Books
by Pierre Lemaitre
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All Human Wisdom |
This sequel to The Great Swindle (bwl 96) begins with the funeral of a banker, his fortune inherited by his daughter whose life is changed by catastrophic injuries to her young son. She faces the enmity of a relative, a failed suitor trying to part her from her fortune and betrayal by servants. Revenge requires the help of some dubious characters. Set in the corrupt and venal world of pre-war France, this a fantastically entertaining story with never a dull moment.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 102 Autumn 2021) |
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The Great Swindle |
This Prix Goncourt winner concerns two French veterans of the Great war, scarred by their experiences in different ways, seeking to survive and prosper in postwar France. From the battlefield to the lower reaches of Paris and the depiction of the inhuman, corrupt ruling class, the narrative, alternately tragic and comic never flags. With its vividly drawn characters from a superbly cynical villain, a sexy maid - no better than she should be - to a failed bureaucrat battling for justice, I couldn't put this one down - highly recommended.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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The Mirror of our Sorrows |
The final volume of a trilogy which began with The Great Swindle (bwl 96) followed by All Human Wisdom (bwl 102). It’s 1940 and the phoney war in France is ending. Everyone is displaced, from Paris, from the collapsed front, from prison – or simply away doing their duty or engaged on a personal quest. As their world descends into chaos, paths cross and people change. At times it feels contrived but this is a vivid story which keeps you reading and illuminates the experience of a time in France’s story often overlooked.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 108 Spring 2023) |
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The Wide World: Book 1 of The Glorious World trilogy |
The four children of a wealthy French, Beirut based, soap manufacturer embark on widely varied lives which bring them to postwar Paris and colonial Vietnam and into close contact with corruption in high places. The mix of secrets, ambition, murder, sex and drugs is irresistible. While the context of the novel is an overall series depicting France in the twentieth century, and loosely linked by certain characters and incidents, the novels stand perfectly well alone. Highly entertaining.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 110 Autumn 2023) |
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