Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2016
232 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Antoine Laurain's new novel combines his trademark charm with a satirical take on modern France.
Middle-aged doctor Alain Massoulier has received a life-changing letter—thirty-three years too late.
Lost in the Paris postal system for decades, the letter from Polydor, dated 1983, offers a recording contract to The Holograms, in which Alain played lead guitar.
Back then The Holograms had believed in their cutting-edge sound. However, the music industry remained indifferent, and eventually the band split up, each going their own way.
Alain is overcome by nostalgia, and is tempted to track down the members of the group. But in a world where everything and everyone has changed ... where will his quest take him?
Praise for The Red Notebook:
"An endearing love story written in beautifully poetic prose. It is an enthralling mystery about chasing the unknown, the nostalgia for what could have been, and most importantly, the persistence of curiosity." - San Francisco Book Review
Praise for The President's Hat:
"Its gentle satirical humor reminded me of Jacques Tati's classic films." - Library Journal
"Irresistibly whimsical, possessed of wit somewhere between that of Alan Bennett's in The Uncommon Reader and Muriel Barbery's in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and thoroughly entertaining." - The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City
This information about French Rhapsody was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Antoine Laurain is a Parisian screenwriter, antiques collector and the author of six novels, three of which are available in English. The President's Hat was a 2013 ABA Indies Introduce choice.
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