I really enjoyed this book, it was a great read and perfect for me at the moment. I dived into it and read it very quickly as I found it so interesting. I love this type of book as having parents who lived and fought in the war and suffered greatly I am interested in this era.
This was something a little different which always makes a great change. Would certainly enjoy more from this author.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and found the subject matter very interesting. I would recommend this book to those readers who enjoy reading this genre.

This story is a cute novel that covers the unraveling of a family secret over multiple generations in Casablanca and France. The descriptions of Casablanca and the surrounding area had me itching to visit (and rewatch Casablanca!).

The story is told in mostly chronological order following two timelines, one in 1940 and one in 2005. The problem is that there are too many narrators to keep the story going. It also tries to be too many things. Is it a cozy historical mystery? Is it a story of romance during wartime? Is it an examination of the psychological effects on people who live through war? It tries to do everything and in doing so, only manages to sort-of achieve any of them.

After reading the description of the book, I was expecting an exciting war-time mystery, a whodunnit of "who is Guillaume? Is he alive?". What I got instead was a quick read that slowly reveals the story piece by piece, until the final section that left me confused about the lack of communication among the family members and sad for his mother.

A solid piece of writing and a somewhat interesting story, yet it failed to charm me.
I think the first problem is that not much(mystery wise) happens until about the 65% mark. I found very clever they way Malaval built Guillaume's character in his absence. Letters, other character's thoughts and stories, revealing not only Guillaume but also his life up until his disappearance. But no matter how clever, it is not very engaging for the reader who keeps wondering what is all about and then why all the delay in actually revealing more about the core story.
The last part of the book is a classic case of "building up my family's history" that sadly does not shed light on Guillaume's faith. And this is the second problem. The reader goes through so much, puts up with all that slow built up for in the end not to receive his/her reward. I personally am fed up with clear-cut ends and from that point of view the open ending of this novel was more than welcome. But as I've said, I don't think is going to work for the average reader because you do need some solid answers to help you forget how slow it was to get to 'solution' of the mystery.
All being said, I've enjoyed the snippets of WW2 on a different front than the every present European one. It was also nice to read all the details about Casablanca, and why not the old silent movies.

This was a lovely book to read and ingest in one go. I love the flipping between present and past, i love the storytelling and vivid pictures it created in my head as i read it. If you’re a fan of historical fiction that focuses on the characters and personal development you’ll love this.

I feel like the past is always more exciting as well as more sordid when one is exploring their own family history. What an adventure, this book was!
The setting was a major bonus as it was off the beaten path of most historical fiction these days.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC!

I loved the idea of this book. The story is gripping and a good read. I liked going back and forward between the 2 timelines. I thought that it was interesting and worth reading. I think that this is a 3 1/2 star read and I have rounded it up to 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Part historical fiction, part contemporary and part mystery I found myself completely absorbed in this book, set mainly in Casablanca in the years between the 1930’s and 40’s and the present day.
This is the story of Guillaume, a sailor who is in active service when war breaks out and his family and sweetheart are left behind in France. When an explosion aboard ship takes the lives of so many, Guillaume is presumed dead. But with no body found, rumours become rife concerning his true identity. Is he a deserter or a spy or simply a casualty of war? That is the question that many years later Loubna is desperate to discover, having come into possession of a suitcase full of love letters sent to the charismatic sailor. I loved how these letters offered us an insight into this colourful, larger than life character who it transpires was a real ladies man, certainly a sailor with a girl in every port! His exuberance and love of life shone through the pages and if nothing else I thought he was an intriguing character. In unravelling the mystery behind the man, maybe Loubna will find Guillaume is more than just the sum of his conquests.
The timeline switches back and forth between multiple narrators that range from Guillaume’s mother and father and sister to his childhood sweetheart, lover and best friend(I think I’ve remembered them all!!) I loved the fact just enough information was divulged by each person before switching to another narrator, thereby ensuring I was fully engaged with the storyline. Surprisingly we never hear first hand from Guillaume, instead learning of his life aboard ship via his best friend Felix but perhaps that is a deliberate ploy to encourage further mystery surrounding a man who seems to have taken on legendary status. If the author had treated us to his perspective I think that would have been a real eye opener.
Having never visited Morocco or Casablanca, I did feel the author managed to bring the setting alive, albeit mostly from a sailor’s perspective! In that sense, the novel is atmospheric enough for the reader to imagine themselves in the streets and the cinemas and the red light district. With plenty of film references added in, at the very least it made me want to watch Casablanca, if not to wish I could visit the place sometime soon.
It was refreshing to hear about the wartime experience from another country’s perspective . Whilst the ways in which war affects people are similar, I enjoyed hearing from Helene and Lucien their first hand experiences. It is Helene who deserves our sympathies since her story highlights the devastating effect of losing a son and how that splinters the family as a whole, having to learn to make a life around a gaping person shaped hole. I would agree with other reviews that perhaps we don’t get an in depth insight into some of the characters lives which normally would frustrate me but for reasons I can’t pinpoint I didn’t mind on this occasion. I think I was too swept up in Loubna’s quest to uncover her family’s history.
In my opinion The Sailor from Casablanca would be an ideal book as an introduction into historical fiction for readers who wouldn’t normally choose this genre. With the added bonus of romance and mystery, this is one of the easiest yet most intriguing novels I’ve read in a while. I found the mystery element of this book fascinating;it was like searching for the missing pieces of a complex jigsaw puzzle and like Loubna I was desperate to discover the true person beyond that of Guillaume the lady killer.
All the way through I was thinking yes this is definitely a five star read for me but I’m still undecided how I feel about the conclusion. Having not been able to turn the pages fast enough, it kind of fizzled out so I was left feeling disappointed that this was the last I’d hear from these characters ( the book does feel very short but maybe that’s my misconception ). I found the final pages puzzling and I needed to re read some of the paragraphs to make sense of the ending. All minor criticisms and no doubt I may regret giving this 4.5 stars rather than 5.
Overall I think this was a cracking good read, thoroughly enjoyable and my thanks go to Hodder and Stoughton for the invitation to read this title.

