I very much enjoyed A Sunday in Ville d'Avray by Dominique Barbéris and found it an atmospheric read. The story unfolds in an area close to Paris where I once stayed and I felt transported back to that time and place. That's one sure way to get involved in a story - to have a sense of sharing a part of it.
At the time of reading the nights were on the turn with the new season bringing earlier dark evenings. The book matched the weather and this was perfect autumnal reading with descriptions of "sodden leaves macerated in heaps" forecasting the outdoor reality.
I picked up my copy by chance at a favourite bookstore where the owner seeing my intended purchase asked me to wait a moment as he had some bookplates signed by the author. He returned a short while later with the plate and positioned it on the title page for me.
Brilliant, I'm grateful to the author and the bookseller for their little acts of sharing.
I'm even more invested in the book now.
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A Sunday in Ville d'Avray by Dominique Barbéris
Translated from the French by John Cullen
Published August 2021
Daunt Books Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-911547-96-9
