Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin

Let's start with this - I would like to say that if you plan on reading one of Perrin's novels, my opinion is to start with Fresh Water for Flowers or Three.  I liked those books much better but that's my personal opinion. Links for those books take you to my Goodreads page.

For a great review check out the NPR link HERE.

What I didn't know, and it came as a complete surprise to me, is this is her first published novel.  It came out in 2015!   Last year I particpated in August's event Women in Translation and read Fresh Water for Flowers.  That was my introduction to Perrin. When I saw Forgotten on Sunday was to be published in June I assumed this was a brand new novel. So I preordered it.  * It was newly translated by Hildegarde Serle.

There are two main stories here which go back and forth between present day and WW II. The setting is mostly Milly France.

Here's the run down without spoilers.

 Justine Neige is the narrator; she works at a care home as an assistant, taking care of the old people.  She and her cousin Jules live with their grandparents as their parents died in an automoble accident when they were only 4 years old. (revealtions about that later)  Jules is about to leave for Paris and attend university.  Twenty-one year old Justine prefers to work at the old folks home and listen to the stories the residents share with her instead of seeking other employment, escaping the small town of Milly.

The WW II time period features the story of Hélène and Lucian and I liked that timeline/story very much.  In present day Justine takes care of the almost 100 year old Hélène and loves hearing her stories, especially the ones about Lucian as a young man and how their life progressed.

There is quite a bit going on and in the last 20% of the book, things coming together in both time periods.

The March book wrap up

Lovely Spring flowers around our place....

Blink your eye and it's April.  As Gilmour sang  in Time,  "then one day you'll find, ten years have got behind you..."

That's the truth.  Time goes so fast.  Since bringing this site back to life I updated on my February books here. This post is is a roundup of my March books.  Then I'll be on track with some sort of schedule that suits me.

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In March I finished the second book in the Cormac Reilly series by Dervla McTiernan.  I liked the first book, The Ruin, better than this second one - The Scholar. There are a few more to go before I am fully caught up.  If you like police procedurals this would be a good one for you, set in Galway Ireland.

Also read in March:  The Women by Kristin Hannah and Three by Valérie Perrin.

Three:  In 1986 three young children meet in school and become inseparable. They are all ten years of age and come from different home lives. Etienne, Nina and Adrian. They hold hands all the time, they support each other, assist with school work and personal issues. You can't imagine these three ever having a falling out.

The story is told in flashbacks and in great detail. By the time they are ready to graduate school and move on to university in Paris, the relationships are as strong as ever, even if there are a few secrets between the three. Then a fallout. A big one.

In 2017 a car is pulled from the water with a body inside. There is much speculation about a young lady missing for years - could she be in that car? As you go back and forth between time periods, reading about the very descriptive aspects of their lives, I found myself very supportive of some characters and almost despising another. It's a slow read but the last several chapters have revelations I never thought about. Loyalty, betrayal, love and forgiveness are the themes.

You don't know who the narrator is in this book until the end.  Then things fell into place.

This is the second book I have read by Perrin, translated by Hildegard Serle, and I will say I enjoyed Fresh Water for Flowers a bit more. She is an incredible author and I have already preordered her newest - Forgotten on Sunday.

March book travel took me to Vietnam, France, Ireland and California.  That's it for the March round up

 Looking forward to good reading this month.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Reader Buzz for Sunday Salon.

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Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin

As I finished Valérie Perrin's novel Three this month, I wanted to transfer my review for Fresh Water for Flowers here.  I  read this one last August so if you've followed me on Goodreads you'll have seen it there. 

This was my first book by Valérie Perrin and I look forward to reading more of her work.  I discovered this author through Goodreads and the Women in Translation project which is celebrated in August.

The description for this book states Violette Sousaint is a caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in France. She lives on the grounds, opening the gates in the morning to receive visitors and funerals, caring for the flower and vegetable gardens, closing the gates at night. 

I like the beginnings of each chapter with a the epitaphs:

His life was a lovely memory, His absence a silent agony.

