Barbery, Muriel "Une Rose Seule"

Barbery, Muriel "A Single Rose" (French: Une Rose Seule) - 2020

I read Muriel Barbery's "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" and found it truly beautiful.

This book was recommended to me as a lovely, light French book. Well, it was light, but perhaps a bit too long-winded for me. Asian thinking is foreign to me, I'm not a yoga or Zen fan, and I can't empathize with myself as much as is often desired.

The author and her protagonist certainly succeeded in doing this, but it wasn't really comprehensible to me. The first few chapters are all about landscapes, flowers, food and drink, temples, etc. I also couldn't warm to Rose, who only thawed out a bit towards the end.

And although I normally enjoy reading philosophical books, this was a bit too much of a good thing for me, too forced.

A Japanese story, a fairy tale, or a fable, was interspersed between the chapters. I found some of them interesting, while others made me wonder what they had to do with the book.

Well, it was nice to read a French book again, and also a good read for our "Paris in July" challenge, but that was about it.

From the back cover:

"From the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman’s journey, in which she discovers the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.

Rose has turned forty, but has barely begun to live. When her Japanese father dies and she finds herself an orphan, she leaves France for Kyoto to hear the reading of his will. Paul, her father’s assistant, takes Rose on a mysterious pilgrimage designed by her deceased father. Her bitterness is soothed by the temples, Zen gardens and teahouses, and by her encounters with her father’s friends. As she recognises what she has lost, and as secrets are divulged, Rose learns to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.

Through her father’s itinerary, he opens his heart posthumously to his daughter, and Rose finds love where she least expects it. This stunning fifth novel from international bestseller Muriel Barbery is a mesmerising story of second chances, of beauty born out of grief."

Sartre, Jean-Paul "Nausea"

Sartre, Jean-Paul "Nausea" (French: La nausée) - 1938

We discussed this in our international online book club in April 2025.

An interesting book. Yes, it introduces us to existentialism. I gives us ideas for thoughts about our lives. But it's not really a novel, nothing much happens. At the beginning, I was quite bored. It picks up a little but it doesn't catch you.

I heard Sartre compared to Camus. I absolutely love Camus. Sartre doesn't come over as well, the story is not a real story. You don't know where they are going. There isn't a flow to his writing.

At the beginning, when the protagonist talks about his nausea, it  reminded me of depression, the big black dog, as people also call it. I thought it might go that way. But it didn't.

All in all, not an exciting book. I would have expected more. Maybe I read this too late.

Comments by other members:

"It was described very accurately by a funny Finnish word 'pitkäpiimäinen' = like rubbery sour milk, longwinded, boring.

We thought it was much more like a complete philosophy textbook than a story.

It was a very anxious story about a depressed and lonely person

It reminded us of many similar stories we have read over the years about loneliness and mental illness, for example: Steppenwolf, The Stranger, plus many more all with their own variety on the subject."

From the back cover:

"Jean-Paul Sartre's first published novel, Nausea is both an extended essay on existentialist ideals, and a profound fictional exploration of a man struggling to restore a sense of meaning to his life. This Penguin Modern Classics edition is translated from the French by Robert Baldick with an introduction by James Wood.

Nausea is both the story of the troubled life of an introspective historian, Antoine Roquentin, and an exposition of one of the most influential and significant philosophical attitudes of modern times - existentialism. The book chronicles his struggle with the realisation that he is an entirely free agent in a world devoid of meaning; a world in which he must find his own purpose and then take total responsibility for his choices. A seminal work of contemporary literary philosophy, Nausea evokes and examines the dizzying angst that can come from simply trying to live."

Jean-Paul Sartre received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964 "for his work, which rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has exerted a far-reaching influence on our age". He was awarded the prize even though he refused it.

I contribute to this page: Read the Nobels and you can find all my blogs about Nobel Prize winning authors and their books here.

Flaubert, Gustave "Madame Bovary"

Flaubert, Gustave "Madame Bovary" (French: Madame Bovary) - 1857

For the Classics Spin #40, we received #4 and this was my novel.

I have a love-hate relationship with French books. I love the French language. I absolutely love the books by Albert Camus, there are a few others I don't exactly dislike but, in general, they are not for me.

I had hoped that this one would be for me like my beloved English classics by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Brontës, etc. etc. But it was not to be.

What did I dislike about the novel? Not the story itself, it was quite interesting to follow the story of Emma, a young girl who marries a doctor but finds her life beside him completely boring so looks for excitement in other men. Or maybe it was the story. It was as boring as the life of the protagonist. So, maybe that's exactly what he was trying to show. Then he succeded. But not with me.

From the back cover:

"Madame Bovary is the debut novel of French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. When the novel was first serialized in La Revue de Paris between 1 October 1856 and 15 December 1856, public prosecutors attacked the novel for obscenity. The resulting trial in January 1857 made the story notorious. After Flaubert's acquittal on 7 February 1857, Madame Bovary became a bestseller in April 1857 when it was published in two volumes. A seminal work of literary realism, the novel is now considered Flaubert's masterpiece, and one of the most influential literary works in history."

