The Girl You left Behind by Jojo Moyes - live webchat 11 December 1-2pm

zeezaa

Which of your books (so far) do you like the best? I have seen authors asked this before and they always say either the last one or the one they are working on now. Same for you?

Hi Zeezaa. I have a very soft spot for Me Before You as it seemed to catapult me into a new level of publishing. It was also the easiest book I've ever written, in terms of the characters just 'coming' to me (if that doesn't sound horribly pretentious). But I also love a book of mine that hardly sold a thing, called Silver Bay. The last chapter still makes me cry - and I wrote it!

I have only recently come to your books and love them. I see you have written quite a few. How long does it take you to write a novel?

milliesmum

Do you have a particular interest in the WW1 (ie did it predate this book) or was it something that came up for this particular story?

I didn't have a particular interest in that period, MilliesMum, but I found that the more I read about it the more fascinated I became. What I thought would be the toughest part of the book to read actually became the easiest. And if you're interested, I'd recommend Helen McPhail's The Long Silence, which I read avidly for research.

floribunda

I understand you have a young family. How do you comine small children and writing?

With difficulty! At the moment I get up at 6am and write before they go to school, just to guarantee a few hundred uninterrupted words. But I squeeze it in wherever I can. I came here on the train today with my laptop.

Which of your books (so far) do you like the best? I have seen authors asked this before and they always say either the last one or the one they are working on now. Same for you?

GeraldineGransnet

Jojo will be joining us for a live webchat to discuss our book club choice, The Girl You Left Behind. Add your question here.

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Is Jojo short for Joanna? or Joanne? Or Josephine? Who shortened it and when (I have a friend called Jojo)

Do you have a particular interest in the WW1 (ie did it predate this book) or was it something that came up for this particular story?

I understand you have a young family. How do you comine small children and writing?

I too need to apologise, as my post wasn't actually a question!

Sorry. I didn't type that nonsense after the word Sophie.

Aurelien is an important character in the first part of the book. His disloyalty meant that Sophie’s reputation in the town was lost forever. Were you tempted to keep him in the story and write an ending for him that would have evened the score?

I found the passage where Sophie was washed by Helene very poignant and moving. It was written with a "light touch" and the lack of any conversation between the two sisters until Helene says "Oh Sophie, what have you done?" (almost as if to herself rather than actually directed at Sophie as a question) was sublime.

I could also identify with the way that Liv began each day with a run in order to block out aspects of grief. Although I didn't take up running dring my own bereavement, I can so clearly remember the feeling of waking up and for the first minute feeling "normal" and then the weight of remembering, almost tangible.

Jojo, thank you, I really enjoyed the book. I thought you captured the feeling of the occupied village really well and the way that the people behaved and acted was believable in the circumstances. Like others I thought the Kommandant's effort to reunite Sophie with her husband was slightly incredible, but the narrative was strong enough to carry it off. I live in an old French farmhouse that was lived in by German soldiers during the war and often wonder about their lives here. (If walls could talk etc).
Two questions:
In the first part of the book I found myself thinking about Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Although that is a completely different story and a different war, I wondered if that book had also been in your mind when you were writing about the sympathetic officer from the army of occupation?
I was intrigued by the novella about Liv's honeymoon. This gave a different impression of her marriage and made me think again about her character and actions. Was that your intention or was it meant to be seen almost as a separate story?

Yes - I agree that the kommandant was representative of the majority, being a "decent man, caught up in the inhumanity of war" - but I still found it hard to accept the idea that he might try and effect a reunion between Sophie and Eduarde by putting them at huge risk on their journey and giving them no assurance that this was the aim in view.

I don't know, mishap perhaps he was just a decent man, caught up in the inhumanity of war. Would you have been as sceptical if he had been British? I think the concept of the "good" enemy is a valid one.
The fine line between collaboration and making the best of the situation , especially when you have no alternative was also good. Cf Dominion the new book by CJ Sansom, I think it shows how we in Britain might have behaved in a very similar way without necessarily sharing the political views of the oppressor.
I for one would not have had the courage to "stand up" to an invading army and I suspect I am not alone, but would have kept my head down and tried not to draw attention to myself. The treatment of some suspected collaborators has always seemed somewhat self righteous to me - it's easy to be principled after the event.

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Her name is a bit of a put-off to anyone who is not into chick lit - but the fact that she is published by Penguin gives a hint that there might be more to it.

I thought it was well-written and enjoyed it, but would not go out of my way to read more of hers, unless someone is prepared to strongly recommed a particular one.he

The characters were interesting and the parts set in the war gave some insights into French people's lives in occupied villages. The impossible position that some people found themselves in when forced to co-operate with the occupying forces; but then they found themselves ostracized by the rest of the villagers.

The idea that the kommandant tried to reunite Sophie with her husband was a bit far-fetched - especially as the route chosen for this reunion nearly killed her!

Here is another who thought (from the book covers) that Jojo was a 'chick lit' author, so hadn't read any of her stuff. Bought this on my kindle on the strength of the gransnet recommendation and I'm very glad that the wintry weather has allowed me to spend hours curled up reading without feeling very guilty! Will now be keeping an eye open for other books of hers - its such a treat to discover a 'new' author.

I particularly liked the way that even fairly minor characters were 'rounded' and interesting, not just one-dimensional.

PS - am I allowed o be a pedant? Can you "pen an email"?!

Dear Jojo - I absolutely loved the book. Couldn't put it down. I confess I had thought of you as a chick lit author and so this book - particularly the first half - surprised me a bit (in a good way I hasten to add) Was that intentional - or just the way the story panned out?

I got this on Audible to listen to. It followed on from a trilogy I listened to also based in WWI but linked to the present day. 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks, then 'The Girl at the Lion d'Or' and 'Charlotte Gray'.

I've read a few Jojo Moyes books before I read this one, 'The Horse Dancer', 'Last Letter from your Lover', 'Me Before You'. A common question I know but from where do you get your inspiration as I find them all very different?