Agnès Martin-Lugand

This book had some interesting characters and genuinely funny moments, but it also had some clichés and some over-the-top scenes that were difficult to take seriously. Parts of it felt disjointed, but I think that might be either the translation or the style; I think this book, if published in America, would have had more line breaks for clarity. It was definitely a cute story, and very sweet. I may have to read the sequel to find out what happens next.

PS, I totally only read it for the show more title—what a great name for a book! show less

I wasn't sure what to expect, but liked the idea of happiness, books, and coffee all in the title. Though I was saddened at the first part of the book (it's pretty much my biggest nightmare to outlive my family) but the growth and healing of the central character Diane were affirming. I liked her relationship with her friend/business partner Felix, and the adjustments and relationships she builds when she moved to a small town in Ireland to restart her life again. (Oddly enough, I'm also show more reading another book set in Ireland now, but of a very different nature.) I understand the author has a second book featuring some of the characters from this book. I'll keep an eye out for it. show less

I'm tempted to be scathing about this one, but can't quite bring myself to because the author looks like a nice person in her jacket photo. So, I'll just say shame on me for making the age-old mistake of judging of a book by its very pretty cover when I picked it up, and shame on Weinstein (Perseus) Books, its U.S. Publisher, for dressing up a formulaic, ho-hum kind of story to be something more. Is it because the author is French? Or because, although very peripherally, it involves a show more bookshop? It's fascinating to image search the title and see how differently it's been marketed in other countries, with the Canadian cover probably coming closest to the appropriate Nicholas Sparks-esque vibe.

Although Happy People Read and Drink Coffee was a bestselling self-published Kindle book in France, and is slated to become a movie, I'm betting that chain-smoking, drunk-driving, and frankly slightly bratty main character, Diane, isn't going to be quite as big of a hit over here. It wasn't my cup of tea overall, but was ultimately a pleasant enough read. And, to give the author credit, it did not end the way I thought it would.

One side note: There are strange French to English translation issues here, especially evident in dialogue. French characters use turns of phrase I've only heard in Ireland, while Irish ones often talk like Americans. A jarring jumble all around. show less

Diane’s husband and child died in a car accident a year earlier, and Diane is still an emotional wreck, hardly able to function. She decides to leave France and go to Ireland for a change of scene, and rents a cottage by the sea. Her new next door neighbor Edward is irrationally rude in a frankly unconvincing way, but it is obvious from the minute the two growl at each other, that they will end up together. Or almost. Complications with Edward introduce a new character, or perhaps more show more accurately, a new caricature, and in addition, Diane rightly is aware she is not yet emotionally ready for anything new.

But there is an undeniable attraction between them. The conclusion is a bit unexpected, but mainly because I did not realize there was a sequel.

Evaluation: To me, neither the main characters nor their dialogue seemed all that consistent and believable, with the dialogue often approaching the oddly hysterical. *But* - this is not only a book in translation, but a book that takes place in a very different culture than my own. It is possible that in French, and to the French, these criticisms would seem misguided. So although it may very well be a function of my own failings, I was not taken with the writing in this book, nor the characterizations.

Note: The Weinstein Company has also acquired film rights to the book. show less