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Bookfan

Intriguing read

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2017

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Brief synopsis from the book cover:
A mesmerizing novel that transports readers to a sunny Portuguese town with a shadowy past—where two women, decades apart, are drawn into a dark game of truth and lies that still haunts the shifting sea marshes. Travelling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career; Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But Joanna soon realizes that behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child’s kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline more than two decades ago.
Joanna’s subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically suggests she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple’s experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn’t fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford’s story and Nathan Emberlin’s may indeed converge in Faro—where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.
Story: 4 out of 5 Stars

Writing: 5 out of 5 Stars

Character development: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
Review: The book vividly depicts the Algarve region of Portugal. It is well written and has well developed characters. The plot is good and full of intrigue but I feel the ending let’s it down a bit. The historical part that gave an inside into live in Portugal during WII was very interesting.

Dusty Rhoades

Fantastic Read-- Couldn't Put It Down

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2019

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Just got back from Lisbon and chose some books to read along the way. I wasn't sure what to expect because I knew nothing about this book or the author. The writing, plot, characters and subject are fantastic. It did not disappoint and enthralled me throughout. Wish I had read it before I left because Portugal seems to have had a complicated past during WWII, much like many so-called neutral countries. Anyway, even though it's totally fiction, it was a great read and kept me entertained throughout. Highly recommend!

David Anderson

300 Days of Sun will leave the reader entranced and wishing for more.

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2017

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Deborah Lawrenson’s 300 Days of Sun: A Novel is a marvelous and mysterious sojourn at a crossroads in history. It tells the story of a young Englishwoman named Jo who has made her way to the wind swept cobblestones of Faro, Portugal. Seeking solace and refuge, she soon finds herself involved in a baffling web of intrigue; its enigmatic shadows deepened by the blinding Portuguese sun. Accompanied by a charming young man in search of his past, Jo is thrown into a vortex of fate, as crimes from decades ago finally face a long delayed justice.

Jo’s story is interspersed with the book’s novel-within-a-novel set during the depths of WWII. It features a harrowing account of the evacuation of Paris, and the lonely despair of refugees seeking passage to America. This clever device offers a vivid foundation for Jo’s current struggles, and adds context and occasional clues to its resolution. Lawrenson nurtures her plot from the fertile soil of classic detective fiction, with each new character and narrow escape adding to a seductive strata of suspense.

But 300 Days of Sun is more than a rattling good yarn. Its lush evocation of time and place stimulates the senses as well as the mind, and readers will find themselves transported to the ocean breezes of Portugal. At times, Lawrenson seems to craft her sentences from the delicate petals of richly scented flowers, creating a hypnotic atmosphere. In her world “clouds cluster like purple grapes” while police stations reverberate with “unsettling acoustics.” In another scene “The air was heavy with orange dust from the Sahara that fell like a sprinkling of paprika powder over the town’s white sills and ledges.”

Part romance, part thriller, part history lesson, 300 Days of Sun: A Novel will leave the reader entranced and wishing for more. It’s a sensualist adventure with an ever-present malevolent edge and by the time it’s over, you’ll be a little bit smarter and a lot more aware of life’s lovely but dangerous possibilities You’ll also be mightily impressed with Deborah Lawrenson, and her graceful ability to make the English language flow and shimmer.

Sarah Kennedy

Adventure and Beautiful Setting

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2020

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This dual-timeline novel takes place in Portugal, which is rendered in lovely and vivid detail. The main character gets caught up in a mystery involving organized crime and child kidnapping, and the story moves between her quest (and that of her love interest) to find the answers to her questions and the text of a novel-within-the novel that tells the story she's seeking in a fictionalized form. I kept thinking, as I was reading, that this author must have had Night Train to Lisbon in the back of her mind as she was writing, as the two intertwined stories--and the setting--kept reminding me of that earlier novel. That, however, didn't reduce my enjoyment of both the story and the characters.

K

Wonderful read

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2020

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the description of Portugal and the artfully woven story line. I looked forward to reading it every chance I could Now that I have finished it, I am missing the Algarve coastline described so beautifully that I could feel the sun on my face.

Juliann King

Predicctable Ending, But Enjoyable Story

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016

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I had a hard time committing to this book. I was seeking a change from my normal mystery books, and thought this sounded interesting. I finally got into the story. It is hard to imagine myself in the situation that the two main characters lead throughout the book. The book ended in an expected way. I thought it too easy to finish this way. I mostly enjoyed the historical portion of the book about WWII, and I certainly learned a lot from the story. I do admire research and interesting stories of this sort.

