I wanted to like this more, but it just wasn't that enjoyable to read. The first third or so was fun and interesting with the different perspectives. The first person point of view describing childhood Charles, to his meeting and marriage of Emma was intriguing enough. But when Emma got melancholic, I happen to set it down and it took forever for me to want to pick it back up again. I felt for Emma's deep unhappiness, and understood why she felt so helpless and made the choices she did. But in some ways Emma never felt real enough to me to really make me care for her. Maybe I need to level up my French and give it another shot.