The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti (Nal Accent Novels) [Paperback]

Annie Vanderbilt (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nal Accent Novels | Publication Date: October 7, 2008

The coast of Southern France sparkles in this sexy, mature, and engaging debut novel.

Lily has come to southern France in search of a new perspective, hoping that the sun?s soft rays and the fragrant sea breezes will provide a relaxing respite from the demands of her lively daughter and her family?s Idaho cattle ranch. Two years after her husband?s sudden death, in the house that?s been in his family for generations, she finally finds some stolen weeks to make sense of the past.

To Madame Olivetti?her cranky old manual typewriter?Lily entrusts all her secrets, pounding out the story of the men she loved, the betrayals she endured, the losses she still regrets. And with the companionship of Yves, the seductive handyman who comes by to make repairs, Lily comes closer to understanding her exhilarating past?and to discovering she has a new story to tell?one about the delights of starting over.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Debut novelist Vanderbilt (yes, those Vanderbilts) charmingly wends her way through the memories of wealthy widow Lily Crisp. Lily's story spools from her beloved Olivetti typewriter at the family home in southern France. Lily recounts her travels and her life on an Idaho ranch with Paul, her husband, and his French mother. The house, inherited from her mother-in-law, and passed on to Lily after Paul's death, holds a mystery in the form of a longtime lodger who may or may not have something to do with a slowly teased out tragic secret that sits at the center of Lily and Paul's marriage. Meanwhile, a hunky handyman Lily retains admires more than Lily's typewritten remembrances. Things are slow to start, but about halfway in, the plot picks up and events past and present collide in surprising ways. The story may meander too much for some readers, but those who relish delightful prose and quirky adventuresses should be satisfied. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

In Vanderbilt’s sensuous and scenic debut novel, 50-year-old Lily Crisp leaves her home on an Idaho ranch and escapes to southern France in the hope of putting her life in perspective just two years after her beloved husband Paul’s untimely death. Spending her days basking in sunshine on a French terrace, she obsessively types her history of love and loss on an old typewriter she names Madame Olivetti. And is often happily interrupted by Yves, the strapping young handyman attracted to older women. As Lily’s past comes alive through her fingers on the keys, she begins to understand the fragility and beauty of life. Vanderbilt carefully paints a stunning portrait of love in its many forms—passionate love, married love, sexual love, familial love—set against the lush backdrops of the village on the Côte d’Azur  and the rain forest in Chiapas, Mexico. Juggling between the past and present, this emotional tale illuminates the multiple layers of a woman’s healing heart as Lily Crisp realizes that many pages of her life are yet to be written. --Annie McCormick

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451225279
• ISBN-13: 978-0451225276
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"When you write a novel in your fifties, you have more perspective on life (you hope) and can let the voluptuous side of living and loving take center stage."
--From an interview with Annie Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt began writing THE SECRET PAPERS OF MADAME OLIVETTI at the age of fifty-one, when she was one year younger than her protagonist, Lily Crisp, and worked on the novel for a decade.

She and her husband, Bill Vanderbilt, met as undergraduates at Harvard and have adventured all over the world together from the day they were married. They began in the Peace Corps in India in 1968, then backpacked to Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal in 1972, and managed after that to sandwich wilderness and overseas adventures into their working lives--Annie has been a carpenter, wood carver, wilderness instructor, and cross-country ski center owner/operator before turning to writing. She and Bill have also toured by bicycle through Japan, Scandinavia, Europe and New Zealand, covering a total of 12,500 miles.

Annie has faced some reversals in her life that have had a profound influence on her writing. In 1983 she fell off a cliff and struggled for 6 years to walk again. And in 2005 her house in Idaho burned to the ground, along with all of her family's possessions.

Her novel is named for the typewriter, an Olivetti Lettera 32 Portable, on which she wrote a previous book (the only existing manuscript was destroyed in the house fire). She recalls that it was laborious work writing on the antiquated typewriter, but that she became quite attached to the machine, which also was lost in the fire.

Annie Vanderbilt was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1946, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Radcliffe College, and has lived in Ketchum, Idaho, since 1982. She currently divides her time between Idaho and Sanibel Island, Florida, where she lives with her husband, fly fishes for relaxation, and is working on her second novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Madame Olivetti and her worldly adventure, April 1, 2009

By 

Darryl James (Maui, Hawai'i) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti (Nal Accent Novels) (Paperback)

At the conclusion of this book the main thought traveling thru my mind was, WOW! A lump had formed in my throat, tears near ready to flow. Lily Crisp and her life's journey touched a massive amount of heartstrings and fond memories in this reader. The charming, small villages of France and Mexico to the rural regions of the mountainous western USA, the local scenery so aptly described I could sense it as if being back there again. An avid reader I am not, but with my trusty dictionary by my side to really feel and understand the prose of Ms. Vanderbilt, I found myself vicariously there, shadowing Lily along the entire way, feeling what she was feeling. The surprising ending and build up to it had me sitting on the edge of my chair. This is Annie Vanderbilts first published novel? Oh my! As we say in Hawai'i, Hana Hou!...Hana Hou! (encore!, encore!). And with that, I'm going to read it again. Kudos to Ms. Vanderbilt. WOW!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am still thinking about this book.....and smiling!, October 23, 2008

By 

Robin S. Leavitt - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti (Nal Accent Novels) (Paperback)

I finished The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti a few days ago. It is hard to believe this is the only book Annie Vanderbilt has published. I do hope she is working on another one, as her writing style is so smooth, I didn't want the story of end. The character of Lily Crisp is witty, warm and passionate. She made me laugh and at the same time, reflect back on my own loves and losses. What a wonderful choice for a "book club" .....or better yet, a movie.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Book!, February 22, 2010

By 

D. Evich "Hopeless Romantic" (Myrtle Beach, SC) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti (Nal Accent Novels) (Paperback)

Delightful reading that kept me captivated until the last page. Such good descriptions of the area - I could envision it so easily. Makes me want to travel there. I would have enjoyed knowing her. Definitely had a surprise ending! I read the last few chapters over & over. I would recommend this book to all romantics at heart!