Here are all the books on my original Classics Club list.
And here is a list of all the books I read with the Classics Spin.

🥐 Paris in July 2024 🥐

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year (2023), I posted the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read and the books I read about France or the French language and the books I read last year for Paris in July.

I found the challenge at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. Then, she hosted together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. In 2022, Emma @ Words and Peace kindly took over as the host and she continues to do so. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

I don't have a lot of energy to participate this year by reading new books about Paris, but I tried to take part through the Paris Bingo. I will try to add books etc. I have not used in any of the Paris in July years before (though it is hard and therefore cannot be entirely avoided).

PARIS in title
Rutherfurd, Edward "Paris" - 2013

FRANCE in title
Stein, Gertrude "Paris France" - 1940

BOOK set in France
Ernaux, Annie "The Years" (FR: Les années) - 2008

MOVIE set in France
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910

French FOOD
Drinkwater, Carol "The Olive Farm" - 2001

French FASHION
Guiliano, Mireille "French Women Don’t Get Fat" - 2004

French MUSIC
Francis Cabrel "La Corrida"

French FLAG
Hugo, Victor "Les Misérables" (F: Les Misérables) - 1862

French HISTORY (not just French but funny)
Shaw, Karl "Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty" - 1999

TRAVELS in France
Mayle, Peter "A Year in Provence" - 1989

PLAY set in France
Ionesco, Eugène "Rhinoceros" (French: Rhinocéros) - 1957

OTHER!
Voltaire "Candide, or Optimism" (F: Candide, ou l'Optimism) - 1757

EIFFEL TOWER
Dorling Kindersley "Eyewitness Guide Paris" and "Top 10 Paris" - 2020

CROISSANT
I haven't read a book that has a croissant on my edition but I found one that has a croissant on the Portuguese one:

Clarke, Stephen "A Year in the Merde" - 2004 - Um Ano Em França

French ART
Chevalier, Tracy "The Lady and the Unicorn" - 2003

French LANGUAGE

Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

I am looking forward to seeing many posts by other Paris enthusiasts.

🥐 Joyeux Juillet 🥐

Voltaire "Candide"

Voltaire "Candide, or Optimism" (French: Candide, ou l'Optimisme) - 1759

For the Classics Spin #35, we received #2 and this was my novel.

An interesting take on the Age of Enlightenment.

Candide is a young guy who lives in Germany. He falls in love with a girl but is prevented from marrying her because of her parents. He learns the philosophy "All is for the Best" and travels around the world with this belief.

He probably encounters as many troubles as Homer's Odysseus in the "Odyssey" and solves them almost with the same vigour.

The novel promises to be funny and indeed it is. I have laughed quite a few times during the reading. How can a book be funny and philosophical at the same time? I'm not surprised Voltaire is still such a renowned author even more than two centuries later. I am really happy #2 was pulled for this challenge because I really enjoyed the story.

This novel reminded me a little of Eichendorff's "Life of a Good For Nothing", although it should be the other way around since this one was written earlier. Other than the German novel, I could see more philosophy in this book.

From the back cover:

"Candide tells of the hilarious adventures of the naïve Candide, who doggedly believes that 'all is for the best' even when faced with injustice, suffering, and despair. Controversial and entertaining, Candide is a book that is vitally relevant today in our world pervaded by - as Candide would say - 'the mania for insisting that all is well when all is by no means well.'"

Ernaux, Annie "The Years"

Ernaux, Annie "The Years" (French: Les années) - 2008

We read this in our international online book club in July 2023.

As so often, I had never heard of Annie Ernaux before she received the Nobel Prize. And that's why I always eagerly await the awards, in 99% of the case, the choice is excellent.

And it was this time. Annie Ernaux is a little older than me but I could find a lot of her experiences in my life. I think most women born in the middle of the last century share them, no matter where they're from. Maybe that's why I liked this book.

It wasn't at all what I expected. While the author grows up, she compares her life with her country, its politics, its developments, especially for women (always to slow). Her memories are haphazard, always in fragments, like a collage or a scrapbook. She uses the third person singular. I think that makes it easier for us to associate with her story, she doesn't give the impression as if she is just speaking about herself.

So, this is not just a biography about Annie Ernaux' life but a history of France after WWII. And a reminder to reflect on our own lives and what our country has done for us and to us. So I am sure it is also interesting for younger people who would like to hear about the generations before them.

I have not studied French (at university, I have learned it at school and speak it) but taken lots of classes and read a lot about French history and politics, visited the country, have friends there. So, not much was totally new for me. But I still enjoyed learning what history and society did to one single person, how she grew up the way she did and became the woman she is today. I will surely read more by her.