We lived together in bliss, We rest together in peace.

They'll always be someone missing to make my life smile: you.

The epitaphs seem to "ward off the passage of time.  Death begins when no one can dream of you any longer."

"There are more than a thousand photographs scattered across the cemetery. On the day all of those photos were taken, none of the men, women, childen could have thought that that moment would represent them for all eternity.   It was the day of a birthday, a family meal, a walk in the park, at a wedding...."

Violette is a wonderful character.  The chapters will abruptly switch to another timeline where you'll get more of her back story.  She was thought dead when she was born, roused by a nurse yet unwanted by her mother.  She went through life in foster care, hoping to be adopted and belong.  She never was wanted by any family. When she became of age to work, pouring drinks at a local bar she met her husband. The stunningly gorgeous Phillipe Toussaint singled her out and took her home. He may have been a handsome devil but he is also a scoundral. Once they had a daughter it seemed Violette's life was whole as she had what she always wanted - a family.

The back stories are not only of Violette.  The people interred have stories as well.  The visitors to the graves sit with Violette and pour out their hearts.  It's all entwined how a mourning lover still leaves flowers or tokens on a lover's tomb, only to swept away by the widow when she visits. 

A turning point comes when a policeman named Julian Sole arrives to ask questions about Gabriel Prudent, a man his mother Irene wants to be buried with. This man Prudent is a stranger to him but through his mother's journals, Irene and Gabriel's story unfolds in future chapters. 

The story about Violette's daughter will break your heart. As you read you'll find love, hope, sorrow and grief.

This book was touching, moving slowly but not boring, learning about so many people and their stories then wrapping it up with several revelations I never considered.

Perrin's next novel is titled Three, also translated by Hildegarde Serle.

Review coming up.........

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel about Mona Lisa but I liked the description so I bought it on a sale from Amazon. 

The odd parts, for me, was how Lisa spoke of being in love with Leonardo.  A fantasy tale of how the centuries passed and what the painting experiences. She tells how she was brought to life, how she was kidnapped, the lonely existance of sitting in her glassed prison in the Louvre as people wander by and only comment how small the painting is in real life.

 Listen to my history. My adventures are worth hearing. I have lived many lifetimes and been loved by emperors, kings and thieves. I have survived kidnap and assault. Revolution and two world wars. But this is also a love story. And the story of what we will do for those we love. (From Goodreads)

Overall I enjoyed the novel.  If you like historical fiction and reading about the Renaissance era you may well enjoy this book.  Natasha Solomons is a British author and as I liked her style, I will add her other books to my to-read list.  The House at Tyneford is set in England, another historical fiction, and I'd like to read that soon.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the Historical Fiction Readng Challenge.

The French Gift by Kirsty Manning

 

This book is set in two time periods with three different women narrating their stories. They are tied together by secrets and a mystery.

Evie Black's story is set in present day. She is Australian, was married to Frenchman Raph and has a teen son named Hugo. Raph died 18 months previously and Evie is now in charge of Raph's Aunt Josephine's estate , Villa Sanary in the French Riviera.  

Margo Bissett was a maid for the wealthy couple at Villa Sanary during the 1940's.  She is accused of murdering a wealthy American guest during a party but she was most definitely set up.  You read this immediately as this is how the book starts. She is told to hide on the terrace and when the fireworks start, Margo is meant to fire a loaded gun into the air.  This is the start of "murder" as a party game and her employers insists it's all a prop to start the game. She is arrested and her employer suddenly knows nothing about this "game."

Josephine Murant is a wealthy Parisian and accomplished author of crime/mystery novels.  She was also involved dicreetly with the resistance movement during WW II.  When she is arrested and placed in Anrath Prison she meets Margo and takes her under her wing. The conditions described are quite awful and the big twist with these two women are revealed around the 90% mark. 

Evie Black eventually figures out the mystery of her Aunt Josephine and convicted killer Margo Bissett.

Publication date is November 2, 2021 by William Morrow and Custom House.  Genre: Mystery and General Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Fiction Challenge.

