My Brother Simple

Barnaby or 'Simple' is not your average twenty-two year old. He and his toy, Mr Babbit, are inseparable. After his seventeen year old brother, Kleber, rescues him from Malicrox and agrees to take full responsibility for Simple they struggle to find somewhere to live. Kleber tries to inform people of Simple's learning difficulties but it doesn't stop people from being afraid. Eventually Kleber manages to convince a group of university students to take them in. Initially, Simple gets in the way but eventually he changes the dynamics of the friendship group and it becomes apparent that although he may not be the smartest academically, he is clever in other ways the others are not.

Marie-Aude Murail's 'My Brother Simple' explores the ups and show more downs of coping with learning difficulties. Simple will make your heart melt with his pure innocence and naivety while the others will make you laugh with their oblivious nature. This novel really makes the reader realise how ignorant they are when it comes to people's disabilities. A beautifully poignant book with a heart-warming plot and constantly developing characters. show less

Simple has learning difficulties...

I think I was expecting more from this book, given its popularity on GoodReads. For one thing it is written in a style suited to quite young children, yet the content is definitely too promiscuous for that age group. For another, the translation doesn't really work; it came across as if the main characters were speaking to French people in English. And I also wonder why the two boys, Kleber and Barnaby Maluri are chosen to be of Arabic descent, an extra complication that is never really dealt with.

Barnaby, known (rather insultingly) as Simple, is 21, but has a mental age of 3 1/2. He's been institutionalised for many years, but is very unhappy there, so his younger (17) brother has decided to remove show more him and find a place for them both in Paris.
They eventually find a shared house, with four students, and most of the story covers the interaction between themselves and this group.

The characterisations were good and the way the students learned life-lessons from Simple, and vise versa, kept my attention. My favourite character was the talking rabbit, Mr Babbit, Simple's life companion and soft toy, who voices many of Simple's worries and frustrations.

A quick, easy read, but not a book I would particularly recommend, unfortunately. show less

Kleber has moved to Paris for his sixth form year. He has found a flat and has his eye on 2 different girls but life is made even more interesting by his decision to take on the care of his older brother. Simple has the IQ of a 3-year-old and has been in an institution but is unhappy there. He and Mister Babbit (his toy rabbit) are happy to be living with Kleber but nothing is plain sailing.
Simple and Mister Babbit are delightfully funny characters who are catalysts for change in others’ lives in this captivating story. This book is not for everyone but teens who enjoy quirky books that make them think; will find it rewarding reading.

The similarity between this and [b:Oh, boy !|394448|Oh, boy !|Marie-Aude Murail|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331194801l/394448._SY75_.jpg|383986] is evident. Found family, strangers showing love to these kids who clearly need it most. The one difference is these European kids and their love affairs. I don't like Enzo and Aria's little romance much cuz it's soo unrealistic and only fulfills a loser writer's dream to pull girls with his writing. It's a bit too ideal. But as Madame Bardoux has said: "Vous avez l'idéalisme de la jeunesse". Nice and easy to read. Great start for my Espace journey.

Tolles Jugendbuch, warmherzig, lebendig, tiefsinnig, traurig und schön. Teilweise zum Schmunzeln.

Simpel ist ein geistig behinderter Junge und Colbert sein siebzehnjähriger Bruder. Die Mutter ist tot, der Vater mit einer neuen Familiengründung beschäftigt. Also zieht Colbert mit Simpel in eine WG in Paris.
Insgesamt ist das Buch nett, aber in meinen Augen recht unglaubwürdig. Auch von der Sprache her finde ich es eher einfach. Meine Lieblingsfigur ist übrigens "Herr Gott", dessen Eingreifen Monsieur Hasehase mehrfach rettet.

Rain Man lässt grüßen. Ein beeindruckends Buch, voller Leichtigkeit wird die Situation des 17 jährigen Colbert erzählt, der mit seinem behinderten Bruder Simpel in einer Wohngemeinschaft unterkommt.. Die Mutter ist verstorben, der Vater lebt in einer neuen Beziehung und er steckt Simpel nach Mailincroix in ein Heim. Dort geht Simpel vor die Hunde. In der WG gewinnt er nach und nach die Herzen der Mitbewohner. Sein Monsieur HaseHase ein Stofftier ist Simpels ständiger Begleiter, der für viel Turbulenzen sorgt. (Leseprobe S. 132) das warmherzige Buch mit zahlreichen humorvollen Passagen ist wirklich ein Gewinn.