Book Review: The Gaugin Connection by Estelle Ryan

Hey Guys,

Here's the last book review of August! I recently had the pleasure of reading The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan, which is an introduction to the Genevieve Lenard series. What a cool book! It combines my love for art and mystery novels into a novel that I couldn't put down. Genevieve Lenard is a very unusual heroine. She is a highly functioning autistic person and initially is very misunderstood. Over the course of the novel, not only does she solve a complex case, but develops several new relationships, including a potentially romantic relationship.

This book is much much more than just a simple mystery. It forces us to think about the assumptions we make about people who view the world differently from us. At work, I interact with patients from all walks of life and I put a great deal of effort into approaching every case in as neutral a manner as possible. Assumptions only hurt us and prevent us from growing, and I think this concept is presented very clearly in the Gauguin Connection. Genevieve ends up forming strong bonds with people in the most unlikely places.

In terms of character development, I loved the main character. She was brave, spunky, and funny. She was well developed and her interactions with the other characters were humorous at times. I enjoyed reading about the budding relationship between Genevieve and Colin and would love to read more. The book was well paced and kept me engaged. I was eager to see Genevieve solve the mystery

In technical terms, the book was well written with no noticeable typos. The characters were well written and complex. I would be interested in reading more about the early days of Genevieve's relationship with Philip. I would also love to learn more about Colin and Vinnie's past. This book is followed by several others in the series, and when I get the chance, I am looking forward to working my way through the rest of the series. I would also be interested in reading other books by Ms. Ryan as her writing style greatly appeals to me. Overall quite an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend checking this series out!

My Review: 5 Stars

Happy Reading,
chaitime212