Magnifique!

I was so happy to see the books of Antoine Laurain coming out on July 1st. Since highlighted by the Queens Reading Room, I’ve been looking forward to reading French Windows. This charming mystery didn’t disappoint, with well developed, agreeable characters all set in Paris!!

Thanks Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Paris but I don't think this worked for me. I can be a bit particular about my murder mysteries/stories, and I think something was lost in translation here.

This was a good, quick read. I really liked the premise. I think some of the writing got slightly lost in translation, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Nathalia Guitry is a successful photographer who has lost her passion and her desire to take pictures after witnessing a murder. She enlists the help of therapist Dr Faber who suggests that she write stories about one person on each of the floors opposite her building, as a way to break through her creative block. As Nathalia produces her stories, the good doctor questions how much is fact and how much is fiction.

French Windows is an unusual book that, at times, I found to be quite interesting. Other times the story was slow and seemed to stagger along more than necessary. Nathalia’s stories are well-written with vivid descriptions of the neighbors she has observed or met. But, the exchanges she has with Dr Faber are often aggravating and nonsensical, which I think was the intention of the author. It definitely kept me a little off balance throughout the story. The story has been translated from French and that could be one reason why it stutters a little and doesn’t flow quite as well as I would have liked.

This is a novella of less than 200 pages. I found it to be an interesting read that produced an unexpected twist at the end. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲."

French Windows is a quick novella of neighbourly curiousity and deception.

Hearing this described as "Rear Window with a Parisian heart," I was sold. Nathalia goes to see a therapist, after accidently photographing a murder and no longer able to work; as a way of sharing, her therapist suggests she write her observations about her neighbours in the building across the street. The structure is super intriguing, with Dr. Faber's point of view juxtaposed with Nathalia's writing about the neighbour on each floor of the building; it has you wondering how much of these stories are reality and what is imaginative. Antoine Laurain pays homage to Rear Window, but has it grounded in wit and French culture; some of the absurdity and humour had the vibes of Only Murders In The Building. The translator, Louise Rogers LaLaurie, captured very well the cadence and feel that French writing can have, reminding me of many of the short stories I studied in French during my undergraduate degree. Nathalia's observations of the people in her building, using their voices to 'tell their story' was quirky, feeling much like fables or parables. The pacing is a bit slow. It took a while for the story to pick up, and in a novella, it did feel like it took a bit too long to really get going; I had a hard time making the connection between Nathalia's writing and the points she was trying to make to Dr. Faber. The last quarter really picked up though, especially once the connections were revealed, with the ending being surprisingly sweet.

French Windows is a novella for fans of Rear Window and Parisian culture, that can be devoured in one sitting. Thank you to Pushkin Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

Another fantastic Laurain novel! Diffuse with his classic wit and craft, the story had me hooked and finished it in a day!

I hadn’t heard of French Windows before, but I stumbled upon it while browsing titles on Netgalley and I’m so glad I did. The intriguing premise immediately caught my attention, and I knew I had to request it.

The story follows Dr. Faber, a psychologist who begins sessions with a new patient named Nathalia. Nathalia is a photographer, but she confesses that she's been unable to continue her work ever since she accidentally photographed a murder. In an attempt to better understand her mental state, Dr. Faber asks her to write about her neighbours. However, as he begins reading her accounts of the neighbours, he becomes increasingly unsettled. How does she know such intimate details about the people around her? Are these accounts grounded in truth, or are they figments of her imagination?

What unfolds is a captivating and atmospheric mystery as the reader joins Dr. Faber in unraveling the enigma that surrounds Natalia and the alleged murder. The story kept me hooked, and I didn’t see the twist coming at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the review copy. French Windows was a truly unexpected gem, and one I’m glad I didn’t miss.

This book got better as it went on, and was an interesting concept. But there was some confusing grammar, switching of tenses and some flawed logic that bothered me as the storyline was wrapping up.
With regards to the flawed logic... in subsequent paragraphs it says an event happened "one year ago" and then goes on to explain something along the lines of 'every year, on the anniversary I smoke a cigarette to remember'... which is actually an important plot point and someone allegedly catches on to this habit... but how could they catch on if it was only the first year since it happened... the habit hasnt actually been put into practice yet?

The concept was good, but the delivery / writing could have been more refined. It also felt like it was poorly translated from another language... the style is very french in the description, sarcasm, bluntness of certain things - which is fine but takes some getting used to. However, being in English it felt like there were some things that didnt translate as well metaphorically or grammatically.
The book starts in third person and then all of a sudden switches to first person, I had to re-read it multiple times to see if I had missed a reason for the change.

I would be interested to read some Antoine Laurain work in french to see if I felt differently about the writing style.

This was a fun, somewhat offbeat and quirky murder mystery. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, and foregoes most of the expected conventions of the genre, but I still ended up enjoying it. The concept is unique and clever, and though the solution didn’t shock me, I did still appreciate the way it all came together. I think people who like the television series Only Murders in the Building, or the film Rear Window might like to pick this one up.

this book is like seeing mirror in the reflection of a mirror,seeing a mirror,seeing a mirror lol. i was immediately intrigued by it because haven't we all people watched. or been sat waiting for something with more time on our hands so have decided to write stories about those around us. wondering their tales or perhaps making them up from the snapshots we see.
this story is about a woman who finds she has a work block due to taking a photo of murder. shes feels stuck so goes to see a therapist. it is here she is instructed to tell stories of those in the apartment block opposite her. one by one she reveals these to her therapist. and more and more he himself is intrigued. is she telling the truth? who therapist who here. because our Dr Faber has his own issues going on.
the twists and turns that keep being calmly unveiled throughout this book are little nuggets of brilliance. its a cosy thriller if that makes sense, which doesnt make it any less brilliant. and it definitely has the psychoanalyst thing going on about the story...and the story within the story.
i found myself overthinking everything and wondering just what was going on or who was going on, ha. and the reveals definitely surprised me.

