Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Two former lovers find themselves sitting next to each other on a train after 27 years apart in Blondel's novel, a bestseller in Europe, told through alternating interior monologues by both parties. Cécile, now a successful entrepreneur living in Paris, is on her way home early in the morning after a weekend spent caring for her aging parents. She notes with no small satisfaction that her accidental companion, Philippe, has not aged so gracefully. As Cécile correctly surmises, Philippe, en route to Paris to visit a dying friend, is recently divorced and somewhat aimless. Their overlapping narratives, unfolding over the course of their commute, lend insights into their former selves and the feelings of inadequacy and ambivalence that are perhaps endemic to middle age. Translator Anderson does an exceptional job of capturing Cécile's and Philippe's voices, and effectively explores the meaning of the (English) phrase "take care" that closes the novel. There's suspense in the question of whether the two will gin up the courage to talk to each other, but that's really beside the point, as their thoughts compellingly trace the meandering paths between who they once were and who they are now. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Perfectly written and a remarkably suspenseful read, though there's nary a crime in sight, this European best seller from French author Blondel opens with the stylishly appointed, nearly 50 Cécile boarding the 6:41 morning train for Paris. She's just spent another dreary weekend with her parents in a provincial town to the southeast, and she's mulling over thoughts of family and work (she owns an upmarket chain of boutiques) when a man occupies the seat next to her. It's Phillippe Leduc, with whom she had an affair in her university days, when he was a golden boy and she mousy and insecure but with her own distinctive temperament. He eventually betrayed her so painfully on a trip to London that she cannot bear to return to the city. Phillippe recognizes her, too, but neither acknowledges the other. Will they eventually speak? What really happened in London? Is reconciliation possible-or desirable? These questions crash through the reader's mind as the narrative races along, unfolding tensely and effectively in she-remembers, he-remembers chapters that reveal not just their affair but details of their respective lives since. VERDICT Readers, if you're afraid that this might be esoterically, unapproachably French, get over it. It's an absorbing, intriguing, insightful book for all readers.-Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In French novelist Blondel's stream-of-consciousness memory trip, ex-lovers engage in a mental quick-fire duel. Though they were once young and in love, Ccile and Philippe haven't spoken since he humiliated her on a London holiday 27 years ago. When he takes the seat next to her on a morning train from their hometown to Paris, both are swept up in a tsunami of memories and recriminations. This slim novel moves quickly, as though the reader is with Philippe and Ccile on their one-hour-and-34-minute train ride. Alternating between each of their perspectives, Blondel brings to life the insecurities, vulnerabilities, and private thoughts that each has lived with as a result of their four-month affair and its bad ending. Blondel powerfully illustrates the reversal that's happened in the intervening years. Once dashing, confident, and sought-after, Philippe works as a TV salesman. He's lost his good looks and has been abandoned by his wife and children. A former wallflower, plain Ccile has evolved into a stylish, successful entrepreneur who's the best advertisement for her store's organic beauty products. Her daughter is the strong girl she wishes she'd been; her husband is the supportive spouse who offers to quit his job and assist her as her business grows. In showing how they've changed, Philippe and Ccile's story embodies the dramatic impact even the shortest relationships can have on our lives. A fast, yet deep journey through the characters' experiences of anger, triumph, remorse, and forgiveness, Blondel's novelhis first to be published in the U.S.reminds us that even long-ago heartbreaks have the power to ignite our most powerful emotions. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
