A quirky little mystery you won't want to miss!
I adored the sense of place, how easily was to immerse yourself in France.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

I really liked the premise of this story, which held my interest, who wouldn’t love the idea of a secret library with unpublished books.

Amongst twists and turns there were so many interesting characters (also some odd ones! Which made for some strange reading!) who each told their own stories.

It's the first book I read by this author and I am looking forward to reading more of his work.

The Mystery of Henri by David Foenkinos. This is a Walter presents book.
 
This book got me.. I could not put it down.. I liked all the twists and turns, the is it or is it not about it.. it felt like a tightly coiled spring….round and round.. but it’s a story all about layers.. one on top of the next.. it is just a beautifully built book..
 
The story is in ordinary library in Crozon France has a section called the unpublished manuscripts section and unpublished authors who have had their works rejected by a publisher can leave the manuscripts in the library for people to read, on a visit to her parents in Crozon, Delphine with her boyfriend (the failed published author)  discovers the book called ‘The last hours of a love affair’ by Henri Pick and falls in love with it.. now Delphine  works for a  publisher so takes the book and publishes it for the whole world to enjoy.. but the author Henri Pick has already been dead for some time and his family know nothing of the manuscript and it really does not sound like something he would do.. but they make themselves believe that the late Henri Pick did write the book. And that’s when life implodes for the residents of Crozon and those that have read the book!
 
But the question remains who did write the book ‘The last hours of a love affair’?
 
It’s a book full of humour and sarcasm and yet really tender scenes, it has heartbreak and deception and just human condition..it is delightful and I just wanted
 
And the ending.. oh my god it is perfect.. it blew me away…
 
This book to me was perfect..
 
#French #mystery #intrigue #books

Between this being a literary mystery and readable in short segments, this was a great read for on the go in a busy week. Thst said, I didn't sit desperately wanting to pick it up which is a shame but also likely because I was busy. Perfect for anyone that loves a book about books!

DNF @ 48%. This is a very fast-paced book, sectioned off into short vignettes within structural 'parts'. The structure was fine, as was the writing and translation, but the character development was extremely weak. I'm halfway through and I know nothing about the late Henri Pick besides that he worked in a pizzeria. Like, we have met his wife and that's all she had to say about him? It's just weird and unrealistic. As a reader, the author lost my buy-in during the section where we meet his wife and daughter and it's like they don't know him at all.
Further to this, there were some really strange scenes throughout the book. One of sexual assault which we are supposed to "laugh off" with the character? Vile. And another scene where two characters go out to drink together and one approaches the other, without preamble, and begins fingering her. Honestly, wtf... all I was thinking was "only a man would write this scene". I also questioned myself r.e. "did they really have sex in public?", but the character then goes on to say that he doesn't have a hotel room but could get one... This is after the sex happens when they are lying with their clothes undone.
The author lost me completely then. It went from wacky and weird to just downright ridiculous. I didn't laugh once (I only realised afterward that this novel is supposed to be funny) and couldn't be bothered spending more time with this bizarre cast of one-dimensional characters... none of whom we know anything much about. I quite simply did not care to continue.

Content warnings: explicit sexual violence and sexual content.

A slow mystery, took a bit of time to get into. I liked the idea of it, and thought it could have been a bit like an updated Ripley novel, but it was more obviously funny. A quirky and fun read.

Literary subterfuge and mystery, slow going.

I found I was putting this down and picking it up again a lot, despite its slight length. Though the plot should have held my interest - a library of rejected books, one becoming a publishing sensation, a pizza maker writer, individuals delving to find the truth - it just didn’t grab me and make me race through.

As I’ve said, a French library contains a section of books rejected by publishers but kept safe by a librarian for many years. Later, his assistant, now in charge becomes more the focus as one title is’discovered’ and the revelation that the writer was a simple pizza maker, who never appeared to read or write anything, is rooted in people’s hearts.

The story then takes various roots, from the young female publisher championing the book and its author’s romantic story, the librarian and her small-town life, the author’s grown-up daughter and the way her world changes after her father’s book is published, and the man chasing down the ‘true’ story of Henri Pick.

It does all come together, and the elements are all quite well written and interesting, but as a whole, for me, it just didn’t ‘grip’ in the way I thought it should. It would make a lovely gently film, with a lot of emotion and hidden stories, loves and dreams and regrets.

One for lovers of books, of stories, of literary puzzles.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery. A really lovely enjoyable novel. A charming literary mystery which I am sure all book lovers will love to read. It was amusing, interesting and beautifully written.