The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

This is a story about friendship, secrets and competition in the ballet world with a touch of murder.  The first chapter starts with Delphine receiving an invitation to return to Paris as she reminisces about her turbulent past.

 

Another novel with the feature on ballet and it's competitive and harsh world.  When you are good at a something and you devote your entire life to it, your world is small.  You eat, breathe and live in the world of practice and performance. A devastating event causes Delphine, Lindsey and Margaux to keep a secret which wuld upend thier lives and careers.

I enjoyed reading about the backstage world of ballet and would probably read more by this author.

Publication date December 7, 2021 by St. Martin's Press.  Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

I couldn't put this down.  If I wasn't making time to read it at home, the book made it's way into my purse in case I could read at work during breaks and lunch.

 The story goes back and forth between 1947 and 1915 with Evelyn Gardiner heavily featured in both time lines. Eve  Gardiner, Charlotte "Charlie" St. Clair and Finn Kilgore are well written, complex characters.

  The Alice Network was real.  This story incorporates the heroic character of Louise de Bettignies aka "Alice BuBois" and Lili,  into a fascinating character - a spy for the English military.  She was dubbed Queen of Spies and in real life, saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives, passing on pertinent intel.

 She had a network of females working with her, all joined in resisting the Germans and spying for the Allies.  There were parts of this story dealing with espionage and trauma that were such page turners.  I sat up late a few times to read and it blows me away that these women endured so much.

 Early in the story, as you are getting to know Eve (a drunken bitter woman.....at first) you also meet Finn Kilgore.  This quiet Scotsman is Eve's driver and master of what he calls the one-pan breakfast.  There wasn't a lot of food mentioned but this breakfast comes up a few times.

 

The main characters change, they have transformations as they start working together and it's wonderful to be along for the ride.

I have to say, this goes on list as one of the best books I have read this year.  There are scenes in London but most are in France.  Eve's London home figures prominently in the beginning and later in the book too.

The French Girl by Lexie Elliott

“We all have our secrets…

They were six university students from Oxford–friends and sometimes more than friends–spending an idyllic week together in a French farmhouse. It was supposed to be the perfect summer getaway…until they met Severine, the girl next door. “

I thought this was a good mystery – lots of people to suspect of killing 19 year old Severine. From the blurb above you’d think the story line was in present day France. Not so.

Ten years after the college get-together Severine’s body has been found in the bottom of a well. The last people to see the young woman alive are the six vacationing friends so they are once again drawn into the investigation. Everyone’s lives have changed so much in 10 years. Some relationships have fractured while others have deepened into a loyal friendship. There are some flashbacks but it’s basically lots of talking, remembering and suspicion about which one of the six killed Severine.

Tom, Seb, and Theo are good friends. It’s Theo’s father’s French country home where they gather and meet the mademoiselle next door. Kate was in a relationship with Seb, Lara is Kate’s best friend and Caro (Caroline) is friends with Theo, Tom and Seb. So, which of the six killed the French girl? Much is revealed about the characters and their relationships, fights, and basically lots of motive to go around.

“I stare at Tom as Lara reseats herself and chatters on. He glances at me, but there’s nothing to read in his face. It was so smoothly done; I would never have guessed he was capable of such casual duplicity – once again he is the other Tom, but not Tom. I wonder, is anyone not who I thought? Maybe nobody ever really knows anyone.”

Not too much food mentioned in this book:

Tom cooks “the world’s largest Spanish omelet”.

“The conversation warms and expands again, slowly regaining volume after a moment of solemnity. More wine is called for and I eat chocolate profiteroles that I don’t really like because by now I’m drunk and will eat practically anything.”

Girl’s night of ordering curry, drinking wine and watching a romcom.
Tom orders Kate vodka tonics on several occasions.

I’m all in for the vodka tonic and could do with a curry meal too but I plan to make that later this weekend.

Lexie Elliott grew up in Scotland, at the foot of the Highlands. She graduated from Oxford University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen sportswoman, she works in fund management in London, where she lives with her husband and two sons.