5 Captivating Books to Give for Father’s Day
Marie-Laure Vallée’s book review column.
Father’s Day is the perfect time to show our everyday hero how much we love him by giving him a personalized book. Paris Select offers a selection of five books centered around the theme of memories. These may evoke a rediscovered past, a beloved author, or unforgettable travels. Beautiful moments of escape to share!
A SUMMER IN TUSCANY
“Black September,” by Sandro Veronesi, translated from Italian by Dominique Vittoz, published by Grasset
Luigi Bellandi recalls the summer of 1972.
He was twelve years old at the time. It was vacation time by the sea, just like every year, on the Tuscan coast. It was still a time of childhood, but also of budding romance. The days passed peacefully.
In Fiumetto, Luigi—nicknamed “Gigio”—spends his days with his father, a brilliant lawyer whom he admires. Then, brimming with confidence, he reimagines the world alongside Astel, his neighbor on the beach, with whom he is in love. Together, they listen to rock ’n’ roll on an old record player, dreaming of freedom. At the girl’s request, Gigio, who is bilingual, translates David Bowie’s songs. Since Mrs. Bellandi is Irish.
As he began to learn how to interpret English-language texts, the young boy discovered the poems of W.H. Auden; he developed an interest in Hollywood cinema, captivated by the actors’ charisma.
He is far from imagining that a tragedy within his own family would become entangled with the conflicts of the day. For even the Munich Summer Olympics, which the narrator follows closely, are marred by a bloody incident. A murder committed by the terrorist organization Black September.
And so, Luigi is abruptly thrust out of childhood by the grim reality of the events unfolding before his eyes. As autumn approaches, his life will be irrevocably turned upside down.
Throughout this coming-of-age novel, in which the mystery remains intact until the very end, a sensitive and nostalgic writing style emerges, true to Sandro Veronesi’s work. A certain sense of unease sets in as the moment that will shake the hero’s youth draws near.
A captivating narrative!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
“Writing on the Spot,” by Bernard Lavilliers, published by Éditions des Equateurs
Following the release of his symphonic album, Bernard Lavilliers has published an elegant travelogue born out of his exchanges with journalist Véronique Mortaigne. From his native Lorraine to Argentina, via reggae-infused Jamaica, the singer takes us down the back roads that inspired his most beautiful lyrics. Always deeply sensitive, he bears witness to the fragile melody—and the violence—of these cities shaped by diverse influences, often rooted in their origins. Singing as best one can, soaking in the vibrations. Living and seeing New York, the impatient one, until your heart races to the sound of “Spanish Harlem.” Setting out to bear witness. Singing to convey, to bring back the heartbreak and the love. Rebellion and hope…all in poetry.
A fascinating journey!
THE PAST REDISCOVERED…
“Even the sounds of the night have changed,” Violette d’Urso, Flammarion
How can one learn from a father who died too soon?
Anna was only six years old when her father died suddenly of a heart attack. She knew so little about him. She keeps their happy moments of play and laughter, those fleeting shared moments, buried deep within her forever. However, as the years go by, Anna would like to learn more about the mysterious past of this man, a charismatic Italian art dealer. To do so, ten
Years after his death, she will begin her search, going back to the beginning. She will retrace her father’s journey from Rome through Switzerland, where she meets his closest friends.
They teach him about his dependencies, his drug addiction, and his student protests.
The narrator shifts from one state to another. Sometimes she is stunned. Sometimes she is angry, and she comes to understand the source of her own pain.
But she was amazed to learn that he had rubbed shoulders with the Maharaja of Jodhpur and other fascinating figures. His life seemed so romantic!
As the pages turn, a journey unfolds that is essential for Anna, now a woman, to better understand her destiny and forge her own path.
“Even the Sounds of the Night Have Changed” is a touching book written with great skill by the young Violette d’Urso, daughter of Inès de la Fressange and Luigi d’Urso. This luminous debut novel highlights the extraordinary legacy that binds us irrevocably to our roots.
A message of filial love. A success!
CHARLES DICKENS’ PASSION
“The Glorious Suicide of Charles Dickens,” by Philippe Delerm, published by Éditions du Seuil
Little is known about the life of Charles Dickens, one of the greatest writers of the 19th century, whose work takes us back to childhood. His often dark tales, featuring endearing characters, have become cult classics. Let’s recall “Oliver Twist” or “Great Expectations,” both of which feature orphaned protagonists.
In his latest book, Philippe Delerm focuses on the last ten years of the author’s extraordinary journey—a period during which he traveled throughout England and the United States to give lively readings of his works. He plays all the characters himself and captivates his audience.
Unwilling to engage with his family, it is the recognition of his audience that drives him. He gives his all on stage, even to the point of jeopardizing his health.
Exhausted but adored, Charles Dickens died in 1870 at the age of 58, having given his all to the clamor of the crowd.
What lies behind this frantic quest for applause?
In revealing Charles Dickens’ passionate nature, Philippe Delerm also conveys his own admiration as a reader for the author of *David Copperfield*, always with a touch of humor.
We’re sold!
AS LONG AS MOBY DICK LIVES
“If the Sun Remembers,” by Jean-Paul Enthoven, published by Grasset
Mascara, 1960. In his fictionalized autobiography, Jean-Paul Enthoven recounts his eventful adolescence in Algeria, where a war is brewing.
We encounter a host of unsettling characters, politically engaged writers, and loving parents. A flood of memories suddenly comes rushing back to the philosopher as he recalls the first screening of *Moby Dick* at the Vox cinema—a fateful evening. Edmond, Jean’s father, is the owner. He is a charismatic man adored by his wife Gilberte, who sees a resemblance between him and the actor Gregory Peck. Jean admires his patriarch. As for his friends, they are full of praise for him. Then tragedy strikes on that fateful opening day: a bloody attack at the Vox. Algeria will never be the same again.
As he reflects on his youth, Jean-Paul Enthoven recalls one of the darkest chapters in history: the start of the Algerian War and the events that foreshadowed it. A heavy atmosphere in which betrayal, inequality, and anti-Semitism—which he witnesses, and is sometimes a victim of—coexist under an idyllic sun. But the narrator also knows how to use irony when recounting his early childhood or his first loves as a clumsy Don Juan. Later, his passion for literature—including a fascination with Herman Melville—will even lead him to explore the novelists’ namesakes, such as the filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville. Who knows, they might be related. ?
A novel in which Jean-Paul Enthoven succeeds in conveying his enthusiasm for his favorite writers, for American cinema…and, ultimately, for Gregory Peck, whom he would meet much later.
Fascinating! I absolutely love it!
