nem képes egy madártoll vagy a francia elnök kalapja! Néha mindenkire ráférne egy kis önbecsülésjavítás, hogy rendbe rakjuk a rendberakni valót az életünkben.
Aztán kiderül, hogy már nincs is szükség a varázserővel bíró tárgyra.
Helyes volt, kellemesen szokatlan figurákkal, pörgős cselekmény, remek kikapcsolódás, En otroligt mysig, underhållande och välskriven bok, Berättelsen om presidentens hatt dess resa och dess verkan är ett finurligt grepp som på ett väldigt fint sätt ger läsaren inblick i olika sorters liv i Frankrike i slutet avtalet.
Oh! I so enjoy Antoine Laurains books, . . alas I must pace myself as there are few titles available by him, Egy újabb francia kedvenc! Imádnivaló történet, érdekes sorsfonalakkal, amik mint Mitterand kalapjának kacskaringós útjához kapcsolódnak.
. .
A karakterek emberiek, az átvezetések gördülékenyek, és végül minden összeér,
Remek kikapcsolódást nyújtott, nagyon élveztem olvasni, azt hiszem most már mindent elolvasnék Lauraintól.
Hamarosan bővebben a blogon, I enjoyed "The Red Notebook" so much that I bought my own copy and three other of Laurain's novels.
I'm happy I did. "The President's Hat" is another delightful, welltold, intriguing story, Easily read, it captured my attention from the start, So much so that I startled my husband with my gasp at the first twist in the tale, Having read it prior to me, he smiled when I told him what had happened, A story about a hat doesn't seem like it could be interesting, but it is, I recommend you buy your own copy of this delightful novel, Daniel Mercier ist Strohwitwer. Seine Frau und sein Sohn sind in der Normadie und nach einem langen harten Arbeitstag gönnt sich Daniel ein Abendessen in einer Brasserie.
Gerade als er sich genüsslich über die Austern hermachen will bemerkt er die Unruhe am Nachbartisch, Dort setzt sich der Präsident von Frankfreich zum Abendessen hin: Francois Mitterrand, Daniel kann es kaum glauben, er sitzt fast neben dem Staatsoberhaupt von Frankreich, Dieser Moment wird ewig für ihn in Erinnerung bleiben, Als dann der Präsident geht hat er seinen schwarzen Filzhut vergessen, Daniel hadert mich sich nimmt ihn aber schließlich an sich,
Die wichtigsten Ereignisse unseres Lebens sind immer die Folge einer Verkettung winziger Details, Seite
Als Daniel mit dem Hut am nächsten Tag zur Arbeit geht hat er das erste Mal den Mut in einer Besprechung seinem Vorgesetzten zu widersprechen und gelangt so an ein neues Jobangebot.
Völlig berauscht von seinem Glück, dass er nur dem Hut zu verdanken hat reist er mit seiner Frau und dem Sohn in die neue Stadt, um seinen neuen Posten anzutreten.
Doch da geschieht das Unglück, Er verliert den Hut. Doch für den Leser beginnt jetzt erst das Abenteuer, Der Hut wechselt jetzt häufig den Besitzer und doch bringt er allen etwas Gutes, Er verändert ihr Leben immer zum positiven und fördert Eigenschaften zu Tage, die die Menschen entweder schon vergessen haben oder die sie Tief in sich begraben hatten und nicht mehr raus lassen wollten.
Doch der Hut lässt ihnen keine Wahl, ohne aufdringlich zu sein bringt er die Menschen dazu über ihr Leben nachzudenken.
Durch die Leichtigkeit des Schreibstils bin ich nur so durch die Seiten geflogen, Antoine Laurain schafft es, dass ich dieses Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen wollte.
Ich musste wissen, was der Hut noch alles schaffen würde, Wie er diese Person dazu bringt sich zu ändern, altes wiederaufzunehmen, mehr Selbstvertrauen zu sich selbst zu bekommen oder mal einen Blick über den eigenen Tellerrand zu werfen und über festgefahrene Sachen nach zu denken.
Cover
Das Cover ist ein wahrer absoluter Hingucker, Der rote Hut im Vordergrund und dahinter der Eifelturm, Ein wunderschönes Cover, dass mein Regal bereichert,
Fazit
Gefangen in einer Geschichte über den Hut habe ich wunderschöne Lesestunden verbracht, Die Geschichte hat mich verzaubert Velmi svieze, krasne, oddychove, Uzasne opisy miest, bola som s nimi v kazdej parizskej restauracii ci v kazdom parku, Set in thes in Paris, President Francois Mitterrand leaves his hat behind in a brasserie, Daniel Mercier, another restaurant patron, decides to take the presidents black felt hat, The hat imbues confidence causing those who possess it to each take action to change his or life starting with Mercier to aspiring writer Fanny Marquant, perfumer Pierre Aslan, and Bernard Lavallière experiencing a midlife crisis.
