[PDF] Balcony In The Forest eBook

Author : Julien Gracq
Publisher : New York Review of Books
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 47,41 MB
Release : 2017-11-21
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1681371405

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It is the fall of 1939, and Lieutenant Grange and his men are living in a chalet above a concrete bunker deep in the Ardennes forest, charged with defending the French-Belgian border against the Germans in a war that seems unreal, distant, and unlikely. Far more immediate is the earthy life of the forest itself and the deep sensations of childhood it recalls from Grange’s memory. Ostensibly readying for war, Grange instead spends his time observing the change in seasons, falling in love with a young free-spirited widow, and contemplating the absurd stasis of his present condition. This novel of long takes, dream states, and little dramatic action culminates abruptly in battle, an event that is as much the real incursion of the German army into France as it is the sudden intrusion of death into the suspended disbelief of life. Richard Howard’s skilled translation captures the fairy-tale otherworldliness and existential dread of this unusual, elusive novel (first published in 1958) by the supreme prose stylist Julien Gracq.

Author : Jane Delury
Publisher : Hachette UK
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 37,31 MB
Release : 2018-03-29
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1473684641

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WINNER OF THE SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE FOR FIRST FICTION FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? To those who have ventured past it over the years, this small estate in a village outside Paris has always seemed calm and poised. But should you open the gates and enter inside, you will find rooms which have become the silent witnesses to a century of human drama: from the young American au pair developing a crush on her brilliant employer to the ex-courtesan shocking the servants, and the Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo to the housewife who begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. The stories of those who have lived within the estate have been many and varied. But as the years unfold, their lives inevitably come to haunt the same spaces and intertwine, creating a rich tapestry of the relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments which have kept the house alive through the last hundred years. . . 'Sweeping, suspenseful, rich with surprises and eerie atmosphere' Jennifer Egan

Author : Pik-Shuen Fung
Publisher : One World
Page : 212 pages
File Size : 41,34 MB
Release : 2021-07-13
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0593230973

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This “powerful” (BuzzFeed) award-winning debut about love, grief, and family welcomes you into its pages and invites you to linger, staying with you long after you’ve closed its covers. “Quietly moving . . . connected by a kind of dream logic . . . deeply felt . . . There is joy and tenderness in . . . Fung’s elegant storytelling.”—The New York Times Book Review How do you grieve, if your family doesn’t talk about feelings? This is the question the unnamed protagonist of GhostForest considers after her father dies. One of the many Hong Kong “astronaut” fathers, he stays there to work, while the rest of the family immigrated to Canada before the 1997 Handover, when the British returned sovereignty over Hong Kong to China. As she revisits memories of her father through the years, she struggles with unresolved questions and misunderstandings. Turning to her mother and grandmother for answers, she discovers her own life refracted brightly in theirs. Buoyant and heartbreaking, Ghost Forest is a slim novel that envelops the reader in joy and sorrow. Fung writes with a poetic and haunting voice, layering detail and abstraction, weaving memory and oral history to paint a moving portrait of a Chinese-Canadian astronaut family. “Ghost Forest is the tender/funny book we can all appreciate after a hellish year.”—Literary Hub

Author : Jane Delury
Publisher : Little, Brown
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 10,19 MB
Release : 2018-03-27
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0316554669

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A "breathtaking" century-spanning portrait of the inhabitants of a French village (Jennifer Egan), revealing the deception, despair, love, and longing beneath the calm surface of ordinary lives. What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? Set in a small village near Paris, The Balcony follows the inhabitants of a single estate-including a manor and a servants' cottage-over the course of several generations, from the Belle vâpoque to the present day, introducing us to a fascinating cast of characters. A young American au pair develops a crush on her brilliant employer. An ex-courtesan shocks the servants, a Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo attract the curiosity of the neighbors, and a housewife begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. Rich and poor, young and old, powerful and persecuted, all of these people are seeking something: meaning, love, a new beginning, or merely survival. Throughout, cross-generational connections and troubled legacies haunt the same spaces, so that the rose garden, the forest pond, and the balcony off the manor's third floor bedroom become silent witnesses to a century of human drama. In her debut, Jane Delury writes with masterful economy and profound wisdom about growing up, growing old, marriage, infidelity, motherhood - in other words, about life - weaving a gorgeous tapestry of relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments across the frame of the twentieth century. A sumptuous narrative of place that burrows deep into individual lives to reveal hidden regrets, resentments, and desires, The Balcony is brimming with compassion, natural beauty, and unmistakable humanity.

Author : Oscar Scafidi
Publisher : Bradt Travel Guides
Page : 428 pages
File Size : 24,58 MB
Release : 2023-06-26
Category : Travel
ISBN : 178477751X

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Written by long-term resident, adventurer and experienced travel writer Oscar Scafidi, this brand new Bradt publication is the most up-to-date, comprehensive travel guidebook to Tunisia produced by a mainstream publisher. Taking account of this North African country’s recent political and social flux, and covering each of the nation’s 24 governorates, the book’s listings for hotels, restaurants and activities cater for all types of travellers and budgets. Complemented by 80 detailed maps and advice on navigating bureaucracy, this guide provides all the practical information you need to visit or explore here. The birthplace of the Arab Spring in 2010, Tunisia is readily accessible from European cities. From relaxing on Mediterranean beaches to camel-trekking or quad-biking in the Sahara Desert and marvelling at the moonscapes of Chott el Djerid salt lake, this fascinating nation crams much excitement and interest into a small area. In the 2,000-year-old capital of Tunis, originally a Berber settlement, you can haggle in the ancient Medina, browse artefacts at the Bardo National Museum or enjoy fresh seafood at waterfront restaurants. Archaeology afficionados will hardly know where to begin in Africa’s fourth-richest country for UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the remnants of Ancient Carthage, perhaps, or superbly preserved Roman ruins, such as the world’s second-largest amphitheatre of El Jem? Djerba, where Berbers, Muslims and the world’s oldest Jewish community have co-existed for centuries, is a world-renowned kitesurfer’s paradise. Sunseekers have over 1,000km of coastline on which to bask – why not sip cocktails at the upmarket resort of Gammarth, just north of Tunis – while hedonists can party at a mammoth 30-hour rave in the desert at Ong Jmal. Meanwhile, film buffs can make pilgrimages to sets used in the Star Wars movies or explore canyons used by Steven Spielberg’ for an Indiana Jones film, and culture vultures can visit Islamic sites such as the Ribat of Monastir fort or 7th-century city of Kairouan. With a language appendix covering Tunisian Arabic and French, detailed context that helps visitors travel with awareness and sensitivity, and in-depth travel information, Bradt's Tunisia is an indispensable practical companion to exploring this exciting country.