The girl at the Lion d'Or (1989)

Quite honestly Faulks' The Girl at the Lion d'Or certainly didn't have priority out of all of the titles in our mini-library at home, it probably didn't even have a spot on Mount TBR yet I caved in to its small size and the promise of easy-reading after June's Bulgakov marathon. I read Birdsong last year and, although it hardly changed my life, it is immensely readable and provides us with a very important, if fictional, account of life during World War I. The Girl at the Lion d'Or, as part of Faulks' 'France Trilogy' therefore promised something I could dip into with ease. (Charlotte Grey, however, is another matter entirely...)

Faulks focuses on the life of waitress at the Hotel du Lion d'Or; Anne Louvert, at first glance your typical girl next door but, in reality, a lonely young woman with a dark mystery that seriously hampers her struggle to maintain a tranquil, anonymous existence. Throw in a cast of intriguing French characters and a married lover; Charles Hartmann and we have a neat circular story that, without blowing me away, was a pleasant, speedy read to pick up whilst sheltering from the monsoon-like Manchester weather.

Despite the huge shadow of WWI that permeates this novel; i.e. Anne's Father and Hartmann's (who also appears in Birdsong) war experience, I unfortunately found myself feeling a little indifferent about the story and a fair few of the two-dimensional characters' within it. Even Anne, whose endearing normality and calm acceptance of her precarious existence can be so attractive, does irritate at times and I found myself being fairly unsympathetic towards the adulterous relationship between her and Charles that literally seems to spring up out of nowhere at the beginning of the novel.

Slight superficiality aside, Faulks clearly has a firm grasp on this period of history and it is undoubtedly interesting to explore the lives of those living in the wake of the devastation of the war and the then glorious decade that followed. Those living in the 1930s, anticipating further conflict yet mindful of the dark past are an intriguing lot to be introduced to and Faulks' domestic, occasionally more intimate portraits of these people suit the anxious times perfectly.

Not Faulks' best work but a nice little break and, since Anne hails from Paris, another little tick for my 'Paris en Juillet.'

P.S: Alex (in Leeds) did make me giggle when she told me that she read this novel whilst looking after a sick friend since it was, by the sounds of things, the only book without a cheesy looking lilac cover in the vicinity....

I think that probably sums the novel up, nice, but nothing to write home about....

http://relishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/the-girl-at-lion-dor.html ( )

A young girl, Anne, arrives to take up a position at the hotel, Lion d'Or. Gradually she begins to feel at ease among the locals and becomes drawn to Monsieur Harmann, a lawyer in the village. She eventually confides her past to him, recognising him as someone she can trust. But this trust, makes M. Hartmann feel guilty for his own security and brings with it the realisation that he cannot provide her with what she needs.
This is a love story set in the years between the wars, in a politically unstable France.
The characters a well drawn, their attraction to each other palpable and there is a sense of inevitability at their situation. well written but not as masterful as Birdsong. ( )

Whew! I finally managed to finish a work of actual literary fiction, after a glut of mysteries and other escapist fare. Readers nostalgic for the tone and sensibility of Flaubert should find this slim, but rich novel to their liking. ( )

Such a good writer. Set completely in France it follows the a period in the life of a young girl with a tragic past. ( )

ספר שנכתב על ידי אנגלי ומתיימר להיות כאילו צרפתי, ​אך איננו יותר מספר אנגלי שמתיימר להיות ספר צרפתי. ​נחמד אבל לחלוטין לא יותר מזה.​ ( )