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The Martins
‘Go out into the street and the first person you see will be the subject of your next book.’
This is the challenge a struggling Parisian writer sets himself, imagining his next heroine might be the mysterious young woman who often stands smoking near his apartment … instead it’s octogenarian Madeleine. She’s happy to become the subject of his book – but first she needs to put away her shopping.
Is it really true, the writer wonders, that every life is the stuff of novels, or is his story doomed to be hopelessly banal? As he gets to know Madeleine and her family, he’ll be privy to their secrets: lost loves, marital problems and workplace worries. And he’ll soon realise he is not the impartial bystander he intended to be, but a catalyst for major changes in the lives of his characters.
Told with Foenkinos’s characteristic irony and self-deprecating humour, yet filled with warmth, The Martins is a compelling tale of the family next door which raises questions about what it means to be ‘ordinary’, and about the blurred lines between truth and fiction.
This is the challenge a struggling Parisian writer sets himself, imagining his next heroine might be the mysterious young woman who often stands smoking near his apartment … instead it’s octogenarian Madeleine. She’s happy to become the subject of his book – but first she needs to put away her shopping.
Is it really true, the writer wonders, that every life is the stuff of novels, or is his story doomed to be hopelessly banal? As he gets to know Madeleine and her family, he’ll be privy to their secrets: lost loves, marital problems and workplace worries. And he’ll soon realise he is not the impartial bystander he intended to be, but a catalyst for major changes in the lives of his characters.
Told with Foenkinos’s characteristic irony and self-deprecating humour, yet filled with warmth, The Martins is a compelling tale of the family next door which raises questions about what it means to be ‘ordinary’, and about the blurred lines between truth and fiction.
251 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2020
About the author
David Foenkinos
58 books1,541 followersDavid Foenkinos (born 28 October 1974) is a French author and screenwriter. He studied literature and music in Paris. His novel La délicatesse is a bestseller in France.A film based on the book was released in December 2011, with Audrey Tautou as the main character.
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July 27, 2022
My thanks to Gallic Books/Consortium Book Sales and Distribution and Edelweiss for a review copy of this book.
The Martins is a French novel by author David Foenkinos and translated by Sam Taylor which takes us on an amusing journey with an author writing a book. In the book, our narrator an author, accustomed to writing his books entirely from imagination, finds himself lacking inspiration and decides that he will stop the first person he meets on the street, and write a novel about them. He leaves his home fully expecting to meet a woman from a travel agency he usually sees smoking outside her office, but instead runs into an old lady pulling a shopping trolley. Sticking to the rule he made, he approaches the lady, Madeline Tricot, who while initially reluctant invites him to her home. Before long though, he is ‘hijacked’ by Madeline’s daughter Valerie (for Madeline is in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s and Valerie doesn’t want her to be pressured) into writing about her and her family, ‘the Martins’ of the title, as well. Valerie is a school teacher, her husband Patrick works in insurance, and they have two typical adolescent children, Jérémie and Lola. Madeline has some stories to tell of her husband and her first love, but it seems Valerie and Patrick are just ordinary, run-of-the-mill people, while of their children Jérémie tries to appear interesting but Lola wants nothing to do with the project. Madeline used to work in fashion though, and has many anecdotes of Karl Lagerfeld which our narrator decides he will resort to when he runs out of material. But banal though the Martins may seem at first glance, soon it turns out that each is facing different troubles to do with love, work, and various other things. And before he knows it, our narrator is himself pulled into and forming part of the novel.
While I have read a reasonable bit of classic French fiction, and also more nonfiction than I had realised, this was the first contemporary novel that I have read and I ended up enjoying it very much indeed. Entertaining and engrossing, The Martins brings readers a very different premise and more so, structure from the usual, in that not only is our narrator writing about real people, but he is ‘talking’ to us all through and taking us through the whole process. So, we get to know the Martins and Madeline of course, but also the author himself, his approach to the project (including his notes on each of the characters at the end of every day), and how the process is affecting both sides. For our narrator soon finds that while real-life people, much like his fictional characters, have a life of their own beyond his control, when dealing with real life, he cannot simply remain an observer, but becomes part of the project himself
Rushing into the lives of others, I had ended up meeting myself. But was that something I wanted to do?
Our narrator’s presence and interactions with the Martins begin to impact their equations with each other as well, and he finds himself taking on various roles—friend, counsellor, intermediary—at times much needed by his subjects, at others viewed as an unwanted intruder who is ruining everything. As we read on, his subjects begin to open up, there are twists and turns, secrets are revealed and the Martins and indeed Madeline show that ordinary people are far from ‘ordinary’, in their thoughts and actions, taking our narrator and us on an unexpected adventure. This makes it a fun journey all through with readers not quite sure how things will end, and when it does, things wrap up rather well.
An added level of enjoyment comes from our narrator’s witty and perceptive observations on the many absurdities of human life generally, and more particularly of current-day life—from our treatment of the elderly (something I increasingly wonder about for on the one side, we try to prolong life, but on the other constantly belittle and isolate our elders) to our ways of raising children, exams, television with endless reality shows ‘normalising’ every experience, the instant gratification we have come to expect leading to frustration rather than any real happiness, or indeed our electronic tether, the phone
Everybody kept their phone number. It was the motto of our age: always be reachable.
Despite all of this, there are a few moments when his subjects have little to say or are busy with other pursuits and so, as promised, we get our anecdotes about Karl Lagerfeld including his experiences with weight loss and creativity.
Time passed and I was still alone in the living room. So I had no choice. It was time for INTERESTING ANECDOTES ABOUT KARL LAGERFELD
Another element which was a favourite with me were the footnotes peppered through the book, explaining his actions or a literary device he might be choosing, notes to himself or even just about himself. For instance,
My face was an open book. Open to the page where the murderer’s identity was revealed.
A very different and enjoyable read which I very much recommend, a story of how seemingly commonplace people can be rather surprising!
4.5 stars
The Martins is a French novel by author David Foenkinos and translated by Sam Taylor which takes us on an amusing journey with an author writing a book. In the book, our narrator an author, accustomed to writing his books entirely from imagination, finds himself lacking inspiration and decides that he will stop the first person he meets on the street, and write a novel about them. He leaves his home fully expecting to meet a woman from a travel agency he usually sees smoking outside her office, but instead runs into an old lady pulling a shopping trolley. Sticking to the rule he made, he approaches the lady, Madeline Tricot, who while initially reluctant invites him to her home. Before long though, he is ‘hijacked’ by Madeline’s daughter Valerie (for Madeline is in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s and Valerie doesn’t want her to be pressured) into writing about her and her family, ‘the Martins’ of the title, as well. Valerie is a school teacher, her husband Patrick works in insurance, and they have two typical adolescent children, Jérémie and Lola. Madeline has some stories to tell of her husband and her first love, but it seems Valerie and Patrick are just ordinary, run-of-the-mill people, while of their children Jérémie tries to appear interesting but Lola wants nothing to do with the project. Madeline used to work in fashion though, and has many anecdotes of Karl Lagerfeld which our narrator decides he will resort to when he runs out of material. But banal though the Martins may seem at first glance, soon it turns out that each is facing different troubles to do with love, work, and various other things. And before he knows it, our narrator is himself pulled into and forming part of the novel.
While I have read a reasonable bit of classic French fiction, and also more nonfiction than I had realised, this was the first contemporary novel that I have read and I ended up enjoying it very much indeed. Entertaining and engrossing, The Martins brings readers a very different premise and more so, structure from the usual, in that not only is our narrator writing about real people, but he is ‘talking’ to us all through and taking us through the whole process. So, we get to know the Martins and Madeline of course, but also the author himself, his approach to the project (including his notes on each of the characters at the end of every day), and how the process is affecting both sides. For our narrator soon finds that while real-life people, much like his fictional characters, have a life of their own beyond his control, when dealing with real life, he cannot simply remain an observer, but becomes part of the project himself
Rushing into the lives of others, I had ended up meeting myself. But was that something I wanted to do?
