French Leave: A Novel - Softcover

Gavalda, Anna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1609455118 ISBN 13: 9781609455118

Publisher: Europa Editions, 2019

Synopsis

Four siblings are reunited one afternoon in the French countryside after skipping out on a boring family wedding. Leaving behind needy spouses, annoying relatives, and the dull demands of encroaching adulthood, they embark on one final, riotous and joyful adventure in search of the happiness they knew as children and the bonds that once united them.

Simon, Garance and Lola flee a family wedding to visit their younger brother, Vincent, who is working as a guide at a château in the heart of the enchanting French countryside. Reunited, they will lose themselves in a day of laughter, teasing, and nostalgia. When their adventure ends, as simply and as spontaneously as it began, all four return to their everyday lives, carrying with them the magic of their brief reunion.

Lighthearted, tender and funny, French Leave is a tribute to sibling relationships, local Loire wines, and the art of being together.

About this title

About the Author

Born in Paris in 1970, Anna Gavalda published her first work in 1999 while working as a high school French teacher. Her first published work was the critically acclaimed collection of short stories, I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere, which sold over half a million copies in her native France and was published in the US by Penguin in 2003. Gavalda has since published three novels, all of which have become bestsellers across Europe. Her first novel, Someone I Loved, was adapted to film in 2009 and her novel Hunting and Gathering was made into a film starring Audrey Tatou and Daniel Auteil. Gavalda’s novels and short stories have been translated into over forty languages. She lives in Paris.

Alison Anderson is the author of the novels Hidden Latitudes and Darwin’s Wink. Her translations for Europa Editions include four books by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Amélie Nothomb’s bestselling novels, and Muriel Barbery’s New York Times bestselling novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

Review

Praise for Anna Gavalda

“Both stories have a sentimental streak, but Ms. Gavalda, a best-selling author in her native France, puts them across with charm.”
―The New York Times

“Gavalda’s writing is engaging and lyrical.”
―World Literature Today

“Gavalda writes warm-hearted fiction, with plenty of culture, emotion and thoughtfulness.”
―The Telegraph (UK)

“With writing this beautiful and charming, and heartbreakingly sincere, Gavalda makes the journey well worth the effort.”
―The Cedar Rapids Gazette

“A comedy of happiness that will delight readers.”
―La Croix

“With French Leave, Gavalda once again demonstrates her delightful uniqueness and buoyancy. Infinitely charming with dialogue that sparkles like fire.”
―Madame Figaro

"[Like Anne Tyler and Nick Hornby] Anna Gavalda has the ability to create intelligent dramas with a witty sideline in banter-driven dialogue...Her stock in trade is the endearing oddball."
―The Independent (UK)

“The qualities that make Anna Gavalda unique include precision, tenderness for her characters, a sense of detail, an intoxicating mix of nostalgia, and a capacity for joy.”
―Le Figaro

“Laugh-out-loud funny.”
―Shelf Awareness

“Gavalda's sparkling impertinence and her childlike joie de vivre are irresistible.”
―Marie Claire (France)

“Gavalda delivers all the elements that seem to be lacking in our current reality: lightheartedness, humor and tenderness.”―L’Indépendant

“This jaunty novella, a best seller in France and Germany, is a toast to the moment in time.”
―The New York Times

“A sensitive, delicate, funny, immensely readable story...Billie is a revelation!”
―Olivia de Lamberterie, France 2

About this edition

• Publisher: Europa Editions
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1609455118
• ISBN 13: 9781609455118
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144