Right from the start, this novel establishes the atmosphere of Paris during May 1968, when it seemed that France was on the brink of a social revolution. In true French style, by the summer of ’68 everything had superficially simmered down, but France had irrevocably changed.
The protagonists, John and Catalina Fairweather, a couple in their early 70s, arrive in France for their granddaughter's wedding, and leave their hotel for an evening stroll through the Latin Quarter.
They find themselves hemmed in by barricades formed out of cobblestones pulled up from the roads, stuck in a maze... and by the morning they have disappeared. Against the backdrop of the student protests, their granddaughter Lena searches for them with increasing urgency.
The novel traces John and Catalina's relationship as their ordeal unfolds, their hopes and fears as well as their enduring love for each other. The writing is immediate and descriptive, taking the reader deep into the events which unfolded in 1968 and how they still resonate in France today.
The background is drawn from fact but the story is purely fictional, making this book appeal to lovers of history as well as to those seeking thoughtful adult romance.
Jonathan Coan Daifuku was born in the US but spent his adolescence in Paris, taking an active part in the 1968 protests, before returning to the US to study architecture. Also like his hero, he has a Catalonian wife. These autobiographical elements shine through in his writing, which comes off the page sounding utterly realistic.
Death in Brittany
Jean-Lux Bennalec
Minotaur Books, €15.09
ISBN: 978-1250061744
Death in BrittanyMinotaur Books
This thriller features Georges Dupin, a grumpy Parisian gumshoe who is missing his native Paris and just can't drink enough coffee. So he is not best pleased to be called away from his morning espresso to investigate the death of 91-year-old Pierre-Louis Pennec, the owner of the Central Hotel.
The tale is set in Pont-Aven, a chocolate box pretty artists' village where time seems to stand still. But this is the tourist season and the village is packed with suspects and visitors, all of whom seem to be keeping one secret or another.
Internationally best-selling author Jean-Luc Bannelec divides his time between Germany and Finistère. In 2018, he became an honorary member of the Académie littéraire de Bretagne and he has set a number of his murder mysteries there including Death in Brittany, Murder on Brittany Shores, and The Fleur de Sel Murders.
Georges Dupin's investigations uncover the evidence crumb by tantalising crumb as well as the true history of Paul Gauguin's stay in Pont-Aven, and the founding of the Pont-Avon group of artists. There are plenty of descriptions of the coast, the forests, and villages of Brittany, plus some mouth-watering foodie writing. Dupin also discovers a certain amount of rumpy-pumpy going on behind the easels. But of course, in the end, despite several very clever red herrings and plot twists, he discovers whodunnit.
A great read if you love a nice murder mystery à la Hercule Poirot.
Looted
Peter Elliott
Pen and Sword, €31.55
ISBN 978-1036134006
LootedPen and Sword
Looted!: The Nazi Art Plunder of Jewish Families in France traces the real-life stories of four families whose art was appropriated and businesses confiscated by the Nazis during the Occupation (1940-1944). It traces their lives as well as the routes traveled by their art collections.
The Bader/Heilbronn/Meyer family were founders of the French department store Galeries Lafayette, and Pierre Wertheimer co-founded Parfums Chanel.
Pierre and Denise Lévy came from Troyes and founded one of the largest textile businesses in France. (After the war they donated their art collection to France.)
Georges Lévy (Lurcy)was an industrialist and banker, who also had a handsome art collection. He managed to smuggle most of his art collection out of France via Portugal to the US, where he spent the Occupation.
The book also traces what happened after the war. Some of the artworks were successfully recuperated, some pieces were lost and others donated to museums and galleries. The author has clearly done his research and writes with authority and passion about the subject. It is extraordinary to think that although parts of it read like fiction, all of it is absolutely true.
