- Published: 01/03/2012
- ISBN: 9781846274626
- Granta Books
- 352 pages
Remedy
Anne Marsella
Meet Remedy: a young, single American living on the rive gauche and toiling at an on-line fashion magazine. She may have her feet on well-trodden expat ground, but she has her head in the clouds and the path she walks through Paris is distinctly original. When she’s not dreaming up articles about this season’s must-have accessory or foiling her best friend’s attempts at match-making, she attends mass with a blind nun, shimmies her way through belly-dancing classes and meditates on the lives of the saints. All the while, believing that spiritual enlightenment and romantic fulfilment might be just around the corner …
£7.99
This debut novel is one of the most quirky to have hit the shelves for years - and certainly boasts one of the most unusual and entertaining heroines
Alex Clark, 'Must-Read
Marsella not only breathes life into the tired, old singleton genre but paints a vibrant portrait of Paris via the cultures of its immigrants
Metro
The concept is familiar: a lonely romantic is on a quest to find the man of her dreams and has several unsuitable suitors before finding Prince Charming. But the originality of the writing makes the plot irrelevant. What's especially appealing here is the access given to the inner voice of such an unusual heroine. The traditions of Catholicism (along with the teachings of Islam and the joy of Arabian belly-dancing) are cleverly woven into the story; Remedy addresses her thoughts on love and life to a different Catholic saint each day and each chapter begins with a potted history of their lives. The result is a delightful sort of hagiographer's Bridget Jones.
Daily Telegraph
From the Same Author
The Baby Of Belleville
Anne Marsella
Every new mother has a story to tell – and this is Jane de la Rochefoucault’s. It’s a story that contains all the familiar yet magical landmarks of feeding, teething, toddling, and measuring stuff in and out of Tupperware. But, as an expat living in Paris, Jane also faces some challenges they never mention in the handbooks. Such as, how to juggle a new baby with the demands of an aristocratic husband, a competitive nursing circle, an artisan plumber, and a formidably French (and possibly law-breaking) mother-in-law… Swiftly plotted, linguistically playful and sparkling with wit, The Baby of Belleville will draw you into its unique imaginative universe and make you reluctant to leave.
