#antoine laurain

[bellamysgriffin]

A QUOTE FROM EVERY BOOK I READ IN 2021: The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

[theearlymorningbookclub]

Sunday morning vibes

[textosquetocam]

"Se realmente havia uma coisa que definia o parêntese adolescente eram as gargalhadas. Depois dessa idade, nunca mais rimos assim. A consciência brutal de que o mundo e a vida são completamente absurdos desencadeia esses ataques de riso de tirar o fôlego, ao passo que a mesma ideia, vinte anos mais tarde, só provocará um suspiro resignado.

Antoine Laurain, in “A Caderneta Vermelha”

[boutsdelivres]

Cette distance froide qui régna entre nous les jours suivants atteignait son comble à l'heure du coucher. Je ne la désirais plus du tout. Je ne voyais plus en elle qu'une rivale, un esprit ayant finalement toujours refusé de s'accorder au mieux. Pour tout dire, une ennemie.

Antoine Laurain, Ailleurs si j’y suis

[ladybaguette]

La femme au carnet rouge - Antoine Laurain

I finished reading this novel last month, and it’s one of those books that makes you want to curl up on a sofa with a cup of hot cocoa to read (or coffee/tea, whichever you prefer XD).

It’s about Laurent, a librarian, who finds a stolen handbag and - after attempting to take it to the nearest police department - decides to find the owner himself. The owner, given the contents of the bag, is most certainly a woman, and with every clue that Laurent uncovers about this mystery woman, he starts to like her more.

It’s like.. a book about two bookworms, who are perfect for each other, who fall in love before they even meet.

It sounds cheesy, it IS cheesy, but I loved it.

Also, this particular book mentions a ton of French authors, including Nobel prize winner Patrick Modiano who happens to be a side character in the story, but an important one nonetheless; you see, the bag contained a book by Patrick Modiano called Accident Nocturne, and it’s one of the clues that led Laurent to find his mystery woman. So it’s like a book with other book recommendations inside.

Because this blog is about learning or improving your French, you should know that:

This book uses the passé simple. That French tense everyone says you’ll never need... well, there it is. BUT, you’ll understand even if you’re not familiar with it, just look up the conjugation of être before you start because it’s just weird (il fut = he was... go figure).

It’s written in third person... which is probably the reason for the passé simple, because if the characters were the ones telling the story from their point of view, we would have the passé composé and the imparfait (like the previous book I blogged about).

It’s less than 200 pages (about 160 pages), so it’s manageable.

It’s been translated to English, so if you have both versions you’ll be able to quickly refer to the English version if you’re stuck.

It’s contemporary (2014/2015) and it’s very, very French. I’m not sure how else to describe it.

Also I’d like to mention that I discovered this book through Bulledop (a French booktuber who recommended it in one of her vlogs).

Well, that’s all for now! Happy reading! ^_^

Tags you might want to check out: My recs | My book recs | My posts

[sublecturas]

“La mujer de la libreta roja de Antoine Laurain

[boutsdelivres]

Faire la cour à une femme qui se refuse poliment occasionne une frustration équivalente à celle de regarder un objet dans la vitrine d'un musée : être condamné à le toucher avec les yeux, ne jamais pouvoir le faire sien.

Antoine Laurain, Ailleurs si j’y suis

[boutsdelivres]

Il est très difficile de prononcer des mots d'amour que l'on ne pense pas, on a l'impression de se mentir à soi-même, ce qui est encore plus douloureux que de mentir à l'autre.

Antoine Laurain, Ailleurs si j’y suis