The Girl Who Reads on the Métro: A Novel

by Christine Féret-Fleury Narrated by Stephanie Racine

Overview

"Narrator Stephanie Racine instills an enthusiastic tone of wonder at the transformative quality of books in this tale with a beautiful dreamlike quality." -- AudioFile Magazine

For fans of Amélie and The Little Paris Bookshop, a modern fairytale about a French woman whose life is turned upside down when she meets a reclusive bookseller and his young daughter.

Juliette leads a perfectly ordinary life in Paris, working a slow office job, dating a string of not-quite-right men, and fighting off melancholy. The only bright spots in her day are her métro rides across the city and the stories she dreams up about the strangers reading books across from her: the old lady, the math student, the amateur ornithologist, the woman in love, the girl who always tears up at page 247.

One morning, avoiding the office for as long as she can, Juliette finds herself on a new block, in front of a rusty gate wedged open with a book. Unable to resist, Juliette walks through, into the bizarre and enchanting lives of Soliman and his young daughter, Zaide. Before she realizes entirely what is happening, Juliette agrees to become a passeur, Soliman's name for the booksellers he hires to take stacks of used books out of his store and into the world, using their imagination and intuition to match books with readers. Suddenly, Juliette's daydreaming becomes her reality, and when Soliman asks her to move in to their store to take care of Zaide while he goes away, she has to decide if she is ready to throw herself headfirst into this new life.

Big-hearted, funny, and gloriously zany, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is a delayed coming-of-age story about a young woman who dares to change her life, and a celebration of the power of books to unite us all.

“With a cast of characters reminiscent of the French film Amélie, Féret-Fleury creates a world that is delightful and enchanting...Light and sweet as a bonbon, this little confection of a book is delicious.” -Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Stephanie Racine instills an enthusiastic tone of wonder at the transformative quality of books in this tale with a beautiful dreamlike quality. Juliette loves creating stories about the strangers who read on the Paris metro. A deviation from her normal route leads her to a bookstore, and to owner Soliman and his precocious daughter. Juliette falls into the role of a passeur, Soliman’s name for the booksellers he hires to match books to new owners. Julia’s melancholy is initially replaced by tears and wails of frustration at the enormity of the task. At first, Racine gives her a timid, questioning lilt, but soon Juliette finds comfort in her charming clients and their jovial, knowing voices. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

This quirky little novel is part fable, part romance, and wholly a love letter to books…It’s a fairy tale. But it’s charming to read, and its central theme—that books can change lives—is indisputable and satisfying.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“With a cast of characters reminiscent of the French film Amélie, Féret-Fleury creates a world that is delightful and enchanting…Light and sweet as a bonbon, this little confection of a book is delicious.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Will speak to fans of Nina George and Kate Atkinson, and any reader who loves getting lost in a secondhand bookshop. The author’s love of the written word comes through on every page…This ode to finding the right book at the right time comes with its own suggested reading list for those hoping to widen their literary horizons.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A life-affirming novel for our times about the transformative power of literature and the bonds people forge through their mutual love of books. It appeals both to the reader’s heart and soul." —The Bookseller

"A delightful novel." —Madame Figaro

"An enchanting story made of literary references that would convince anyone to become a reader, even the most reluctant ones." —Avantages

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Stephanie Racine instills an enthusiastic tone of wonder at the transformative quality of books in this tale with a beautiful dreamlike quality. Juliette loves creating stories about the strangers who read on the Paris metro. A deviation from her normal route leads her to a bookstore, and to owner Soliman and his precocious daughter. Juliette falls into the role of a passeur, Soliman’s name for the booksellers he hires to match books to new owners. Julia’s melancholy is initially replaced by tears and wails of frustration at the enormity of the task. At first, Racine gives her a timid, questioning lilt, but soon Juliette finds comfort in her charming clients and their jovial, knowing voices. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2019-09-02
Can the gift of a perfect book transform a person's life?

Juliette, a whimsical Parisian, leads a life far too dull for her magical spirit. She has an ordinary office job in real estate and dates men who are positively yawnworthy. Her love of literature and her active imagination, however, set her on a path to becoming a matchmaker between books and readers. Juliette lives in an almost-alternate reality where passengers on the Métro are actually reading paper books rather than texting friends, swiping Tinder, or even reading e-books. She is intrigued by the man in the green hat who makes his way through an entomology textbook and the hopeless romantic who sobs at page 247 of every book she reads. One morning, Juliette instinctively exits the Métro a few stops early on her commute to find herself at the quirky Books Unlimited, where she meets Soliman and his young daughter, Zaide. There, she is recruited as a book passeur; her mission is to follow strangers and observe their lives in order to give them the gift of the perfect book for that moment in their lives. Part charming stalker, part literary pharmacist, Juliette is more fulfilled as passeur than real estate agent and dives deeper into this secret realm of bibliophilic cupids. With a cast of characters reminiscent of the French film Amélie, Féret-Fleury creates a world that is delightful and enchanting. As she flits about this new universe, Juliette discovers that the life she may change the most is her own. This is the author's first book to appear in English, and it's been deftly translated to maintain the lyrical writing of the original French text.

Light and sweet as a bonbon, this little confection of a book is delicious.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172748486
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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