tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264068641246815602024-03-14T09:34:09.248-07:00MG's French Lit PageUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126406864124681560.post-46046696884920554712015-12-06T13:19:00.001-08:002015-12-06T13:28:25.694-08:00French Bingo Card<h2 class="post-title">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPc8t2ek7B1rCTD7btV6AhwPW75lYFD6KGglWREaa-O8DYd0Erq597t-E-BZPiZH69JillPE7Bo_HGXi2BjndYR1O_-DOaLfmnqf2FN3Ln2iZ_LaJ792j3ET4jWiwbjAWigZW1R4IWzfK/s1600/french-bingo-2015-logo2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPc8t2ek7B1rCTD7btV6AhwPW75lYFD6KGglWREaa-O8DYd0Erq597t-E-BZPiZH69JillPE7Bo_HGXi2BjndYR1O_-DOaLfmnqf2FN3Ln2iZ_LaJ792j3ET4jWiwbjAWigZW1R4IWzfK/s1600/french-bingo-2015-logo2.jpg" width="200" /></a></h2>
Emma at <i>Words and Peace </i>has set out a <a href="http://wordsandpeace.com/2014/12/01/french-bingo-2015-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">French Bingo 2015 Reading Challenge</a><br />
<br />
I decided to give it a try. I probably won't manage a blackout, but I should be able to do more than five squares.<br />
<br />
I didn't manage a Bingo, or maybe I did --if I shuffle these around, but since I didn't review a lot of them I won't claim a bingo. Perhaps someone will get some ideas for next time.<br />
<h2 class="post-title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrWQnuqJusdou6L51o5q2ZVMHAcJtLM94xVR2XIkIXNw6sDyrK7y0XzfEJj6gwg9PTQuUghiacQ6IFRfXCfuZNy9dqHzHabYaFTTtH75uy8qc0OtXQ_ykVsc8_4_JZD_bxw8wYCFQfKlF/s1600/french-bingo-2015-card.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrWQnuqJusdou6L51o5q2ZVMHAcJtLM94xVR2XIkIXNw6sDyrK7y0XzfEJj6gwg9PTQuUghiacQ6IFRfXCfuZNy9dqHzHabYaFTTtH75uy8qc0OtXQ_ykVsc8_4_JZD_bxw8wYCFQfKlF/s1600/french-bingo-2015-card.jpg" width="400" /></a></h2>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Eligible BINGOS</b>: <b>5 spaces in a row: horizontally, vertically, diagonally</b> <b>or "Four Corner” </b>(each of the <b>four corners plus 1</b> more space, any space you wish. Extra entries for any squares beyond the first Bingo.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Just for fun and reference:<br />
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48130" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">French Idioms and Proverbs by Vinchelés de Payen-Payne</span></a><br />
<div class="center space-above">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>FOURTH REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION. </i>LONDON</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">DAVID NUTT,
1905</span></div>
<div class="center space-above">
<br /></div>
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><b><i> </i></b></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">A1 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><i><b>A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War, and a Ruined House in France </b></i></span>by Miranda Richmond Mouillot <i><b><br /></b></i><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">A2<br />A3 <i><b>The Nightingale</b></i>; Hannah, Kristin<br />A4 </span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">A5 several of these, but the ended up on other squares</span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><br />B1 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><b><i>Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty</i></b> by Elizabeth Mitchell</span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">B2<br />B3</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> <b>A Paris Apartment </b></i>by Michelle Gable <a href="http://maristafrenchlit.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-paris-apartment-by-michelle-gable.html" target="_blank">My Review</a></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">B4 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><i><b>Self-Portrait in Green </b></i>by Marie NDiaye (or A5) Originally publ in French in 2005, trans publ in 2014 <a href="http://maristafrenchlit.blogspot.com/2015/01/self-portrait-in-green-by-marie-ndiaye.html" target="_blank">My Review </a></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">B5</span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><br />C1 <i><b>All Our Worldly Goods</b></i>; by Irène Némirovsky </span>Written during WW2, published in French in 1947, and in English translation in 2008.<br />
