Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book was both thought-provoking and enjoyable. I recently went to Prague and so was able to trace the story exactly from the places I had visited, which always enables you to be more invested. I also visited the Museum of Communism which inspired Buchan to write the book, and it struck me in very much the same way it must have struck her.

I liked that there were three different strands to the story, although it did seem to jump quite suddenly at times. Communist Eastern Europe and the repression suffered by its inhabitants is not a subject often discussed in literature (at least in English lit) so it was very interesting to read about, and juxtaposing it with two different time periods after the fall of the Wall highlighted the repression. I would have liked to have got a little more into Laure's head, especially in the later part of the novel. Also, while I liked the conceit of the museum, I was more interested in the back story. All in all though, I liked it.

Set in the present day and recalling the revolution in Prague of 1989, the central themes of memories, both collective and personal, loss and forgiveness are explored through an unforgettable life experience of Laure, the founder of The Museum of Broken Promises. The stark realities of deprivation, surveillance and brutality pervading everyday life in Prague 1989 are personalised when Laure, a UK national on a working visa, finds herself the subject of suspicion, targeted surveillance and horrific violence. Laure’s Museum of Broken Promises allows reconciliation of the past and present, each donated artefact telling its own story and contributing to the collective community of ‘broken promises’.

I requested this book as it seemed intriguing. However I found it slow moving and I couldn't engage in the characters despite the sentimental nature of the story.i r and 20% but having other books lined up decided not to pursue it any further.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

A new author to me - I will certainly be looking out for more

I absolutely loved this - couldn't put down

Well written, the author has a lovely turn of phrase - I loved the storytelling and how the story unfurled - very skillfully done

The descriptions are very evocative and I recognised the Paris I know and now feel a desperate need to visit Prague.

This book has been a real find - I'm so glad I got the chance to read it

I found this book overlong and not very interesting. Laure was an irritating character that I never cared about, in fact I didn't care about any of the characters. The Cold War period has always left me cold and that is perhaps why this tale of oppression, resilience and resistance didn't quite hit the spot with me. I did enjoy the stories behind the items chosen for display in the museum as it put me in mind of the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb that I visited a couple of years ago. I read an unproofed e-ARC courtesy of the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and would like to thank them for this opportunity.

This is a great novel. Set partially in the present day Paris and partially in cold war Czechoslovakia the story delves deep into European political history of the 20th century as well as the emotional consequences of life behind the Iron Curtain, particularly for the main character, Laure, who is torn apart by love, loyalty and guilt. The writing is fluent and emotionally raw on occasion, but feels totally true. The book is hard to put down. The characters are well defined and easy to 'feel for'. It is not an easy read in the sense that the content is sometimes distressing, but also at the same time the challenge leads to a emotionally uplifting finale. I will recommend this and buy it for my friends.

A delightful read and as usual a well crafted book by Elizabeth Buchan. Very much more interested in the life and insights offered during the Czechoslovakian phase than the Paris phase but both hung together well. It is always easy to empathise with this authors characters

A heart-breaking journey into the past.

This fascinating story opens in present-day Paris, in a museum dedicated to 'broken dreams’. Various objects that are brought by the public to the museum represent incidents of loss, grief and betrayal. It is run by Laure, a woman who has her own objects hidden among the rest, hiding her own tragic past.

The narrative now alternates between the present day and Prague in 1985, where Laure, trying to get over the death of her father, breaks off from her studies and takes a job as an au pair in Communist Prague. Although half French and half English nothing has prepared her for the dark political currents and complete loss of freedom when living behind the Iron Curtain. The father of the children she is looking after is a hard-line party man, and Laure soon finds herself in conflict between a group of dissidents she has met, who run a Puppet Theatre, and her employer. To make matters worse, she falls passionately in love with a young musician Tomas, who is the leader of the group. Taking many risks to be with him, Laure soon finds herself in real danger, which has terrible consequences.

Years later, with the help of a mysterious benefactor, Laure creates her museum, and this helps her to find a way of resolving her heartbreak and bitterness. Throughout the book, she is searching for the truth about what happened in her last fateful days in Prague. We have to wait for the final pages to find the closure and peace Laure so desperately needs.

Beautifully written, with immaculate research into the background material, this is a novel that needs to be read. In this country, we take our freedoms so much for granted. Laure's story reminds us of how lucky we are.

My one concern is that the book is quite challenging to get into at the start, but once you do, the rewards are overwhelming.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Thank you NetGalley and Corvus books for a copy of Museum of Broken Promises.
Set-in present-day Paris and Prague in 1985 under communist rule. Laure is an au pair in Paris. Who is looking after two children and is finding it hard to keep the children occupied. When she comes across a puppet theatre, were she meets Tomas and falls in love with him. Whilst she is with him, she gets caught up in political matters.
Present day Paris Laure is a curator for the Museum of Broken Promises, where people come and bring objects that represent broken promises and incidents were, they have been betrayed in their lives.
When I read the description for this book, I thought that this was my kind of book. I have read similar stories. But it wasn’t what I expected. Yes, it was well written, and I did like the part of the story about the museum but, for me personally this book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters and I struggled through it. 3 stars from me

A week after reading this book, I'm still thinking about it. The story is set in modern day Paris, Prague in 1985 under Communist rule and in Berlin shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As a teenager in Britain in the 1980's, it was fascinating to read how different life was for teenagers in Prague.

