Official Review: The Diary of A Divorce by Isolde

rumik · Post by **rumik** » 23 Sep 2019, 14:56

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Diary of A Divorce" by Isolde.]

2 out of 4 stars

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39-year-old Cecily is stuck in a loveless marriage to an awful husband. By the time she works up the courage to divorce him, they have a daughter named Colette. Too young to understand the gravity of the situation, Colette harbors resentment towards her mother for 'ruining everything.' Now, as a grown woman, Colette comes across a diary Cecily wrote during the lengthy divorce process. Maybe getting an insight into her mother's perspective during the situation will provide her with some much-needed closure.

As the title suggests, The Diary of a Divorce by Isolde is mostly written in the form of Cecily's diary during the divorce. We witness Cecily's thought process as she despairs over how her choices may affect her daughter, and as she slowly begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She has spent years pining for a man named Francis; will she finally get what she's been dreaming of? Or is she just projecting all her unrealistic fantasies on him?

This book is not everyone's cup of tea. There is not much action here; we mostly just read about Cecily's thoughts, feelings, conversations she has with her friends. Of course, there are a few twists and turns as her cruel husband unnecessarily prolongs the divorce, but these are not very exciting. This is not to say the book is boring—in fact, I really enjoyed diving into Cecily's psyche. Getting to read her mind as she went through such a stressful situation was the best part of the book for me.

I found the poetic writing style particularly intriguing—long, rambling sentences, like a stream of consciousness. I particularly liked this paragraph from when she meets Francis:

"It was like meeting the embodiment of the internal voice that had given me the courage to find a path through horror all my life. My invisible childhood friend had taken on a physical presence. Years were to pass before I saw him again, but I thought of him every single day."

Unfortunately, the sentences can get a bit too long sometimes. For example:

"With the familiar atrophy of heart at the prospect of the evening before me, I stood there, champagne in hand, wondering how not to drop a stitch from the dreary, little tapestry into which my life was so tightly woven, all hope of any joy beyond the sweetness of children, already ashes by then."

At over 50 words, that sentence is definitely a mouthful. I did enjoy the lyrical writing style for the most part, but some might find it rather confusing. Like the plot, this is not everyone's cup of tea.

While I liked the psychological aspects of this book as well as the writing style, there are definitely some areas that need improvement. This book could be greatly improved just by having a professional editor take a look at it. Commas are frequently omitted, and I believe an editor could help make the writing style a bit more accessible. Although the book is supposed to be written in present tense, there are some basic tense errors where the author uses past tense instead.

A more serious issue is Colette's character. Aside from the first few chapters, she doesn't do much at all. Entire chapters go by without her commenting on anything. You get so invested in Cecily's story that it's very disorienting when Colette finally makes some random comment. The summary makes it seem like Colette will also be a major character, but she is little more than an annoying commentator. This could easily have been fixed by giving Colette her own plot and life as well, beyond just reading her mother's diary.

I give this book 2 out of 4 stars for Cecily's lovely characterization and the distinctive writing style. I would easily give it 3 stars if the editing errors were fixed, or even 4 stars if the issues with Colette's character were also fixed.

Those interested in psychology and the human mind would probably love this. There is some profanity used, but people of all religious belief are equally suited for this book. Due to the nature of the plot, I would recommend it to everyone 16 and above.

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The Diary of A Divorce
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Magnify3 · Post by **Magnify3** » 25 Sep 2019, 04:58

It is a pity that Collette's character is not so fully developed and explored. I think that would have been a great addition. Thanks for the review!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 25 Sep 2019, 07:24

It sounds as though this could be a really good book if Collette's character had a more developed story and if the errors were fixed. Hopefully, the author will consider getting a professional editor. Thanks for the great review!

MsH2k · Post by **MsH2k** » 25 Sep 2019, 17:17

There is something to be said for edited streams of consciousness.

Hopefully Colette got a better appreciation for the tough decision her mother had to make. Thanks for your review!

Erin Painter Baker · Post by **Erin Painter Baker** » 25 Sep 2019, 18:14

Stream of consciousness writing, done well, is always fun to read. And while I do write in long sentences, I agree that the one you highlighted is a bit much.

Helene_2008 · Post by **Helene_2008** » 25 Sep 2019, 18:41

This definitely doesn't sound like my cup of tea. I'm not sure that I would be interested in reading a diary about someone's divorce. I definitely think the book could be improved if it jumped from Colette's daily life to Cecily's diary. It would be a nice ending to have Colette and Cecily's relationship improve by the end of the book, because of Colette reading the diary.

Wyland · Post by **Wyland** » 26 Sep 2019, 03:42

This is an important subject I would want to read about because of the protracted wrangles and the mental anguish that those who get involved suffer. Thanks for the insightful review.

Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 26 Sep 2019, 05:05

I often see and hear about people going for therapy after a divorce, but rarely are the kid(s) feelings given such attention. I know it can be overwhelming for the involved parties, but the kid(s) deserve better than 'You will not understand'. Thanks for your beautiful review.

Manang Muyang · Post by **Manang Muyang** » 26 Sep 2019, 18:49

What an insightful review! I wonder if this is a true story. I am Catholic; I am supposed to believe in the sanctity of marriage. But sometimes, I also wonder why one wrong decision should imprison a person in a life of misery.

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 27 Sep 2019, 09:00

Given the premise of the book, I can see how the readers would become invested in Cecily's character but it is too bad that Colette didn't have a bigger role in the story. Thanks for the great review!

Meg98 · Post by **Meg98** » 27 Sep 2019, 10:18

This sounds like a very promising book, it just needs a bit more execution. I am still intrigued to read this though... thanks for this great review! Cheers:)

unamilagra · Post by **unamilagra** » 27 Sep 2019, 11:53

I like the premise of this book, but it sounds like the execution was too boring. I prefer a bit more action. Thanks for an honest review!

rumik · Post by **rumik** » 29 Sep 2019, 13:11

esp1975 wrote: ↑25 Sep 2019, 18:14 Stream of consciousness writing, done well, is always fun to read. And while I do write in long sentences, I agree that the one you highlighted is a bit much.

I also write in long sentences; I think that's why I really enjoyed the writing for the most part. But at the same time, I have to mention it because I know many people don't enjoy the style... I guess this is just part of being a reviewer, having to be objective whenever possible!

Prisallen wrote: ↑25 Sep 2019, 07:24 It sounds as though this could be a really good book if Collette's character had a more developed story and if the errors were fixed. Hopefully, the author will consider getting a professional editor. Thanks for the great review!

I hope so too, since this book certainly has a lot of potential. Thanks for the reply!

Magnify3 wrote: ↑25 Sep 2019, 04:58 It is a pity that Collette's character is not so fully developed and explored. I think that would have been a great addition. Thanks for the review!

I agree. Thanks for the reply!

MsH2k wrote: ↑25 Sep 2019, 17:17 There is something to be said for edited streams of consciousness. Hopefully Colette got a better appreciation for the tough decision her mother had to make. Thanks for your review!

I'm sure she did. I just wish I could've seen how reading the diaries affected her thoughts/feelings throughout daily life. Thanks for the reply!

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 29 Sep 2019, 16:18

I do like a text on psychology, but the errors would definitely put me off. Thanks for the review!

Gabriel Merêncio · Post by **Gabriel Merêncio** » 01 Oct 2019, 11:33

An interesting personal drama sadly in need of some revisions. I do enjoy psychological stories, though, so I might give this one a chance. Thanks for the review!