Changes

But there remains very little here to besmirch the oeuvre of a distinctive, clever and enjoyable author, one who by his youth promises to be around with us, delighting us with unusual narratives, strong humanity and high drama, for many books to come. I'm awaiting the two missing ones – his sophomore and third efforts – eagerly, as there's no book seven on the horizon just yet. Laurain's output has often provided us with the charm of the coincidental. Such as? Well, a certain auction house presented this novel with their annual prize – and of course, it's the same auction house as is mentioned in the plot. For showing us a world where serendipity can be so entertaining, and normally so heart-warming, Laurain is my favourite. This loses some of the romance (I'll say no more) but has all of the pleasant story-telling I've come to expect. Recommended.

[[The Executioner Weeps by Frederic Dard and David Coward (translator)]] has a theme not too far removed from the book in question, but takes it even closer to obsession, with very readable results. You might also enjoy [[Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain, Jane Aitken (translator) and Emily Boyce (translator)]].