C2<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><br />C3<br />C4 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><b><i>The Dream Lover: A Novel of George Sand</i></b>; Berg, Elizabeth</span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">C5<br /><br />D1 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><i><b>Dimanche and Other Stories</b></i>; by Irène Némirovsky, Bridget Patterson (Translator) </span> </span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">D2 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><b><i>The Normandy diary of Marie-Louise Osmont.</i></b> <i><b>1940-1944</b></i> by Marie-Louise Osmont, <a href="http://maristafrenchlit.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-normandy-diary-of-marie-louise.html" target="_blank">My review</a></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">D3<br />D4 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><i><b>S</b><b>uspended Sentences: Three Novellas</b></i> by Patrick Modiano <a href="http://maristafrenchlit.blogspot.com/2015/01/suspended-srntences-modiano.html" target="_blank">My review</a></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">D5 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><b><i>A Palace in the Old Village</i> </b>by Tahar Ben Jelloun, a Moroccan/French writer. (translated from the French by Linda Coverdale) </span></span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"> not exactly what we usually think of when we talk about the "ex-pat" life, but I think Mohammed's experiences qualify. <a href="http://maristafrenchlit.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-palace-in-old-village.html" target="_blank">My brief review.</a></span></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"> </span><br />E1 </span><span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary"><i><b>Flambé in Armagnac</b></i> (Winemaker Detective Mysteries #7) ; Alaux, Jean-Pierre, Balen, Noël; Sally Pane (Translation)</span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">E2 <i><b>Guys Like Me</b></i>; by Dominique Fabre, Howard Curtis (Translation) (this could go in B2, C3) My notes on my</span><span style="font-size: small;"> page: <a href="http://marista.blogspot.com/2015/12/november-second-half-2015-reading.html" target="_blank">November (second half) 2015 Reading</a></span><br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">E3</span> <b><i>The Oysters of Locmariaquer </i></b>by Eleanor Clark (could also be B1, D2)<br />
<span class="a-size-small a-color-secondary">E4 <br />E5 </span><i><b>The Red Notebook</b></i>;
Laurain, Antoine; Jane Aitken (Translation), Emily Boyce (Translation)
Published April 7th 2015 by Gallic Books (first published March 5th
2014) <br />
<br />
This is kind of flaky but here it is for what it's worth.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126406864124681560.post-20841551213835381372015-02-07T11:26:00.001-08:002015-02-07T11:32:30.961-08:00A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMrOMVa8HXKeiLIpRuCAkhFyBBOaCha36J7bw9h1hZnkx8hKx6smNnl3j-ZJk0pMuc3O6AS7woDF5Cdn2ZUcOccDGxV4uzwvqSRcRcaTrt75VHTG5azA_B82G-MjCofQe2uBYRymiyjsG/s1600/18404194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMrOMVa8HXKeiLIpRuCAkhFyBBOaCha36J7bw9h1hZnkx8hKx6smNnl3j-ZJk0pMuc3O6AS7woDF5Cdn2ZUcOccDGxV4uzwvqSRcRcaTrt75VHTG5azA_B82G-MjCofQe2uBYRymiyjsG/s1600/18404194.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><i><b>A Paris Apartment</b></i> by Michelle Gable<br />
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2014<br />
378 pages<br />
I received a free copy of the finished book through a blog win at <a href="http://francebooktours.com/" target="_blank">France Book Tours </a><br />
<br />
Often when I read these two story line novels, especially ones containing a story from the past entwined with a contemporary story, I find one story gets in the way of the other and I get confused in the muddle. If you can decipher the proceeding sentence then maybe you have a chance with this book.<br />
<br />
It is not that I didn't like either story. I found both interesting. The contemporary story concerned April Vogt, a furniture expert assigned to assess the value of objects found in a "time capsule"--a Paris apartment locked up and untouched since the 1940s. April has some problems, including a difficult marriage, which complicate an extended stay in Paris.<br />
<br />
The historic story involves Marthe de Florian a courtesan of <i>Belle Époque </i>Paris, who owned the contents of the apartment. A fascinating woman who had several lovers and admirers including the painter Giovanni Boldini. Gable's book presents a fictionalized account of Marthe as recorded in a series of diary entries. How much of this story is based on fact and how much on the author's imagination is unclear, but it really doesn't matter. It's a good story and it introduces a lot of interesting characters some of which are historical persons. (This stimulated a lot of fun Googling on my part.)<br />
<br />
My problem was the way the two stories were connected. The presentation of April's reading of the diary entries at times seems out of sequence and choppy. At times I felt that it would have been better as two completely separate novels. I had to read the last few chapters a couple of times to make sure I got the story straight.<br />
<br />
But it was a fun read. In the modern story the Frenchman Luc's stereotypical attitudes about Americans will amuse Americans, especially ones who have traveled or lived abroad.<br />
<br />
I'll include a couple of links from my web exploring, but not most of my Google results because doing so would spoil the fun of Googling these things yourself.<br />
