French Postcards [Paperback]

Jane Merchant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2006

When Elinor moves to France with her husband and two children, she never expects that her life is about to be changed forever.

A mysterious Frenchwoman soon draws her attention, and Elinor finds herself inexplicably enchanted and unsure of herself.

As a fascinating friendship develops between Elinor and the elusive and lovely woman, Elinor must confront a startling new independence that upsets all of her conventional ideas of love, life and desire.

This captivating and haunting novel is one that readers won’t soon forget.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Note to myself: don't overlook small presses -- they sometimes publish the most extraordinary work. This is certainly the case with Jane Merchant's novel French Postcards, from Spinsters Ink. Elinor has the perfect husband in Victor. He is handsome, kind, intelligent, and a good father to their two young daughters. Born in Romania, Victor works for an American company that has assigned him to France for three years. As expatriates living in the dreary French town of Cherbourg, Elinor and Victor make the most of their situation through vacations on the continent and the relatively privileged life his salary allows. The children attend private school, and Elinor is a stay-at-home mom, except for days spent at the flea market shopping for collectible Catholic icons, usually statues of Christ. Elinor hangs with a clique of young Americans like herself, who are temporarily living in France. Their lives center around dinner parties and conversations in English held when dropping off or picking up their children from school. Speaking French, or fraternizing with other French mothers, is something that falls outside the range of expected behavior for Elinor's Cherbourg social set. But one day, Elinor finds herself captivated by Beatrice, an exceptionally beautiful French mother of four whose children are schoolmates of Elinor's daughters. Although the attraction is not fatal, it is certainly ill-advised. And that, of course, is what makes it so irresistible. Jane Merchant tells a fascinating story of women at odds with themselves and their French environment. Diane Johnson covers similar terrain from an American perspective in her novels Le Mariage and Le Divorce. But Merchant's work differs from that of Johnson because Merchant's observations of French culture overflow with self-doubt and introspection. Johnson amuses. Merchant questions. But both writers have a keen eye for the foibles of the French, as well as the insecurities of Americans forced to deal with them on a daily basis. French Postcards is an engrossing glimpse into a culture and one woman's personal journey of self-discovery. Somewhat amazingly, Merchant manages to mesmerize the reader from start to finish with her protagonist's internal monologue and the promise of an affair that may, or may not, be consummated. When I was reading French Postcards, I thought of different people I know who would appreciate this wonderfully realized novel as much as I do. For a book reviewer, this is a rare and extraordinary experience. -- Bay Area Reporter, Robert Julian 5.11.2006

About the Author

Jane Merchant graduated from the University of Illinois and holds a master's degree in English from Converse College. She lives and writes in France and the United States. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Spinsters Ink Books (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883523672
• ISBN-13: 978-1883523671
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,192,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb read, October 29, 2008

By 

Jax (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Postcards (Paperback)

I buy lots of lesbian romance novels, and have read more than I can mention online. I bought this novel from a book shop (shucks, sorry about that, Amazon). This is my first ever review, and even though I've bought this book elsewhere, I need for you to know how wonderful it is - quite simply, I love it.

The novel is beautifully written. It is told from the point of view of Elinor, an American who moves to France with her husband and two children. There, a beautiful Frenchwoman, Beatrice, catches her attention and she finds herself inexplicably drawn to her.

This is a novel of substance. There is great insight and observational irony as the story weaves through the difficulties of being an American abroad on the eve of the Iraq war. In the industrial town of Cherbourg, the American expat community is tight and conformist and Elinor finds herself making friends with the expat wives out of convenience rather than desire. Fully aware that Cherbourg, a bleak, industrial town is nothing like Paris where she spent a year as a student, Elinor slowly develops a friendship with Beatrice, and is confronted with the strictures of living a conventional life while desiring another. The growing but subtle attraction throughout this story is powerful and exquisitely told. Here's a little taster:

"But that day, at the beginning of Alexi's third school year, Elinor looked past Harriet Randall's head, momentarily distracted by something extraordinary. A tall, dark-haired woman, bent down and effortlessly lifted her small daughter up onto her shoulders and carried her past them, out of the courtyard and onto the street. The woman led with her free hand another tiny boy and her two older, beautiful daughters followed behind. At once, everything about the woman was vigorous, strong and fine, nothing like Elinor had ever seen before. There is never anything so startling as a beautiful woman rendered more obvious among a great many dull and tedious members in the crowd of the school yard that day, and Elinor tried not to gape. She tried to pretend to Harriet she was listening to her, reluctantly taking her gaze from the woman and settling in on Harriet's very ordinary features. She said something, "you're absolutely right, they should do something," and turned back to look in feigned concern for any other wayward child, past the gate after the woman, walking it seemed in slow motion, her long strides, carrying her up the sidewalk, her mane of dark hair loose to her shoulders. Elinor would not admit then that she had chosen her as decidedly as if she had stated out loud to Mrs Randall, "she's the one.""

This book is the gem in my collection. It is the one I turn to often because it has passages that simply stop me in my tracks. Like I said, it isn't your typical lesbian romance story - it's not designed to make you sizzle as it builds toward a climactic moment. But, it might make you run a forefinger gently over a line that challenges you to think about your own life and your own desires.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, March 27, 2008

By 

H. Ulla "yazzie1111" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: French Postcards (Paperback)

I love lesbian romance, have read hundreds of them but knew this would be something different because Spinsters' Ink doesn't do the typical lesbian romance. Did I get a surprise? I could not put down this book, had to read it at one go! It is an inner monologue, as one reviewer wrote, but written in a way that just swallowed me whole! Elinor's quiet ruminations, observations, tightly held feelings - they are completely captivating, and I really enjoyed the undercurrent of gentle irony that coloured it all. A "lesbian romance" it is not, but a beautiful love story nevertheless! Love the cover too!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, November 9, 2006

By 

K. Johnson (Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: French Postcards (Paperback)

When I ordered this book, I expected to receive a lesbian romance. What I actually received was a lonely woman's retelling of her unrequited love affair with another woman. Elinor and her family have moved to France. She begins to notice one of the other mothers at her kids' school and starts to fantasize about having a romance with the elusive woman. Over time, the two near-strangers begin to develop a fragile friendship. Elinor can't decide if the other woman is interested in a romance, nor can she decide if she herself would be willing to take that next step.

The simple fact is this book is rather boring. The entire story is told via a conversation in Elinor's head. The other woman's name isn't even revealed until the last chapter or so. There is only one kiss. There are no declarations of love or forever.

Although it is very light on romance and wasn't what I expected. The story is well-written, but is not engaging. Once I readjusted my expectations, I was able to finish the story. However, I feel the description on the book is misleading and does not accurately reflect what is between the covers.