Category Archives: Books in French

La Carte Postale- Anne Berest

Posted on March 13, 2024 by mandywight

On 6th January 2003 a postcard arrives at the home of Lélia and Pierre. It’s an old postcard of the Paris Opera Garnier, with four names written on the back: Ephraïm, Emma, Noémie and Jacques.  These are the names of … Continue reading →

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Vengeance is Mine-by Marie Ndiaye, translated by Jordan Stump.

Posted on March 4, 2024 by mandywight

The protagonist of this deeply unsettling novel is Maitre Susane, a young female lawyer practising in Bordeaux, who has recently set up on her own. She’s rather surprised one day to be consulted by a man called Gilles Principaux to … Continue reading →

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L’Elégance du Hérisson- Rereading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery translated by Alison Anderson

Posted on January 31, 2024 by mandywight

It’s been such a pleasure to reread The Elegance of the Hedgehog for an occasional book group I take part in. First published in France in 2006, it appeared in English in 2008, and was widely read at that time … Continue reading →

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Reading Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux

Posted on August 25, 2023 by mandywight

I’m a great fan of Annie Ernaux and so decided to read her book Getting Lost (Se Perdre), translated by Alison L. Strayer, for Women in Translation Month 2023. This is the diary of her one-year affair with a member … Continue reading →

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Watch Us Dance-Regardez-nous danser by Leila Slimani translated by Sam Taylor.

Posted on August 22, 2023 by mandywight

This is the second novel in Leïla Sliman’s family trilogy, which began with The Country of Others, and it’s every bit as compelling and absorbing as the first. It continues the story of the Belhaj family in post-war Morocco, but … Continue reading →

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The Country of Others-Le Pays des Autres- by Leila Slimani, English translation by Sam Taylor.

Posted on January 12, 2023 by mandywight

This is the story of Mathilde, a young French woman from Alsace, and Amine, a Moroccan soldier fighting for the French in World War Two. They meet, fall in love and marry in France, then move back to Morocco in … Continue reading →

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Annie Ernaux wins the Nobel

Posted on October 27, 2022 by mandywight

I’m delighted that Annie Ernaux has won this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature. I greatly admire her book The Years and it’s resonated with every woman of a certain age I know. I wanted to read more of her, so … Continue reading →

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Festilitt 2022-10th anniversary of Parisot’s literary festival!

Posted on October 24, 2022 by mandywight

I felt so fortunate to visit Festilitt again this year: the wonderful literary festival that takes place in the village of Parisot in France in October. I last visited in pre-pandemic 2018, so this year felt very special, given the … Continue reading →

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The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir translated by Lauren Elkin

Posted on July 23, 2022 by mandywight

I first heard about this novel, unpublished in de Beauvoir’s lifetime, in an interview with the translator, Lauren Elkin, on my favourite podcast Literary Friction. It tells the story of the close friendship between Sylvie and Andrée who first meet … Continue reading →

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Combats et metamorphoses d’une femme by Edouard Louis.

Posted on February 24, 2022 by mandywight

I first came across Édouard Louis through his book The End of Eddy, a biographical account of growing up gay in a poor working class environment in Normandy. This more recent book is the story of his mother, Monique—though we … Continue reading →

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