<br />
The author has some background information on her <a href="http://michellegable.com/a-paris-apartment/" target="_blank">web site </a><br />
<br />
For some pictures of the actual apartment see <a href="http://www.bellomag.com/1942-time-capsule-apartment-discovered-in-paris/" target="_blank">1942 ‘Time Capsule’ Apartment Discovered In Paris</a><br />
<br />
If you are curious about the genetic test for Alzheimer's Disease mentioned in the modern part of this story the the following fact sheet from the National Institute on Aging:<a href="http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-genetics-fact-sheet" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Fact Sheet</span></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Square B3 on the French Bingo card.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126406864124681560.post-81221514162304645112015-01-29T09:49:00.001-08:002015-01-29T09:50:55.649-08:00The Normandy diary of Marie-Louise Osmont. 1940-1944 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvu-kifcWLQRDiPgxFIzcf8LAPWx3ntDZA49_fOjmcFjyx7jpxcO2pWpmZkKCNgu2ZJZNUu6v6yUVnfbcU1USoiawyzuq1NBox8SzSnsF_tnlRyds3f5D1D6w4S1QT5JgZ54JH6xzesKZ/s1600/1042587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvu-kifcWLQRDiPgxFIzcf8LAPWx3ntDZA49_fOjmcFjyx7jpxcO2pWpmZkKCNgu2ZJZNUu6v6yUVnfbcU1USoiawyzuq1NBox8SzSnsF_tnlRyds3f5D1D6w4S1QT5JgZ54JH6xzesKZ/s1600/1042587.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a><b><i>The Normandy diary of Marie-Louise Osmont.</i></b> <i><b>1940-1944</b></i> by Marie-Louise Osmont; Introduction by John Keegan; Translated by George L. Newman<br />
Random House, 1994, 118 pages <br />
Library Book<br />
<br />
This amazing diary begins with an entry dated August 6, 1940: "First occupation of the Château de <span class="st">Périers</span> by the Germans; altogether, two non-commissioned officers and four enlisted men." The diary goes on with a few entries for 1940, 1942, and 1943 as the occupation by German troops escalated and the <i>château</i> and its grounds were taken over by provisions, tanks, foxholes, and trenches. Marie-Louise, a fifty-year old widow is allowed to live in one room of the <i>château</i>. This is not a large <i>château</i>, but rather what might be thought of as a manor house.<br />
<br />
The diary really picks up in February 1944 and from that point on there are nearly daily entries covering events leading up to D-Day, the departure of the Germans, and the occupation of the property by British troops. The final entry is for August 17, 1944.<br />
<br />
The village of <span class="st">Périers is located about three miles inland from the beaches of the D-Day invasion, about midway between Caen and the coast. It was in the middle of the action of June and July of 1944. </span><br />
<br />
Through it all, Marie-Louise perseveres. She is wounded, she sleeps (when the noise of war allows for sleep) in trenches or in a makeshift shelter under her stairway, and endures news of friends lost in the battles that rage around her. She visits nearby villages and towns and describes the devastation she sees. She bicycles to the coast and views the comings and goings between land and naval forces.<br />
<br />
Some of the most interesting entries are when she describes the soldiers that have overtaken her home. She is a shrewd observer; her comments on the likeness and differences between the German and British troops are fascinating. How she manages to get along with each wave of troops, try to protect her property, and still maintain some dignity is a testament to the human ability to survive the unthinkable.<br />
<br />
Because the diary ends rather abruptly, I was curious about this astute observer and her home; wondering what happened after the war. So I did some Google searches and didn't find out much more about her. I did find a few sites about the village, the most informative being <a href="http://www.normandythenandnow.com/widow-and-the-battle-for-caen/" target="_blank">The widow and the battle for Caen</a> . It includes photos from the war, recent pictures of the village, and a number of excerpts from the diary.<br />
<br />
An excellent read!<br />
<br />
<br />
For <a href="http://maristafrenchlit.blogspot.com/2014/12/french-bingo-challenge.html" target="_blank">French Bingo Challenge</a> (square<span style="font-size: x-small;"> D2)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126406864124681560.post-64715730456832353062015-01-22T09:35:00.001-08:002015-01-25T15:23:51.461-08:00Self-Portrait in Green by Marie NDiaye<div class="review_author">
<a href="http://twolinespress.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Self_Portrait_294-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://twolinespress.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Self_Portrait_294-web.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a><i><b>Self-Portrait in Green </b></i>by Marie NDiaye, </div>
<div class="review_author">