Our narrator’s presence and interactions with the Martins begin to impact their equations with each other as well, and he finds himself taking on various roles—friend, counsellor, intermediary—at times much needed by his subjects, at others viewed as an unwanted intruder who is ruining everything. As we read on, his subjects begin to open up, there are twists and turns, secrets are revealed and the Martins and indeed Madeline show that ordinary people are far from ‘ordinary’, in their thoughts and actions, taking our narrator and us on an unexpected adventure. This makes it a fun journey all through with readers not quite sure how things will end, and when it does, things wrap up rather well.
An added level of enjoyment comes from our narrator’s witty and perceptive observations on the many absurdities of human life generally, and more particularly of current-day life—from our treatment of the elderly (something I increasingly wonder about for on the one side, we try to prolong life, but on the other constantly belittle and isolate our elders) to our ways of raising children, exams, television with endless reality shows ‘normalising’ every experience, the instant gratification we have come to expect leading to frustration rather than any real happiness, or indeed our electronic tether, the phone
Everybody kept their phone number. It was the motto of our age: always be reachable.
Despite all of this, there are a few moments when his subjects have little to say or are busy with other pursuits and so, as promised, we get our anecdotes about Karl Lagerfeld including his experiences with weight loss and creativity.
Time passed and I was still alone in the living room. So I had no choice. It was time for INTERESTING ANECDOTES ABOUT KARL LAGERFELD
Another element which was a favourite with me were the footnotes peppered through the book, explaining his actions or a literary device he might be choosing, notes to himself or even just about himself. For instance,
My face was an open book. Open to the page where the murderer’s identity was revealed.
A very different and enjoyable read which I very much recommend, a story of how seemingly commonplace people can be rather surprising!
4.5 stars
January 1, 2021
Foenkinos pur jus. Une lecture au ton léger qui cache une belle réflexion sur la famille, l'amour et la banalité qui menace nos existences. Au final, un très bon moment de lecture.
July 1, 2022
Imagina que… un día vas tranquilamente por la calle y se te acerca alguien y te dice que es autor y que quiere escribir sobre ti. ¿Qué haces? Yo corro, la verdad. Aparte de porque sería muy extraño, porque, sinceramente, no creo que mi vida tenga nada especialmente novelable. Pero… por suerte para el autor narrador de esta historia, la encantadora anciana Madeleine Tricot, decide abrirse a él.
Y básicamente este es el punto de partida de ‘La familia Martin’: un autor desesperado porque no consigue escribir tras un problemilla personal, decide inspirarse en la realidad para su próxima novela. Así, toma la decisión de escribir en torno a la primera persona con la que se cruza (Madeleine). Pero claro, la familia de esta, se preocupa y no ven el plan del autor con los mejores ojos. Sin embargo, al final, acabará escribiendo sobre todos ellos, sobre la familia Martin.
Es divertido como Foenkinos juega con la metaliteratura para crear una ficción que juega todo el rato a ser real. El narrador es un autor que podría ser Foenkinos, y que trata durante la novela de convencerte con mil y un detalles, de que lo que te cuenta es verídico, que se metió hasta la cocina de los Martin (literalmente) para presentártelos en este texto. Honestamente, da igual si son reales o imaginarios, porque al final lo que importa son los temas que nos pillan a todos bien de cerca: el recuerdo de quien nos hizo daño, el drama de la rutina, el estrés como algo que te roba vida…
Y en cierto modo, diré que este libro me ha recordado (unexpected total) a Mary Poppins y me explico: un elemento ajeno llega a una familia cuyos miembros tienen determinados problemas. Esa persona actúa como elemento desestabilizador, para luego, acabar sumando.
Una novelita sencilla que me conquistó en su primera mitad y luego se fue desinflando. No me pareció un desastre, pero acusé un ritmo que solo frenaba, ciertos clichés, alguna cosilla predecible… y todo ello con un regustillo ‘feelgood’ que me dio pereza. OJO, que esto precisamente puede ser un punto muy positivo si te gusta ese tipo de lecturas.
A pesar de no haber sido un libro 100% para mí, posiciona a Foenkinos en mi lista de autores confort. Me gusta su delicadeza y su forma de crear personajes y describir sentimientos.
Y básicamente este es el punto de partida de ‘La familia Martin’: un autor desesperado porque no consigue escribir tras un problemilla personal, decide inspirarse en la realidad para su próxima novela. Así, toma la decisión de escribir en torno a la primera persona con la que se cruza (Madeleine). Pero claro, la familia de esta, se preocupa y no ven el plan del autor con los mejores ojos. Sin embargo, al final, acabará escribiendo sobre todos ellos, sobre la familia Martin.
Es divertido como Foenkinos juega con la metaliteratura para crear una ficción que juega todo el rato a ser real. El narrador es un autor que podría ser Foenkinos, y que trata durante la novela de convencerte con mil y un detalles, de que lo que te cuenta es verídico, que se metió hasta la cocina de los Martin (literalmente) para presentártelos en este texto. Honestamente, da igual si son reales o imaginarios, porque al final lo que importa son los temas que nos pillan a todos bien de cerca: el recuerdo de quien nos hizo daño, el drama de la rutina, el estrés como algo que te roba vida…
Y en cierto modo, diré que este libro me ha recordado (unexpected total) a Mary Poppins y me explico: un elemento ajeno llega a una familia cuyos miembros tienen determinados problemas. Esa persona actúa como elemento desestabilizador, para luego, acabar sumando.
Una novelita sencilla que me conquistó en su primera mitad y luego se fue desinflando. No me pareció un desastre, pero acusé un ritmo que solo frenaba, ciertos clichés, alguna cosilla predecible… y todo ello con un regustillo ‘feelgood’ que me dio pereza. OJO, que esto precisamente puede ser un punto muy positivo si te gusta ese tipo de lecturas.
A pesar de no haber sido un libro 100% para mí, posiciona a Foenkinos en mi lista de autores confort. Me gusta su delicadeza y su forma de crear personajes y describir sentimientos.
May 22, 2022
Genre: Family/Comedy
Published: France 2020 English translation 2022
Publisher: Gallic Books
Mini-Review
A Parisian author trying to overcome his writer’s block decides to write a novel about the first person he sees outside his apartment: an elderly woman. She agrees to an interview, so long as she can put away her groceries first. Making his way into the life of the octogenarian and her family, he finds himself sucked deeper and deeper into their story, with unexpected consequences. At first, aiming to be a neutral observer, he finds himself helping his subject hunt down an old love on Facebook, interrogating a prospective boyfriend of her granddaughter, and otherwise doing the bidding of his would-be characters. Despite its wit and quirkiness, the novel boils down to everyday hopes and fears. Am I going to lose my job? Does my spouse still love me? Are my teenage children normal or future delinquents? It is fair to say that this is a story about art imitating life, while life is, imitates art. Though it can lag in places, Foenkinos provides an entertaining read that I recommend.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
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Published: France 2020 English translation 2022
Publisher: Gallic Books
Mini-Review
A Parisian author trying to overcome his writer’s block decides to write a novel about the first person he sees outside his apartment: an elderly woman. She agrees to an interview, so long as she can put away her groceries first. Making his way into the life of the octogenarian and her family, he finds himself sucked deeper and deeper into their story, with unexpected consequences. At first, aiming to be a neutral observer, he finds himself helping his subject hunt down an old love on Facebook, interrogating a prospective boyfriend of her granddaughter, and otherwise doing the bidding of his would-be characters. Despite its wit and quirkiness, the novel boils down to everyday hopes and fears. Am I going to lose my job? Does my spouse still love me? Are my teenage children normal or future delinquents? It is fair to say that this is a story about art imitating life, while life is, imitates art. Though it can lag in places, Foenkinos provides an entertaining read that I recommend.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list…
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/review…
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord\
https://www.amazon.com/
October 20, 2022
La familia Martin
Debido a una falta de inspiración, Foenkinos tiene la idea de bajar a la calle, parar a la primera persona con la que se cruce y proponerle escribir una novela sobre su vida.
