Ursina's Shelf - Historical Fiction
Issue 5
Bonjour!
Reading allows us to explore other countries, cities, and time periods. I have always enjoyed this kind of learning through stories and books. Today, I would like to round out the first month of this newsletter with three historical fiction books that are all partially set in France.
Historical Fiction
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)
My Description: Set in France and Germany during World War II, the protagonist is a young blind girl in France trying to make sense of her surroundings and what is happening in the world around her. The reader also experiences that world through the perspective of the young German boy soldier with a knack for fixing radios. As the story develops, the characters grow and are faced with many choices both small and large.
My Take: When I told Vera, I was considering a historical fiction focused issue, she immediately responded with a plea to include this book. I agree, it is one of my all-time favorites. Not only is this a beautiful story that is both somber and uplifting, I loved the sensory descriptions of the sounds and feels. While this is set amidst war and destruction, this is a story that will make you reflect on the human spirit.
Bonus Fact: Saint-Melo and its picturesque city walls are one of the main locales and have been on my travel wish list for a while.
Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (2000)
My Description: Set in France, the main character Framboise returns to her small hometown as an adult and slowly uncovers what happened all those years ago when she was a young girl in occupied France with a tough love mother, her siblings, a German soldier they befriended, and the disaster that struck the town.
My Take: I read this book in 2003, one of my first on this period of history, and was particularly fascinated by learning about it through the eyes of young Framboise with that nuance and simplicity of experiencing war through the lens of a child. Add in the mouth-watering descriptions of foods and dishes and the book goes down as quickly as the delicious crêpes Framboise makes.
Bonus Fact: Joanna Harris also authored Chocolat, which was adapted into a movie of the same name with Juliette Binoche.
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman (2015)
My Description: The book tells the story of the young woman on St. Thomas, who will one day be remembered (or forgotten) as the mother of famous impressionist Camille Pissarro. We learn about her exiled Jewish family and upbringing, the maid’s daughter who is more sister than friend, and her first forced and then second scandalous marriage with an idyllic Caribbean backdrop, where she pines for the elegance of Paris.
My Take: Engaging writing that is easy to slurp down, this book paints a vivid picture and does its name justice with a slew of interesting juxtapositions: motherly love and criticisms, servitude and friendship, arranged marriage and scandalous love, and more.
Bonus Fact: The fact that this book ties to a real person makes this fictive tale even more fun.
Librairie Galignani
When learning French, a particularly tricky piece of vocab is la librairie which is the bookstore, while the library is la bibliothèque. These words with different meanings in two languages are referred to as faux amis, or false friends.
In 2017, I had a chance to discover a beautiful librairie in Paris during a business trip. The Librairie Galignani, conveniently located under large stone arches in an arcade just behind the Louvre, is known to be the oldest English language bookstore on the continent. Books are beautifully arranged in shelves and on tables. An easily accessible respite for any wary tourist looking for the comfort of books.
Last week’s newsletter on bookstores was so well received, I will continue to share more bookstores and also libraries that I have had a chance to visit.
Currently reading: James McBride’s Deacon King Kong.
Thank you for reading. From now on, I will be sending this newsletter fortnightly. Next time I would like to introduce you to a few favorite books from high school. I still have a lot of work to do to narrow down the list! Wishing you a sun-filled and page-turning weekend!