13 Rue Thérèse

And she is Louise Brunet, based on a real person who lived at a real address, 13, rue Thérèse, near the Palais Royal in Paris. When Brunet.
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• Book Review - 13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro - That's What She Read
• 13 rue Thérèse

However, the games these thinkers play have led to a number of literary masterpieces by Queneau himself, Georges Perec and Italo Calvino among others. Having also read that book, I knew what he meant. Though, strictly speaking, the mathematics of this novel might not be defined in Oulipian concepts, the spirit of constraint and making a novel out of a box of memorabilia is surely in the Oulipian spirit. As a young girl Mauli Shapiro lived in an apartment house in Paris. An old woman with no interested relatives died alone in the same building. This box of memories gave Mauli Shapiro incentive to create a story to go along with the objects and also a way to re-discover her lost childhood.

As we discussed, what first appeared as a gimmick, the inclusion of scans of the objects at various times in the book, becomes a fascinating addition to the conceit within a conceit that the author so deftly weaves. When confronting the first couple of scans of a letter, handwritten in French, and a photo of a man you are immediately involved but a tad suspicious. As we later find out we have reason to be suspicious though that does not become fully evident till the end.

A secretary at a university, Josianne, plays a little game of seduction with newly hired professors that she finds attractive. Upon their arrival, she is the one who assigns their office. As bait, she places the box of mementos in a filing cabinet where the professor is sure to find it. She has had several conquests before the American, Trevor Stratton, takes center stage in her trap. When he shows her a picture of men in uniform posing for a WW 1 photo she points out how effeminate the British soldiers look. When he questions her about how she knows they are British, she explains that the dark uniforms are British and the grey uniforms are French.

How did Josianne know this? Was it explained to her by a previous suitor who fell into her trap? Over the course of the book we gradually enter into the life of Louise Brunet. But, is this story real? Is Trevor the seduced or the seducer? These questions and many more will be answered only if you read the book. All present declared the book an easy read and I pronounced it a small masterpiece in the Oulipian tradition. Fiction is really all in the delivery too.

Mar 03, Frank rated it liked it Recommended to Frank by: New York Times Book Review. Josianne, the departmental secretary of an unnamed university in Paris, is in charge of allocating office space to new professors. She gives Trevor Stratton, a visiting American, "the office with the tall useless empty file cabinet in the corner. Stratton becomes obsessed with the artefacts, and what he is able to learn about the Josianne, the departmental secretary of an unnamed university in Paris, is in charge of allocating office space to new professors.

As Stratton pieces together Louise's story, we the readers are also allowed to see the love letters, photographs and other trinkets that held some special significance to the original owner. There are images throughout the book and hyperlinks to the book's website for larger versions of the images. And so there are two plots, simultaneous and related: Louis's story is not chronological: Trevor and Josianne also become lovers. But, in a twist of magical realism, Trevor also meets Louise at various points in her life, like a time traveller, transported back to November , back to December , back to the killing fields of Flanders during the Great War.

In an afterward, the author relates some of her own story. She was only a girl when the real Louise Brunet died, a widow without any relatives. The owner of the building, needing to clean out the flat, opened the doors to the other tenants, inviting them to take what they wished. The author carried the little box of artefacts with her ever since, always speculating on the possible stories behind the letters and gloves and buttons and coins: It was a slight and slender book, and the "magic" was a little silly. But it had a charm, and though I haven't been to the website to look at the artefacts for myself yet, I will.

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Sep 24, Virginia rated it liked it. This was indeed the strangest book I think I have ever read, but I do believe it would make an excellent book club selection as there would be a great deal to talk about from the strange premise of the book to the odd way in which it was written. The backstory for this novel is important. A neighbor of the author who lived in Paris where the book is set died without any family. Everyone in the building basically looted her apartment. The author's mother took a box which contained nothing of value This was indeed the strangest book I think I have ever read, but I do believe it would make an excellent book club selection as there would be a great deal to talk about from the strange premise of the book to the odd way in which it was written.

The author's mother took a box which contained nothing of value - letters, photographs and other meaningless memorabilia. The author kept the box, meaning to write a book about it one. It is entirely a work of fiction as there is no history to the woman who left behind the box. So, the author concocts one for her based upon the items in the box.

She creates a life for her - a life that includes a lover from World War I, a father, a brother, a husband, a lover, a piano student and a jeweler.

The author puts herself in the story as a fictional character who passes this strange box on to other people. One of these people is the person who "writes" the book in a series of letters that, we learn at the end, he has sent to himself in the hope that the person who gave him the box - his secretary - reads them. He scans the items in the box and includes them in his letters. He then relives the woman's life - going so far as to encounter her by travelling in time.

The end was definitely satisfying, but, as I said, this was one strange book. Jul 27, Leah rated it really liked it Shelves: I have yet to be disappointed by anything from the same imprint. I wasn't sure exactly how the story would go, though, and I found it utterly fascinating. Trevor Stratton's discovery, the box of artifacts, the gift given by Josianne, is no ordinary collection of keepsakes.

As Trevor goes through the objects, reads the letters, and learns more about the life of the long-dead Louise Brunet, it becomes difficult to tell whether he possesses the objects or the objects possess him. Elena Mauli Shapiro's writing pulls you in and begins blending the past and the present, the real and the imagined.

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It becomes almost hypnotic and gets to a point where the reader can't tell what's real any more than Trevor can! Louise's life comes vividly alive, whether she's making false confession away from her neighborhood church or having dinner with her father and husband. Trevor is feverish with this knowledge, as if he's there with her, seeing her actions, speaking her words, feeling her emotions.

