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Another warm and cosy welcome from Lesley, the landlady at The Aletaster, and after refreshments and catch-up chats we settled to give our views on this month's book, "The Little Paris Bookshop" by Nina George. It was a translation from the German.
Members felt that the premise was a good one. It tells a tale of lost love, grief and guilt through the protagonist, Jean Perdu, a "literary apothecary", who runs a bookshop on a beautifully restored barge on the Seine. He helps people solve their personal problems by providing them with an appropriate book to read. However, the only person he is unable to cure is himself. He has been nursing a broken heart since the night, twenty one years ago,when the love of his life, Manon, fled Paris, leaving behind a handwritten letter that he has never dared read until now....
It was felt that some of the other characters were sketchily drawn so that it was difficult to identify with them and this could make the read rather laborious in places. Others expressed the view that the relationships which developed as the plot progressed ought to have been more deeply developed and the characters more intricately drawn. Their transience was frustrating and made the narrative seem bitty and the plot disjointed. It was suggested that the male characters were created from a female perspective and therefore seemed over-emotional. Also, that the nuance, in places, might have been lost or at least displaced in translation.
However we each felt that we had been treated to some colourful vignettes and deeply meaningful moments. These are afforded to us when Jean escapes from his misery by unmooring his barge and setting off in search of recapturing his memories and come to terms with his loss. Author Max Jordan joins him on his quest and they travel on the canals of France towards the Provencal south in search of Manon's story. Later he invites Cuneo and Samy into his life to travel with him. They all play a part in forcing him to face his demons, but sadly we thought them irrelevant contrivances which proved, in some instances, a distraction.
Viewed as a travelogue the members felt the book would have had a more positive response. The descriptions were well drawn and powerful, such as the harrowing account of a young deer which had fallen in the canal. The author's portrayal of the French countryside made the Francophiles amongst us long to plan our next holidays! The imagery was often lyrically and poetically atmospheric.
It's worth mentioning that there were some interesting titles which Jean Perdu kept on board and one in particular, "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" really interested Emma, so she "Googled" it and found it exists. So, Emma, we look forward to hearing your opinion of this tome next time we meet!
"The Little Paris Bookshop" was awarded 3* and we voted "The Saffron Trail" by Rosanna Ley to be our next book.