Some comments from the discussion:

• "Beautiful language and picture of its time. The reading created a feeling of 'participation' or belonging, as she wrote the autobiography mostly in 'we' form.
• I have read her biographies about her mother and father, and the abortion. With this The Years, I finally understood her writing style. I found it impressive, starting as glimpses of history, flowing, like a movie, and ended as glimpses again, the person grew along with the story also, reflecting her life in different ages, the perspective growing with the story, as she grew, her perspective of the world grew. Adding more and more observations the wider her perspective and reflection became. Much of the historical references and politics I missed. But an excellent brilliant book, for adults with some reflective skills.
• A subjective culture history. I did not feel connected to the 'we' form of participation she tried to bring to the story, like she was taking power she doesn't have. The history interested me, but pop cultural references were not familiar to me.
• The modern pop culture and freer availability of products came much earlier in France than in Finland, I felt.
• The French perspective on Algeria before and in the later parts of the book felt written from a French born person, very one-sided, that turned around in the modern waves of anti-immigration feelings.
• Language was very dense, containing a lot of information in small space of pages. Interesting to read about how influences from different parts of the world arrived and 'affected' the French population. What political news shocked them, what was passed over. What parts of Europe they observed, Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, etc. and how the feelings and thoughts about these changed. The travelling, the Euro.
• It was not an emotional book, but a very verbal one, she kept a distance to her history and feelings from youth, trying to keep neutral. Like a huge amount of source material (her life) summarized into this book, full of specifically chosen sayings and expressions. It made the book a beautiful experience to read or listen to. The translators were also skilled in translating these special sayings.
• We also discussed listening to audiobooks, how we feel about it, experience it, and how we felt it affected reading this book.
• It was interesting that she analysed her own book in the end, intention to write the book, how she wrote it, what perspective, etc."

From the back cover:

"Considered by many to be the iconic French memoirist’s defining work and a breakout bestseller when published in France in 2008.

The Years is a personal narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present - even projections into the future - photos, books, songs, radio, television and decades of advertising, headlines, contrasted with intimate conflicts and writing notes from 6 decades of diaries.

Local dialect, words of the times, slogans, brands and names for the ever-proliferating objects, are given voice here. The voice we recognize as the author’s continually dissolves and re-emerges. Ernaux makes the passage of time palpable. Time itself, inexorable, narrates its own course, consigning all other narrators to anonymity. A new kind of autobiography emerges, at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective.

On its 2008 publication in France, The Years came as a surprise. Though Ernaux had for years been hailed as a beloved, bestselling and award-winning author, The Years was in many ways a departure: both an intimate memoir 'written' by entire generations, and a story of generations telling a very personal story. Like the generation before hers, the narrator eschews the 'I' for the 'we' (or 'they', or 'one') as if collective life were inextricably intertwined with a private life that in her parents’ generation ceased to exist. She writes of her parents’ generation (and could be writing of her own book): 'From a common fund of hunger and fear, everything was told in the 'we' and impersonal pronouns.'"

Annie Ernaux received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022 "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory".

I contribute to this page: Read the Nobels and you can find all my blogs about Nobel Prize winning authors and their books here.

🇫🇷 Paris in July 2023 - Summary 🇫🇷

Another Paris in July has passed. This year, Emma @ Words and Peace has kindly taken over as the host. She has given us the opportunity to link all our posts concerning the topic and you can find the results here. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

The books I read this month that concern Paris (or France in general) are:

Canetti, Elias "Die Blendung" (Auto-da-Fé) - 1935
Ernaux, Annie "The Years" (FR: Les années) - 2008
Guiliano, Mireille "French Women Don’t Get Fat" - 2004
Orwell, George "Down and Out in Paris and London" - 1933
Wickert, Ulrich "Frankreich muss man lieben, um es zu verstehen" [You have to love France to understand it] - 2017

Films
I haven't watched all of these this year but I thought I add a list of the movies I know that take place in Paris.
"Amélie" w. Audrey Tautou - 2001
"An American in Paris" w. Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron - 1951
"The Aristocats" - Disney - 1970
"Before Sunrise" w. Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy - 1995
"Before Sunset" w. Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy -  2004
"La Boum" (The Party) and "La Boum 2" (The Party 2) w. Sophie Marceau, Claude Brasseur - 1980 + 1982
"Charade" w. Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant - 1963
"The Da Vinci Code" w. Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou - 2006
"Un éléphant ça trompe énormément" (Pardon mon affaire) w. Jean Rochefort, Claude Brasseur - 1976
"L'Etudiante" (The Student) w. Sophie Marceau, Vincent Lindon - 1988
"Forget Paris" w. Billy Crystal, Debra Winger - 1995
"French Kiss" w. Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline - 1995
"Funny Face" w. Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire - 1957
"Gigi" w. Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan - 1958
"Jules et Jim" from François Truffaut w. Jeanne Moreau - 1962
"Madeline" w. Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne - 1998
"Maigret" w. Rowan Atkinson - 2016-17:
"Maigret Sets a Trap"
"Maigret's Dead Man"
"Maigret: Night at the Crossroads"
"Maigret in Montmartre"
"Maigret" w. Michael Gambon (internationally probably most widely known for his role as Professor Dumbledore in the Harrry Potter movies) - 1992-93
"Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo w. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway - 2012
"Moulin Rouge" w. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor - 2001
"Paris, je t'aime" w. Juliette Binoche - 2006
"Ratatouille" - Disney/Pixar - 2007
"Sabrina" w. Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart - 1954
"Sabrina" w. Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford - 1995

🇫🇷 Paris in July 🇫🇷

July is with us again and so is Paris in July.