Just spent a fascinating morning with Faber and Nathalie in a delightful and intriguing Parisian neighbourhood. Very twisting and turning and never sure if either is a reliable witness. I think that I would not like to know quite so much about my neighbours ! Will read more of this authors delightful offerings.

This book was so good, it was a bit silent patient, a bit Woman in the Window but almost with a calmer vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed this authors writing style and it did something very unique with the story. Can't wait to read more by this author!

French Windows is a charming, quirky, and surprisingly dark read. It follows Dr Faber, a psychoanalyst, and his enigmatic patient Nathalia, a photographer who can no longer practice her art. As the sessions unfold, the story becomes a subtle cat-and-mouse game, leaving you questioning who is analysing whom. Nathalia shares the stories of her neighbours — the diverse and curious characters who live in her apartment building — all of which seem to hold clues to the mystery of her creative block. But, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems, and a clever twist ties it all together. There’s much more to this novel than voyeurism; it’s layered, psychological, and satisfyingly twisty. If you enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, you’ll likely find this an intriguing and rewarding read.

Thanks to Antoine Laurain, Pushkin Press, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a different book than I am used to. It starts out as an analysts meets with a photographer to help her address her sudden loss of talent after taking some pictures. This leads to a psychoanalysis where the patient is asked to write stories about others in her building to help her express her deeper feelings. This later leads to some unexpected twists and turns and the analysis unfolds.

I liked the psychoanalysis approach to the story and the “Rear Window” influence on the photographer’s side of the story. The ending was interesting and satisfying. The stories within the story sometimes seemed a bit long and transitions were occasionally confusing. Overall, a good and interesting read.

The synopsis is enticing and the way that the story is told had me intrigued. I loved the parts when Nathalia shared stories about the tenants of each floor. Definitely had me surprised by the end. The vibe is definitely less mystery and more literary. Somewhat charming. There is a lot of psychoanalysis and the tone reminded me of Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin due to the quiet introspection that occurs from start to finish. Both Dr. Faber and Nathalia are mysterious and due to their unreliable narratives, I was constantly guessing what really was true.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more but I had difficulty immersing myself into the story. Had to re-read parts over and over to really get through it. But it's a fairly short book, so I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something other than a fast paced, thriller mystery.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallic Books for the e-ARC. This short and sweet story was written well, but I just couldn’t connect with it for some reason. The writing style doesn’t work for me. The prose feels a bit dense, like it is full of intricate phrasing which begins to feel heavy after awhile. I enjoyed reading Nathalia’s vignettes- the mini-stories were my favorite and part.

It’s me not you situation. The book was well-written and the premise was captivating, however, it just didn’t fit my mood and I couldn’t quite connect with the story.

French Windows is the first book I’ve read by Antoine Laurain, as such I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Successful photography, Nathalia Guitry, photographs a murder from her apartment window and leaves her traumatised and unable to work. She attends therapy sessions with Dr Faber and writes stories about her neighbours.

I found it a compelling read. It felt like a game of cat of mouse between Faber and Nathalia. The stories that Nathalia writes for Faber are quite entertaining and of course there is the question of how true the stories are.

It was an interesting read and I would read other other books by Antoine Laurain.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Pushkin Press, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

37 Stars
One Liner: Intriguing!

Psychotherapist Dr. Faber is intrigued by his latest patient, Natalia Guitry, a professional photographer. She claims that she lost her skills/ muse/ interest after witnessing a murder. Noticing how self-aware she sounds, the doctor asks her to write stories about each resident in the five-floored building opposite her home. With each story Natalia sends, Dr. Faber feels things going out of his control. Who exactly is Natalia?
The story comes from Dr. Faber’s POV.

My Thoughts:
This is a short book (a novella) with a story-in-story format, where we get teeny stories in the first-person POVs of the respective main characters.
The beginning is slow, or maybe it seemed that way due to the absolute lack of formatting in my ARC. There are no scene breaks, no chapter heads, and no markings. Even the beginning quote became a part of the first paragraph on the first page. I hope the published version is properly formatted. Otherwise, this would be an annoying read.
While Natalia has a surreal quality with a hint of grey (malice?), Dr. Faber comes across as a know-it-all at first, but soon we see more about it. Still, he does seem egoistic and proud of his achievements, which gives his character a nice edge.
It’s hard to say much since I don’t want to reveal any spoilers. However, there are references to quite many dark themes (not a surprise given the profession) and a bit of this and that. Some rambling about psychology, too, which aligns with the doctor’s arc.
Though this is a French story and has some local elements, the focus is not on the setting. Guess that’s why it has a timeless vibe despite being set in the current times.
The ending, as expected in thrillers, comes with a few twists. Even when we think it’s over, it is NOT over!

To summarize, French Windows is an intriguing novella, almost like a cat-and-mouse game even if the stakes are low (but not without danger). It’s best read in one or two sittings.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pushkin Press, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.