The Fairy Gunmother [Hardcover]

Daniel Pennac (Author), Ian Monk (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Maybe the worst indignity for a Paris cop is to be shot dead by an old granny he is trying to help cross the street in Paris on a frosty morning. An old lady needs protection with so many druggies around these days. Dressed as an elderly Vietnamese woman, Inspector Van Thian goes to investigate. Daniel Pennac’s “Belleville Quintet,” a cult success in France, also includes The Scapegoat, Monsieur Malaussene, Passion Fruit, and Write to Kill.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

French novelist Pennac arrives in America with his stylish second crime novel (published in France as La Fee carabine, in 1987) featuring mild-mannered publishing peon Benjamin Malaussene. In the ethnic Parisian neighborhood of Belleville, a sinister plot emerges to get old people hooked on drugs, steal their apartments and, sometimes, kill them in the process. The case befuddles the Paris police force, especially when the "wrinklies," as they are lovingly called, train themselves to shoot back at their tormentors. The detectives on the case are young, effete Pastor, who wrings confessions by being nice, and half-Vietnamese Van Thian, who operates undercover as the aged Widow Ho Chi Minh. Meanwhile, narrator Malaussene staves off threats of dismissal from his ogre employer and (out of his love for a curvaceous journalist) takes several of the wayward "granddads" into his already overflowing family of dotty siblings and their ever-prolific mother. Pennac's slang-smart police procedural is a terrifically energetic effort, with a memorable roster of distinct characters (especially the granddads). Translator Monk has tackled many of Georges Perec's works. Still, the novel is a bit of a throwback: while Pennac does take pains to be politically correct, his stereotyped women are as out-of-date as their typewriters.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harvill Press (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860463258
• ISBN-13: 978-1860463259
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,931,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beauty is precious, August 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fairy Gunmother (Hardcover)

Life is too serious to be spent reading crime fiction. And most crime writers are too in awe of themselves to write a good story, rather rendering technical reports readable and twisting shaky plots as if they were helter-skelter designers. I have made exceptions in the past, for the likes of Chandler and Hammett, who could use language with skill. I've even made allowances for James Ellroy, but I think I might just have been revisiting the Stephen King phase of my youth there.

Time for another exception to the rule. The Fairy Gunmother, by Daniel Pennac. No summation of its plot would do it justice. Suffice to say it's set in Paris (originally written in French, translated into English) its got old people, drugs, guns, good guys and bad guys and some very very very likeable characters. Just find it and read it and bathe in the beauty of the writing. It's got all the characteristics you'd want of an old friend, plus a plot twist or two that might genuinely surprise you (now how often does that happen?).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The funniest mystery in years., March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fairy Gunmother (Paperback)

How about going to your job every day knowing that people are going to scream at you all day long? How about being paid precisely for that? This is the life of Benjamin Malaussene, in this second book of misadventures, this time with old people dying everywhere he sets foot. Brilliantly interwoven in the comedy and mystery of the book is a clear social commentary on the ambient racism in France, as well as on poverty, morality, and drugs (don't forget drugs...) Although not as funny as its predecessor and not as brilliant as its successor, this book is most certainly a must for anyone who wants to have a great time while reading something that is actually meaningful. Welcome to the world of the Professional Scapegoat!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pennac is the most exciting French contemporary writer!, August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fairy Gunmother (Hardcover)

I have now read all four novels about the Malaussene Family saga a dozen times each. It was love at first sight. Pennac's plots are always solid, while being at the time the support for his social comment. I actually translated last year The Fairy Gunmother (although I called it The Shotgun Fairy), for fun, so that I could share my favourite author with my French-Language challenged friends. Those who did not like the book aren't my friends anylonger!