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year (2022), I posted the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read and the books I read about France or the French language and the books I read last year for Paris in July.

I found the challenge at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. Last year, she hosted together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. This year, Emma @ Words and Peace has kindly taken over as the host. The picture  at the top is also created by her.

In the end, I read two books this year:
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (F: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910
Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

The books about France and/or Paris I read or posted this year, so far, are:
Gray, Martin "For those I loved" (F: Au nom de tous les miens) - 1971
Illies, Florian "1913: The Year before the Storm" (GE: 1913: Der Sommer des Jahrhunderts) - 2012 (not just about France but it does take a big part in the non-fiction book)
Stein, Gertrude "Paris France" - 1940

For this month, my plan is to read:
Orwell, George "Down and Out in Paris and London: A Gritty Memoir on Life & Poverty in Two Cities" - 1933

Two years ago, I mentioned the Maigret series with Rowan Atkinson. Unfortunately, the four episodes they filmed seem to be the only ones, although, who knows, maybe someone convinces the makers that we need more of them.

But, do not despair, I found some older ones that are also quite good, The inspector is played by Michael Gambon here, and there are twelves episodes made in 1992 and 1993. See here. I think I might rewatch all of them, maybe not all in July but over the next couple of months.

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.
And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

Also, if you have read an interesting book about Paris or France or a book taking place there, please, let me know. If you have reviewed it, I'd be grateful for a link.

🇫🇷 Joyeux Juillet 🇫🇷

Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie"

Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

I'm amazed how someone can write such a brilliant book in times of trouble. Granted, the Nazis hadn't come to power, yet, but there was so much anti-Semitism all over Europe that any Jew must have been worried, especially those with such a sensitive understanding of the world like the author.

Irène Némirovsky was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, then Russia. Her family fled to France during the Russian Revolution but they never received French citizenship. She was Jewish but converted to Catholicism. Not that it helped her. She was deported to Auschwitz and died there in 1942, aged 39.

"La Proie" (The Prey) is not about anything like that. It's about the life of Jean-Luc Daguerne who marries a rich heiress in order to move up in life. His dreams and plans his successes and failures. He rises in society both politically and financially but he doesn't care much about his wife, family, relationship to friends and colleagues.

I don't want to tell much more about the story in order not to give too much away. Unfortunately, the book has only been translated into very few languages (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, so similar languages) but should you speak French, I can heartily recommend this relatively short novel.

Book description (translated):

"'Nothing is more bitter than to see superhuman efforts yield so little happiness. There is only one possible consolation: to say to oneself that there is no happiness.' Published for the first time in 1938, this novel with Stendhalian accents recounts the social rise and then the fall of an ambitious young man, Jean-Luc Daguerne, that love for his beautiful will lead to his loss. On this proven plot, Irène Némirovsky makes the words dance with humor and brilliantly plays with human passions and the cruelties of fate. But this Prey nevertheless owes a lot to the Roaring Twenties, their tragic energy, their shattered hopes. It is this frantic race towards the abyss that makes them modern."

And from another edition:

"Portrait of a Julien Sorel * of the 1930s against a backdrop of economic crisis, rising unemployment and widespread anxiety, La Proie is the novel of a world that is tottering. A tragic love story, this intimate and cruel tale traces the rise and fall of a young man of humble origins. Betrayed by the beloved woman, after having lived a pure passion with the heiress of a dynasty of bankers, he decides to take his revenge. But can we force fate? A mixture of recklessness and seriousness, of impatience with the future and lightness of living, as often with Irène Némirovsky, La Proie is a restless and lucid novel that bears the imprint of this great writer, crowned posthumously by the 2004 Renaudot Prize for French Suite."

* from "Le Rouge et le Noir" (The Red and the Black) by Stendhal, 1830.



I read this as part of my Paris in July experience and to add another classic novel to my Classic Spin list.

I also read "Suite Française"

Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera"

Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910

 

This is my ninth Classic Spin and we were given #5. And it also coincides with another challenge I take part in: Paris in July.

My niece gave this to me. Thank you, Jessica. She had received it from a friend and said she'd never read it. I said I love classics and would gladly read it. And I am always interested in reading any classic book and loved most of them. So, I put the book on my classics spin list and the number was drawn. Looks like it was the right time for it.

The description of the story says that it's riveting. Maybe I already heard too much about it before but I thought I misunderstood the word. But no, it is supposed to be completely engrossing; compelling. Well, it is a little too "fantastic" for me, a little too gothic.

Well written and the characters come to life, though I didn't really care for any of them. I love the French language and I really like the French but I seem to struggle with their literature. I have no idea why.

I like a few of the songs written for the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber but I have never watched it. There must be a reason.

We read this in our international online book club in November 2023.

Some remarks from the discussion. The meeting was started with listening to the Phantom of the Opera signature song by Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley to make a suitable gothic atmosphere. 

The original story was much more a book than expected. It had a backstory, very visual storytelling, and a scary villain. Of course with old stories like this, it had not aged so well in terms of gender equality, but the mechanics and psychology of the phantom was quite interesting.

