5 exciting books for Mother’s Day

It’s a wonderful expression of love to give your mother a book that reflects who she is. From Éric Orsenna to Alexandre Dumas. From Thuringia to Hollywood. From Bach’s preludes to the mystery of Dr. Perry and art in Florence, each of these readings will provide a great moment of escape. To spot these nuggets, we called on Marie-Laure Vallée, our favorite literary columnist!

L’IVRESSE DE J.-B. BACH

“Que la joie demeure”, Eric Orsenna, Claire -Marie Le Guay, éditions Albin Michel
Erik Orsenna is a passionate man, as the light-hearted prose of his books often testifies. This time, he dedicates his new book to Johann Sebastian Bach. Accompanied by renowned concert pianist Claire-Marie Le Guay, the writer enthusiastically evokes the virtuoso’s exceptional musical style throughout his life.

For the composer’s genius lies in his ability to move from pain to joy in a striking manner. Claire-Marie Le Guay explains that this is a fundamental exercise for anyone wishing to interpret the Master. To achieve it is to attain excellence.

Born in late 17th-century Germany, Johann Sebastian Bach began his career as a violinist and then organist at the court of Weimar. From the outset, his talent was recognized, as his religious and instrumental music fascinated. By the age of 22, he had already written 20 cantatas, followed by chorales, sonatas, concertos, suites and his sublime “Passions”. All with a remarkable aesthetic breadth never achieved before.
However, the virtuoso refused to be dictated to. This led him to resign from time to time.
He remains free. Free in his choices and in the expression of his art. A hymn to Life and Love that would be hailed by the whole world until his death. And far beyond…
A read where happiness is on every page.
We love it!

THE MAGIC OF FLORENCE

“La galerie de Florence”, Alexandre Dumas, annotations by Cristina Farnetti and Jocelyn Florina, éditions du Chêne
This prestigious seven-volume boxed set contains a little gem of art history in literature: Alexandre Dumas’s account of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Three hundred engravings by the greatest masters of painting, including Italian masters such as Titian, Botticelli, Caravaggio and Raphael, come to life under Dumas’ pen. Texts hitherto unpublished in book form.
A lavish collection that the writer has accompanied with a history of painting, from Antiquity to the 18th century, as well as the destiny of the Medici family behind the creation of the Uffizi Gallery.
This grandiose nugget in which Alexandre Dumas played a part will inspire the father for his next novels.
Unpublished!

THE SECRET LIFE OF DR. PERRY

“Le médecin de Cape Town”, E.J. Levy, éditions de l’Olivie
In Ireland, young Margaret harbors the dream of becoming a doctor. An impossible ideal for a woman in the early 19th century.
To achieve it, she disguises herself as a man under the name of Jonathan Perry and pursues brilliant medical studies. After joining the army as a surgeon, Jonathan moved to Cape Town, South Africa. Close ties quickly develop between the young practitioner and the governor who takes him in.
Will Margaret succeed in revealing herself as a woman
?
An extraordinary story based on the life of Dr. James Barry, which inspired Charles Dickens and Mark Twain!
A must-see!

LADY DIANA’S CHARM

“Miss Spencer”, Christine Orban, published by Albin Michel
Christine Orban loves passionate heroines who have been battered by history. Their destinies are dazzling, often captivating.
In this new book, the author brings the late Princess of Wales, Lady Diana, to life in the first person. Almost 30 years after her death.
In the space of one book, Christine Orban subtly takes on her character body and soul. In fact, Miss Spencer reveals herself, with her fragility yet the determination we’ve known her for since a childhood wounded by the departure of a mother who ran away from home and, above all, a cruel husband.
Diana’s first heartbreak. Then the dashed hope of a fairytale with Charles. A husband who continues to have an affair with his mistress, Camilla, virtually before his very eyes. How could he dare?
Over the pages, we read of her desire to please beyond her lack of self-confidence, her attachment to her children. But also her view of an entourage that has disappointed her to no end. Yet the young woman will go so far as to break all the shackles of royalty, even if it means shocking, in order to become free, by dint of her strength of resistance. At last!
We become attached to the sincerity of this character, whose doubts the novelist handles with delicacy.

HOLLYWOOD’S UNDERBELLY

“Un château pour Hollywood”, Olivier Minne, éditions Séguier
On the strength of his two previous books, including a tribute to actor Louis Jourdan, Olivier Minne returns with a novel that scratches the surface of the Hollywood world with a touch of humor.
Los Angeles, June 1958. Abigail Fairchild comes out of seclusion to return to the legendary Chateau Marmont, a West Hollywood hotel with a sulphurous reputation. A recluse for the past twenty years in her Brentwood mansion, the former Paramount starlet (and one-time hotel manager) had given up all social life.
These occasional meetings will revive her fantasies of her wild years, of the cinema of yesteryear when she was famous, of her friendships with Rudolph Valentino and Errol Flynn. When she meets the enigmatic Wayne Cornwall, she is furious to bring her personal touch to this baroque mansion that has lost its lustre. The awkward hotel clerk, whose only promise is his sixteenth birthday, arrived in Hollywood by chance. This arouses the old lady’s curiosity. She invents a past for him, teaches him to play with the truth, and warns him about the illusions of the city of chimeras.
This link weaves the fabric of the novel, for through the destiny of Wayne Cornwall, Olivier Minne also traces the fascinating history of the palace. This people’s Mecca has been home to some of the world’s biggest names, as well as a few tragedies. The American dream takes shape as fictional characters become entangled in the hectic lives of the stars. And in the midst of all the excess, Miss Fairchild intrigues. Very clever!
Plus, we love the cover illustration by Marc-Antoine Coulon.

Column written by MARIE-LAURE VALLÉE