The story is well thought out, the characters are believable and the museum is fascinating - some of the stories of the broken promises were heartbreaking. The story of Laure, the owner and curator is emotional and not an easy read in places (police brutality) but I'm glad that I read such an interesting and thought provoking book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Corvus for an uncorrected proof copy in return for my honest review.

This book is the first Buchan one I've read; definitely read her others. She writes with grey mixture of attractive characters and visceral description. I loved the time shifts and was genuinely moved by the threads of the story especially connecting these to artifacts in the museum. Laure is a great heroine: brave, naive, intelligent and forgiving.

This is one of the most interesting books that I have read this year and my first by Elizabeth Buchan.
The book is set in Paris where the Museum is based, and each item in the museum has a story and reason to be there. Laure, after the death of her father, worked in Prague as a nanny in 1985, and in a stifling political climate met and fell in love with a musician Tomas, who strongly opposed the regime.
This gave an interesting insight into the problems in Czechslovakia and how foreigners living or visiting there were perceived.
Highly recommended book ,which made me want to read more about how life was in Czechslovakia in the 1980's.
Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc.

This book was enjoyable in places, but overall I found the storytelling protracted. At times I was wishing for the ending to come.

I’ve just finished reading this wonderful book and am still wiping away the tears. The well written story is disturbing and moving in equal measures. It’s not an easy read but really worth making the effort. I loved it!!

Headline : A Fractured Tale Of A Fractured Life

Laure’s tale is one of a fractured life told in a fractured fashion – jumping back and forward in time to try and make sense of the present.
I thought that thee was a really good book in here but for some reason there were some loose ends that I thought should have been dealt with a bit better. The actual events in the border railway station, what did happen to Tomas, how did the article turn out and who was the museum benefactor? I think I know but I would like to be certain.
At one point the novel heads off into Le Carre territory then returns to the main thread of Laure’s daily life.
An interesting read though.
This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Note :
I intend to provide the above on Amazon when the book is released on 5 Sept 2019

I think we all can identify to broken promises and this story has a broken promise at the heart of it, but unlike some, this promise could not be kept. I absolutely loved this book, It's a beautiful and heart-wrenching piece of historical fiction, set in different countries within different time frames. The Museum of Broken Promises is situated in Paris and features items donated by people who come into the museum and the museum's curator decides which pieces are to be displayed. The idea is these items help people to deal with their emotional difficulties and amongst these are some of Laurie's, the founder and curator of the museum. Her item leads into the story of her life so far, and how she came to run the museum and why.
The nucleus of the story is set in Czechoslovakia, during the communist regime, and whilst working as an au pair she meets a young man named Tomas and falls deeply in love. What follows is a disturbing, emotional and enthralling journey of self-discovery, realisation, political and social discord.
A beautifully written and creative story, that has been intelligently researched. I thought about this book for days after reading it and can't wait to have my own physical copy.

This book alternates between present day France and 1980s communist Prague. In Prague Laure is an au pair looking after two children who long to return home to Paris. Trying to find things to occupy the children and to get out of the oppressive summer heat Laure falls upon a puppet theatre. Here she meets Tomas who she falls madly in love with. Spending as much time as she can with Tomas she gets caught up in political matters where the only way she can guarantee her safety is to return home. In present day Paris Laure is a curator of The Museum of Broken Promises, a place where people donate objects that represent heartbreaking stories of broken promises and betrayal.

I loved the idea behind the novel and really enjoyed reading about the individual objects that were donated to the museum and the stories behind them. I really liked the author's writing style and the way the story alternates between the past and present. What I thought would be the main focus of the novel, the museum, actually was more of the side story which I personally found disappointing. Although I found it interesting to read about the political struggles in Czechoslovakia at that time, I also found it dominated the book more than I was anticipating and dampened my enjoyment somewhat.

I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for a copy of this ebook.

In 1986, after the death of her father, Laure Carlyle takes the post of au pair looking after the children of a Czechoslovakian family in Paris. When the family is recalled to Communist Czechoslovakia, naïve Laure goes with them. Laure falls in love with Tomas, in a country whose rules she does not understand and whose regime can be brutal.
In the present day Laure is the founder and curator of The Museum of Broken Promises, a place which exhibits articles which represent heart-breaking stories of broken promises.
Moving between the past and present, this haunting story of love, betrayal, trust and atonement remains with the reader long after the last page is turned.

Love and loss in 1980s Prague

This is a haunting story, of deep love and heart-rending loss, quite unlike the usual light and undemanding cafe/library/pub-set novels, in which someone follows a life-long dream after a trauma. Laure has founded the Museum of Broken Promises to find peace and to help others bring closure to sad events in their lives by donating objects that have been pivotal in their lives. The action swings between Communist Prague in the 1980s and modern-day Paris, where the museum is housed. The story unfolds as American journalist May interviews a reluctant Laure.

In Prague, Laure had worked for a couple whom she discovered were Party officials. After visiting a puppet show, she fell in love with Tomas, the puppeteer. Who knew that marionettes could be subversive? Apparently so in Communist Prague. Through the couple's growing love, we learn just how repressive and suspicious this regime was and how hard it must have been to live in it (from a Westerner's eyes). A strong story, well-written, informative without being didactic and, above all, a great romance.

This books begins in present day Paris where Laure is the owner and curator of the Museum of broken Promises. Every item has been donated with a story They help heal the past and Laure has her own items hidden between them.
But who is Laure and what is her story?
This is a beautifully written book of an enduring love.