A very nice story, and a nice character-driven story. Ted Prescott, a Brit, and his wife Daisy, move to a small France village. The Brit makes guitars and is immersed in the music of Frederic Debreu, a local music legend. The mayor and others in the village want to capitalize on his playing and singing by passing him off as a French man. Although Ted speaks very little French, they are successful in their scheme. Eventually, personal issues that have been plaguing Ted force him to discontinue the charade, but not before the village has decided to establish a memorial to Debreu as a way to bring tourists to the village. ( )

Funny and interesting book about men, friendship, and retirement. ( )

Alex Marsh is a truly gifted storyteller, and knows how to engage his readers from start to finish.

The novel is funny and witty and absurd, skilfully infused with just the right measure of heartache. It’s about the universal pursuit of happiness and a better quality of life, and how we deal with everything thrown our way on the journey. I connected immediately.

The characters are unforgettable and larger than life, without being stereotypical or cliché. I felt like I knew them, and I missed no longer being in their company once I’d finished the book.

Even though the novel is a work of fiction, I couldn’t help but feel that in some parallel world Maillot le Bois really does exist, and had to check it out on the internet - just to make sure.

I look forward to a sequel, but I would probably read anything by this author. The best book so far from Library Thing. ( )

While there is nothing intrinsically wanting in this book I found that I could not finish it. I struggled to get through the first half but it could not hold my interest. There was not enough to carry the story along, nothing that made me want to keep reading and see how the narration progressed. It is nicely written, but incredibly lacklustre. ( )

I found so many things to like about The Resurrection of Frederic Debreu by Alex Marsh. First there was the story itself – Ted and Daisy Prescott beginning their retirement by adventurously going to live for a while in a small French town, Ted getting involved with the residents through his interest in their local hero Debreu, his search for his long estranged brother, and his efforts to protect his wife from their son’s (and their own) financial difficulties. There was a gentleness to the presentation of all the relationships. The characters of the villagers, especially Gaston and Phillipe, were comfortably familiar without being stereotypes. I could readily relate to the underlying theme of trying to figure out one’s identity in retirement.

This was by far the best of the books that I have received as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. Of course, the friendly, personal email assistance of the author when I had difficulty downloading this eBook didn’t hurt. ( )