We were happy to know the original story now, compared to just the Lloyd Webber musical version.

From the back cover:

"First published in French as a serial in 1909, The Phantom of the Opera is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and she is raised in the Paris Opera House with his dying promise of a protective angel of music to guide her. After a time at the opera house, she begins hearing a voice, who eventually teaches her how to sing beautifully. All goes well until Christine's childhood friend Raoul comes to visit his parents, who are patrons of the opera, and he sees Christine when she begins successfully singing on the stage. The voice, who is the deformed, murderous 'ghost' of the opera house named Erik, however, grows violent in his terrible jealousy, until Christine suddenly disappears. The phantom is in love, but it can only spell disaster.

Leroux's work, with characters ranging from the spoiled prima donna Carlotta to the mysterious Persian from Erik's past, has been immortalized by memorable adaptations. Despite this, it remains a remarkable piece of Gothic horror literature in and of itself, deeper and darker than any version that follows."

🇫🇷 Paris in July 🇫🇷

July is with us again and so is Paris in July.

Welcome to another exciting month where we exchange reviews about books we read about Paris. Last year, I read three books and posted about the movies I have seen about Paris (see here).

I found the challenge last year at Lisbeth @ The Content Reader. Tamara @ Thyme for Tea has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for eleven years. This year, she hosts together with Deb @ Readerbuzz. She has been posting lovely Paris pictures for the last couple of weeks on her Wordless Wednesdays. Check out her page here.

Before July starts, maybe some of you would like some ideas. Here is a list about all the books I read where Paris is either the topic or at least part of the read.

Barbery, Muriel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" (F: L’Elégance du hérisson) - 2006
Beauvoir, Simone de "She came to stay" (F: L'invitée) - 1943Broerken, Hella "Paris Walks" (GE: Paris-Spaziergänge) - 2013
Clarke, Stephen "A Year in the Merde" - 2004
- "Merde actually" (aka In the Merde for Love) - 2006
Dickens, Charles "A Tale of Two Cities" - 1859
Doerr, Anthony "All the Light We Cannot See" - 2014 
Gavalda, Anna "Hunting and Gathering" (F: Ensemble c’est tout) - 2006
- "I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere" (F: Je voudrais quelqu’un m’attende quelque part) - 1999 (short stories)
Gopnik, Adam "Paris to the Moon" - 2000
Hugo, Victor "Les Misérables" (F: Les Misérables) - 1862
Mak, Geert "In Europe. Travels Through the Twentieth Century" (NL: In Europa: Reizen door de twintigste eeuw) - 2004
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Modiano, Patrick "La Place de l'Étoile" (F: La Place de l'Étoile) - 1968
Némirovsky, Irène "Suite Française" (F: Suite Française) - 2004
Rutherfurd, Edward "Paris" - 2013
Sadler, Michael "An Englishman in Paris" - 2000
Savage Carlson, Natalie "The Family Under the Bridge" - 1958
Schmitt, Éric-Emmanuel "Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran" (F: Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran) - 1999
- "Oscar and the Lady in Pink" (F: Oscar et la dame rose) - 2002
Schwarzer, Alice "My Life" (GE: Lebenslauf) - 2011
Serreau, Coline "Pilgrimage in French" (F: Saint-Jacques... La Mecque/Pilgern auf Französisch) - 2008
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (Maigret #48) (F: Maigret tend un piège) - 1958
Slimani, Leïla "Adèle" (F: Dans le jardin de l'ogre) - 2014
Wickert, Ulrich "Everything About Paris" (GE: Alles über Paris) - 2004
Camus, Albert "The First Man" (F: Le premier homme) - 1994

Books I read about France or the French language:
Camus, Albert "The First Man" (F: Le premier homme) - 1994
Conrad, François "Why German Barks and French Purrs" (GE: Warum Deutsch bellt und Französisch schnurrt) - 2021
Delacourt, Grégoire "The List of My Desires/My Wish List" (F: La liste de mes envies) - 2012
Drinkwater, Carol "The Olive Farm" and further Olive Farm Books - 2001-2010
- "The Olive Harvest" - 2006
Dumas, Alexandre "The Count of Monte Cristo" (F: Le comte de Monte-Cristo) - 1844-46
Kennel, Odile "What Ida says" (GE: Was Ida sagt) - 2011
Mayle, Peter "A Year in Provence" - 1998
Philippe, Daniele "My Europe Began in Normandy" (J'avais quinze ans en juin 1944 en Normandie) - 1988
Sand, George "Fadette" (aka Fanchon, the Cricket)) (F: La Petite Fadette) - 1849
Stendhal "The Red and the Black" (F: Le Rouge et le Noir) - 1830
Stevenson, Helen "Instructions for Visitors. Life and Love in a French Town" - 2001

In the end, I read two books this year:
Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (F: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910
Némirovsky, Irène "La Proie" [The Prey] - 1938

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.
And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

Also, if you have read an interesting book about Paris or France or a book taking place there, please, let me know. If you have reviewed it, I'd be grateful for a link.