Top reviews from other countries

Marguerite

A page-turner in the style of Mary Stewart

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2017

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This reminded me a lot of Mary Stewart's books though brought into the 21st Century. A first person narrative, a female protagonist in a foreign setting with an enquiring mind, a vague love interest, a mystery from the past to resolve, and that same mystery making the present dangerous.

The story is set in Faro in Portugal, now and during WWII. The setting is beautifully and lovingly evoked, and the contrast between the war years and the present, nicely done. It is a page-turner. I was drawn into the mystery, into wondering what it was tied up the past and present, but for me, where Mary Stewart has you invested in her narrators, this is where this particular story left me a bit cold. I didn't 'take' to the narrator, I found her a bit anodyne at times, a bit irritating, and a bit two-dimensional. And as for Nathan, both the love interest and more importantly the axis of the story - I felt we just didn't get inside his head enough to see him as real at all. Don't get me wrong. This was a really good story told really well, but for me, it lacked emotional impact. And though I don't always like all the loose ends tied up, I did find the seeds of doubt sown at the end just plain annoying.

I really enjoyed The Lantern. I liked this story less. But I do like Ms Lawrenson's storytelling, so I'll definitely be reading the next one.

LP

Interesting, insightful, enhanced by its location.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2018

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I enjoyed this book mainly because I knew little about Portugal’s role during the Second World War and appreciated the insight that this book gave (the book is partly set during 1940’s and 2014).

Likewise, Portugal is a country that I have never visited, so I was happy to explore it through the pages of this novel.

The plot and characterisation sustained my interest and it is a well-written book. A good holiday read which I feel will inspire me to follow-up on the history of Portugal using the books recommended by the author.

Tony C

Thriller set in Portugal’s dark underside

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2019

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My brother recommended Deborah Lawrenson and this is the first of her books I’ve read.

“300 Days of Sun” begins vividly as Jo makes a dramatic break from her old job and her uninspiring relationship. She moves to Faro and begins a Portuguese language class where she meets the mysterious Nathan. Together they discover a dark underside to Portugal, echoed in a parallel story set in the same location in the 1940’s. You get the poisoned normality of Lisbon and the hedonistic unreality of Estoril.

This thriller will keep you guessing to the end.

Rose

Highly Recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2016

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I absolutely loved this book. For me what more could you want - a beautifully written book, warm and rich in sense of time and place with a captivating storyline. A magical mix of location and intrigue which occupies your thoughts from start to finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed my bookish trip to Portugal.

Amazon Customer

A change of pace from Deborah Lawrenson and a masterly work of suspense. Unputdownable.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2016

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300 Days of Sun represents a change of style for Deborah Lawrenson.

Prima facie, the novel follows the well-crafted Lawrenson template of a British female taking time out from a difficult relationship by escaping to Southern Europe where she becomes entangled in the final throes of a long-running historical saga. The parallels with her other novels are clear: characters based on fairly obvious cases (Madeleine McCann, Ben Needham, whereas Songs of Blue and Gold reflected the life of Lawrence Durrell), a story with its origins in the Second World War (The Art of Falling), and complex identities (The Lantern).

Where 300 Days differs is in its sheer pace. This book focuses much more on the plot and less on the craft of the novelist. In previous novels Deborah was more of a landscape artist, bringing the terrain of Corfu, Provence and Tuscany into glorious, shimmering technicolour. In 300 Days, whilst the reader can still appreciate the schizophrenic nature of the Algarve and faded splendour of Lisbon, the landscapes are definitely backdrops to the more racy action. Spies, Nazis, child abuse, kidnaps, blackmail, gangsters and good old-fashioned romance all clash in a rip-roaring thriller which races towards a conclusion. Breathless from start to finish and a big contrast to the more languid, comfortable, cultured earlier writings.

Lawrenson has moved from a detailed, careful, thorough style of writing to more carefree entertainment. In political terms, she's metamorphosed from Theresa May to Boris Johnson. In cricket, she's swapped from a four day county game to Twenty20. Musically, a classicist turned pop idol. Deborah's seeking a new, wider appeal and she's managed to do this without alienating her traditional readership. I loved this book and read it from start to finish in one evening whereas previously I would savour the works over a few weeks. It was gripping suspense and a great read for summer, something to be consumed avariciously on the beach.

I look forward to the film version.

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