Book news, reviews and recommendations
I was a little wary of reading Delphine de Vigan’s latest novel having had mixed experiences with her writing – I loved Based on a True Story, was disappointed by Loyalties and enjoyed Gratitude – but the premise of Kids Run the Show was such an interesting one I put up my hand when I […]
Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan (transl. Alison Anderson): No, they don’t Read More »
I remembered enjoying Nathacha Appanah’s beautifully crafted The Sky Above the Roof last year which prompted me to put up my hand when a proof of her new novel was offered. Nothing Belongs to You is about a young woman, recently widowed, who buried her traumatic past when she married the doctor who helped save
I’m not entirely sure what made me choose Laurent Petitmangin’s What You Need from the Night. Perhaps it was because it’s been quite some time since I’ve read a French novel, or maybe the cover persuaded me with its laughing little boy on his father’s shoulders although the blurb made it clear it wouldn’t be
I’m always pleased to spot a new Philppe Claudel in the offing. I’ve read all his books available in translation from Parfums, a strikingly unusual scent memoir, to the achingly sad novella Monsieur Linh and His Child. All of them share a strong sense of humanity and a beauty of expression as does his new
German Fantasia by Philippe Claudel (transl. Julian Evans): The legacy of war Read More »
Having enjoyed Jean-Baptiste Andrea’s A Hundred Million Years and a Day, I was keen to read Devils and Saints, hoping for more striking, cinematic writing. Andrea’s latest novel reminded me a little of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These, partly because it explores similar themes, partly because it seemed to me to fit the Christmas
If you know more about French poetry than I do which, frankly, would not be difficult, you may well recognise the title of Nathacha Appanah’s The Sky Above the Roof as a reference to Paul Verlaine’s Le Ciel, written when he was in prison. Fortunately, Geoffrey Strachan’s translator’s note helped me out, setting the tone
I wasn’t at all sure I’d read Samira Sedira’s People Like Them. It’s published under Bloomsbury’s crime imprint and I’m a crime watcher rather than a crime reader but it was the quote from Leila Slimani about its exploration of racism which made me think again. Based on a true story, Sedira’s novella is about
People Like Them by Samira Sedira (transl. Lara Vergnaud): An unthinkable crime Read More »
I reviewed Maylis de Kerangal’s The Birth of a Bridge back in 2015. It left me admiring but not entirely sure what I felt about it so I passed on her next novel, Mend the Living, wondering if I’d missed out when I read other bloggers’ reviews. That and its art theme made me put
Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal (transl Jessica Moore): Tricking the eye Read More »
January seems to be Delphine de Vigan month for me. This time two years ago I reviewed the gripping Based on a True Story with which I was very impressed; last year’s Loyalties not so much. This year it’s Gratitude and I’m back to being a de Vigan fan. This brief of novellas explores ageing
I’m not entirely sure I would have read Jean-Baptiste Andrea’s novella with its rather wordy title had it not been for the enthusiasm of the small indie publisher who approached me to review it which would have been a shame. A Hundred Million Years and a Day was a huge literary hit in France last
David Foekinos’ The Mystery of Henri Pick marks the beginning of a collaboration between publishers Pushkin Press and Channel 4’s Walter Presents, a streaming service which provides a good deal of my TV entertainment with its subtitled European drama. Even without that, I’d have been interested in this book whose blurb promised a novel about
The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos (transl. Sam Taylor): Tailor made Read More »