Dominique Demers

’’- You should know, miss, money isn’t found in the street. We have two bridges to rebuild, and three roads to fix, and twelve pavements to mend!,’’ he growled and walked away.
Miss Charlotte was dumbfounded. Bridges, roads, pavements...What about books? Aren’t they useful, important, necessary?’’

In a town where everything is neat and proper, and orderly, a whirlwind arrives. A whirlwind dressed in black, mysterious as the witches in fairy tales. An elderly woman, named Charlotte, takes the position of the librarian and changes everything. First and foremost, she is swallowed by every book she reads.

Literally. Miss Charlotte breathes and lives through books. She loves horror stories, and Bluebeard and falls in love with the Beast (yes, THAT Beast…) She wonders whether Cinderella received as many letters as the Queen, she phones the police to make sure that Bluebeard has been arrested and imprisoned.

And the children of the town experience a new world. The most magical world there is. They learn that there are books that make you dream, and laugh, and cry. Books that scare you to death, books that make you a better person. No matter what the thugs of the school may say, the children who find shelter in Charlotte’s library know that ‘’when you have a book you are never alone.’’

‘’She imagined beautiful books, books that make you laugh and cry, and tremble and dance, and travel. Books that tickle your mind, caress your heart, and electrify your spirit.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/… (mais)

> Mademoiselle Charlotte s'ennuie terriblement de sa Gertrude adorée et décide d'aller la récupérer. Pour payer son billet d'autobus, elle déniche un emploi de concierge au nouveau mégacentre culturel. Construit sur les anciennes fondations de l'Extaz – un parc de planche à roulettes intérieur –, cet édifice réservé aux riches ne plaît pas à tous et trois jeunes planchistes un peu trop impulsifs décident de protester contre cette injustice. Malheureusement, les choses tournent mal et la police se lance à leurs trousses. Mademoiselle Charlotte pourra-t-elle leur venir en aide sans y laisser son emploi? Et surtout, retrouvera-t-elle Gertrude, sa roche bien-aimée?
–-Renaud-bray.com

> Truculente Mademoiselle Charlotte ! Cette "Mary Poppins moderne" fait déjà la joie d'un grand nombre d'écoliers canadiens. Avec humour et fantaisie elle touche le coeur des enfants en leur apprenant à aller aux bouts de leurs rêves et à se prendre en charge. Ce roman, écrit en gros caractères, se dévore d'une traite. On y respire la gaieté, la fantaisie et la joie de vivre ; l'auteur joue avec les mots pour le plus grand plaisir du lecteur. Un ouvrage léger, loufoque et détendant à proposer à tous.
--Choisirunlivre.com… (mais)

I picked this up at an Op Shop (Charity/Thrift) and liked the look of the blurb and the few pages I perused.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm more forgiving when reading French as perhaps I cannot tell the good from the bad and so just focus on the story, but I do firmly believe Demers is an extremely capable writer of fiction. Her grounding in children's/YA fiction pays off with a wonderful combination of clarity of style, intelligence and effective plotting. Characters are also extremely well-developed and defined.

So, a real pleasure to read. I am seeking out the first in the series (the reading of which was thankfully not essential to an appreciation of this novel), Marie-Tempête and have bought Le Pari, now residing on my "to be read" shelf while I catch up on other things.… (mais)