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The Girl Who Reads on the Métro

A Novel

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

"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

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    • Library Journal

      April 1, 2020

      Despite living in glorious Paris, Juliette's daily life is mundane. Her real estate job isn't fulfilling, her closest friend is flighty coworker Chloe, and her love life currently nonexistent. The day's highlight is her M�tro commute, when she can commune with books--both the ones she reads herself and the ones that allow her to attempt to decode strangers' lives based on what they hold in their hands. When she mistakenly exits from an unfamiliar station one morning, she happens upon a rusty metal door wedged open by a book and discovers a most unusual used bookshop which doubles as home for a vibrant young girl, Zaide, and her indulgent father, Soliman. Mistaken as the next applicant for the passeur position--a messenger of sorts who matches books with people--Juliette just might have stumbled on her dream career, but the job requires unexpected responsibilities when Soliman disappears, leaving Zaide in Juliette's care. With her light, breezy voice, her crisp British accent, her facility with French, Stephanie Racine comfortably performs Juliette's ennui-to-energized journey. She easily adopts distinct portrayals of the supporting cast, especially effusive Zaide, unreadable Soliman, and unpredictable Chloe. VERDICT Readers on any M�tro will undoubtedly find this Girl to be whimsically charming company.--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

      Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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Languages

  • English

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