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 ) |