Esto, que parece una tontería, es lo que CASI hizo en realidad este original escritor, que cuenta como muchas veces, en encuentros con sus lectores, le piden que debería contar sus vidas, sus interesantes e increíbles vidas…
Es así como entra en la vida de la familia Martin. Empezando por la abuela, que es la que se encuentra en la calle, que tiene un misterio por resolver desde que era joven. Cuando estaba a punto de casarse su primer novio se marchó sin despedirse y no lo ha vuelto a ver. Siguiendo por la hija y luego toda su familia con sus problemas conyugales, profesionales, los hijos adolescentes…
Una historia muy corta, divertida, diferente, no es una gran novela, pero es una buena manera de conocer a este escritor tan peculiar.
Debido a una falta de inspiración, Foenkinos tiene la idea de bajar a la calle, parar a la primera persona con la que se cruce y proponerle escribir una novela sobre su vida.
Esto, que parece una tontería, es lo que CASI hizo en realidad este original escritor, que cuenta como muchas veces, en encuentros con sus lectores, le piden que debería contar sus vidas, sus interesantes e increíbles vidas…
Es así como entra en la vida de la familia Martin. Empezando por la abuela, que es la que se encuentra en la calle, que tiene un misterio por resolver desde que era joven. Cuando estaba a punto de casarse su primer novio se marchó sin despedirse y no lo ha vuelto a ver. Siguiendo por la hija y luego toda su familia con sus problemas conyugales, profesionales, los hijos adolescentes…
Una historia muy corta, divertida, diferente, no es una gran novela, pero es una buena manera de conocer a este escritor tan peculiar.
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February 20, 2024Писател в творческа криза излиза на улицата в търсене на вдъхновение. Иска да превърне в персонаж първият срещнат непознат. Така среща осемдесетгодишната Мадлен и нейното семейство.
И писателят, самият Фоенкинос, започва своята история. Започва да пише за живота на семейство Мартен. Дъщерята на Мадлен - Валери, съпругът й Патрик и двете им деца.
При Фоенкинос обожавам умението да извлича есенцията от обикновени ситуации и да я предава на читателя с кратки изречения без излишен пълнеж. Харесва ми как успява да ме развълнува с наглед тривиални случки. Патрик ще бъде ли уволнен, какво ще му съобщи началникът? Когато се развълнуваш от очакването на един застрахователен агент, значи авторът е съумял да докосне нещо в читателската ти душа.
Тук ми допадна темата за изчерпания брак. Какво се случва в една двойка след определен брой години на съвместно съжителство. Кога хората започват да се губят един друг. Кога битовизмът и скуката надделяват? Може ли една угаснала любов да бъде върната към живота?
Патрик се оказа любимият ми персонаж. Не очаквах, признавам си. Неговата трансформация от един апатичен, непоказващ емоции, пасивен съпруг до борещ се и непримирим с обстоятелствата мъж, ме спечели.
Това, което не ми хареса в романа, беше непрекъснатата намеса на самия Фоенкинос в повествованието с констатацията как не би трябвало да се намесва в сюжета.🙈
Децата бяха напълно излишни персонажи. Можеха само да бъдат споменати, но напъните да станат част от историята, за мен си останаха напълно безплодни. Стефани, сестрата на Валери, беше едно споменато име. Единственият спомен, в който тя присъстваше, нямаше никаква добавена стойност към случващото се.
Финалът също бих предпочела да беше спестен. Не отива на тази история.
Въпреки това, за мен Фоенкинос остава един от онези автори, които заемат специално място в сърцето ми и които са в състояние да ме развълнуват с всяка своя дума. Има нещо специфично в стила му на писане, неподлежащо на разумно обяснение, което мен лично ме кара да настръхвам.
И писателят, самият Фоенкинос, започва своята история. Започва да пише за живота на семейство Мартен. Дъщерята на Мадлен - Валери, съпругът й Патрик и двете им деца.
При Фоенкинос обожавам умението да извлича есенцията от обикновени ситуации и да я предава на читателя с кратки изречения без излишен пълнеж. Харесва ми как успява да ме развълнува с наглед тривиални случки. Патрик ще бъде ли уволнен, какво ще му съобщи началникът? Когато се развълнуваш от очакването на един застрахователен агент, значи авторът е съумял да докосне нещо в читателската ти душа.
Тук ми допадна темата за изчерпания брак. Какво се случва в една двойка след определен брой години на съвместно съжителство. Кога хората започват да се губят един друг. Кога битовизмът и скуката надделяват? Може ли една угаснала любов да бъде върната към живота?
Патрик се оказа любимият ми персонаж. Не очаквах, признавам си. Неговата трансформация от един апатичен, непоказващ емоции, пасивен съпруг до борещ се и непримирим с обстоятелствата мъж, ме спечели.
Това, което не ми хареса в романа, беше непрекъснатата намеса на самия Фоенкинос в повествованието с констатацията как не би трябвало да се намесва в сюжета.🙈
Децата бяха напълно излишни персонажи. Можеха само да бъдат споменати, но напъните да станат част от историята, за мен си останаха напълно безплодни. Стефани, сестрата на Валери, беше едно споменато име. Единственият спомен, в който тя присъстваше, нямаше никаква добавена стойност към случващото се.
Финалът също бих предпочела да беше спестен. Не отива на тази история.
Въпреки това, за мен Фоенкинос остава един от онези автори, които заемат специално място в сърцето ми и които са в състояние да ме развълнуват с всяка своя дума. Има нещо специфично в стила му на писане, неподлежащо на разумно обяснение, което мен лично ме кара да настръхвам.
January 24, 2023
4.5 rounded up
Possibly an overly generous rating… but this was charming (without being sentimental or trite), entertaining and different, and I had a lot of fun reading it.
Possibly an overly generous rating… but this was charming (without being sentimental or trite), entertaining and different, and I had a lot of fun reading it.
March 14, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Много харесвам Давид Фоенкинос и начина, по който смесва тривиалното и необикновеното от живота на своите герои в романите си. “Семейство Мартен” започна с много голяма заявка, но сякаш нещо се пропука и историята не успя да се превърне в любима за мен. Да, много ми хареса, забавлявах се, взех си неща, но краят ми се стори абсолютно скалъпен и не ми допадна и поради това не мога да наредя романа сред най-любимите ми на автора.
Още с първите изречения се срещаме с автор, който е в творческа криза и решава да напише книга за първия минувач, който срещне на улицата. Така се запознава с Мадлен Трико и решава да пише за нея и семейството и. Главни герои ще се окажат тя и младежката и любов, заедно с дъщеря и Валери и съпруга и Патрик. Много интересно ми беше да проследя развитието на отношенията в брачната двойка и какво води до тоталното отчуждение и липса на интерес един към към друг. Някои от персонажите бяха излишни - например сестрата на Валери. Интересно ми беше да науча за конфликта между двете, но не смятам, че даде добавена стойност на историята. Останах с усещането, че Фоенкинос наистина не е знаел за какво да пише и е стрелял на посоки с този роман.
За пореден път книга, която чета засяга темата за писането и творческото вдъхновение. Това направи историята особено любопитна за мен, защото имаше чудесни коментари от Фоенкинос.
“Понякога съм прекарвал цели седмици в търсене на фамилия или име за някой персонаж, твърдо убеден във влиянието на звучността върху нечия съдба. Това дори ми помагаше да разбера определени характери. Една Натали не можеше да се държи като една Сабин.”
