'Full of sensitivity, charm and intelligence. Brilliant.' - Antoine Laurain, author of The Red Notebook
A tender and witty coming-of-age story about the power of literature to inspire new beginnings, peppered with a cast of quirky characters and a unique heroine.
Clara is a hairdresser at Cindy Coiffure, a sleepy French salon with an identity crisis. Her relationship is fizzling out. Her tanoholic boss Madame Habib worships Jacques Chirac and talks longingly of her days in Paris. The highlight of the week was when the dishy technician came to repair the display cabinet. And now Madame Lévy-Leroyer wants to go blonde. Clara can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life . . .
Everything changes when a customer leaves behind the first volume of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. As Clara reads, she discovers a whole new world, leading her to strike up an unexpected friendship. And slowly but surely, she will work out who she wants to be.
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'An elegant and quietly lyrical charting of a life changed by books' Irish Times
'An easy-to-read novel that superbly conjures up a provincial hairdresser’s . . . while advocating that everyone should read Proust' Sunday Times
‘In Carlier’s hands seriousness lacks pompousness and humour provides a trusty defence against melancholia’ Le Figaro
‘A book that will do you the world of good’ Livres Hebdo
'Anyone who has read a singular book with the power to change their worldview will find a friend in Clara, and in Carlier.' Booklist
Genre: Literary Fiction
A tender and witty coming-of-age story about the power of literature to inspire new beginnings, peppered with a cast of quirky characters and a unique heroine.
Clara is a hairdresser at Cindy Coiffure, a sleepy French salon with an identity crisis. Her relationship is fizzling out. Her tanoholic boss Madame Habib worships Jacques Chirac and talks longingly of her days in Paris. The highlight of the week was when the dishy technician came to repair the display cabinet. And now Madame Lévy-Leroyer wants to go blonde. Clara can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life . . .
Everything changes when a customer leaves behind the first volume of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. As Clara reads, she discovers a whole new world, leading her to strike up an unexpected friendship. And slowly but surely, she will work out who she wants to be.
---
'An elegant and quietly lyrical charting of a life changed by books' Irish Times
'An easy-to-read novel that superbly conjures up a provincial hairdresser’s . . . while advocating that everyone should read Proust' Sunday Times
‘In Carlier’s hands seriousness lacks pompousness and humour provides a trusty defence against melancholia’ Le Figaro
‘A book that will do you the world of good’ Livres Hebdo
'Anyone who has read a singular book with the power to change their worldview will find a friend in Clara, and in Carlier.' Booklist
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"A gorgeous coming-of-age story about the power of reading that transported me straight to France and ALMOST made me want to read Proust!" - Lorraine Brown
"Full of sensitivity, charm and intelligence. Brilliant." - Antoine Laurain
"Full of sensitivity, charm and intelligence. Brilliant." - Antoine Laurain
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Used availability for Stephane Carlier's Clara Reads Proust