A darling and optimistic story recalling a less technological time and French impulsiveness, I recommend you read this gem if you just want to enjoy a lighthearted good book, One for lovers of whimsy, . .
Daniel Mercier is eating alone one night in a restaurant when François Mitterrand, President of France, and some friends settle themselves at the next table.
Daniel is thrilled to be so close to the great man, and begins to imagine that he's part of the President's group.
When they leave the restaurant, Daniel notices that Mitterrand has accidentally left his signature black hat behind, Succumbing to an overwhelming temptation, Daniel picks it up, crams it on his own head, and scuttles quickly out of the restaurant before Mitterrand notices and comes back for it.
The strange thing is that, almost immediately he acquires the hat, Daniel, usually a rather diffident and anxious young man, finds his confidence growing and his bosses appreciating him more.
So when he in turn accidentally leaves the hat on a train, he is very upset, But the woman who picks it up suddenly finds the desire and courage to change her own rather unhappy life.
. .
And so the story progresses, with the hat being passed from one person to another, In each case, we learn a bit about their story and then see how the possession of the hat leads them to make fundamental changes for the better in their lives.
The book is wellwritten and quite entertaining, though undoubtedly a little on the twee side for me, The stories vary in their interest level, One that I enjoyed tells of a 'nose' a man who used to have a glowing reputation for creating lovely and highly successful perfumes, but who in recent years seems to have lost the knack.
The descriptions of how he finds himself inspired by various smells that he comes across and how he then goes about recreating these is done well, and I enjoyed the idea of him being able to identify the scent each person he met was wearing.
Other episodes were less successful for me like the man who found his entire political outlook on life changing as a result of wearing the hat.
Even whimsy must have some basis in reality, and the idea that one shows one's conversion to socialism by buying up lots of expensive art to hang around one's home seemed a little odd.
It's not a book to overanalyse, but, . . well, when did that ever stop me I found it intriguing in an irritating kind of way that all the men in the book were inspired to change either their working or political lives, while the solitary beautiful, of course woman's story is one of breaking off a romantic relationship where she's being used, and then finding true love.
The book was written, I believe, inhave we really not got beyond these stereotypes I also didn't much care for the portrayal of Mitterrand a man I know almost nothing about, so it's not that I have a bias.
In the book he comes over as rather creepy, misusing his position as President to use the Secret Service for personal rather than political purposes, and lasciviously drooling over a photo of the woman who briefly has his hat.
For all I know, this might be an accurate portrayal, but even if it is, it didn't feel right in a book as frothy and fanciful as this one is.
Still, it is quite readable and lightly enjoyable for the most part, so I'll stop criticising now.
Not one that worked terribly well for me, as you'll have gathered, but I'm sure will work better for people who are more skilled than I am at immersing themselves fully in a bit of whimsy.
. .
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Gallic Books,
sitelinkwww. fictionfanblog. wordpress. com Beautifully written and translated seamlessly from the original French, this gentle modern fable, set mostly ins Paris with tons of reallife cultural references, is sweet, nostalgic, poignant, funny and optimistic with a great twist at the end.
Although the story is quite different, it evokes the same feelgood vibe as one of my absolute favourites, Helene Hanff's ", Charing Cross Road".
A sheer delight! The Presidents Hat
By Antoine Laurain
A French novel in translation, The Presidents Hat is a sweet bit of whimsy.
Daniel Mercier, an everyday sort of accountant, inadvertently finds himself seated next to President Francois Mitterand at a brasserie when Mitterand forgets his hat, Mercier appropriates it as a souvenir of the evening he sat next to the President.
But when he dons the black hat, he feels transformed,
He felt as if his brain was bathed in a refreshing dose of sparkling aspirin, Bubbles of oxygen were fizzing through zones that had slumbered for too long,In short order, the hat extracts his life from the rut in which it was stuck, But alas or hélas, in French, Daniel, too leaves the black hat behind him on a train, where Fanny, a young woman becalmed in an affair with a married man, picks it up and puts it on to protect her hair from the rain.
The black felt brim acted like a visor, compressing the space around her and marking out a distinct horizon.The hat changes Fannys life, too, but rather than forget it, she generously leaves it on a park bench for the next lucky wearer, a perfumier who has lost his nose.
In Batignolles, a man did a double take as he passed her, What kind of image was she projecting, walking along in the moonlight in her denim miniskirt, high heels, silver jacket, and black hat.
. . The hat gave her jaw line a new air of distinction she had put her hair up in a bun to help keep it in place.
Perhaps she should always wear it up like this and put on a new black hat every time she went out.
Donning the new accessory had made her feel somehow powerful it had the same effect as the designer clothes she so rarely treated herself to.
. .
But not to give away any more of the plot, This little book is gracefully done: witty, wry, Gallic, and unpretentious, an enchanting glimpse into the lives of a few Parisian citizens, fortunate beneficiaries of the Presidents Hat.