“Писането е форма на предателство. Съдбата на виновните е да станат писатели. Вероятно изпреварвах онзи момент, когато персонажите ми нямаше да понесат написаното от мен за тях.”
“Затова въобще не е учудващо, че литературата се превърна в моя мания; тя си остава най-добрият начин да странствам далеч от себе си.”
“Когато човек пише, бързо става биполярен.”
“Често пишех така, без настойчиво да се опитвам да уловя думите, а чаках те да дойдат при мен.”
Много харесвам Давид Фоенкинос и начина, по който смесва тривиалното и необикновеното от живота на своите герои в романите си. “Семейство Мартен” започна с много голяма заявка, но сякаш нещо се пропука и историята не успя да се превърне в любима за мен. Да, много ми хареса, забавлявах се, взех си неща, но краят ми се стори абсолютно скалъпен и не ми допадна и поради това не мога да наредя романа сред най-любимите ми на автора.
Още с първите изречения се срещаме с автор, който е в творческа криза и решава да напише книга за първия минувач, който срещне на улицата. Така се запознава с Мадлен Трико и решава да пише за нея и семейството и. Главни герои ще се окажат тя и младежката и любов, заедно с дъщеря и Валери и съпруга и Патрик. Много интересно ми беше да проследя развитието на отношенията в брачната двойка и какво води до тоталното отчуждение и липса на интерес един към към друг. Някои от персонажите бяха излишни - например сестрата на Валери. Интересно ми беше да науча за конфликта между двете, но не смятам, че даде добавена стойност на историята. Останах с усещането, че Фоенкинос наистина не е знаел за какво да пише и е стрелял на посоки с този роман.
За пореден път книга, която чета засяга темата за писането и творческото вдъхновение. Това направи историята особено любопитна за мен, защото имаше чудесни коментари от Фоенкинос.
“Понякога съм прекарвал цели седмици в търсене на фамилия или име за някой персонаж, твърдо убеден във влиянието на звучността върху нечия съдба. Това дори ми помагаше да разбера определени характери. Една Натали не можеше да се държи като една Сабин.”
“Писането е форма на предателство. Съдбата на виновните е да станат писатели. Вероятно изпреварвах онзи момент, когато персонажите ми нямаше да понесат написаното от мен за тях.”
“Затова въобще не е учудващо, че литературата се превърна в моя мания; тя си остава най-добрият начин да странствам далеч от себе си.”
“Когато човек пише, бързо става биполярен.”
“Често пишех така, без настойчиво да се опитвам да уловя думите, а чаках те да дойдат при мен.”
December 13, 2020
Ce sont parfois les histoires les plus simples qui font un bon roman. Des personnages attachants, des tranches de vie tellement vraies, tout cela porté par une belle écriture, que du bonheur.
February 26, 2024
Първа книга от този остроумен и чаровен френски писател, която парадоксално за своите близо 217 страници успя да ме развълнува, та даже и разплаче.
Умело боравещ с думите и собствените си (не)измислени герои, той извлича сюжет, достоен да те унесе в мисли и потопи в драмата на семейство Мартен.
Книгата е кратка. С глави, разпръснати хаотично из страниците. Диалозите са прями и директни, описанията постни, но наситени с емоция. Целият текст е наситен с топли или студени цветове от емоция.
Автор в творчески блокаж излиза на улицата и спира случаен човек, за чието семейство да говори в новата си книга. Това е неговият план. Но какво всъщност се случва? Авторът спира госпожа Мадлен Трико, която от своя страна му предоставя неустоима история за изгубена във времето любов. А нейните деца - втора сюжетна линия, пиперливата реалност на съвременно семейство от двадесет и първи век.
За да не загуби своя чар, в наратива се появяват и различни факти за известния Лагерфелд, както и късчета и размисли от живота на самия автор.
Книгата се чете за броени часове, едно сядане и на едно поглъщане. Свикнеш ли със стила на писане, който с малко ти дава много, позволяваш на фантазията си да излезе отвъд границите на думите и ставаш допълнителен член на семейство Мартен. Мажоретката, която окуражава и страда с тях и съпреживява техните неволи.
С майсторство, Фоенкинос разказва историята на всеки член, използвайки хумор и прямота, с които бързо предава действието и спира само за секунда, колкото да сподели своите виждания над случилите се събития.
„Семейство Мартен” е от книгите, за които не можеш да говориш много. Те провокират мисълта и сърцето ти, умиляват те и карат да се замислиш над собствения си живот. Тези книги се четат „с” и „за” удоволствие, но категорично не оставят само това след себе си.
Героите, всеки посвоему представител на различно поколение, пол или обществена прослойка внасят цвят и харизма в наратива. Промяната в поведението им, дали продиктувана от самия Автор или не, бе отчетлива, красива, вълнуваща и позната. Четящият открива късчета у себе си дори в изморения Патрик, нещастната Валери, мълчаливите деца или остаряващата госпожа Мадлен Трико.
Прочетете тази книга. Защото си заслужава всяка инвестирана минута.
Умело боравещ с думите и собствените си (не)измислени герои, той извлича сюжет, достоен да те унесе в мисли и потопи в драмата на семейство Мартен.
Книгата е кратка. С глави, разпръснати хаотично из страниците. Диалозите са прями и директни, описанията постни, но наситени с емоция. Целият текст е наситен с топли или студени цветове от емоция.
Автор в творчески блокаж излиза на улицата и спира случаен човек, за чието семейство да говори в новата си книга. Това е неговият план. Но какво всъщност се случва? Авторът спира госпожа Мадлен Трико, която от своя страна му предоставя неустоима история за изгубена във времето любов. А нейните деца - втора сюжетна линия, пиперливата реалност на съвременно семейство от двадесет и първи век.
За да не загуби своя чар, в наратива се появяват и различни факти за известния Лагерфелд, както и късчета и размисли от живота на самия автор.
Книгата се чете за броени часове, едно сядане и на едно поглъщане. Свикнеш ли със стила на писане, който с малко ти дава много, позволяваш на фантазията си да излезе отвъд границите на думите и ставаш допълнителен член на семейство Мартен. Мажоретката, която окуражава и страда с тях и съпреживява техните неволи.
С майсторство, Фоенкинос разказва историята на всеки член, използвайки хумор и прямота, с които бързо предава действието и спира само за секунда, колкото да сподели своите виждания над случилите се събития.
„Семейство Мартен” е от книгите, за които не можеш да говориш много. Те провокират мисълта и сърцето ти, умиляват те и карат да се замислиш над собствения си живот. Тези книги се четат „с” и „за” удоволствие, но категорично не оставят само това след себе си.
Героите, всеки посвоему представител на различно поколение, пол или обществена прослойка внасят цвят и харизма в наратива. Промяната в поведението им, дали продиктувана от самия Автор или не, бе отчетлива, красива, вълнуваща и позната. Четящият открива късчета у себе си дори в изморения Патрик, нещастната Валери, мълчаливите деца или остаряващата госпожа Мадлен Трико.
Прочетете тази книга. Защото си заслужава всяка инвестирана минута.
April 29, 2024
Изобщо не очаквах така да ме развълнува съдбата на семейство Мартен. Един на пръв поглед обикновен семеен живот, който е описан увлекателно. Авторът съумя да вдъхне интрига в битието на героите. И успя да ме привлече като фен на творчеството си.
“Бях разбрал, че животът си остава най-добрият антидот срещу измислицата.”
“Бях разбрал, че животът си остава най-добрият антидот срещу измислицата.”
June 16, 2022
The Martins, translated from the French by Sam Taylor, is a gloriously playful book in which the author, in his role as narrator, takes plenty of self-deprecating swipes at himself and fellow writers. At one point he concedes that the comparison of a writer to a conman is pretty fair and later likens an author to a vampire in their thirst for the tragic elements of a story, observing ‘Let’s be honest, nobody is interested in happiness’.