“The Mystery of Henri Pick” by David Foenkinos is a constantly moving feast!! The story, the setting, the characters and their unique behaviour are distinctly French and the reader learns more about them with every chapter. The library of rejected manuscripts is a wonderful idea on which to start this fantastic journey. Delphine, the principal character is the editor "extraordinaire" after discovering a great novel by Frederic who becomes her boyfriend, but is struggling to complete his second novel. Again Delphine finds an amazing story which is published to great acclaim and cements her position with the publisher house - but one person seems unable to accept things for what they are.

The Mystery of Henri Pick immediately ticked all the boxes, it had libraries, it had books and it dived into the harsh world of publishing. it’s characters were wonderfully unique, from the ordinary to the eccentric.

Foremost was Delphine, intense, and full of ambition to succeed as an editor, to discover that one novel that would make her name. Her sidekick, boyfriend, and failed novelist Frederic trailed in her wake, often seemed hapless and at times selfish.

Their discovery of the dead pizza restaurant owner, Henri Pick’s novel in the library of reject manuscripts opened up a veritable can of worms, some a little unexpected.

His wife, Madeleine, daughter Josephine were of course shocked, disbelieving, but in a way it helped them grieve his death. I particularly liked the transformation of Josephine, from miserable divorcee to a woman in charge of her future, full of colour and vibrancy.

That is what I liked so much about this novel. Yes it was the mystery of why Henri Pick or if indeed he actually wrote it, but it was also about what happened after, it’s use as a catalyst for those who crossed its path.

You could see Delphine become more focused, more single minded, a willingness to sweep away those who stood in her way as she promoted and pushed the novel. Frederic retreated more into the background, almost forgotten, their relationship placed to one side, up for scrutiny from both parties. You could almost see resentments build as the all encompassing passion of new love disintegrated, as they unearthed each other’s faults, became annoyed and disillusioned.

As the novel gained success, and notoriety so it brought about the best and the worst of human nature. Pick’s small French town reaped the rewards of those who visited, the daughter and wife financial rewards but also closer scrutiny.

You watched as the unscrupulous crawled out of the woodwork eager to discredit Pick and his family, Josephine’s ex husband hell bent on wooing her back to share her new financial gains.

There were the cynics, the journalist who dug deep, determined to get to the truth as the author sowed seeds of doubt in our minds. Was Henri Pick really an author, craftsman of a love story full of tenderness, that perhaps his wife and daughter never quite saw?

Foekonoes led us on a merry dance, teased us, as he used his characters to full effect, gave us both the serious and humourous. You laughed out loud at the characters antics, at the situations he placed them in, you admired his take on the publishing world with its bitchy back handedness before he delivered the killer punch. He turned the novel on its head, threw in the unexpected, although I did have my suspicions!

It was a novel I loved for the authors ingenuity, for his willingness to take the ordinary and turn it into something unusual and unique. It was a story that wouldn’t look out of place on our screens, with its characters brought vividly and colourfully to life, and I for one would be an avid viewer.

As they would say in France, Bravo Monsieur Foenkinos.

What the world needs now is a good old fashioned feel-good novel and this is an exciting new collaboration between Pushkin Press and Walter Presents. The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos is the first and was also released as a film with English subtitles in 2019.

This charming if quirky novel is set in the French town of Grozon (Brittany) there is a library but this library only stocks books that have been rejected and no-one wants. Imagine you being the writer of a failed book and you have to hand it in to the library in person. Oh the ignominy of that!

The unusual library was set up by Jean-Pierre Gourvec, but when Jean-Pierre died, the library was left and more or less forgotten that it is until the arrival of two people who just happened to be in the area, Delphine is taking her boyfriend Frédéric to meet her parents and just happen find the library and they start to have a look at some of the rejected manuscripts. It is Delphine who suddenly realises that she has found a literary gem but who is the mystery writer Henri Pick? It turns out that Henri has since died but was a local.

After a visit to the late Henri’s wife they decide to get this book published and it becomes a literary sensation. But there has to be a downside to the success and there is one man who is a critic but with not much success jumps on the success to try and stop its success. But what is his reasons?

It is hard to say just how much I loved this beautiful and charming book, I just loved David Foenkinos’s writing style, it has humour and I just loved the real French feel to the storyline. This is a delightful story about books but also about people. Just a real joy to read.

288 Pages.

This is a book with an interesting writing style, but weirdly I liked it.
Its characterization, storyline and pace was good. I enjoyed my time a lot.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

The Mystery Of Henri Pick is a gentle novel, no violence or fanged, just the mystery of who has written an unpublished literary masterpiece, ‘The Last Hours of a Love Affair’, that has been found in a local library.

It exudes a deep love of books and of the process of writing with the emotional toll it takes on authors. It’s also about love, life and finding happiness, all set in a small town in France.