Translated by Jordan Stump</div>
<div class="review_author">
Two Lines Press, 2014, 164 pages, paperback</div>
<div class="review_author">
Personal copy received as part of subscription to <a href="http://twolinespress.com/" target="_blank">Two Lines Press</a>. </div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
Shortly after I finished reading this book, I checked my Twitter feed and was led to the J. Paul Getty Pinterest gallery of <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/gettymuseum/museum-selfies/" target="_blank">Museum Selfies</a>, a collection of artist's self-portraits.</div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
What is a self-portrait? Is it the way the artist sees him/herself? Is it the way the artist wants to be perceived by the world? Is it a way to explain the artist's life and work? Or perhaps it is an artistic exercise. How close to the truth does the artist dare go?</div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
French author Marie NDiaye was born in France, her mother was French, her father Senegalese. Her father left the family early on (Marie did not meet him until she was a teenager).</div>
<div class="review_author">
<br />
It is not a surprise, then, that the narrator of <i><b>Self-Portrait in Green </b></i>is a French writer from a broken French/African family. How much of the "self-portrait" is true, how much is imagination, how much is delusion is not at all clear. It's much like the murky water of the Garonne River which flows through the background of the portrait, threatening to flood and inundate the settlements along it banks. As the river rises, the narrator muses on a series of mysterious women in green that flow through her life and perplex, intrigue, and haunt her.</div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
Who are these women in green? Are they real? Are they manifestations of the narrator's self identity? One is daring, jumping off balconies but not in a suicidal fashion, she knows she'll come to no harm. Another <i>is</i> suicidal. Some are people known to the narrator, others are strangers.</div>
<div class="review_author">
</div>
<div class="review_author">
NDiaye's writing is visual, painting mini-portraits and landscapes that take you into her world. On a rare visit with her mother the narrator observes:</div>
<div class="review_author">
</div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> Whenever she lets down her guard, I see her eyes darting uneasily this way and that, </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> never looking straight ahead. She then raises her hands to take off her shawl, forgetting </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> she's not wearing one. Seeing that I've seen her, she furrows her brow.</i></div>
<div class="review_author">
</div>
<div class="review_author">
Then there is the neighbor Katia who takes refuge with the narrator's family when the lower floors of her house are flooded: </div>
<div class="review_author">
</div>
<div class="review_author">
<i>An absolute woman in green,</i> <i>Katia Depetiteville never shows any trace of gratitude </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> for a favor that's been done her. Comfortably settled in with us, she exercises her rights </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> as a houseguest with a voracity, almost a brutality, that I never see when I stop by her </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> place for a cup of coffee, when the monotony of her life and the dreariness of her house </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> so weigh on her that a gentle numbness is all she's capable of.</i> <i>Now she's come back to </i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<i> life, she speaks out, butts in with her opinions, lets herself be served and coddled.</i></div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
There is a harshness in many of these descriptions. There is also a detachment from reality in the encounters with the women in green (some of them are family members). When visiting her father, she sees the desperateness of her father's wife to get out of a miserable situation and return to France. She could help her, but she doesn't. Later she wonders if the woman did manage to leave, but she doesn't seem to care enough to find out. The same with a much younger half-sister: she wonders what happened to her but makes little effort to find her. Instead, she dreams that maybe several years in the future the sister will show up on her doorstep. </div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
Green is often the color associated with envy. Our narrator, at time, seems envious of the women in green. She is certainly drawn to them. She doesn't want to lose them. She may want to become one of them. </div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
This is a book that is as strange as its cover art; all those green branches reaching out and touching nothing. They are somewhat entwined as they leave the stalk, they seem to promise to get back together, but they never really connect.</div>