Initially our narrator intends the subject of his book to be Madeleine, the elderly woman pulling a purple shopping trolley who invites him back for tea. When her daughter, Valerie, assures him (wrongly, as it turns out) that her mother’s memory is fading he becomes quite excited about the ways he could represent this in literary form, such as leaving blank pages or writing contradictory chapters. Soon, however, he finds the scope of the book expanding to include not only Valerie but her husband Patrick, and their two children, Lola and Jérémie. He also begins to be drawn into the daily domestic life of the family, something he’s not entirely happy about, wondering if he’s ended up with the kind of ‘hackneyed’ characters he could have invented himself or that readers will find the book boring. He needn’t have worried because before long all sorts of events affect the family, in many cases provoked by his introduction into their life. (My favourite was Patrick and the curtains.) The narrator also finds attention turned on his own life.
The book is full of self referential humour. For example, the narrator constantly reminds himself he’s documenting the family’s lives not writing fiction and therefore mustn’t indulge in invention (two Poles says he does). I especially enjoyed the occasional footnotes containing witty asides, memos to himself (‘need to think about that phrase later’), notes recording ‘What I Know About My Characters’, and supplementary information (such as the definition of an aptronym). There’s also a list detailing possible reasons for the actions of one of the characters, the reader being invited to guess which will turn out to be correct. (I was wrong.)
The Martins is charming, funny and thoroughly entertaining.
Initially our narrator intends the subject of his book to be Madeleine, the elderly woman pulling a purple shopping trolley who invites him back for tea. When her daughter, Valerie, assures him (wrongly, as it turns out) that her mother’s memory is fading he becomes quite excited about the ways he could represent this in literary form, such as leaving blank pages or writing contradictory chapters. Soon, however, he finds the scope of the book expanding to include not only Valerie but her husband Patrick, and their two children, Lola and Jérémie. He also begins to be drawn into the daily domestic life of the family, something he’s not entirely happy about, wondering if he’s ended up with the kind of ‘hackneyed’ characters he could have invented himself or that readers will find the book boring. He needn’t have worried because before long all sorts of events affect the family, in many cases provoked by his introduction into their life. (My favourite was Patrick and the curtains.) The narrator also finds attention turned on his own life.
The book is full of self referential humour. For example, the narrator constantly reminds himself he’s documenting the family’s lives not writing fiction and therefore mustn’t indulge in invention (two Poles says he does). I especially enjoyed the occasional footnotes containing witty asides, memos to himself (‘need to think about that phrase later’), notes recording ‘What I Know About My Characters’, and supplementary information (such as the definition of an aptronym). There’s also a list detailing possible reasons for the actions of one of the characters, the reader being invited to guess which will turn out to be correct. (I was wrong.)
The Martins is charming, funny and thoroughly entertaining.
May 16, 2023
Ya sabéis lo mucho que me gusta Foenkinos y en este libro tampoco se ha quedado atrás, es verdad que es diferente, quizá una historia un poco más lenta pero su forma de escribir y su manera de crear personajes sigue siendo genial.
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Como viene siendo habitual, Foenkinos escribe de esa forma que no sabes si es ficción o es real, si lo que cuenta en esta novela le ha pasado o si es parte de su vida..
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En esta historia nos contarás parte de un escritor que está parado, y decide salir a la calle y escoger a la primera persona que se le cruce para contar su vida.. raro verdad?
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Pues de eso trata, contara la vida y la historia de una familia, sus amores, sus más y sus menos y entre medias… ¿algo de su vida?
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Quizá de todos los que he leído es el que menos me ha gustado y aún así no puedo ponerle menos nota, una historia ágil, con la que empatizas que entretiene, y que como simepre recomiendo.
.
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Como viene siendo habitual, Foenkinos escribe de esa forma que no sabes si es ficción o es real, si lo que cuenta en esta novela le ha pasado o si es parte de su vida..
.
En esta historia nos contarás parte de un escritor que está parado, y decide salir a la calle y escoger a la primera persona que se le cruce para contar su vida.. raro verdad?
.
Pues de eso trata, contara la vida y la historia de una familia, sus amores, sus más y sus menos y entre medias… ¿algo de su vida?
.
Quizá de todos los que he leído es el que menos me ha gustado y aún así no puedo ponerle menos nota, una historia ágil, con la que empatizas que entretiene, y que como simepre recomiendo.
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November 29, 2020
« Il y avait quelque chose de sublime à découvrir quelqu’un que l’on connaît depuis toujours. »
February 11, 2022
Original, encantadora, seductora, muy atractiva novela; corta, como breves han sido las novelas de David Foenkinos que he tenido el agradado de leer, “La familia Martin” es una especie de Laboratorio de Escritura Creativa, un ejemplo muy bien logrado de un novela meta ficticia, donde Foenkinos se da gusto plasmando el proceso de creación de su novela, provocativo y atento a nuestras reacciones, buscando atraer nuestra atención, la de sus fieles lectores, hacia la evolución de la historia de los Martin.
David Foenkinos (1974) es un joven y exitoso escritor francés que con la publicación (2009) de su novela “Delicadeza” (con la tristeza, pero no la he leído), que vendió un millón de ejemplares, obtuvo el reconocimiento de los lectores, que esperamos siempre, con grandes expectativas, sus libros. Traducido a más de 30 idiomas, con sus 13 novela y 4 libros de relatos cortos, también alcanzó el reconocimiento de la crítica francesa, al ser galardonado con el Premio Goncourt des lycéens.
Mi primer contacto con David fue en 2014 cuando leí “Lennon”, una original biografía del Beatle, y de ahí, he leído todo lo que nos ha llegado; aún estoy en espera de una reedición de “Delicadeza” y de todas sus novelas publicadas bajo el sello de Seix Barral, su casa editorial hasta el 2013, cuando Alfaguara empezó publicarlo. Delicadeza pues, es lo que les ha faltado a sus editores, pues de las 13 novelas que ha publicado, solo seis he logrado disfrutar. En fin.
La novela arranca con el autor padeciendo la condición de “bloqueo de escritor”. Enredado con una novela relacionada con talleres de escritura, no encuentra palabras, ni interés por sus personajes: “me costaba escribir; no avanzaba”. Buscando superarla, decide emprender una acción que pareciera ser disparatada: escribir la historia de la primera persona que se encuentre en la calle.
Así fue como empezó todo: bajó a la calle, se acercó a la primera persona que vio y así, estableció contacto con Madeleine Tricot, una fascinante viuda, quien para su sorpresa, acoge la idea, encontrándola más que dispuesta a hablarle de su matrimonio, de su viudez y de su trabajo como costurera en la Casa Chanel, donde colaboró con el mismísimo Karl Lagerfeld.
Madeleine es madre de dos hijas: de Stéphanie, que vive en Boston, EUA y de Valérie, vecina del escritor; es abuela de dos niñas de la hija mayor, y de Lola y Jérémie, par de adolescentes, hijos de Valérie y su esposo Patrick.
Valérie, a pesar ciertas dudas iniciales, encuentra un ángulo positivo a la propuesta y acepta el proyecto con entusiasmo, a tal punto que exige incluirla, junto con su familia, en la historia de su madre. Es así como se integra, con desigual ánimo y predisposición, el casting de personajes de “La familia Martin”.
Patrick y Valérie no pasan por un buen momento: tensiones laborales, la rutina propia de la gran mayoría de los matrimonios que los conducen al hastío, la angustia de no vivir la vida como la esperaban y quisieran; los adolescentes, reacios a involucrarse en el proyecto; un antiguo amor de Madelaine, y un reciente rompimiento sentimental del escritor, son los conflictos que van desarrollándose y dando forma a la novela, que es la novela misma, su construcción, el proceso para convertirse en “La familia Martin”.