What a charming book from start to finish! This cleverly paced novel from a French author is the story of a hat's journey from its original owner former French president Francois Mitterand to a number of individuals who also take a turn with it.
The magic of the story is the unraveling of how the hat transforms the lives of each of them in different ways.
And how everything comes full circle in the end, A thoroughly satisfying read, I savored every page and was sad to have it end, This is a light, short novel, but that doesnt mean its trivial, Laurain introduces us to four characters whose lives are transformed, seemingly by the influence of the hat of the title.
The story is charming, quirky and heartwarming,
The multicast audiobook is performed well, Another success from Antoine Laurain, Fablelike it follows the subsequent wearers of The French President during the's Francois Mitterand after he leaves it in a Parisian brasserie.
The hat continues to be left and each person who becomes its temporary caretaker experiences something new and transfromative in their lives.
Impossible to put down, uplifting and a joy to read, it is wonderful to come across one of those 'turnto' authors when in need of a literary pickmeup or just a fun read!
My complete review sitelinkhere at Word by Word.
”Sometimes life carries you in different directions and you don't even realise you've gone down a fork in the road.
. . ”
J'adore! J'adore!! J'adore!!! Oh my goodness, what is it about Antoine Laurain's writing that just gets to me "so".
I have to admit to shedding a little tear at the end, as it was just tied together so beautifully, and there is this amazing melting moment in Venice.
But you'll have to read it to find out what this is, . .
”Could a felt hat have the power to change lives”
So asks the blurb on the back cover of this book.
And the answer isyes. Unequivocally, mysteriously it can.
, Paris, France, A black felt hat, A Homburg. The original owner being the French President François Mitterrand, Who accidentally leaves it behind after dining in an elegant Parisian brasserie, And so begins the hats journey to four temporary caretakers thereafter, While they have this hat in their lives, they find things turn around for them, their lives move forward, as if some unseen hand is moving the puzzle pieces to fit.
How can it be possible that an inanimate object can act as such a good luck charm Think of an item that is important to you.
A memento of sentimental value, Something that brings you joy or comfort, That makes you stand taller, Smile. Or helps you feel more confident, Believe in yourself.
Well this hat sprinkles faery dust over the wearer for long enough that changes fall into place like a spell has been cast.
Then it moves onto the next person, Could it be the hat that is helping these changes to take place
Our cast of players who are swept up in the magic hats path are:
Daniel Mercier who was dining at the brasserie at the same time as President Mitterrand.
It is he who first “borrowed” the hat rather than hand it in to staff at a the restaurant.
Hes an allround nice guy amp family man, Hes also tired of being a deputy to a bullying departmental head who is making everyones life a misery.
Hes ready for a long overdue promotion at work,
Fanny Marquant a woman who is no longer satisfied with the status of being a long term mistress to a man who “still needs time” to leave his wife.
What
started as a romantic tryst has lost its charm, A quickie a few times a month just isnt fulfilling anymore, and she wants more,
Pierre Aslan a star perfumier aka “nose” who has not created a scent for eight years.
Both his mojo and muse have left him he is suffering from a crippling creative block and is a disappointment to himself.
But how to get the juices going again
Bernard Lavilliére after a disastrous dinner party where he insulted his apparent close friends, he questions his and his wife's lifestyle.
And the true meaning of friendship, Does going to the same universities and same parties mean that this social circle actually care about you An interesting turn around in thought patterns and social classes begin to stir in Bernard's mind, as he dips his toes into the world of art, and starts to collect works by the then unknown JeanMichel Basquiat.
I have to say that the part about Pierre Aslan was my favourite, I adored the scene where he set himself the task of walking through the gardens to the Louvre, his goal being to identify as many of the “scents” people were wearing as possible.
So many gorgeous fragrances were named! I had to smile as I have worn many of them it was a trip down memory lane for me.
Only a Frenchman could have written a scene as delightful as this
I wanted something lighthearted to read to lift my spirits.
My mind kept wandering back to Richards fab review of this book, and I knew this was the book I needed.
But dont be fooled! Light hearted it may be, but the vignettes about the characters have depth and nuance.
Like an extravagantly well made chocolate mousse, that melts on the tonguewhere you can taste so many more different flavours than just the chocolate.
Having recently read “The Red Notebook” with Collin loved! it was nice to again slip between the covers of another Antoine Laurain book.
This guy does quirky amp whimsy with the most delightful Gallic flare,
Gorgeous, lyrical amp utterly enchanting, I cannot rave enough about the simple beauty of this book,
Make sure you check out Richards review at
sitelink goodreads. com/review/show
Pierre Aslan I cant help but wonder if his surname was an intentional choice The book does have Narnia like qualities.
You just have to believe in the magic
PS: If anyone finds this hat, you know where I am.