🇫🇷 Joyeux Juillet 🇫🇷

Molière "The Miser or The School for Lies"

Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) "The Miser or The School for Lies" (French: L'Avare ou l’École du mensonge) - 1668

I think we have all heard of "The Miser" and the title already tells us what it is all about. That's right, a rich guy who loves his money more than his children.

I'm not the biggest fan of reading plays but from time to time, my book club chooses one. And that is probably a good idea since otherwise I might never attempt them. And in this case it gave me another instigation to read a French book. That's definitely a reason.

I quite liked the story. And the writing was very good. No wonder, Molière is still such a famous writer.

Still, I would have preferred to read the play as a story. As always. It is quite interesting and certainly would have made just as much impression on people. The only thing that speaks for it as a play is that at the time Molière wrote this, most people couldn't read.

I just wonder whether everyone else thinks of Scrooge McDuck when reading this. And whether the Miser or anyone else who behaves like him has ever heard this quote:

"When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realise that one cannot eat money." Obviously, that is another subject but we can't mention it often enough.

Some comments from our book club members:

"We discussed the Scrooge McDuck connection, also a similarity to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". At first, I felt uncomfortable with the writing style of the play, but soon I started chuckling at the absurdities and very clever humour of miscommunication, misunderstandings, intentional deception, sassy servants and blackmail. I absolutely had an enjoyable morning reading it through in one go and indeed might have changed my mind about reading more of Moliere's works in the future."

"This was an enjoyable read for me, too. It is the first of Moliere's plays I have ever read. At first I wondered how Seventeenth Century characters and situations could engage me, but soon I found myself groaning, arguing back, rooting for some, booing others and all the while entertained by the sheer inventiveness of it all. A welcome escape from pandemic drab in very cold Canada in January."

As you see, it was a good read for all.

This was our international online book club book for January 2022.

From the back cover:

"The aging but vital Harpagon is hoarding every centime he can get his hands on, making sure that his two children, the virginal Elise and the dandy Cleante, live under his iron will. To complicate matters, Elise has fallen in love with the handsome Valere, who masquerades as a servant in the household, despite his noble birth, and, worse yet, Cleante and Harpagon are both smitten with the same woman, the beautiful, if somewhat dim, Marianne. Meanwhile, scheming servants and assorted hustlers angle for Harpagon's incredible wealth, much of which is now buried and protected by snarling Dobermans. The delirious plot spirals to a wildly comic finish, filled with all the masterful plot twists and outrageous revelations one would expect from one of Molière's finest plays."

Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap"

Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (French: Maigret tend un piège) (Maigret #48) - 1958

Even though I am not a reader of crime novels, I bought this book last year after I had watched the new adaptation with Rowan Atkinson. If you like to watch crime stories, I can hartily recommend the Maigret series. Unfortunately, he only did four but I hope there will be more. And now it fits in the challenge Paris in July.

Anyway, this was the first book I read by Georges Simenon and I really liked it. The way he builds suspense, the way he presents his characters, he has an interesting way of presenting his story. He tries to make Maigret (and thereby us) understand the thoughts and reasons of the murderer. Totally interesting.

From the back cover:

"With a serial killer on the loose in Paris, Maigret must outsmart the killer before he can strike again. The inspiration for ITV's feature-length adaptation starring Rowan Atkinson and the forty-eighth book in the new Penguin Maigret series.

Detective Chief Inspector Maigret is known for his infallible instinct, for getting at the truth no matter how complex the case. But when someone starts killing women on the streets of Montmartre, leaving nary a clue and the city’s police force at a loss, he finds himself confounded. In the sweltering Paris summer heat, with the terrified city in a state of siege, Maigret hatches a plan to lure the murderer out."

de Brunhoff, Jean "The Story of Babar"

de Brunhoff, Jean "The Story of Babar" (French: Histoire de Babar le petit éléphant) - 1934

I remember my little brother watching Babar the Elephant on TV. And since he's over 50 by now, that is a long, long time ago. My sons also loved Barbar, Céleste and their family both on TV and in their books.

I noticed that I never wrote about Babar even though my most favourite animal is an elephant. But since we do "Paris in July", this is the perfect opportunity to introduce him to those who haven't heard of him, though I doubt there are that many.

Well, Babar is an elephant. His mother is killed in the jungle and this is how he ends up in town. Jean de Brunhoff's wife Cécile had told their children these stories about an elephant in a city.

As happens with so many other books (especially children's books), the cover has changed a lot over the time (see the collage at the top) but the drawings have always changed the same.

