I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere

Il se passe peu de choses dans les nouvelles d'Anna Gavalda, pas d'événement exceptionnel, de rebondissement inattendu, rien que le cours ordinaire de la vie et c'est ce qui en fait le charme. L'absence de sensationnel excelle à rendre le vide de ces existences vouées à la même banalité derrière une façade sociale plus ou moins reluisante. Ainsi dans Cet homme et cette femme un couple part en week-end. Ils roulent sur l'autoroute en direction de leur maison de campagne à bord d'une voiture luxueuse. Chacun plongé dans ses pensées, garde le silence. Il ne se passe rien mais en moins de quatre pages Anna Gavalda parvient à rendre poignante la solitude de ce couple sans enfant, sans amour qui a depuis longtemps renoncé à la show more vie pour s'investir exclusivement dans la recherche d'un certain confort matériel. Il arrive d'ailleurs, comme dans la nouvelle qui donne son titre au livre, que celui qui se croit seul et oublié de tous ait une bonne surprise. Car le recueil d'Anna Gavalda reflète fidèlement la vie comme elle est, avec ses joies et ses peines ordinaires, c'est sans doute ce qui explique le succès extraordinaire qu'il a rencontré, inhabituel pour le premier livre d'un jeune auteur et surtout pour un recueil de nouvelles. --Gérard Meudal--

Les personnages de ces douze nouvelles sont pleins d'espoirs futiles, ou de désespoir grave. Ils ne cherchent pas à changer le monde. Quoi qu'il leur arrive, ils n'ont rien à prouver. Ils ne sont pas héroïques. Simplement humains. On les croise tous les jours sans leur prêter attention, sans se rendre compte de la charge d'émotion qu'ils transportent et que révèle tout à coup la plume si juste d'Anna Gavalda. En pointant sur eux ce projecteur, elle éclaire par ricochet nos propres existences. show less

A short but charming collection of quirky short stories. Some lean towards chick lit, others towards depressed teen fiction, still others towards self-referential absurd-ditties. The style is lean, terse and understated, while it's firmy rooted in everyday colloquial French, lending the whole a directness without which the tales would lose about half their effect. Recommended for brief, fluttering encounters and small-scale twists of condensed reality.

En novell samling om ensamhet, kärlek och livs kriser. Det är bra noveller med vackert språk , mycket känsloladdad. Men jag är inte förtjust i noveller, gillar långa historier, tjocka böcker , men gillar man noveller så är det en bra samling. En inblick i vardagen hos olika människor , som en kort titt i fönsterrutan i människors liv

Gavalda weaves tales so true that when these characters experience what is to be their fate it is almost unbelievable that it occurred at all. Daring and though provoking, she gives us the everyday man who makes one devastating mistake, the woman who has no choice but to do the unthinkable. The characters could be any one of us and how would we react in those situations?

In this collection of 12 short stories, French author Anna Gavalda explores themes of love and isolation. Some stories are funny, some are sad, but they all feature characters who are searching for meaningful connections in their lives. I’m finding it hard to give my thoughts solely on the collection as a whole, so here’s a brief rundown of each story:

.....“Courting Rituals of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés” – A woman has a romantic encounter with a stranger, but things do not go as planned. I liked the cheeky narrator of this one, and the ending surprised me.
.....“Pregnant” – A woman discovers that she is pregnant and prepares for the baby while also getting ready for a friend’s wedding. This poignant story has, in my show more opinion, the best ending in the collection.
.....“This Man and This Woman” – A husband and wife who have been married for several years drive to their vacation home in the country. A very short and somewhat depressing story.
.....“The Opel Touch” – A lonely young woman ruminates on her horrible job and lack of love. I really liked the dynamic between the narrator and her sister.
.....“Amber” – A rock star falls in love (or lust) with a beautiful photographer named Amber. I wasn’t nuts about this story, but there’s one very beautiful and vivid scene which still stands out to me from the entire collection.
.....“Leave” – A young man comes home on leave from the army and confronts his brother and an old flame. The narrator’s character is very well developed, and I couldn’t help liking him even though he is clearly flawed.
.....“Lead Story” – A traveling salesman narrowly misses dying in a horrific accident on the highway. I can’t say too much about it without giving away the ending, but this is a very sad story.
.....“Catgut” – A female veterinarian must prove herself to the rural community where she works, but she encounters some very unpleasant resistance. I wasn’t a fan of this very disturbing story; it was probably my least favorite in the collection.
.....“Junior” – A privileged young man and his bad-news friend get into trouble when they borrow Junior’s dad’s car. This one just made me laugh.
.....“For Years” – A man, though happily married with three children, can’t stop thinking about his first love. This is another sad story, but I loved it. Another great ending.
.....“Clic-Clac” – A man is in love with his female co-worker but hasn’t found the courage to tell her yet. I absolutely loved the narrator in this story, which is one of the most lighthearted in the bunch.
.....“Epilogue” – A woman attempts to get her short stories published but runs into some problems along the way. This was a fun and funny story, obviously meant to evoke the author herself. An interesting way to end the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this collection and am looking forward to reading her novel, Hunting and Gathering, which is already on my shelves. show less

This short collection of French short stories entertained me one night while the power was out. Very simple, very short, very clean. Loose endings abound, yet everything seemed as if it had been tied off. A weird feeling.

A very enjoyable collection of short stories about characters dealing with real life issues, among which a woman going on a date with a stranger met on the street, a man responsible for a terrible accident because of a bad decision, and a student who works at the local chain clothing store and her struggles with her manager. They all come vividly to life thanks to Gavalda's unique writing style which is at once humorous and light yet deeply felt. If you read French, you MUST read the original French version to fully appreciate it. This is the second Gavalda book and there will very likely be more to come.