G882 the Madeline project; Uncovering a Parisian Life

Title of the book: Madeleine Project; Uncovering a Parisian Life

Author: Clara Beaudoux, Alison Anderson Translator

Publisher: New Vessel Press

Publishing Date: 2016

ISBN: 978-1-939931-49-8

Summary:

"Simply magical. . . . Words and images, magnified in this book, are woven together in small strokes to create two moving portraits of women." —Lire

"A beautiful book that bears witness. An original compilation of traces, thoughts and photos . . . that form the strata of our collective memory." —Télérama

A young woman moves into a Paris apartment and discovers a storage room filled with the belongings of the previous owner, a certain Madeleine who died in her late nineties, and whose treasured possessions nobody seems to want. In an audacious act of journalism driven by personal curiosity and humane tenderness, Clara Beaudoux embarks on The Madeleine Project, documenting what she finds on Twitter with text and photographs, introducing the world to an unsung twentieth-century figure. Along the way, she discovers a Parisian life indelibly marked by European history. This is a graphic novel for the Twitter age, a true story that encapsulates one woman's attempt to live a life of love and meaning together with a contemporary quest to prevent that existence from slipping into oblivion. Through it all, The Madeleine Project movingly chronicles, and allows us to reconstruct, intimate memories of a bygone era.

Clara Beaudoux is a Paris-based journalist for the France Info news network. The Madeleine Project has been wildly popular in France. You can follow her on Twitter at @Clarabdx.

Author Info:
(From France Book Tours)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clara Beaudoux
is a Paris-based journalist for the France Info news network.
The Madeleine Project has been wildly popular in France.
You can follow her on Twitter at @Clarabdx

In French: on Facebook, The Madeleine Project page,
and the author’s main website
Follow New Vessel Press on Twitter | on Facebook
Sign up to receive their latest news and deals.

Buy the book: on Indiebound | on Amazon

Personal Opinion:

The book is similar to becoming an archaeologist, using objects and place to build a forgotten life. While archaeology requires a degree and a substantial knowledge of history, this book only requires two things: being human and familiarity with France because this is a story that is close to our hearts and close to our time; a time we still remember from stories. I am unhappy that the story tended to be short because I feel as if the book only scratched at the surface of Madeleine instead of going full depth, and I do hope that future twits will be translated to English so I can learn more about Madeleine. By the way, I am planning on sharing this book with my little boy as soon as he becomes far older than just 15 months.

This is for France Book Tours

Wednesday, July 12
Review + Giveaway at The French Village Diaries

Review + Giveaway at Readerbuzz

Thursday, July 13
Review + Giveaway at Reading To Unwind

Review + Giveaway at
Musings of a Writer & Unabashed Francophile

Friday, July 14
Review + Giveaway at An Accidental Blog

Monday, July 17
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Review + Giveaway at Walkie Talkie Book Club

Tuessday, July 18
Review + Giveaway at Chocolate & Croissants

Review + Giveaway at A Book Geek

Review + Giveaway at Words And Peace

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)