Unfortunately, the author died of tuberculosis when he was only 37 years old. So, he didn't get to write all the many books about "his" elephant. Here is the list:

The Story of Babar (Histoire de Babar) - 1934
The Travels of Babar (Le Voyage de Babar) - 1934
Babar the King (Babar the King) - 1935
A.B.C. of Babar (L'ABC de Babar) -1936
Zephir's Holidays and Babar's Friend Zephir (Les vacances de Zéphir) - 1937
Babar and His Children (Babar en famille) - 1938
Babar and Father Christmas (Babar et le père Noël) - 1940

However, his son Laurent carried on the stories, he learned to draw the elephant just the same way his father had and so Babar and his family could experience many more adventures. That way, one can hardly tell which one is by the father and which by the son:

Babar's Cousin: That Rascal Arthur (Babar et ce coquin d'Arthur) - 1946
Babar's Picnic (Pique-nique chez Babar) - 1949
Babar's Visit to Bird Island (Babar dans l'île aux oiseaux) - 1952
Babar and the Circus (Babar au cirque)
Babar's Fair (La fête de Célesteville) - 1954
Babar and the Professor (Babar et le professeur Grifaton) - 1956
Babar's Castle (Le Château de Babar) - 1961
Babar's English Lessons (Je parle anglais avec Babar) - 1963
Babar Comes to America (Babar en Amérique) - 1965
Bonhomme (Babar à New York) - 1966
Babar's German Lessons (Je parle allemand avec Babar) - 1966
Babar's Spanish Lessons (Je parle espagnole avec Babar) - 1966
Babar's Birthday Surprise (L'anniversaire de Babar) - 1972
Babar visits a planet (Babar sur la planète mole) - 1974
Babar and the Wully-Wully (Babar et le Wouly-Wouly) - 1977
Babar's Mystery (Babar et les quatre voleurs) - 1979
Babar and the Ghost (Babar et le fantôme) - 1981
Babar and his Little Girl (Babar et sa fille Isabelle) - 1988
Babar's Battle (La victoire de Babar) - 1992
Babar's Rescue (Babar et la cité perdue) - 1995
Babar and the Succotash Bird (Babar et l'oiseau magicien) - 2000
Babar's Yoga for Elephants (Babar: le yoga des éléphants) - 2002
Babar's Museum of Art (Le musée de Babar) - 2003
Babar's World Tour (Le tour du monde de Babar) - 2005
Babar's Celesteville Games (Coup de foudre aux Jeux de Célesteville) - 2011
Babar's Guide to Paris (Babar à Paris) - 2017

I have found some other English titles that I could not relate to any French originals. I would assume they exist but the pages are not always great with different kind of translations and even Goodreads doesn't have them all.
A tue-tete - 1957
Serafina the Giraffe - 1961
Serafina's Lucky Find - 1962
Captain Serafina - 1963
Anatole and His Donkey -1963
Babar's French Lessons -1963
Babar Learns to Cook -1967
Babar Loses His Crown -1967
Babar Learns to Cook - 1967
Babar's Games -1968
Babar Goes Skiing -
Babar's Moon Trip -1969
Babar's Trunk -1969
Gregory and the Lady Turtle in the Valley of the Music Trees- 1971
Babar's Other Trunk -1971
Babar Visits Another Planet - 1972
Meet Babar and His Family -1973
Babar's Bookmobile -1974
Bonhomme and the Huge Beast- 1974
Babar Saves the Day -1976
The One Pig with Horns- 1979
Babar the Magician -1980
Babar's Little Library -1980
Babar's Anniversary Album -1981
Babar's A.B.C -1983
Babar's Book of Colour -1984
Babar's Counting Book -1986
Christmas with Babar & Baby Isabelle. 1987
Babar's Adventures, Calendar for 1988- 1988
Babar's Little Circus Star -1988
Babar in Hollywood, Calendar for 1990- 1989
Babar's Busy Year -1989
Babar in History, Calendar for 1991- 1990
Isabelle's New Friend -1990
Babar Goes to School - 2003
Babar's USA- 2008
Babar and His Family (An adaptation of Meet Babar and His Family. 1973) - 2012
B Is for Babar: An Alphabet Book (An adaptation of Babar's A.B.C.. 1983) - 2012
Babar and the New Baby (An adaptation of Babar's Little Girl. 1987) - 2013
L'île du Paradis -2014

Have fun with the elephant family.

From the back cover:

"The first of the tales starring the most famous elephant in the literary world.

In this classic that has delighted three generations of readers, Babar escapes from the hunter who killed his mother and comes to town. Here, with the help of an old friend, he will learn a lot of new things and one day, once returned to the great forest, he will be acclaimed King of the elephants!

A story beautifully told accompanied by fascinating and hilarious illustrations!
A must read for kids of any age!"

Paris in July

I saw the "Paris in July" challenge the other day on "The Content Reader". "Thyme for Tea" has been hosting a Paris in July challenge for ten years. This is the first time I heard from it. "Brona's Books" also posted about it a couple of days later. If that isn't a sign that I should join, I don't know what is.
Here is the introduction:

    "Paris is alluring for so many reasons - the incredible culinary adventures you can have, its lens into history through its architecture and art museums, its walkability and world-class shopping. There is a lot to see and do in Paris and first-timers can have a hard time fitting it all in.

    We cant really go to Paris right now, but here we will share many different sides of our love of french things, and Paris.

    The aim of the month is, and always has been, to celebrate our French experiences through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French!

    There are no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part of this experience – just blog about anything French and you can join in! Some ideas might include.

•    Reading a French book - fiction or non-fiction
•    Watching a French movie
•    Listening to French music
•    Cooking French food
•    Experiencing French art, architecture or travel (lucky Tamara!)
•    Or anything else French inspired you can think of..."