Novela sobre una novela. Obra literaria que revela la estrategia del autor para crearla, que busca interesar al lector hacia su condición de obra de ficción, con un escritor que constantemente nos hace saber que la está creando, “La familia Martin”, además de lo atractivo del propio argumento, con esa dosis de misterio e intriga que existen en todas las familias, resulta además, un libro fascinante para quienes nos gusta conocer como se escriben.
Escrita en breves capítulos, en primera persona, con una prosa lírica de suave ritmo, con ese tono de humor que he encontrado en todas sus novela, y unos personajes con los que irremediablemente te identificas, “La familia Martin” es una novela que reflexiona sobre las cosas importantes de la vida, irradiando optimismo y confirmando que siempre podremos encontrar lo excepcional tras lo ordinario, porque potencialmente, como dice Foenkinos, toda persona puede ser interesante.¡Te leo!
https://msha.ke/havela/
David Foenkinos (1974) es un joven y exitoso escritor francés que con la publicación (2009) de su novela “Delicadeza” (con la tristeza, pero no la he leído), que vendió un millón de ejemplares, obtuvo el reconocimiento de los lectores, que esperamos siempre, con grandes expectativas, sus libros. Traducido a más de 30 idiomas, con sus 13 novela y 4 libros de relatos cortos, también alcanzó el reconocimiento de la crítica francesa, al ser galardonado con el Premio Goncourt des lycéens.
Mi primer contacto con David fue en 2014 cuando leí “Lennon”, una original biografía del Beatle, y de ahí, he leído todo lo que nos ha llegado; aún estoy en espera de una reedición de “Delicadeza” y de todas sus novelas publicadas bajo el sello de Seix Barral, su casa editorial hasta el 2013, cuando Alfaguara empezó publicarlo. Delicadeza pues, es lo que les ha faltado a sus editores, pues de las 13 novelas que ha publicado, solo seis he logrado disfrutar. En fin.
La novela arranca con el autor padeciendo la condición de “bloqueo de escritor”. Enredado con una novela relacionada con talleres de escritura, no encuentra palabras, ni interés por sus personajes: “me costaba escribir; no avanzaba”. Buscando superarla, decide emprender una acción que pareciera ser disparatada: escribir la historia de la primera persona que se encuentre en la calle.
Así fue como empezó todo: bajó a la calle, se acercó a la primera persona que vio y así, estableció contacto con Madeleine Tricot, una fascinante viuda, quien para su sorpresa, acoge la idea, encontrándola más que dispuesta a hablarle de su matrimonio, de su viudez y de su trabajo como costurera en la Casa Chanel, donde colaboró con el mismísimo Karl Lagerfeld.
Madeleine es madre de dos hijas: de Stéphanie, que vive en Boston, EUA y de Valérie, vecina del escritor; es abuela de dos niñas de la hija mayor, y de Lola y Jérémie, par de adolescentes, hijos de Valérie y su esposo Patrick.
Valérie, a pesar ciertas dudas iniciales, encuentra un ángulo positivo a la propuesta y acepta el proyecto con entusiasmo, a tal punto que exige incluirla, junto con su familia, en la historia de su madre. Es así como se integra, con desigual ánimo y predisposición, el casting de personajes de “La familia Martin”.
Patrick y Valérie no pasan por un buen momento: tensiones laborales, la rutina propia de la gran mayoría de los matrimonios que los conducen al hastío, la angustia de no vivir la vida como la esperaban y quisieran; los adolescentes, reacios a involucrarse en el proyecto; un antiguo amor de Madelaine, y un reciente rompimiento sentimental del escritor, son los conflictos que van desarrollándose y dando forma a la novela, que es la novela misma, su construcción, el proceso para convertirse en “La familia Martin”.
Novela sobre una novela. Obra literaria que revela la estrategia del autor para crearla, que busca interesar al lector hacia su condición de obra de ficción, con un escritor que constantemente nos hace saber que la está creando, “La familia Martin”, además de lo atractivo del propio argumento, con esa dosis de misterio e intriga que existen en todas las familias, resulta además, un libro fascinante para quienes nos gusta conocer como se escriben.
Escrita en breves capítulos, en primera persona, con una prosa lírica de suave ritmo, con ese tono de humor que he encontrado en todas sus novela, y unos personajes con los que irremediablemente te identificas, “La familia Martin” es una novela que reflexiona sobre las cosas importantes de la vida, irradiando optimismo y confirmando que siempre podremos encontrar lo excepcional tras lo ordinario, porque potencialmente, como dice Foenkinos, toda persona puede ser interesante.¡Te leo!
https://msha.ke/havela/
April 9, 2021
Ce roman est un petit bijou ! le projet de David Foenkinos était le suivant : écrire un roman sur la première personne qu'il aborderait, au hasard, dans la rue. Projet original qui lui a fait rencontrer une vieille dame, Madeleine Tricot. Cette dernière l'invite à monter chez elle et commence à lui raconter sa vie. Sa fille, Valérie, au premier abord un peu méfiante, accepte l'immersion de l'écrivain dans leur famille, à condition qu'il élargisse le champ de la narration à la famille qu'elle forme avec son mari Patrick Martin et leurs deux enfants adolescents, Jérémie et Lola. La famille Martin va ainsi devenir une sorte de laboratoire de l'écrivain à l'oeuvre.
Madeleine est veuve, très vite elle avoue à l'écrivain que sa plus grande passion, c'est avec son premier amour, Yves Grimbert, qu'elle l'a vécue, et non avec son époux. Elle aimerait le retrouver avant de mourir...
David Foenkinos puise dans le quotidien de cette famille la matière de son roman : la méfiance passée, chaque membre manifeste intérêt et curiosité pour ce projet ludique qui bouscule un peu la routine de la famille : "Depuis quand n'avait-elle pas vécu un tel hors-piste de prévu ?" (page 91).
Comme le confie l'auteur dans l'émission "C à vous" en octobre 2020 : "Faites entrer un écrivain dans une famille et tout dérape !"
Au fil des pages, l'écrivain se pose beaucoup de questions sur son projet : va-t-il intéresser le lecteur ? Sa présence ne va-t-elle pas perturber l'équilibre tranquille de cette famille ? Il multiplie les rendez-vous individuels avec chaque membre, auquel on s'attache. Chacun prend peu à peu de la consistance. Leur banalité fait écho à ce que tout lecteur peut vivre ou ressentir dans sa propre existence.
Ce que j'aime, entre autres, chez David Foenkinos, c'est l'humour pince-sans-rire de ses notes de bas de pages qui me font souvent sourire, par leur côté loufoque ou ironique.
Dans ce roman, j'ai aimé les pauses entre les différents rendez-vous de l'écrivain avec ses "personnages", ses commentaires sur les possibles narratifs, qui posent de façon complète, me semble-t-il, la problématique d'écriture.
J'ai apprécié, dans cette oeuvre, (même si cela m'a un peu déroutée au début) que le processus de création soit exactement l'inverse de ce qui se produit habituellement : quand on lit, des êtres de papier prennent peu à peu vie sous la plume de l'auteur, tandis que dans La Famille Martin, de vraies personnes deviennent des êtres de papier... à moins que Foenkinos ne s'amuse à berner complètement son lecteur ?
Bref, personnellement je suis conquise et salue la prouesse de ce romancier talentueux.
Madeleine est veuve, très vite elle avoue à l'écrivain que sa plus grande passion, c'est avec son premier amour, Yves Grimbert, qu'elle l'a vécue, et non avec son époux. Elle aimerait le retrouver avant de mourir...
