@FTThum #BookReview ‘the first thing you see’ by Gregoire Delacourt

Scarlett Johansson attempted though did not succeed in getting this book banned.  Intriqued? Read on.

Title:          the first thing you see
Author:        Gregoire Delacourt (translated from French by Anthea Bell)
Publishers:     Weidenfeld & Nicholson (August 11, 2016)
Format:          Paperback
Pages:             245
Genre:           Fiction – Contemporary; Romance

 

What’s it about?

This is a quirky book of the plight of being famous at first glance. But it is more than that. It speaks of love and loss, of our need to be seen for who we are, especially by our loved ones.

“the first thing you see” is about a handsome unassuming motor mechanic living in a French provincial town, a man with little experience of the world beyond this town, a man whose young life is beset by tragedy.

Then one morning, a movie star turns up at Arthur Dreyfuss’ front door and his life is changed. But she is not what she may seem. Jeanine Foucamprez is after all suffering from an identity crisis. How and why did she choose Arthur?

Arthur and Jeanine are lost, both traumatised by the presence of unloving parents. Yet with each other, they re-discover their lost innocence. Their faiths in the purity of love are restored.

New encounters, or at least those that seem important, always have that effect: you don’t feel sleepy, you never want to sleep again, you want to tell the story of your life, all of it…, and then that hope – you wish you had always known each other, so that you could embrace and love each other, knowing why, with confidence…

How sweet is this?! But there is more…  This is a story of love with a twist, though somewhat easily detected.

Delacourt’s eccentric references to celebrities, movies, and poetry make this book a fun romp through the entertainment industry, both French and American.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, an entertaining quick read.

My rating:                  3/5

 

Buy it at:

Amazon	Kindle	USD 19.52
	Paperback	USD 7.7.4
Bookdepository	Paperback	GBP 4.48
Booktopia	Paperbook	AUD 16.90

~ FlorenceT

 

@FTThum
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