So, I'm looking forward to a virtual trip to Paris with my friends. Here are my plans:

Books

I searched my TBR pile for books that take place in Paris and found the following (I'm probably not going to be reading all three of them in July but I'll start):
Clarke, Stephen "Merde actually" - 2005
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (Maigret tend un piège) (Maigret #48) - 1958

Which reminds me, I should probably review the first French book I ever read. Or re-read it soon:
"Bonjour Tristesse" by Françoise Sagan. (Goodreads)

Films
We have a couple of movies on our shelf that we like to watch again and again, I'll put them in alphabetical order since I can't judge which ones are my favourites. I will probably rewatch the Maigret series with Rowan Atkinson again since I haven't seen them that often:
"La Boum" (The Party) and "La Boum 2" (The Party 2) w. Sophie Marceau and Claude Brasseur
"Charade" w. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant
"Un éléphant ça trompe énormément" (Pardon mon affaire) w. Jean Rochefort and Claude Brasseur
"L'Etudiante" (The Student) w. Sophie Marceau and Vincent Lindon
"French Kiss" w. Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline
"Funny Face" w. Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire
"Gigi" w. Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan
"Maigret" w. Rowan Atkinson:
"Maigret Sets a Trap"
"Maigret's Dead Man"
"Maigret: Night at the Crossroads"
"Maigret in Montmartre"

Music
One of my favourite French singers is Jacques Brel. I know, he's not French but he's lived there for a long time. I also love Georges Moustaki and several other singers from that genre and time. So, I'll probably get out my old CDs and listen to them during the month.

Art
Monet is one of my favourite artists, so I'll check out my art books and souvenirs I brought home from several visits to museums and Monet exhibitions.

If you are looking for more books about France, have a look here.

My Paris in July posts this year:
Eyewitness Guide Paris
Maps

Books:
de Brunhoff, Jean "The Story of Babar" (Histoire de Babar le petit éléphant) - 1934
Simenon, Georges "Maigret Sets a Trap" (Maigret #48) (Maigret tend un piège) - 1958
McLain, Paula "The Paris Wife" - 2012
Clarke, Stephen "Merde actually" - 2005

And for my other Paris in July years, see here.

🇫🇷 Paris in July 2022 🇫🇷

Sand, George "Fadette"

Sand, George "Fadette" (aka Fanchon, the Cricket) (French: La Petite Fadette) - 1849

Honestly, I had expected more of this novel. Granted, it gives you an insight into rural life in France of the 19th century and it isn't a very difficult read which made it worth my while.

But the story itself reads more like chick lit. It probably was meant to be, whatever they might have called it at the time. But I miss the humour of a Jane Austen or the versatility of a Charles Dickens.

In the description it says the novel reads like a fairy tale and that's probably what bothered me first. I don't believe in witchcraft, bad omens etc. I don't mind the Magic Realism written by South American writers (they seem to have a different approach to it), but this was just a bit too much.

What I probably disliked most was the way the women were painted, especially the protagonist. She was considered ugly because she was too much outside and didn't dress like the other women did. Once she changed that, everybody like her. If Jane Austen would have written it, she would have added criticism to that. George Sand doesn't seem to be bothered by this fact. Even though it might have been normal at the time, I would have expected a different view by this author.

If you like easy reads or French books, this might be the one for you. Hélas (unfortunately), it wasn't for me.

From the back cover:

"Landry and Sylvain are twins. One day, a certain little Fadette disturbs the existence of these sons of rich farmers. Beyond the simple romantic plot, the author gives a real painting of the peasant society of 19th century France. The novel reads like a fairy tale and also develops very strong themes of 'the double' and accusations of witchcraft."

Barbery, Muriel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"

Barbery, Muriel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" (French: L’Elégance du hérisson) - 2006

This book had been on my TBR pile for too long and since I was determined to get it a little smaller by the end of the year, I finally started. Plus, I wanted to read more in French, so hopefully that's a start.

While this book is about philosophy and Russian literature, it's not that high brow to read because it's also about normal people and it makes you think about the meaning of life. If you love Russian literature, it's even better because one of the protagonists loves it, as well.

The story unfolds by the reports of two very different women, 12 year old Paloma Josse and 54 year old Renée Michel who is the concierge in the building Paloma and her family live in. You would think, they have nothing in common but this is where we can learn that even with a very different background, we can find a soulmate everywhere.

A nice read. I wouldn't mind a second book to see what goes on in Paloma's life when she grows up.

From the back cover:

"Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, home to members of the great and the good. Over the years she has maintained her carefully constructed persona as someone reliable but totally uncultivated, in keeping, she feels, with society's expectations of what a concierge should be. But beneath this facade lies the real Renée passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. 

Down in her lodge, apart from weekly visits by her one friend Manuela, Renée lives resigned to her lonely lot with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her, and decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours will dramatically alter their lives forever.

By turn moving and hilarious, this unusual novel became the French publishing phenomenon of 2007: from an initial print run of 3,000 to sales of over 2 million in hardback. It took 35 weeks to reach the number one bestseller spot but has now spent longer in the French bestseller lists than Dan Brown."