David Foenkinos puise dans le quotidien de cette famille la matière de son roman : la méfiance passée, chaque membre manifeste intérêt et curiosité pour ce projet ludique qui bouscule un peu la routine de la famille : "Depuis quand n'avait-elle pas vécu un tel hors-piste de prévu ?" (page 91).
Comme le confie l'auteur dans l'émission "C à vous" en octobre 2020 : "Faites entrer un écrivain dans une famille et tout dérape !"
Au fil des pages, l'écrivain se pose beaucoup de questions sur son projet : va-t-il intéresser le lecteur ? Sa présence ne va-t-elle pas perturber l'équilibre tranquille de cette famille ? Il multiplie les rendez-vous individuels avec chaque membre, auquel on s'attache. Chacun prend peu à peu de la consistance. Leur banalité fait écho à ce que tout lecteur peut vivre ou ressentir dans sa propre existence.
Ce que j'aime, entre autres, chez David Foenkinos, c'est l'humour pince-sans-rire de ses notes de bas de pages qui me font souvent sourire, par leur côté loufoque ou ironique.
Dans ce roman, j'ai aimé les pauses entre les différents rendez-vous de l'écrivain avec ses "personnages", ses commentaires sur les possibles narratifs, qui posent de façon complète, me semble-t-il, la problématique d'écriture.
J'ai apprécié, dans cette oeuvre, (même si cela m'a un peu déroutée au début) que le processus de création soit exactement l'inverse de ce qui se produit habituellement : quand on lit, des êtres de papier prennent peu à peu vie sous la plume de l'auteur, tandis que dans La Famille Martin, de vraies personnes deviennent des êtres de papier... à moins que Foenkinos ne s'amuse à berner complètement son lecteur ?
Bref, personnellement je suis conquise et salue la prouesse de ce romancier talentueux.
July 25, 2022
A writer in Paris is struggling to come up with his next novel idea when he decides to make the next person he sees on the street become the subject of his book. He's secretly hoping it will be the young woman he often sees near his apartment, but instead, it's Madeleine, an eighty-year-old woman who becomes the focus of his book.
He gradually enlarges his story to include Madeleine's daughter and her family, the Martins, and the book takes off, as the writer interviews the daughter, the daughter's husband, and the daughter's two teenage children, and the issues and adventures and pasts of all of these push the story along.
It's meta-fiction at its best, with the author (reluctantly) inserting himself into the story along with his own issues and adventures and past, and with the story sweeping forward to include the boyfriend of Madeleine's granddaughter and Madeleine's ex and...well, just about anyone the author can think of to include.
So much fun. With surprising insight into human beings, too.
He gradually enlarges his story to include Madeleine's daughter and her family, the Martins, and the book takes off, as the writer interviews the daughter, the daughter's husband, and the daughter's two teenage children, and the issues and adventures and pasts of all of these push the story along.
It's meta-fiction at its best, with the author (reluctantly) inserting himself into the story along with his own issues and adventures and past, and with the story sweeping forward to include the boyfriend of Madeleine's granddaughter and Madeleine's ex and...well, just about anyone the author can think of to include.
So much fun. With surprising insight into human beings, too.
December 26, 2022
Gros coup de coeur. J’ai adoré ce roman, l’écriture de David Fo est superbe. C’est léger, drôle et parfaitement narré. On se base sur l’histoire d’une famille assez banale quand on y pense. La famille Martin est une famille comme une autre avec ses problèmes, ses soucis, qu’on peut retrouver chez tout le monde mais David Foenkinos en a fait quelque chose d’excellent. J’ai adoré suivre cette famille et l’auteur de leur biographie. (Je me demande maintenant d’ailleurs si l’auteur dans le livre est David Foenkinos). J’ai beaucoup aimé le thème du roman, c’est original et on est vraiment immergé dans la famille, leurs histoires amènent à la curiosité de savoir comment ça se termine!!
December 27, 2022
Muy bonita historia
May 29, 2023
alors c’était peut-être pas la claque du siècle mais je pense qu’il y a une certaine beauté dans le fait de lire des mots sur des pages et le temps d’une lecture , d’y trouver une seconde maison et en ce livre j’ai trouvé du confort et c’était parfait au final <33
November 15, 2021
no lo termino...
:(
:(
November 10, 2021
NI FU NI FA (2/5)
•
🗯Un famoso escritor falto de inspiración decide escribir en su próximo libro sobre un personaje real al azar, que será la primera persona con la que se encuentre en la calle. Y la afortunada (o no) es la anciana Madeleine, junto con su familia.
•
Pues no he encontrado nada especial esta historia. Es lo peor que he leído de este escritor. Ni veo que sea una trama como para escribir un libro. No sé si me explico. Es que no me ha parecido que diga mucho… Aunque no paro de ver reseñas buenísimas. Así que lo mismo soy yo…
Y no le he dado la peor nota porque, al menos, es un libro que se deja leer. Y he anotado varias frases. Y hasta una canción («Ti Paule», de Lola Martin) y un cuadro («Blanco sobre blanco», de Malévich). Pero a mí, la historia en sí me ha dado un poco igual.
No he entendido tampoco, y me han sobrado, los apartados «Lo que sé de mis personajes». Si poco me decían los personajes, y me parecía que no había trama, pues que cada X páginas apareciese ese resumen…😳 O los apartados «Anécdotas emocionantes sobre Karl Lagerferd». Un poco más mi cara así: 😳
Y es que hablamos de un libro de 200 páginas. Con letra grandecita y bien espaciado, en el que se cuentan cosas de 5 personajes, más lo de Lagerferd, y sumamos los resúmenes, y también ponemos su pizca de anotaciones a pie de página, y yo lo único que tengo es un batiburrillo de ideas que no terminan de formar nada.
Pero ya digo que el resto del planeta cree que es lo más el libro.
•
¿Qué encontraréis en este libro? Pues en mi caso, la falta real de inspiración de un escritor.
•
Erratas encontradas: 3 {🤦🏻♀️ ¡psicoanalista ven a mí!}
•
FRASES SUBRAYADAS:
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«[…] creo firmemente que los desconocidos también tienen una vida».
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«[…] según ella, esa sonrisa era como una grieta en una pared, solo te fijabas en eso, así que te olvidabas de la pared y de la casa de alrededor».
•
«A menudo, me sorprende comprobar hasta qué punto los lectores se hallan a sí mismos en las novelas, incluidas aquellas que tienen las tramas más perturbadoras. Vamos persiguiendo por todas partes los reflejos de nuestra intimidad».
•
«Aunque la confianza en uno mismo no sea garantía de bienestar, es sin duda un terreno favorable para cualquier florecimiento dichoso».
•
«[…] me había encontrado con un ejemplar en vías de extinción: un adolescente capaz de dar una referencia literaria».
•
«La necesidad de estar solo se considera a veces como un comportamiento antisocial».
•
«Nunca he sentido la necesidad de sincerarme con nadie».
•
«Ocurre que a veces digo la verdad y suena como una mentira. Pero no lo puedo remediar: la vida es poco plausible».
•
«Es una de las violencias contemporáneas, tienes que dejar de seguir un perfil obsoleto o borrar de la agenda del móvil el contacto de una persona que ya no está».
•
«El mundo occidental ha convertido la crisis en un eslogan todoterreno».
•
#LeoYComparto #bookish #DimeUnLibro #bookaholic #booklover #instalibros #bookworm #bookstagram #Alfaguara #EditorialAlfaguara #AlfaguaraEditorial #PenguinLibros #PenguinRandomHouse
•
#Libros / para #blogloqueleo / #LaFamiliaMartin @alfaguaraes @penguinlibros #DavidFoenkinos / Traducción: #MaríaTeresaGallegoUrrutia #AmayaGarcíaGallego
•
#HastaElTotoDelCoronavirus
•
🗯Un famoso escritor falto de inspiración decide escribir en su próximo libro sobre un personaje real al azar, que será la primera persona con la que se encuentre en la calle. Y la afortunada (o no) es la anciana Madeleine, junto con su familia.
