Julien Parme [Paperback] - Softcover

Zeller Florian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1901285979 ISBN 13: 9781901285970

Publisher: Pushkin Pres, 2008

Synopsis

The Catcher in the Rye with a French accent.

Even if it blows your mind, I want to tell you about this unbelievable thing that happened to me last year. I’m not bragging, but things as unbelievable as the one I’m going to tell you about don’t happen every day, I swear. In fact, they never happen.

Thus begins Julien Parme, by bestselling French author Florian Zeller, who makes his American debut with this account of the trials and illusions of a bright, rebellious 14-year-old boy. The product of divorce, young Julien is not blending in so well with his blended family. One night, he escapes the family apartment to see where destiny and his stepfather’s credit card will take him. His long, dark night of the soul includes several stops at parties and cafes during which the reader is treated to a running monologue of hilarious and rueful observations. Zeller perfectly captures the sweet sincerity and innocent grandiosity of youth. Julien sees himself not as a troubled teen, but as a modern-day Don Quixote, defending his honor, righting wrongs and achieving everlasting fame. Dawn breaks and Julien stands on a platform, intending to catch a train bound for Italy. He thinks about the mountain climber who reached the summit of Mount Blanc, but knew his destiny was to climb back down eventually. And so Julien climbs into a taxi and returns home, hoping his mother will forgive him for being who he is rather than some more perfect person.

“You can’t put the book down until the very end. . . . Florian Zeller proves that he is a true writer capable of varying genres and tones.” —Paris Match

“It is without a doubt his best book.” —Le Monde

About this title

About the Author

Florian Zeller

At 28, Florian Zeller has been labeled the "It" boy of modern French literature, and mentioned in the same breath as enfant terrible Michel Houellebecq. His previous novels include Les Amants du n'importe quoi (Lovers or Something Like It) and La Fascination du pire (The Fascination of Evil). In 2007, he was awarded the prestigious Prix du Jeune Theatre by the Academe Francaise for his play, Si Tu Mourais. He lives in Paris.

From Publishers Weekly

Impetuous 14-year-old aspiring writer Julien Parme hasn't quite gotten over the death of his father from cancer five years earlier, and his latest bout of bad behavior has led to a grounding by his strict Protestant mother. That means skipping the Champs-Elysées birthday party of hottie senior Emilie Fermat, the actress-daughter of a TV producer. News of his mother's impending marriage, however (to live-in jerk in a goatee and corduroy pants François), propels Julien into the Paris night. He's in love, sort of, with his French teacher, Madame Thomas, who's very inspiring when teaching Jean de la Fontaine in sheer blouses, but he's also especially taken with Emilie's horse-loving younger sister, Mathilde. Rodarmor's translation makes Julien—who narrates—read like a sweetly knowing update of Holden Caulfield, complete with boarding school stint. Hilarious moments of bravery and deceit win the reader over utterly. (June)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Pushkin Pres
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1901285979
• ISBN 13: 9781901285970
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 246