Review: THE LITTLE BRETON BISTRO, Nina George

• this edition published by Abacus, 2017
• translated from French by Simon Pare
• ISBN 978-0-349-14222-7
• 292 pages

Synopsis ( Abacus)

An heart-warming story of romance and adventure - and a return to France - from the internationally bestselling author of THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP (600,000 copies sold worldwide)

 

Marianne Messman longs to escape her loveless marriage to an uncaring husband - an artillery sergeant major named Lothar. On a day trip to Paris, Marianne decides to leap off the Pont Neuf into the Seine, but she is saved from drowning by a homeless man. While recovering in hospital, Marianne comes across a painting of the tiny port town of Kerdruc in Brittany and decides to try her luck on the coast.

In Kerdruc, Marianne meets a host of colourful characters who all gravitate around the restaurant of Ar Mor (The Sea). It is this cast of true Bretons who become Marianne's new family, and among whom she will find love once again. But with her husband looking to pull her back to her old life, Marianne is left with a choice: to step back into the known, or to take a huge jump into an exciting and unpredictable future.

My take

A departure from my usual crime fiction reading.

Marianne's decision to leave the restaurant where she and her husband are dining while on a tour bus visiting Paris takes her husband by surprise but he makes no attempt to follow her. At 60 and childless Marianne feels her life has been a series of failures, as is her attempt to commit suicide by jumping off the Pont Neuf into the Seine.

She eventually finds her way to a small town on the coast where she meets a group of people willing to accept her as she is. There she finds she has a number of skills which these people appreciate.

This is a delightful read, with some touches of mystery, comedy and irony. It felt like taking a holiday.

My rating: 4.5

About the author
Born in 1973, Nina George is a journalist and the author of numerous bestselling novels, which have been translated into several languages. The Little Paris Bookshop was a phenomenal top five bestseller in Germany and is set to be published around the world. She is married to the writer Jens J. Kramer and lives in Hamburg.