What a brilliant book which deals withe heart acne of those left behind when someone dies bye there is no body so no closure.
It is also a mystery which is not resolved untill the very last chapter and keeps you guessing throughout the book

A gentle story of lives and loves lost . The story is told form wartime to 2004 with various voices recounting the story of Guillaume, a mariner , who goes missing after an explosion in his ship. Is he lost or has he absconded ? His granddaughter wants to open a cinema in Casablanca and is given a series of letters. Will these give her the background to this enigmatic grandfather?
There are perhaps too many people recounting the tale for me. A good perspective on the historical aspects of the war but I could not relate to any of the characters hence the 3 star rating

Well written book that offers a bit of everything, romance, mystery and war. Not the light hearted romance that I expected. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

The Sailor From Casablanca by Charline Malaval is a marvellous dual timeline novel – 1940 France and Casablanca and 2005 in Casablanca. The tale follows a sailor, full of life and vigour, and a young woman’s search for the truth about her grandfather after finding some wartime letters.
War is a terrible thing. It alters people beyond recognition – bodies return but minds are left behind. “The war [WWI] buried him alive” – not physically but mentally. The war to end all wars returned a generation of men who were shadows of themselves. “It wasn’t that we were brave in the trenches; we simply had no choice.”
Young men in the 1930’s failed to see another war looming as they signed up for the French navy. War is not glamorous. War changes boys into men, and men into heroes. In war there is always the choice to be made – to do your duty or to dessert. This dilemma is explored throughout the novel in an attempt to uncover the truth.
The novel explores relationships – within a marriage, and also delves into the seedier side of sex workers and one night stands.
War has a habit of focussing the mind. We have to decide who and what is most important to us.
There are multiple narrators within the novel in 1940 but just one in 2005. We see the thoughts about events and characters from various points of view.
The Sailor From Casablanca was a well-constructed novel which I enjoyed. I think it would make a marvellous movie.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Even if it's well written and the plot is interesting I couldn't connect to the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I did not like this book. The first 5th of it is very disjointed with descriptions of people that appear to have been lifted from obituraries that have been padded out. Once the story gets going it gets a bit better, with good characters but I am afraid my review may be tainted because of the beginning. Not a book that I would buy as a present for my family

While there was much of this book that was really well done- the setting of Casablanca, a beautiful cover, the dual time periods, and a nice ending twist, there was also much that fell short for me. The inability to really bond to any of the characters was the biggest downfall in my opinion. They all just fell flat and seemed very .... unmemorable.

I really disliking leaving reviews that aren’t super positive! Thank you though for the opportunity to read this title.

In 1940, a sailor in the French Navy, Guillaume, is presumed dead when there is an explosion on his ship. His body is never recovered.

In 2005, his granddaughter knows nothing about him but is determined to find out the truth behind who he was and who her grandmother was.

The book is split into chapters which are told from the viewpoints of different characters, both in 1940 and in 2005. All of them are trying to work out what happened to Guillaume. I like the fact that although Guillaume is really the main character in the book, none of the story is told from him point of view. This leaves him as rather a mysterious character and adds to the unknown quality he has. He seems to have many secrets, and none of the other characters truly know who he is.

This is quite well written and easy to get along with. I was expecting it to be quite a romantic tale so I was quite pleased that this isn't actually at the forefront of the story. It is a good mixture of drama, romance and is also a story of the war and of how families, and everyone really, suffered during that time. It also gives some insight into the lives of the sailors themselves whilst in active duty, although I honestly don't know how accurate it is, or how much it has been romanticised for the purposes of the story.

Although the book was relatively enjoyable to read, I wasn't particularly gripped by it and I didn't feel that I engaged well with any of the characters. I'm not sure why this is as there isn't anything obviously wrong with it, but that's just my feeling. Perhaps it just wasn't quite my cup of tea. However I still think if you enjoy light drama and romance, especially around wartime, then you might like this book.

Guillaume is missing presumed dead after an explosion on his ship in Casablanca in 1940. But there are some mysterious circumstances around his contacts in the weeks before his death.
Sixty odd years later, Loubna is given a folder of the correspondence he sent and received while serving in the Navy and hopes it might provide answers she has longed for all her life.
The good historical background leading up to WWII and the descriptions of 1940s Casablanca were rather wasted on an ordinary plot and characters. Its difficult to know if the original or the translation is the problem, but it’s my fault, this was not for me. I actually fell asleep 99% in and had no idea what the ending meant when I came to.
But with thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the read.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This novel was a historical fiction about a French sailor about the time of WWII. It was part romance part mystery and took a bit to get into it. The novel was translated from French to English and that may have been a factor.

Wonderfully romantic, mysterious and spellbinding. There weren’t enough hours in the day to lose myself in captivating Casablanca.

Fantastic story-line, switching between the second-world war and present day unraveling a mystery. Descriptive and atmospheric transporting you to a war-torn France and a golden Casablanca.