An absolutely charming read with a little twisty mystery too, perfect escapism and a warm hug of a read.

Thank you to Poppy at Pushkin Press and NetGalley for an ecopy of the book. This is my honest and unbiased review.

I’m struggling to put into words just how much I enjoyed this read. It’s a book about a book; a book with a mysterious and complex back story, it’s manuscript discovered in a small town French library that accepts rejected manuscripts so they can be read.
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Our main man Henri is the suspected author of said manuscript and since he’s dead he can’t exactly dispute the claims, the publication of the book gains more momentum than anyone could have imagined. Found by the enigmatic and career driven Delphine Despero, the books fame takes on a life of its own, people become obsessed with it’s back story, with Pick’s widow who didn’t know there was a book, with finding out who dared to turn down this great work of literature.
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This comic mystery is a joy to read. It’s playful and melodic and I loved every single second, it didn’t fully wrap up until the very last chapter. For me, this was heavily reminiscent of A Gentleman in Moscow, it had the same level of joviality and cheerfulness.
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“Everybody could love reading, as long as they had the right book in their hands, a book that spoke to them, a book they could not bear to part with”

Quirky and delightful.....
Quirky and delightful, amusing and gently moving, full of French flavour and charming characters, a mystery for book lovers everywhere. Perfect escapism.

Triumphant. I loved every word on every page. The perfect novel for these unsettling times. A romp of a literary mystery filled with characters you want to cheer on. It’s already lined up by Walter Presents and I just pray the filming was complete before Lockdown started so that we can see it sooner rather than later. Funny, poignant, of our times, it really has something for everyone. I also loved the ending, with the final twist leaving open the beguiling possibility of more to come.

With thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for letting me see an advance copy.

This is a charming, literary mystery, which revolves around a library of rejected books. This is, of course, a delightful idea for all book lovers – a library of, ‘the world’s literary orphans.’

When one of these titles, written by a deceased cook, becomes a huge success, it leads to an investigation into how the mysterious author could have penned this brilliant novel. There are an enormous amount of characters, all wrapped up in a wonderful French setting, who are involved, in some way or another, with the novel. Also, there is much about publishing, and all that entails, which is both amusing and also interesting.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery, but I also enjoyed the sense of place and character. A really enjoyable novel, full of French flavour. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I loved every moment and every aspects of this bizarre book: the style of writing, the stories and the characters.
It's the first I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

'"What do you do?"
"I write."
She gave him a look of dismay.'

OK, what's not to love about this: a book by a French author from the ever-wonderful Pushkin Press, in a new collaboration with Walter Presents; a book about books and publishing and what books mean to people; quirky and endearing and full of vulnerable, real characters....

Without having really done any research in advance, the minute I started reading this I felt that it could easily be a film. And, heck, if it wasn't written by a screenwriter and, yes, they actually made a film of it last year (2019), the book being originally published in French in 2016. Sometimes that is a bit of a downer, when a book *reads* exactly like a screenplay - but this doesn't, and retains its bookishness (?) throughout.

In a corner of a library in Crozon, Brittany lies a section for rejected manuscripts, never having seen the light of day. One of these is 'discovered' by an editor for a Paris publishing house, visiting her parents who live locally, and all manner of goings on are unleashed. The supposed author of the book is one Henri Pick, the late co-owner of a local pizzeria, whose creations included, amongst others, a Stalin pizza and a chocolate pizza - but his widow remains pretty unimpressed when the book takes the literary world by storm. A wonderfully eccentric cast of characters include a washed-up literary journalist, Pick's daughter, the current curator of the library and various others who, for their own personal reasons, want to find the truth. All of them, in some way, are changed by the events that unfold as the novel progresses. Relationships are healed, new beginnings are made, people confront their demons and gain the confidence to start afresh.

And throughout it all David Foenkinos has great fun with the whole literary world, shamelessly name-dropping authors and bursting the balloon of pretentiousness. There are various footnotes sprinkled throughout, little comic touches that add a whole different framework for the book. And it is is full of understated comedic observations, such as:
'Writers are so happy at the idea of performing a household chore. They like to counterbalance their airy wanderings with something concrete.'
The 'idea' of Henri Pick's book becomes something more important than the book itself, somehow, and at the centre of this search for the truth is the figure of Jean-Michel Rouche, for whom it becomes something of a quest - and in so doing, discovers himself. But, is the truth actually the real truth?

Quirky, endearing and suitably twisty, this is both a light-hearted romp that is also a love song to books and those of us who love them. It's exactly the kind of book to put a smile on your face. God knows we need that nowadays. Just wonderful. 4.5 rounded up to 5.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)