L'Exil des Anges by Gilles Legardinier

A new favourite discovered in 2014, Gilles Legardinier is a French writer now known for writing humourous, touching novels, many of them dealing with love stories, most of them with incredibly funny situations reminiscent of the best rom-and-sitcoms. I devoured his four books last year at the suggestion of my wife and loved every single one of them. Before those humouristic books, though, Legardinier had made a name for himself writing thrillers. L’Exil des Anges is one of the better known, an award winner the year it came out. 

Following a small cast of characters caught up in a government conspiracy and dealing with fringe science and reincarnation, L’Exil des Anges was a bit of a disappointment. A world away from the sort of story he tells in his more recent books, L’Exil des Anges also failed to coalesce when it comes to the characters – I didn’t feel particularly interested or invested in either of the three leads. The plotline itself meanders, starting out with the story of two scientists before jumping forward in time. Legardinier’s trademark wit is also lacking and the writing was ponderous, long paragraphs that left the story dragging along. It is probably a good thing that I didn’t start with this or I am not at all sure I would have gone on to read his later, much better works. I’ll probably still have a look at some of his other thrillers, but I am much more interested to see what he writes next instead ! 

I gave L’Exil des Anges two stars.

Et soudain tout change by Gilles Legardinier

Camille et ses amis se connaissent depuis la maternelle. Leur dernière année de lycée les a enfin tous réunis dans la même classe. A quelques mois du bac, en compagnie de sa meilleure amie, Léa, d'Axel, Léo, et toute sa petite bande, la jeune fille découvre joyeusement la vie. Tous se demandent quel chemin ils vont prendre. Ils ignorent encore que d'ici l'été, le destin va leur en faire vivre plus que dans toute une vie.
 
Du meilleur au pire, avec l'énergie de leur âge et leurs espoirs, entre convictions et doutes, entre illusions et réalité, ils vont expérimenter, échanger et affronter. Leur histoire est la nôtre. Bienvenue dans ce que nous partageons de plus beau et qui ne meurt jamais...

In their last year of high school, with the baccalaureat waiting at the end, everything seems to be smiling for Camille, Lea, Axel and their friends. The future is unfolding before them, full of hope and promise. But when tragedy strikes one of them, the group of friends will discover all that life can throw at you and that in a single moment everything can change.

A French writer who started out writing thrillers, in recent years Gilles Legardinier has branched out into writing books about life, books that combine comedy with tragedy, exploring things that speak to all of us and make us what we are: human. In Et soudain tout change... Legardinier has outdone himself, writing a coming-of-age tale that will have you crying and laughing every time you turn the page. Legardinier is one of the best writers I have ever read – and if you know my dislike of reading in French (blame it on my schooling here in France!) you will realise what a compliment that is. His way of getting in to the heads of his characters (whether they be a thirty-something woman, a man in his sixties or a teenage girl on the cusp of adulthood) is nothing short of amazing. I have loved all of his books, but I know that this one will stay with me. If you are lucky enough to be able to read in French, pick it up. Now! You won't regret it. 
 
I gave Et soudain tout change... 5 stars.

Completement cramé by Gilles Legardinier

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When widower Andrew Blake realises that he no longer feels comfortable in his old life, he abandons the company he owns and starts a new life… as a butler in France, the country where he met his wife. Hiding his true identity from his new boss, the wealthy widow Nathalie, and the other members of staff on the Beauvillier estate, Blake tries to recapture some of the taste for life he feels as though he has lost. But his new life will force him to turn away from thoughts of the past to embrace a future he had not at all expected…

The second of the French books by Gilles Legardinier that my wife convinced me to read, Completement Cramé is a very different beast to Demain j’arrete. The main character changes from a twenty-something woman to a middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis, one that pushes him to change his life completely, abandoning the company he has built to start afresh as a butler on a French estate. Not as funny as Demain j’arrete, Completement Cramé (translated as Completely Insane, basically) is a deeper, more rounded book that packs more of a punch than the first one. The characters are more developed, the plot stronger, but the writing remains as glorious as in the first one. The dialogue sparkles, playing on Blake’s Englishness, a fact that gives an extra kick to an Englishman living in France and reading the book. Though less crazy than Julie, Blake is not a man to be trifled with, willing to go to some impressive extremes to protect the new family he has built for himself (the scene with the two estate agents is especially funny in this regard!) Throughout, Legardinier ponders the importance of the past, the pain of growing old and reminds us that it is never too late to make a fresh start. Although it didn’t make me laugh as much as Demain j’arrete, I loved Completement Cramé just as much, for very different reasons.

I gave Completement Cramé 5 stars.

Demain j'arrete by Gilles Legardinier

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Let me tell you about the stupidest thing I ever did…

So begins the story of Julie, a young woman in a dead end job, whose chance encounter with her new neighbour’s name on his post box pushes her into taking more and more insane risks in an attempt to meet him. From spending days pressed to her peephole to organising a heist, Julie’s insane imagination will lead her into more and more extreme situations. All in the order to answer the one question we all wish we could find the answer to: for whom would you do the stupidest thing in your entire life?

Over my summer holidays, I often looked up to find my wife laughing hysterically, her nose lost behind her Kindle, as she read three books by a French author I had never heard of. Over the week’s holiday, I watched as she alternately laughed, cried and then laughed again, constantly looking up to tell me: “You have to read these.” Now I’m not a big fan of reading in French (I am bilingual so it isn’t a question of not being able to) mainly because I don’t like the way French books are laid out and also because reading in French reminds me too much of school! Still, considering my wife’s reaction and how rare it is for her to suggest a book to me, I decided to make an exception. And boy I’m glad I did! The first of those three novels, Demain j’arrete (I’ll Stop Tomorrow), turned out to be a hilarious, touching novel about how far we are willing to go for the people we fall in love with. Told in first person by the eponymous Julie, the novel is one of those rare beasts: a real laugh-out-loud affair, dangerous to read on public transport unless you want to be taken for a mad man! I read it partly at my inlaws and partly on the train back to my home and I got quite a few glances from people as I snorted my way through the story. Julie is a fantastic character, completely crazy in an incredibly touching way, who I defy anyone not to fall in love with as the story progresses. With a cast of fantastic secondary characters and a mystery to boot, Demain j’arrete has something for everyone… As long as you can read French! Unfortunately, as of writing, neither of these novels have been translated into English, which is really a shame for the English-reading world. These are great!

I gave Demain j’arrete 5 stars.