The Martins

The Martins
David Foenkinos, Sam Taylor
RRP:
NZ$ 39.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 31.99
Trade Paperback
h215 x 134mm - 256pg
28 Oct 2022 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781913547301
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
A disillusioned Parisian writer finds inspiration in the ordinary lives of his neighbours, the Martins. ' A wonderful surprise' L' ExpressIs it true that every life is the stuff of novels? Or are some people just too ordinary? This is the question a struggling Parisian writer asks when he challenges himself to write about the first person he sees when he steps outside his apartment. Secretly hoping to meet the beautiful woman who occasionally smokes on his street, he instead sets eyes on octogenarian Madeleine. She' s happy to become the subject of his project, but first she needs to put her shopping away. . . Wondering if his project is doomed to be hopelessly banal, he soon finds himself tangled in the lives of Madeleine' s family. Though calm on the surface, the Martins have secrets, troubles and woes, and the writer discovers that the most compelling story is that of an ordinary life.
' By entering the fabric of an everyday French family, he tells a story of life as it really is, with its minor dramas and major sorrows' Le Figaro Litteraire' Clever, well-written, and brilliantly rises to the impossible challenge the author set himself: telling the story of uneventful lives . . . Perhaps the most "Foenkinosien" novel of a unique writer who swims against the current of French literary trends. His style, whilst melancholic, is insuppressibly optimistic. If you had to file him in a manual of literary history, you might class him alongside the writers of the eighteenth century, but with the playfulness of Tintin' L' Obs ' It' s hard to resist getting caught up in the (literary) game when the experiment turns into one of the warm-hearted, wickedly funny comedies the Delicacy author is so good at . . . A talented author who . . . has always known how to reinvent himself' Le Figaro' The book' s success lies in its comic reversal of roles: it' s the characters who lead the author around by the nose . . . David Foenkinos is at his best in this playful novel' Elle' There' s a message to be taken from Foenkinos' s trademark lovely, clever comedy - which is, of course, a fiction from start to finish: the writer is never a neutral observer' Le Journal du Dimanche' A wonderful surprise - light, fizzy, at once uplifting and melancholic and, above all, filled with twists, role reversals and self-deprecation. The Delicacy author' s trademark is well and truly stamped on this book: a serious author who doesn' t take himself seriously . . . With the lightest of touches, the author takes us behind the scenes of literary creation, and into the eternal nebula of human relationships' L' Express' Playing with the rules of autofiction and family comedy, Foenkinos has created a multi-layered novel' Le Parisien
David Foenkinos is the author of 17 novels which have been translated into 40 languages. His novel Delicacy was made into a film starring Audrey Tautou. He received the 2014 Prix Renaudot and Prix Goncourt des lyceens for Charlotte. Sam Taylor is the author of The Republic of Trees (2005), The Amnesiac (2007), The Island at the End of the World (2009), The Ground is Burning (2011), all published by Faber and Faber UK. Sam' s translations include award winning HHhH (2012), The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (2014) and The Heart (2017). He lives in Texas with his family.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781913547301
Published: 28 Oct 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Gallic Books
Publisher: Gallic Books
Format: Trade Paperback
Height: 215mm
Width: 134mm
Pages: 256

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information