The Peacock Emporium

Author: JoJo Moyes
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2019
Pages: 416
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: In the sixties, Anthene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir, Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years alter, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the past - and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along. 

Review: From a layout or technical standpoint, this was a confusing novel. There are multiple instances when the character changes mid chapter. A chapter is humming along in one person's voice and then all of a sudden it changes to someone, but who is now the subject is unknown. The intentional vagueness is frustrating, not a "fresh" way to tell a novel. I was yanked out of the flow of the story every time it happened, which was a lot.

From a storytelling standpoint, this moved slowly. My husband asked why I didn't just set it aside, and I guess I just wanted to see where everyone ended up. I should have quit it though.

Everything came full circle by the end of the novel, but I had more questions. How? Why? There was no satisfying resolution.

I posted my frustrations in an online reading forum, and someone suggested reading One Plus One. I may give it a try, and if I don't like it, I'm done with this author.

I loved Me Before You, but similar to The Peacock Emporium, I just couldn't get into the sequels.