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And when Louise is feverish? And the fact that it's based on a real box of memories only makes it all the more intriguing. It's the kind of book you want to read again, if only to look out for clues and to see how your understanding of it changes. Oct 10, Janine Flood rated it really liked it Shelves: This book was lovely and enchanting and mysterious and erotic and truly unique.

Jeffrey picked it out for me because he thought it looked like my kind of book. It's interesting that I read this book back to back with "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" because both are inspired by actual found objects. Mauli Shapiro's story is grounded in realism, her story is so much more colorful and so much more unique than "Miss Peregrine's" which is a fantasy novel. There are fantastical elements in this book which are the equivalent to the cherry on top of a decadent sundae. And yes, there were some highly erotic elements to this novel as well, but rooted by emotion and intellect.

I think Anais Nin would approve. I also think Margaret Atwood would approve. May 25, Ellen rated it really liked it Recommends it for: This is tough book to review, because it is structured in a way that I think some readers wouldn't like at all. It is a fascinating book, though, because it's not until the end that the readers actually gets an understanding of what's been going on.

I'm not going to spoil the book by putting in a lot of details, but I must say that the story verges on being a bit too descriptive about the characters' sexual feelings and thoughts; the author is very descriptive about these, indeed. The book really This is tough book to review, because it is structured in a way that I think some readers wouldn't like at all. The book really caught my interest, and I was unable to put it down until I'd finished it. It's a first novel by Shapiro, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her work. My husband picked this book out for me because of the title and the cover, and wow!

I found it to be a delight and quite unique. The author has had a box of mementoes for some time, salvaged from a neighboring apartment years ago, and now she has woven a story about the items in that box from her own imaginings. In doing so, she creates a quick little read about love and war, but don't let that make you think it is not thought provoking or entertaining.

Also, the color scans and flourishes on th My husband picked this book out for me because of the title and the cover, and wow! Also, the color scans and flourishes on the book's pages are a pleasant surprise. I would love to see a major motion picture come out of this. I really loved the concept of this book: There are pictures of the items in the book so these were great visuals.

Unfortunately, the story wasn't as charming as the items. The character development was quite lacking and I felt nothing toward any of the characters. The plot was shallow as well. All in all, I am glad that I finished it but it will be remembered more of a book I quite disliked! Loved it, loved it, loved it! A really good idea blending real people and artefacts with a fictional story. It's the kind of thing I've done in a coffee shop, what's the story with the guy tapping the table or the couple not talking to each other? Got a bit steamy in places but there's nothing wrong with that!!

Apr 09, Danice rated it it was amazing Shelves: This novel is brilliant, imaginative, and addictive! So many times I have stumbled upon an old photograph, unknown smiling faces arousing suppositions, my eyes studying the image for details, clues So often they are merely evidences of moments before my own, simply moments in which I embra This novel is brilliant, imaginative, and addictive! So often they are merely evidences of moments before my own, simply moments in which I embrace the real magic of imagination, spontaneously unleashed by the material evidence left behind by person unknown.

The beauty of this novel is that author meditated upon the box, imagining layers upon layers weaving a rich tapestry. She preserves and translates the mementos to the reader both as they are, and as the seamless transition them into the text of her novel. It is beautiful, a true gift to readers with romantic imaginations, like myself.

Jan 24, Laura Santoski rated it liked it. The concept is interesting - as I learned at the end of the book, an elderly neighbor in the author's childhood apartment building died without relatives, and since there was no one to claim the estate, neighbors were allowed to take some of the woman's possessions. The author's mother ended up with some of the elderly neighbor's personal keepsakes - photos, trinkets from the war, etc. The structure is also The concept is interesting - as I learned at the end of the book, an elderly neighbor in the author's childhood apartment building died without relatives, and since there was no one to claim the estate, neighbors were allowed to take some of the woman's possessions.

The structure is also very experimental, some of which is interesting and some of which lost me particularly the use of the second person in some sections. Overall, some cool concepts that just didn't quite come together for me. Sep 17, Frances Wong rated it did not like it.

This book was the worst. I would rate it 0 stars if I could. The plot is terrible, the characters were terrible people, and the style was terrible. The author had a stranger's box of mementos, and this is the best story she could come up with?! But more so- it included antiquated prejudices against gay people, women and Asians. A writer could claim that these views were authentic to the era she's writing about, but if left unchecked, without modern commentary on how inaccurate these views were, then This book was the worst.

A writer could claim that these views were authentic to the era she's writing about, but if left unchecked, without modern commentary on how inaccurate these views were, then what purpose does including these things serve? It didn't add to the story at all. Dec 07, Dorothy rated it did not like it. Perhaps I should've been forewarned when I saw the author's writing degrees. Maybe I should've put the book down when I had to re-read the first page three times to work out what was going on. See all free Kindle reading apps.

Don't have a Kindle? Headline Review 14 April Language: Be the first to review this item Amazon Bestsellers Rank: Customer reviews There are no customer reviews yet. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a product review. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. View or edit your browsing history. Get to Know Us. The book is illustrated with photos of the actual objects owned by Shapiro, cleverly used as the novel's framing device.

This novel was a finalist for the Bakeless literary prize. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? American academic Trevor Stratton discovers a box full of artifacts from World War I as he settles into his new office in Paris.

The pictures, letters, and objects in the box relate to the life of Louise Brunet, a feisty, charming Frenchwoman who lived through both World Wars. As Trevor examines and documents the relics the box offers up, he begins to imagine the story of Louise Brunet's life: The more time he spends with the objects though, the truer his imaginings of Louise's life become, and the more he notices another alluring Frenchwoman: Josianne, his clerk, who planted the box in his office in the first place, and with whom he finds he is falling in love.

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