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A minor French official in Guinea must solve the case of a tourist found hanged from a sailboat in this “gem of a diplomatic thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Having grown up in Romania, Aurel Timescu never quite fit in his native France. A former piano player with the disheveled air of a character from between the wars, nobody can understand how he got to be Consul. Now he’s taken a position in French Guinea, where he passes his time perspiring, drinking Tokay, and composing librettos. Until, that is, a vacationer is found hanging from the mast of a sailboat. How did he end up dead, on a mast, on Aurel Timescu’s watch? Had his personal life been hanging by a thread? Was he hanging around waiting for love to be reciprocated? Had he been hanging out with the wrong crowd? Had he hung his hat on the peg of some quixotic dream? A Prix Goncourt–winning author and former diplomat, Jean-Christophe Rufin brings Aurel to vivid life in a novel that “offers razor-sharp insights into cultural clashes in the former French colony . . . readers will be reminded of Georges Simenon, only better” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Suspense and tense interpersonal dynamics characterize this taut bestselling novel set in the world of international humanitarian aid by Jean-Christophe Rufin, a co-founder of Doctors Without Borders. The four men who accompany Maud on an aid convoy couldn't be further from the clichéd idea of humanitarian volunteers. One by one, they reveal the secret wounds that have brought them to this conflict zone and, mile by mile, the true nature of their cargo becomes clear. Prize-winning author Jean-Christophe Rufin has written a powerful psychological literary thriller that asks vital questions about the role of humanitarian action, bringing to light the most fundamental dilemmas of our age. As a new kind of violence insinuates its way into the heart of Europe, this novel asks whether it is more effective to counter violence with benevolent acts and enlightenment ideals or to take up arms against the enemy.
Jean-Baptiste Poncet is a young doctor working in Cairo who becomes obsessed with the empire and civilization of Abyssinia. By infiltrating the court at Versailles he manages to keep at bay all those who would conquer Abyssinia.
Based on the true story of Jacques Coeur, The Dream Maker recounts the life and times of a Steve Jobs of the Middle Ages. Born to a modest fur trader, Coeur rose to become the King of France's visionary First Banker who, with his tours of the Far East, his criticism of the Crusades, and his efforts to develop trade, contributed to bringing France out of darkness toward the Renaissance and modernity. Coeur was, at one time, the wealthiest man in France, but at the height of his success, disgrace and imprisonment at the hands of his enemies threatened. His ill-considered infatuation with Agnès Sorel, King Charles VII's favorite mistress, and her mysterious and premature death, precipitated Coeur's fall from grace. In Rufin's delicious prose this remarkable true story becomes a gripping tale of adventure, a novel of ideas, and a moving love story.
"Whenever I was asked: 'Why did you go to Santiago?', I had a hard time answering. How could I explain to those who had not done it that the way has the effect - if not the virtue - to make you forget all reasons that led you to become involved in it in the first place." Each year, tens of thousands of backpackers (Christian pilgrims and many others) set out from either their front doorstep or from popular starting points across Europe, to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, others ride a bicycle, and a few of them travel as did some of their medieval counterparts, on horseback or with a donkey. In addition to those who undertake a religious pilgrimage, the majority are hikers who w...
In 1919, in a small town in the province of Berry, France, under the sweltering temperatures of summer heat wave, a war hero is being held prisoner in an abandoned barrack. In front of the door to his prison, a mangy dog barks night and day. Miles from where he is being held, in the French countryside, an intelligent young woman works the land, waiting and hoping. Meanwhile, a judge whose principles have been sorely shaken by the war is travelling to an unknown location to sort out certain affairs of which it is better not to speak. Three characters. In their midst, a dog holds the key both to their futures and to this intriguing plot. Full of poetry and life, The Red Collar is at once a pleasingly straightforward narrative about the human spirit and a profound work about loyalty and love.
The further adventures of the hero of The Abyssinian. While practising medicine at the court of the Shah, Jean-Baptiste Poncet travels to Russia. While there he meets Peter the Great, but is captured and sold as a slave in Afghanistan.
A novel about adventure and conflict, about coming of age and discovering love Just and Colombe are brother and sister, heirs to the Clamorgan estate. A scheming aunt and shortage of suitable interpreters, however, means the children soon find themselves aboard a ship bound for the Bay of Rio.
A haunting and thought-provoking story about how a mother's love for her children can be more dangerous than the dark world she is seeking to keep at bay. A single mother takes her two sons on a trip to the seaside. They stay in a hotel, drink hot chocolate, and go to the funfair. She wants to protect them from an uncaring and uncomprehending world. She knows that it will be the last trip for her boys. Beside the Sea is a haunting and thought-provoking story about how a mother's love for her children can be more dangerous than the dark world she is seeking to keep at bay. It's a hypnotizing look at an unhinged mind and the cold society that produced it. With language as captivating as the story that unfolds, Véronique Olmi creates an intimate portrait of madness and despair that won't soon be forgotten.
From reverse engineering to phonetic modifications, this innovative anthology reveals surprising meaning behind familiar subject matter. Through the Bible and other cultural narratives, the featured verse conducts numerous intriguing lyrical experiments, making this compendium a welcome addition to any collection of poetry.