Blog Tour - A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery

 

A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery. Trans. Alison Anderson (Gallic Books)

Advance reading copy for Blog Tour

I was delighted to have the opportunity to read a new book from Gallic Books in advance of publication, and to take part in this blog tour. The stars really did seem to align for me with this one...

• Book in translation - check
• Book set in Japan - check
• Book from an independent publisher - check

The book's blurb added to my interest in the book and I was delighted when a copy dropped through the letter box a while ago, especially as the parcel was so pretty!

Anyhow back to A Single Rose I can't think of a better way to explain the book than to use the official blurb, which was written by a professional after all!

The temples and teahouses of Kyoto are the scene of a Frenchwoman’s emotional awakening in the stunning fifth novel by international bestseller Muriel Barbery. 

Rose has turned 40, but has barely begun to live. When the Japanese father she never knew dies and she finds herself an orphan, she leaves France for Kyoto to hear the reading of his will. 

In the days before Haru’s last wishes are revealed, his former assistant, Paul, takes Rose on a tour of the temples, gardens and eating places of this unfamiliar city. Initially a reluctant tourist and awkward guest in her late father’s home, Rose gradually comes to discover Haru’s legacy through the itinerary he set for her, finding gifts greater than she had ever imagined. 

I will now confess that this is a book I had to read twice - the first time I was just so immersed in the narrative that I just had to keep reading to find out why Rose didn't know her father, and also what his legacy was. 

By the time I reached the end of the book I realised that this isn't really the point of this book, it isn't about the destination at all, it is all about the journey and the discoveries that you make en route.

On the second read I found myself revelling in the traditional Japanese tales that preface each chapter, and wandering around Kyoto with Rose as she toured around the shrines, shops and eateries in the area. It is so beautifully written and descriptive that I felt like I was taking a walking tour of the area myself while I was reading and I did have to keep stopping to Google the locations Rose visits just to see them.

As I said at the start there was so much to draw me to this book and I am pleased to say that it didn't disappoint and in a time when travel is practically impossible still a book that is this visual is a treat.

Part of me wishes that I had read the book more slowly the first time around, but when a book grabs you like this then it isn't really a hardship to start from page one all over again!

To my shame I've not read any of Barbery's other books but I'm definitely going to rectify this soon - but possibly not until I've read this one for a third time!

Do look out for what other Bloggers and Bookstagram reviewers thought of A Single Rose I'm hoping they liked it as much as I did!

Micro Review 20

 

A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, trans. Sam Taylor (Gallic Books)

Free copy provided by Gallic Books

I've long been a fan of the quirky tales Gallic Books find and translate into English and this one is no exception.

It tells the story of one professor of paleontology and his quest to make the biggest fossil discovery of his life. 

Following on from what could easily be dismissed as a story told for children the unorthodox Stan draws together an unlikely band of helpers and makes for the high Alps to start his quest. The weather only allows a short window of exploration each summer so as well as financial pressures there are also serious time constraints. The isolation and impending sense of danger are almost characters in their own rights...

To say more would ruin the book, and I am pleased that I followed my instinct of a an enticing blurb and researched the book no further before reading:

When he hears a story about a huge dinosaur fossil locked deep inside an Alpine glacier, university professor Stan finds a childhood dream reignited. Whatever it takes, he is determined to find the buried treasure.

But Stan is no mountaineer and must rely on the help of old friend Umberto, who brings his eccentric young assistant, Peter, and cautious mountain guide Gio. Time is short: they must complete their expedition before winter sets in. As bonds are forged and tested on the mountainside, and the lines between determination and folly are blurred, the hazardous quest for the Earth’s lost creatures becomes a journey into Stan’s own past.

This breathless, heartbreaking epic-in-miniature speaks to the adventurer within us all.

The chapters are short, and almost breathless and I found myself eagerly turning the page to see where the story went next, in honesty I surprised myself by being less interested in Stan's back story - I was too eager to follow the progress on the mountain - but by the end I was reconciled to why it was needed.

Taylor's translation (strangely this is the 3rd translation from him that I've read recently) is brilliant and if you are looking for a quirky read then Gallic Books have come up trumps once more.

Many thanks to Gallic Books for offering copies to reviewers, the book is published at the start of May and I do really recommend it.

Micro Review 15

 

The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain (trans. Aitkins, Boyce & Mackintosh) from Gallic Books

I've been a fan of Laurain's books since the very first one appeared in English and he has become one of the authors I look up regularly to see if there is a new book due. The problem with this eagerness is that once I get a copy in my hand I become really nervous that the book won't be as good as I hope and I put off starting it.

This time I had to read the book relatively swiftly as it was a library book with a waiting list of people also looking forward to it!

As with all of Laurain's books it is relatively short and really couldn't be anything other than French, the locations just really wouldn't (or couldn't) translate to anywhere else. This book was always going to appeal to me as it is set firmly in the book world and to be honest my dream job would be in Violaine's Readers' Room.

The mystery of this book is two fold - an anonymous book is taking the French literary world by storm and yet at the same time the events in the book are coming to life away from Paris. Can the two mysteries be solved before people lose their jobs or their lives?

I loved reading this book, I guessed very small details of the mysteries but regardless I loved spending time in the world of these people and like all the best books they lived for me. I could 'see' the book really clearly in my mind as I read which in no small way is down to the trio of translators who catch the whimsy of the writing so well.