A Visit from Voltaire by Dinah Lee Kung

A Visit from Voltaire by Dinah Lee Kung

From Goodreads-

When an American mother-of-three finds herself overwhelmed in her new home in Switzerland, a visitor pops up offering to cure her son's asthma, her husband's growing indifference, and her own resentment of life. Is he the village nutter or - as he claims to be - the greatest mind of the eighteenth century? This talkative character wearing kneebreeches and wig is the last straw. Though she begs him to go home, he unpacks his mouldy trunk instead. Slowly V. becomes her warmest friend as they laugh and quarrel, and he teaches her the best lesson of all: how to live life to its fullest.

A Visit from Voltaire is a book enriched in history and fun banter. First of all I had no idea who Voltaire was and that he was actually a real person. What first drew me to the book was the thought of a frazzled mother and wife learning how to enjoy life from a french ghost circa 1700's . What I got was much more, the stories that the Voltaire would tell was a look into history, and he sure did a lot of name dropping, but that is the nature of Voltaire. He is full of energy, and has a zest for life which becomes contagious.

The flow of the book was my only problem with A Visit from Voltaire. At times I felt the momentum slow down, and it would start to get a tad boring, but then it would pick up again. Throughout the whole book it fluctuates between really interesting to stale. In the end though the book did put a smile to my face. I want my own Voltaire.

All in all I thought A Visit from Voltaire is a interesting book with flair.

Rating: 3.5/5

 

This book was sent to me for review.