Ebook Review: 52 Serial Shorts from Le French Books

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Le French Books, via NetGalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

Synopsis: Beware! Writers on the loose. Seven of France’s top authors got together to play a collaborative writing game resulting in fifty-two wacky stories. They each wrote an episode, passing it on to the other, and so forth, until all seven had contributed to each story. They set traps, had fun, and used their prowess to continue and conclude each story. The result is this collection of short stories: some are zany, some are clever, some are just plain weird, but all show the incredible creative skill of these seven very fine writers.

It is surrealistic, literally. This kind of collaborative writing–what could be more in line with the times?–dates back to a writing game invented by the French Surrealists in about 1925, called cadavres exquis. The direct translation is delightfully morbid: exquisite (or delicious, if you prefer) corpses. These corpses are not, in fact, not to decaying bodies, but entertaining seven-author stories that showcase true writing skill, mixing the styles, feelings and predilections of each author.

Review: I've always been intrigued by stories that are swapped back and forth from authors, and how well (or not so well) it can work out. Add to it being translated from French to English, and the interest factor went up a notch or two! I should not have worried- Anne and her crew at Le French Book always selected the greatest French fiction to translate and this serial is one of them! They've divided the books into 13 ebooks- a month's version at a time.

Some stories are funny, others sad, some odd (French humor at it's best), and others will move you. My favorite was I Spit on Your Grave, a short and fun ghost story, For those who love a puzzle, they also include and chapter with quips and you have to select which author wrote it! No cheating on this, answers are available at their website! This is a quick and fun read, great for killing time when waiting, as the chapters read very quickly!

The authors include literary giants, which includes two Goncourt prizewinners and one of France’s most-read authors. They have written among them upwards of 175 acclaimed works of literature.

• Harold Cobert is the youngest of the crowd. He has written six major tomes about the French revolutionary Mirabeau, and three novels, one of which one the Prix du Style, for literary style.
• Novelist, historian and journalist Irène Frain is a major figure in French literary circles who began her career as a professor at the Sorbonne. She has over thirty books to her name. She was born in 1950 in Lorient and is a founding member of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society.
• Christine Orban is a bestselling French novelist best known for her explorations of love, desire and female psychology, with over twenty years of writing behind her. She was born in 1954 in Casablanca
• Daniel Picouly, writer and television personality, wrote his first novel with the help of Daniel Pennac, and now has fourteen novels and nearly forty other works to his name, including children’s books and comics. He was born in 1948 and comes from a family of 13 children.
• Yann Queffélec also won the Prix Goncourt, in 1985 for The Wedding, which is one of thirty-two novels and essays he has written. He was born in Paris in 1949, where he currently lives; he loves Brittany.
• Tatiana de Rosnay is a household word in both France and the United States, who ranks as one of France’s top ten novelists and one of the most-read French authors. HerSarah’s Key sold two million copies in English and three million in French. She was born in the suburbs of Paris in 1961 and is of English, French and Russian descent. She lives in Paris with her family.
• Didier Van Cauwelaert is a French author of Belgian descent, who won the Prix Goncourt in 1994 for One Way. His books are translated into over twenty languages. He was born in 1960 in Nice.