The Little French Bistro
Nina George
Crown, Jun 2017
368 pages
Women’s Lit, Second-chance Romance
Purchased on nook
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover on my ebook was the larger one on the right, but the smaller one on the left above is what nook books on bn.com is showing currently. I like them both, but I prefer the larger one on the right. For this reason:
“It was the first decision she had ever made on her own, the very first time she was able to determine the courses of her life.
Marianne decided to die. Here and now down below in the waters of the Seine, late on this gray day.”
These are the opening lines of the book. The main character of the story has just decided to kill herself while sitting beside the river. It’s a bleak day. She’s made a bleak decision. The first one she’s ever made in her life. The damaged wall and mismatched bistro set suit the situation much better.
Ms. George presents a feast for our literary senses in this book. She sends this desperate woman on a journey from the depths of the Seine to a small town named Kerdruc. And the woman, Marianne, does it all on her own, in her own way. She helps people find their way. People help her find her way. She works for places to make some money and helps them out in a pinch. She makes friends along the way. She rescues a few people who have lost their way. And she’s rescued in turn when she loses her own way. She learns that people can be kind. She learns that there is still a life to be lived. That her life might still matter. That what she wants might still matter. That she might still matter. That people like her. That she has worth and might be worth loving.
This is done with many, many descriptions of the gorgeous French countryside and fabulous French food. So be prepared to want to eat and drink with this book. Especially seafood. I wanted mussels and good red wine when I was reading it! I highly recommend this book and a glass of wine.
a thoughtful reveal 