Customer Reviews

The Lumiere Affair: A Novel of Cannes

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Lumiere Affair is such a quick and easy read that provides for a fun and entertaining experience. The writing is breezy yet witty, creating a sense that you are actually tagging along with a world-class film critic as she zips into and out of both celebrity encounters and personal complications. What a fun way to turn a bunch of pages!

Sara Voorhees is a syndicated film critic with vast experience and knowledge about movies. So it's probably no surprise that The Lumiere Affair: A Novel of Cannes, her first novel, has a character who is a movie critic.

The protagonist, Natalia Conway, has quit her job as a film critic to try to write more meaningful stories. But money gets too tight to mention and her old boss is begging her to come back to cover the Cannes Film Festival.

I've really enjoyed doing the interview by email with this funny, sharp, clever writer and since we seem to have good repartee -- as some writers have commented upon -- we may be doing some type of writing or work together in the future.

The resulting interview is here:
[...]

As first-time novelist Sara Voorhees is an accomplished film critic, we would expect The Lumiere Affair to include great dish--and we're not disappointed! But this clever, splendidly-written, and engaging novel delivers much more than insider gossip about the film world and its personalities. For likeable, down-to-earth, Nattie Conway, struggling to revive a flagging career as a film critic, the movie biz is just that--business. To be sure, Cannes is an exciting, important assignment for her. But even as she dutifully views movies and interviews stars, she is distracted by the opportunity to unravel the story of her childhood in France, when a bolt out of the blue literally took away her mother.

The Lumiere Affair is a great story and a rich read. If you're expecting Hollywood fluff, this is not a book for you.

Martha Egan

I snapped this book up from a local library in the "Librarian Recommends" section. Totally judged a book by it cover and omg! it was amazing. I didn't want it to end and I can't wait for her next book. Please hurry Sara!

Once you start reading, be prepared to finish Sara Voorhees' delicious mystery novel in one sitting. It's about a Hollywood entertainment journalist who lost her mother at a young age in France. Full of haunting memories and the still fresh feeling of devastating loss, Nattie Conway reluctantly travels to the Cannes Film Festival on assignment and finds herself on a startling journey of self-discovery and romantic awakening as she unravels the dark mystery surrounding her enigmatic mother's life and demise. Nattie's wonderfully wry sense of humor helps her navigate through her often paralyzing fear of vulnerability and abandonment on the "rue" to a healthy connection to life and love. Using movie lingo (which is so delightfully intrinsic to Nattie's vocabulary), will there be a "sequel" to the first novel and when? I sure hope Hollywood is paying attention because this novel needs to be made into a movie!

Like others who have already written, I found it hard to put this book down. I was literally amazed that the book entertains on so many levels. A long-time movie buff, I had no idea what the film festivals were like, especially for the critics that work them, and I enjoyed the insider's view. The writing is clever and funny, reminding me of Maupin's Tales of the City series. As a mystery, it kept me surprised. And amidst the pure entertainment, there is wisdom and growth in characters that you get to know and care for. A great read!

I got this book yesterday and couldn't put it down. The pacing is fast, the characters appealing and real, and I loved the peek into the Cannes Film Festival. I'd love to read more about Nattie Conway.

I loved this book so much I read the ending twice and cried both times. It's been a long time since a book was as fun to read and emotionally satisfying as this one--maybe Secret Life of Bees. Plus, I can never pass up a great love story. It's pretty much the perfect summer read (especially since Grey's is on re-runs...) and no one should miss out!