•
Pues no he encontrado nada especial esta historia. Es lo peor que he leído de este escritor. Ni veo que sea una trama como para escribir un libro. No sé si me explico. Es que no me ha parecido que diga mucho… Aunque no paro de ver reseñas buenísimas. Así que lo mismo soy yo…
Y no le he dado la peor nota porque, al menos, es un libro que se deja leer. Y he anotado varias frases. Y hasta una canción («Ti Paule», de Lola Martin) y un cuadro («Blanco sobre blanco», de Malévich). Pero a mí, la historia en sí me ha dado un poco igual.
No he entendido tampoco, y me han sobrado, los apartados «Lo que sé de mis personajes». Si poco me decían los personajes, y me parecía que no había trama, pues que cada X páginas apareciese ese resumen…😳 O los apartados «Anécdotas emocionantes sobre Karl Lagerferd». Un poco más mi cara así: 😳
Y es que hablamos de un libro de 200 páginas. Con letra grandecita y bien espaciado, en el que se cuentan cosas de 5 personajes, más lo de Lagerferd, y sumamos los resúmenes, y también ponemos su pizca de anotaciones a pie de página, y yo lo único que tengo es un batiburrillo de ideas que no terminan de formar nada.
Pero ya digo que el resto del planeta cree que es lo más el libro.
•
¿Qué encontraréis en este libro? Pues en mi caso, la falta real de inspiración de un escritor.
•
Erratas encontradas: 3 {🤦🏻♀️ ¡psicoanalista ven a mí!}
•
FRASES SUBRAYADAS:
•
«[…] creo firmemente que los desconocidos también tienen una vida».
•
«[…] según ella, esa sonrisa era como una grieta en una pared, solo te fijabas en eso, así que te olvidabas de la pared y de la casa de alrededor».
•
«A menudo, me sorprende comprobar hasta qué punto los lectores se hallan a sí mismos en las novelas, incluidas aquellas que tienen las tramas más perturbadoras. Vamos persiguiendo por todas partes los reflejos de nuestra intimidad».
•
«Aunque la confianza en uno mismo no sea garantía de bienestar, es sin duda un terreno favorable para cualquier florecimiento dichoso».
•
«[…] me había encontrado con un ejemplar en vías de extinción: un adolescente capaz de dar una referencia literaria».
•
«La necesidad de estar solo se considera a veces como un comportamiento antisocial».
•
«Nunca he sentido la necesidad de sincerarme con nadie».
•
«Ocurre que a veces digo la verdad y suena como una mentira. Pero no lo puedo remediar: la vida es poco plausible».
•
«Es una de las violencias contemporáneas, tienes que dejar de seguir un perfil obsoleto o borrar de la agenda del móvil el contacto de una persona que ya no está».
•
«El mundo occidental ha convertido la crisis en un eslogan todoterreno».
•
#LeoYComparto #bookish #DimeUnLibro #bookaholic #booklover #instalibros #bookworm #bookstagram #Alfaguara #EditorialAlfaguara #AlfaguaraEditorial #PenguinLibros #PenguinRandomHouse
•
#Libros / para #blogloqueleo / #LaFamiliaMartin @alfaguaraes @penguinlibros #DavidFoenkinos / Traducción: #MaríaTeresaGallegoUrrutia #AmayaGarcíaGallego
•
#HastaElTotoDelCoronavirus
November 28, 2021
Me ha encantado. Tiene ese toque francés que, simplemente con los nombres de los personajes, relaja al leer. La historia es llamativa y la forma de dividir la redacción hace que sea muy fácil y agradable de leer. Sin duda, lo recomiendo como una buena lectura de fin de semana.
March 29, 2022
j'ai adoré le parallèle entre la vie que l'on mène et la manière dont chacun de nous la romance. toute l'histoire est très jolie, et pleine de bonnes ondes. Foenkinos a un très beau style d'écriture et c'est toujours un plaisir de lire ses livres !
January 29, 2021
Un parti-pris original... On s'attache bien à cette famille Martin !
January 28, 2023
Une très bonne lecture qui m'a fait réfléchir sur le métier d'écrivain, l'inspiration et la vie. La plume de David Foenkinos est vraiment agréable et fluide !
April 4, 2022
3,5 ⭐️ belle lecture, très hâte de relire cet auteur !
July 7, 2022
Je suis incapable d’être objective face aux romans de David Foenkinos. J’aime sa pureté, la simplicité avec laquelle on lit comme on traverse son esprit. Je ne veux pas savoir si l’histoire de la famille Martin est une fiction ou une vraie plongée dans le quotidien d’une vraie famille. Je m’en fiche, car j’ai simplement pu profiter d’une parenthèse de vie si normale et pourtant si palpitante. C’est tout ce que j’aime chez cet auteur, une capacité à rendre nos vies passionnantes en quelques mots.
February 28, 2022
En la recerca de la frase La Realitat supera la ficció, aquest llibre és fascinant. T'atrapa des del primer moment i pots aprendre moltes lliçons. Una bona manera de retrobar-me amb les novel·les!
May 22, 2022
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
The Martins was a very quick, very engrossing read. I greatly enjoyed it. It's not your typical novel - the whole idea of it is that it breaks the fourth wall to begin with, and it stays that way. The story is told through an author's point of view - I'm not even sure if the author is fictional or the actual author of the book. But this author decides to get himself out of a creative rut by writing about the first person he will encounter on the street. It sort of works out that way, except with extra strings attached - he not only gets to write about that person, but their whole extended family as well.
The idea here is that the story of anyone at all can be interesting and dramatic, and carry meaning. The author ends up writing about the Martins - a typical French family, as 'Martin' is about the most common and typical surname, almost like Smith in English. But even these 'Smiths' have very real crises in their lives, and do some very wild things, when put on the spot. The author's intrusion into their lives becomes like a breaking point to a lot of them - and they suddenly end up doing 'make it or break it' decisions which change their lives quite a lot.
I ended up loving the Martins as characters. They were very interesting, and I do subscribe to the idea that just about anyone's life could become a movie, if you were to only pick the right time in their lives and remove the boring bits, such as brushing one's teeth or doing office work. Just ask your grandma to tell you about her youth adventures, and you'll know what I mean.
The Martins reads fast, is well written and will definitely deliver an unexpected, but engrossing and interesting plot. A very unique novel, and I know I would love to read more by the same author.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
The Martins was a very quick, very engrossing read. I greatly enjoyed it. It's not your typical novel - the whole idea of it is that it breaks the fourth wall to begin with, and it stays that way. The story is told through an author's point of view - I'm not even sure if the author is fictional or the actual author of the book. But this author decides to get himself out of a creative rut by writing about the first person he will encounter on the street. It sort of works out that way, except with extra strings attached - he not only gets to write about that person, but their whole extended family as well.
The idea here is that the story of anyone at all can be interesting and dramatic, and carry meaning. The author ends up writing about the Martins - a typical French family, as 'Martin' is about the most common and typical surname, almost like Smith in English. But even these 'Smiths' have very real crises in their lives, and do some very wild things, when put on the spot. The author's intrusion into their lives becomes like a breaking point to a lot of them - and they suddenly end up doing 'make it or break it' decisions which change their lives quite a lot.
I ended up loving the Martins as characters. They were very interesting, and I do subscribe to the idea that just about anyone's life could become a movie, if you were to only pick the right time in their lives and remove the boring bits, such as brushing one's teeth or doing office work. Just ask your grandma to tell you about her youth adventures, and you'll know what I mean.
The Martins reads fast, is well written and will definitely deliver an unexpected, but engrossing and interesting plot. A very unique novel, and I know I would love to read more by the same author.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews