The Girl You Left Behind

By: Jojo Moyes

Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Penny Rawlins

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of Me Before You, a spellbinding love story of two women separated by a century but united in their determination to fight for what they love most

France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard's portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer's dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything - her family, her reputation, and her life - to see her husband again.

Almost a century later, Sophie's portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is - putting Liv's belief in what is right to the ultimate test.

Like Sarah Blake's The Postmistress and Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key, The Girl You Left Behind is a breathtaking story of love, loss, and sacrifice told with Moyes's signature ability to capture our hearts.

©2013 Jojo Moyes (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Vibrant and gripping.” (People Magazine, three stars)

"Jojo Moyes expertly weaves a bittersweet tale in this irresistible novel, taking careful interest in the dark corners that exist within great love stories, and the trickiness of simple happy endings. A-" (Entertainment Weekly)

“Moyes writes delicious plots, with characters so clearly imagined they leap off the pages in high-definition prose.... Clever plot turns make for a satisfying ending.... Moyes brings fresh strokes to this story about the power of art and love to transcend what imprisons us. Romantics looking for a story set amid the politics of plundered art couldn't do much better than The Girl You Left Behind.” (USA Today, three and a half stars)

She is a Master Storyteller

I am in love with this book. The author did an amazing job of character development I felt like I knew them all personally. I was enraptured with the unfolding of the story and the internal turmoil of each character.

This is not a wasted credit.

The narrators did a beautiful job.

Another Outstanding Story by Jojo Moyes

I love where Jojo Moyes takes me in her books. The Girl You Left Behind was suspenseful and kept me engaged until the end.

Spellbinding

This story is spellbinding. It speaks to the strength love even in the most difficult of circumstances! It is written for a mature audience, those whom have felt the passions of love and the pain of loss.

Art, German occupied France and unsuspected ending

Any additional comments?

Omg!! Love love loved this book. I didn’t know JoJo could do historical fiction and tie multiple stories together the way Susan Meisner does!! It is a fascinating story not at all predictable until the end but still worth the read.

So much more than the title!

What made the experience of listening to The Girl You Left Behind the most enjoyable?

Loved the time period jumping from the past to the present, it was so exciting!

What other book might you compare The Girl You Left Behind to and why?

The Nightengale

Which scene was your favorite?

When as a reader you discover the Commandant has died and his wife hated the picture so much she took it in!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Had hard time coming to work, didn't want to stop listening!

Any additional comments?

A truly beautiful story... I have listened to it several times, I keep hearing things I didn't hear before.

Exquisitely written. Beautiful story and well assembled.

JoJo Moyes writing upon reading the story is like hearing an opera. So wonderfully assembled and the story line is fully matured.

beautiful intricate story. i loved every word

I loved every word. It was beautifully written and exquisitely told. i can't get enough of jojo moyes.

Great story

Where does The Girl You Left Behind rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This would be one of my top 20 books I have listened to. I loved the historical part. The present day storyline was good as well. The narrators were great and very distinct from one another.

Any additional comments?

I wish the investigation of the painting seemed more realistic. It seemed like information came magically to people that would have been an obvious route of investigation in a real case of this magnitude. It doesn't make me feel less about the book but was something that made me roll my eyes a couple times. Obviously it is fiction for a reason. I also somehow didn't realize it was set during WWI until later into the book. Might have been my fault but that should have been laid out better.

Nice story . Good listening for my long walks.

Interesting history in the story. Two stories in one and all wrapped up in the end.

A compelling story

I loved the story and the vivid descriptions of life in this small village under German occupation. The suspense of the ownership of the painting kept me hanging until the unexpected ending. The reader is excellent but the overall audio was very distracting, especially in the beginning. Multiple characters, various accents and volume variations were distracting. But overall I loved it!