Liz's Reviews > French Rhapsody

This was not what I was expecting. The premise is that a 50something doctor receives a letter lost in the post for the past 33 years. It was from a recording agency attempting to set up a meeting concerning his then band. So, he decides to reconnect with his old band mates and the songwriter. Initially, the author seems to be using that premise to do a series of vignettes. The book does chapters on each bandmate and their current spouses, PA and brothers before they ever connect. It's like a series of portrayals more than a novel. Granted, I liked the portrayals. The writer does a decent job of capturing the essence of the person. And it is interesting to see how these folks turned out. Vaugan is an especially interesting character, a far right political leader. Laurain does a great job of exploring why leaders like this are so appealing to a certain segment of the population. Very timely, not just in Europe, but here in the US. In fact, a large portion of this book involves the disenchantment of the French populace with their politicians and the search for someone new and different. Towards the end of the book, there is this: “The very next day, a commentator- quite accurately- compared the political class to a flight of crazed and screeching swallows,circling above the garden of France a quarter of an hour before the storm hits.”

You reach the halfway point of the book before you can see the glimmers of how this all might all come together. And then it just goes off the rails. What had been fairly low key turns hysterical. There is a real comic turn here that I was totally unprepared for. So, for those who are frustrated by the beginning of the book, stay the course.

My thanks to netgalley and Gallic Books for an advance copy of this book.