 240
Rating: 3

First sentence(s):
How different Scott's life would have been had he been attracted to the young girl, the one more his age, who was standing at the railing of the ship, rather than her companion, the beautiful woman wearing a soft gray suite, her hair blond and straight, a cashmere scarf of a crystalline blue that matched her aquamarine eyes draped casually across her shoulders.

It began as a simple flirtation ...

In September of 1963, Scott Stoddard, an American graduate student, is traveling to Switzerland, when he meets the Countess de Rovere, a French divorcee; he is smitten, and she is intrigued. What begins as a little coquetry soon becomes a serious love affair, much to the consternation of the Countess’s ex-husband and mother, not to mention the Countess’s friends of European high society. A meeting of equals poses problems enough, but what about one between two people who seem to have so many differences? And when a man of traditional attitudes couples with an independent and self-confident woman, something’s got to give. It won’t be the countess. As their liaison transcends an affair that cannot be dismissed, they all agree that something must be done.

An Improbable Pairing is a historical romance that chronicles the enduring themes of a young man’s coming of age and the rebellious love of the mismatched. This pas de deux, set in the golden years of 1960s Paris, Geneva, Gstaad, and Cannes, provides an insider’s peek into the worlds of haute couture, three-star gourmet restaurants, and lavish hotel suites—the domains of rank and privilege. But society’s privileged resist when an interloper threatens to upset their cozy structure.

My two-bits:

This love affair with royalty was interesting to follow as it is portrayed from a young man's point of view.

The tediousness of social obligations and responsibilities makes this romance rocky which made the reading frustrating at times.

I liked the scenes of hobnobbing at the Cannes film festival as that is a place I want to visit in the near future.

Got me thinking of the reality of fairytale royalty romances.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Happy Release: An Improbable Pairing by Gary Dickson

An Improbable Pairing
by Gary Dickson
-Historical, Romance | Goodreads
Release date: January 8, 2019
It began as a simple flirtation ...

In September of 1963, Scott Stoddard, an American graduate student, is traveling to Switzerland, when he meets the Countess de Rovere, a French divorcee; he is smitten, and she is intrigued. What begins as a little coquetry soon becomes a serious love affair, much to the consternation of the Countess’s ex-husband and mother, not to mention the Countess’s friends of European high society. A meeting of equals poses problems enough, but what about one between two people who seem to have so many differences? And when a man of traditional attitudes couples with an independent and self-confident woman, something’s got to give. It won’t be the countess. As their liaison transcends an affair that cannot be dismissed, they all agree that something must be done.

An Improbable Pairing is a historical romance that chronicles the enduring themes of a young man’s coming of age and the rebellious love of the mismatched. This pas de deux, set in the golden years of 1960s Paris, Geneva, Gstaad, and Cannes, provides an insider’s peek into the worlds of haute couture, three-star gourmet restaurants, and lavish hotel suites—the domains of rank and privilege. But society’s privileged resist when an interloper threatens to upset their cozy structure.

PeekAbook:

Lovely Books and Things - 5.4.19

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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HAPPY THINGS:

1. Browsing at the art fairs and festivals

2. Getting familiar with music lyrics for Bring Me A Woman and I Did It from Allison Lovejoy's The 7 Deadly Pleasures. The chorus will also perform selected pieces for the Carmina Burana and Cabaret Spring show (here).

3. Sending out my first postcard to Germany via Postcrossing project (here)
This is a postcard exchange program with randomly matched up people from anywhere in the world per postcard (or you could opt for just your country).

~*~
Bought:

A Night in With Audrey Hepburn
by Lucy Holliday
-Chick-lit | Goodreads
THE covers for this series are so cute. Thought I would give this try.


Author event:

Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a conversation between authors Miriam Toews and R.O. Kwan to celebrate the release of Women Talking. Learned a bit about the Mennonite world which is a focus in the book.

Woman Talking
by Miriam Toews
-Literary, Feminism | Goodreads

Review:

An Improbable Pairing
by Gary Dickson
-Historical, Romance | Goodreads
SWITZERLAND setting calls to me for this one as well as the dreamy cover.


Library:

The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon
-Fantasy | Goodreads
YES, influenced by the buzz around this one. And, the massive size of it (848 pages).


AND watched: in theatre

The Roxie theatre hosted a Q&A with Savannah and Justin which included background history of the making of the film. It took them 10 years to put it together.

J.T. Leroy (2019)
Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy (original title)
Director/Writer: Justin Kelly
Writers/memoir: Savannah Knoop
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Jim Sturgess
-Biography, Drama | imdb | my rating: 4
A young woman named Savannah Knoop spends six years pretending to be the celebrated author JT LeRoy, the made-up literary persona of her sister-in-law.

THIS is a good companion piece to watch along with Author: The JT Leroy Story because you get Savannah's side of the story.

Based on this book:

Girl Boy Girl:
How I Became JT Leroy
by Savannah Knoop
-Memoir, LGBTQ | Goodreads

The SF Public Library hosted a Q&A with photographer/director, Luigi Toscano which included discussion on the art exhibit currently displayed at the SF Civic Center.

Lest We Forget (2018)
Director: Luigi Toscano
-Documentary | details | my rating: 5
The documentary Lest We Forget follows the German-Italian artist Luigi Toscano over years of fascinating working experience. The documentary allows the viewer an insight into his work for the exhibition. “The portrayed survivors are the faces and voices of the culture of remembrance,” says the artist in conjunction with his exhibit in San Francisco. “Lest We Forget is much more than just looking back at our dark past: It urges everyone to confront the past in order to ensure that nothing like the Holocaust ever happens again.”

DEFINITELY something to behold if this exhibit or film hits your town.

AND watched: on DVD

Kusama: Infinity (2018)
Director/Writers: Heather Lenz
Co-writer: Keita Ideno
Star: Yayoi Kusama
-Documentary | imdb | my rating: 5
Artist Yayoi Kusama and experts discuss her life and work, from her modest beginnings in Japan to becoming an internationally renowned artist.

AMAZING artist. I did not know she was such an innovative and influential artist. It is wonderful to see her get acknowledged!

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Thanks for stopping by :-)