<div class="review_author">
</div>
<div class="review_author">
This one goes on my TBRR (to be re read) shelf. </div>
<div class="review_author">
<br /></div>
<div class="review_author">
(French Bingo note: where to put this? A5? B4?)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126406864124681560.post-74381253775906087082015-01-15T12:57:00.000-08:002015-01-15T13:14:17.829-08:00Suspended Sentences (Modiano)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Suspended Sentences: Three Novellas</b></i><br />
by Patrick Modiano, Mark Polizzotti (Translation) <br />
Yale University Press, 2014<br />
Paperback, 232 pages<br />
Originally published in French as: <i><b>Chien de printemps</b></i>, (1993); <i><b>Remise de peine</b></i>, (1988); and, <b><i>Fleurs de ruine</i></b>, (1991).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXDAiMIHopWUoihzsarszi8PIrQhtsGC6fEXg62g_wyoYm3wkdiLbq085srQT2KdSzEy_6jQbKwmhhQsFWtulRALGNTxOwafAxFRl700hqCfKg5diejSR2diVoD2XwXiXlfH370rw9EIO/s1600/22859597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXDAiMIHopWUoihzsarszi8PIrQhtsGC6fEXg62g_wyoYm3wkdiLbq085srQT2KdSzEy_6jQbKwmhhQsFWtulRALGNTxOwafAxFRl700hqCfKg5diejSR2diVoD2XwXiXlfH370rw9EIO/s1600/22859597.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>This cover captures it perfectly</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently I’ve been wondering if I haven't read enough of
these "novels" that seem more memoir than fiction. The first person
narrative where the narrator just happens to have the same first name as the
author; the narrator's
brother with the same name as the author's brother; the author and narrator are
the same age (maybe even went to the same schools, churches, vacation spots,
etc.); all very autobiographical and all--like much of our memory--fictionalized.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I come across another gem and none of those things
matter at all.<i><b> Suspended Sentences </b></i>is one of these gems. The stories are
good, the writing is sublime, and the place is Paris. The three novellas are
somewhat connected: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the setting is post
World II Paris, some of the characters appear in more than one of the stories, and they are all the memories
of a man trying to piece together mysterious things that happened in his
childhood and youth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The characters are fascinating, the stories are intriguing,
and I was overwhelmed with the detailed descriptions of Parisian neighborhoods. This is one of those books that had me keeping a Google Map open on my laptop while I read, following the story through the streets. These stories could only have happened in Paris.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>For French Bingo: D4</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126406864124681560.post-12316550782951716892015-01-10T12:12:00.000-08:002015-01-10T12:12:04.111-08:00A Palace in the Old Village<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHgfmJMkxq2C2cCfwFuwqZrGckllurkRpE3oPXmFgDslvOqcMUT6x2pGFD7uZulP4a45KmC_Q9cz9Q0z7UxIu5LMpuA4nFYjyh6hCykB7TLdJXtn2Y4GHQDNGu5YVIdWoy-W5RFgz-3VY/s1600/9780143118473H.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHgfmJMkxq2C2cCfwFuwqZrGckllurkRpE3oPXmFgDslvOqcMUT6x2pGFD7uZulP4a45KmC_Q9cz9Q0z7UxIu5LMpuA4nFYjyh6hCykB7TLdJXtn2Y4GHQDNGu5YVIdWoy-W5RFgz-3VY/s1600/9780143118473H.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a><b><i>A Palace in the Old Village </i></b>by Tahar Ben Jelloun, Translated from the French by Linda Coverdale,<br />
Penguin Books, 2011<br />
Paperback, 192 Pages<br />ISBN 9780143118473<br />
Library book.<br />
<br />
Mohammed,
a Moroccan worker who has spent forty years working in a French
automobile plant, faces mandatory retirement. He decides to return with his wife to his village and build a
grand house where he can stage a family reunion.<br />
<br />
His children are grown, they are French citizens, and
are assimilated into European culture. One son is married to a Spanish woman, a daughter is married to an Italian. The children have no desire to return to their father's homeland.<br />
<br />
A sad story of a
family's changing values as children and parents become foreigners to
each other, this story highlights the plight of "temporary" immigrant workers. Recommended for anyone interested in finding out more about the experience of Muslims in France. Covers the time period from the mid 1960s through the first decade of the 2000s.<br />
<br />
An<a href="http://www.penguin.com/book/a-palace-in-the-old-village-by-tahar-ben-jelloun/9780143118473" target="_blank"> interview with the author</a> on the Penguin web site is worth reading.<br />
<br />
Note: For the French Bingo Card: not exactly what we usually think of when we talk about the "ex-pat" life, but I think Mohammed's experiences qualify.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6