They are four self-proclaimed nonconformist friends. There’s Blanche, the romantic cop; Capucine, the shy bookworm; Suzanne, the deadpan psychologist; and Laura, the pragmatic Argentinian with a sharp tongue. Their close bond is tested by death: Blanche cannot bear to part with the body of her deceased love. Once they overcome the initial shock, the quartet grows even closer and finds support from a tango-dancing bell founder and an enigmatic, taciturn man. Together, they will trample prejudices and reinvent the meaning of love.
Through this farewell that unites wounded hearts, we discover the intensity of a pas de deux, the devastating effects of a toxic relationship, the fear of separation, and, above all, the power of sharing.
Folire Prize 2018
2017 Editions Héloïse d’Ormesson
« Ce livre, c’est un peu le livre de ma sœur, Claire. Une petite fille née avec six doigts à chaque main et qui, selon les médecins, n’avait que quelques semaines à vivre. Et voilà que Claire, portée à bout de cœur par sa famille, malgré les facéties de ses chromosomes, grandit, apprend à lire, à écrire, à s’affirmer.
Ce texte évoque le quotidien d’une famille ayant vécu de l’intérieur le problème du handicap. Pour cela, j’ai tenté d’absorber la perception de Claire, jusqu’à la faire mienne. Le temps d’un livre, j’ai voulu devenir Claire de plume. »
Spring 1918. Claude-Emma Debussy, affectionately nicknamed Chouchou, confides in her diary. Casting a tender gaze upon the world, she recounts her daily life in a time marked by war. In homage to her deceased father, she promises herself to decipher a piece of music on the piano each week. Far from the scales imposed upon her, she writes, with poetry and candor, the music of her life. *The Daughter of Debussy* draws us into the romantic world of a young girl unlike any other, who was the joy of a genius composer. The reader cannot help but be moved by this forgotten figure, brought back to life by the magic of literature thanks to Damien Luce, a poetic tightrope walker whose book rings true and beautiful (Livre Hebdo).
A whimsical immersion into the artistic life of the Belle Époque, where Guillaume Apollinaire, Sarah Bernhardt, and Jean Cocteau mingled, Cyrano de Boudou creates a poetic, sometimes melancholic, universe. “Cyrano de Boudou” is a beautiful novel of love and coming-of-age. One could say that it is, in a way, Rostand’s “Le Grand Meaulnes.” This speaks volumes about the literary quality and richness of content in this atypical “Cyrano with a red nose,” a work of powerful evocation that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. (La Voix du Luxembourg)
Raised by neglectful parents and mocked by merciless classmates, Jeanne creates a life tailored to her own needs, where walls become movie screens and reality and fiction blur together.
A tender and vibrant tale. (Le Monde des livres)