The book
Four siblings are reunited one afternoon in the French countryside after skipping out on a boring family wedding. Leaving behind needy spouses, annoying relatives, and the dull demands of encroaching adulthood, they embark on one final, riotous and joyful adventure in search of the happiness they knew as children and the bonds that once united them.
Simon, Garance and Lola flee a family wedding to visit their younger brother, Vincent, who is working as a guide at a château in the heart of the enchanting French countryside. Reunited, they will lose themselves in a day of laughter, teasing, and nostalgia. When their adventure ends, as simply and as spontaneously as it began, all four return to their everyday lives, carrying with them the magic of their brief reunion.
Lighthearted, tender and funny, French Leave is a tribute to sibling relationships, local Loire wines, and the art of being together.
The author
Anna Gavalda
Born in Paris in 1970, Anna Gavalda published her first work in 1999 while working as a high school French teacher. Her first published work was the critically acclaimed collection of short stories I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere, which sold over half a million copies in her native France and was published in the US by Penguin in 2003. Gavalda has since published three novels, all of which have become bestsellers across Europe. Her first novel, Someone I Loved, was adapted to film in 2009 and her novel Hunting and Gathering was made into a film starring Audrey Tatou and Daniel Auteil. Gavalda’s novels and short stories have been translated into over forty languages. She lives in Paris.
Press
- Mar 20 2015
“Gavalda delivers all the elements”
— L’Indépendant - Feb 9 2015
“Infinitely charming”
— Madame Figaro - Jan 13 2015
“Anna Gavalda has the ability to create intelligent dramas with a witty sideline”
— The Independent (UK) - Jan 12 2015
“Irresistible.”
— Marie Claire - May 20 2011
New York Times: "This jaunty novella, a best seller in France and Germany, is a toast to the moment in time." - Apr 21 2011
Shelf Awareness: "Laugh-out-loud funny."