The Red Notebook

I bought this book after finishing "The Reader on the 6.27" as one reviewer on Goodreads had sighted it as a similar kind of story. It is a slim novel of 160 pages and the chapters are only about two to three pages long making it a really quick read. Laurent Letellier, a bookshop owner in Paris, finds a purple handbag abandoned in the street. His first intention is to hand it into the police even though he thinks of the police station as one of those "purgatorial places like A& E, Customs Offices at Airports where your always better off outside even if it's raining." Laurent had never opened a woman's handbag with out "explicit instructions - a command only ever valid for a short time" but he decides to look inside the bag. He can find nothing inside it to indicate who it belonged to or how he could return it to the owner but it is full of other fascinating objects; "it was more complicated than dissecting an octopus on a kitchen table." In particular, he finds a red notebook in which the owner has filled pages with her jottings - lists of what she likes, what makes her happy, what she is afraid of, things that have caught her attention. Laurent is filled with a desire to meet this woman even though there is nothing bearing her name or any clue to her identity. "She was an enigma ...like looking at someone through a fogged up window." He is intrigued and feels some kind of connection with the woman - and so begins his search, a search which comes to symbolise something more powerful and leads him to something much more significant than just returning a missing handbag. Meanwhile there are snapshots of the mysterious owner, lying in hospital following her attack when the handbag was stolen from her. Words like "head injury" and "coma" float into her subconsciousness but she remains unable to wake and let the nurses know who she is. "No sound came out of her mouth," and in her dream like unconscious state she imagines herself to be in a garden with her deceased parents. Memories flicker and float through the sections about the woman who we learn is called Laure, implying a past of grief and pain. Laurent's daughter gives him an astute analysis of the kind of woman she thinks owned the handbag: "She is in her 40s, judging by her choice of makeup and chic designer handbag....she's attached to the past as her mirror is ancient.... Are you in love?" she deduces, realising that from the objects in front of her, this could indeed be her father's perfect woman. The book is filled with lyrical writing and insightful observations. For example:"If there was one thing that defined adolescence it was hysterical laughter. In adolescence the brutal realisation that the world and life were completely absurd made you laugh until you couldn't catch your breath whereas in later life, it only results in a weary sigh." There are also many musings and reflections about relationships and love. "How easy it was to disappear from someone else's life....a chance meeting, a few words exchanged, and a relationship begins. A chance falling out, a few words exchanged and that same relationship is over." This is a book about love, chance meetings, things that could have been. The author writes about having a nostalgia for something that hasn't happened and I like this idea that we can experience a nostalgia for what might have been. He writes about how easy it is for things to "pass by", something important like a job, a love, a move and how we can grab "fragments of what might have been like catching snatches of a far off radio frequency." The author's writing is simple and concise, yet rich and resonant. The ending of the book is perfect. Like a fairy story, it links all the characters and threads together through literature. We are like spirits gazing down on the city and floating over them, then moving away to leave them to "experience" their lives. This is a story of searching, of love, of belonging, of connections, of chances and the way we can "pass by" people so close "that something of the experience remains" and touches us. The best word to describe the story is charming and it is a real gem. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a short, easy read and if you enjoyed "The Reader on the 6.27" or are fans of writers like Graham Swift, you will love this book. Highly recommend!

A very enjoyable and original story

I’m clueless as to how the contents of a stolen handbag could provide such a mesmerising focus for the duration of an entire book, but it did! The distinctive purple leather bag could almost be classed a character as every item contained within breathed life into its journey: from the moment it was separated from its owner in the first chapter to await discovery by a curious bookseller, Laurent Letellier. It was in plain sight so anyone could have seen it but it was the bookseller that stumbled across it and it would change the direction of his life. I loved how a single serendipitous moment is threaded through the pages with the most charming effect. Laurent is drawn to the haphazard jottings in a little red notebook he found in the discarded bag and his growing fascination with the unknown scribbler motivates him to reunite the random private thoughts with their owner. Analysing aspects of her personality with only a handful of personal effects as clues is the most wonderful process. ‘Things’ can appear quite ordinary by themselves but combined they create the rare fingerprint of a lady’s life as no two handbags are ever the same. It goes without saying that being the custodian of this peculiar lost property will have its memorable moments, as invading a stranger’s privacy sparks the jealousy of Laurent’s partner and offers a surprise introduction to a cat belonging to the owner of The Red Notebook, which eventually makes him wonder if anything positive can be achieved as a result of his covert endeavours! As a reader I knew the identity and whereabouts of the enigmatic lady in question as is was shared with me but not with Laurent. It’s the most enchanting mystery where the paths of two people crossover without them ever having met. The ending was literally a perfectly placed punctuation mark, which will become clear if you read this story for yourself. "The Red Notebook" is a thoroughly delightful and uplifting book and I could have happily have spent more time in its company. I will be treating myself the this author's other titles very, very soon!!

Came across this book quite by chance and I am so glad I did. I would class it as a cosy book, one that you can read when life throws lemons at you.

Beautifully written and an absolute joy to read. Characters and setting totally resonated with me. Love how the author describes things in an uncomplicated, relatable way (recalling a bathroom trip the morning after made me smile). A great little pick-me-up to unwind with.

Once you've started reading it, it becomes almost impossible to put it down until the story unfolds! Then you may wish to spend a little longer with the characters. They are so lovely!! Enjoy!!

I loved the story, it was really interesting and engaging, with a bit of mystery. Special love story, unlike any I've ever read. I loved the name dropping for authors and books, I even put some on my TBR. Leave it to a bookseller to check the books you have at home. I was really confused as to why Laure never asked for Laurent at his own bookshop when she was researching. Leave it to Chloé to put those two together finally. Antoine Laurain wrote the book in French and it was translated. I'm wondering why some of the French is not good, like blanche colombe (adj/noun); we'd say colombe blanche (noun adj).

Laure is returning from work carrying her beautiful, expensive new purse. She is looking forward to a relaxing evening before the fire with her cat beside her, perhaps a glass of wine... And suddenly a robber seizes her purse, shoves her when she tries to fight back, knocking her out. She awakens, bloody, disoriented, unable to get into her apartment, with no money, no phone, no keys... She makes her way to a hotel, which unwillingly lets her in for a night, and subsides into a coma. The next day, the owner of a bookshop sees the beautiful purse sitting atop a trash bin. He takes it, looks inside to find the name of the owner, and finds a notebook, a dry cleaning stub, a set of keys...and nothing else. The owner must have been mugged. Laurent is a kindly man, and he knows the probable value of the purse. The story follows his attempts to glean information about the owner that will allow him to return the purse. And in sifting through the evidence, he finds himself falling in love. There is more to the story than that. It is a charming, skillful peeling back of layers or, if you like, adding layer of fine layer of growing understanding, appreciation, wonder and courage. Antoine Laurain is a master of conveying emotions and backstory in subtle touches. How the characters came to be who and where they are... How a kind act turns into a good deed performed for love. At its very basic level, you could call this a detective story, with Laurent, the bookseller, trying to make whole the victim of the mugging/purse-snatching and using whatever clues he can find. The subtle, deliciously handled love story is a bonus. And let me mention the presence of a teen-aged girl in this story that was particularly delightful, a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Genghis Khan. The story was originally written in French. I have not read it in its original language (tempted, though...) but this English translation flows beautifully, captures the essentially Parisian 'feel' of the story. There were no jarring notes. It is a keeper for me. Five stars.