Customer Reviews

The Fairy Gunmother

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?).

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!

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!

I have been reading this book in French. What a find! Pennac strikes just the right balance between hard-boiled mystery, social satire, and attractive characters. The overall feel is not unlike the movie Diva, or an American writer like Steve Lopez (though Pennac is less nasty). This is reputed to be Pennac's best book, and it deserves attention and popularity here.

Meet Benjamin Malaussène, certified scapegoat. And then meet the zaniest tribe of French and Arabs you could ever imagine, all located in Belleville, a suburb of Paris near the Père-Lachaise cemetery. And then by all means *GO* to Belleville. Eat couscous with merguez, a pork-free sausage, drink sidi-brahim at a sidewalk cafe, and generally have a good time. Only then will you truly appreciate "The Fairy Gunmother"

the book was listed as in good condition. I thought it was in excellent condition. Very happy with service too.

Pennac has an incredible ease with language, and an imagination that defies defintion. The quasi fairytale aspect to this murder mystery makes it poignant and amusing, but never trite. This book is about language, litterature, character development; not about the murder solving. I read it in French, and appreciated Pennac's mix of the everyday (and even amusingly vulgar), and academic French.
I have never reviewed a book at Amazon, but felt compelled to with this book.
If ever you are looking for an escapist book that still manages to have some weight to it, this is the one.
The 500+ reviewer who concentrated on the race aspect of the book clearly did not read beyond the first 5 pages (a racist detective who has nothing whatsoever to do with the plot gets shot). Shame on them.

I read this book in it's original French, and then went on to read the rest of the series...Benjamin Malaussène is amazing. My favourite character to date. Worth a read, even just for Pennac's amazing style.

I also read this in French, but have wished that an English version would come out so that I could give it to my mother! Benjamin Malaussene is the bumbling hero of this crazy, upbeat story set in the postmodern chaos of a Parisien banlieu. His mother has a habit of being carried away in a flurry of passion, only to return each time pregnant without the father. This eclectic assortment of children grows up together under the care of the big brother and a family of Arabs who adopts them as their own. The tone of the book is light and witty without being overly shallow. Pennac touches on issues that are current not only to French society but also everywhere; racism, class struggle, capitalistic values, family values. Yet this is far from a preaching or political book. We are almost far too entertained to even realize the deeper content until thinking back on it in retrospect.

I had to read in French (I'm from Montreal). I enjoyed this book because the caracters had depth. Nothing was ever superficial. The twists and turns in the plot kept me on edge. The vocabulary Daniel Pennac uses is amazing (Parisian argot): and people thought Quebcers have weird expressions! Descriptions are very thorough, from settingd to caracters thoughts. A great book!