Friday 2 February 2018


#30    The Little French Bistro by Nina George

Once again dear reader, I am drawn to a book about all things French and I absolutely will not apologize! As the saying goes “Paris is always a good idea” and I find that reading anything about the City of Lights keeps my dream of returning to Paris, alive.

I must admit that the circumstances of the main character Marianne were just a little too relatable. Marianne is the wife of Lothar, whom she was married to for 41 years and controlled by him the entire time. While in a restaurant in Paris, on one of the rare occasions he takes her anywhere, Marianne is disturbed by a woman she sees on the street. Following her comments about the scene before them, the reaction of her husband flips a switch deep within Marianne. She decides she has had enough and leaves the restaurant.  But instead of simply going outside to get some fresh air and calm down, she leaves Lothar and her life behind and disappears into the French countryside where she follows signs that she’s ignored for too long, ending up in a little town along the French coast. Here in the town of Kerduc, she sees her life for what it was: not lived for herself but for her husband; any desire or dreams she may have had were stolen by him until she simply stopped living. Wanting to return to her true self, she meets a colorful cast of characters that open their town and their hearts to her and whose acceptance guide her back to the woman who was lost for so many years.

At its heart, this novel is about self-discovery and new beginnings which is fitting as we close 2017 and ready ourselves for the beginning of another New Year.  For me, 2018 will be one of transition and as I embark on new and unexpected changes in my life’s direction, I will surely discover things about myself that, even at 52, will give me clarity and guide me back to the woman I have always been.  So let’s raise a glass of bubbly and toast to finding ourselves, to aha moments that may present themselves with gentle grace or with bruising force and to see these lessons for what they are: an opportunity to learn about ourselves and to become, like Marianne, the person we’d always hoped we would be. Until next time…have you read a book today?

Julie

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