The Gift of a Day
Publisher
:
Dilettante
Parution date
:
EAN
:
9782842631840
Number of pages
:
164
Description
***Translation sample available***
A whimsical adventure that comes to life through Gavalda’s signature witty and poignant character development. L’Echappée belle also offers a jubilant example of the magic that can happen when one lives one’s life to the fullest and lives in the moment.
Carine had been sniping at everything her sister-in-law said for the entire long car ride. When they arrived at the church, she jumped out of the car, running away from the three siblings—her husband Simon and Garance and Lola. Simon, instead of following her, suggests that they not attend what promised to be a very boring wedding—that instead, they go to visit their youngest brother, Vincent. Of course they agree.
They find Vincent at the family chateau, which he now occupies. He is giving a tour to amuse himself as much as the tourists, inventing and altering history as he goes. The three join the tour, trying, with little success, to remain serious as they learn from Vincent about the family that never existed and the events that never took place. When the tourists are gone, the four siblings go down to the river for a picnic. It’s the good old days again: laughter, teasing, and caring in the sunshine. Because they all know there are ghosts in the old house, they spend the night in the stables. In the morning, as Simon, Lola, and Garance leave, they assume the role of collective fairy godmother, giving Vincent a surprise—a bit of a push to stop his love life from going astray. And then, as simply as they began the adventure, they return to their everyday lives, albeit with a slight spell of magic added. They are all stronger—and happier—for having refastened the ties that bind them gloriously together and for having stolen back a moment from a more golden time.
Author
Anna Gavalda : Anna Gavalda is one of France’s most beloved best-selling novelists. Three previous works of fiction, Je voudrais que quelqu’un m’attende quelque part, Je l’aimais, and Ensemble, c’est tout, were published in the United States by Riverhead under the titles I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere, Someone I Loved, and Hunting and Gathering, and in the United Kingdom by Chatto & Windus. Chatto & Windus is also bringing out her novel, La consolante. Her books sell millions of copies in France and many more in the 40 languages into which they have been translated.
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