December 20, 2010
"Any man—or woman—who wants to hear nothing—or no more—about love should put this book down," warns Le Tellier in this complicated tale of the romantic lives of four Parisians. Anna Stein and Louise Blum have never met, but their lives are comparable: both are married with children, settled and reasonably happy, until, within days, each one meets a man who will upset the equilibrium of their lives. Anna, a doctor married to a doctor, comes under the spell of a free-spirited writer, Yves Janvier, while lawyer Louise, whose husband is a mild-mannered scientist, falls for Anna's analyst, Dr. Thomas Le Gall. Comedy and pathos ensue as the cast of wives, husbands, and lovers struggle to reconcile their values with their passions. "Desire will not allow for simple explanations," Le Tellier observes as he skillfully weaves a tapestry of his characters' adventures. "When you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter which path you take," Anna decides as she contemplates a difficult decision, the dilemma that these four very real, very flawed, and very likable people all face. A touching and thought-provoking study of attraction, responsibility, and love.
December 15, 2010
Two love triangles (equal one love hexagon?) that reveal much—or at least enough—about love.
The first complication d'amour involves Thomas Le Gall, a psychiatrist in Paris. He waits for Anna Stein, one of his patients for 12 years and now finally getting ready to end her therapy. Toward the end of this session, she impulsively blurts out that she's recently met Yves Janvier, a writer whom she finds intriguing. Le Gall duly notes this information and then a few hours later is struck by an erotic thunderbolt of his own in the form of Louise Blum, a lawyer whom he meets at a party and who could be Anna's "blond twin." Louise is married to a prominent scientist, Romain Vidal, whom she's beginning to find lackluster and boring, while Anna is married to Stan, a prominent ophthalmologist. And while both family situations are complicated by children, amatory instincts begin to overtake the better judgment of the adults. Anna and Yves begin an affair, as do Thomas and Louise. French author Le Tellier occasionally and cleverly crosses the threads of his dual plot—e.g., by having Anna and Louise meet each other accidentally while shopping for clothes. And of course Anna makes her developing relationship with Yves (and deteriorating relationship with Romain) part of her confessional sessions with Le Gall. Tellingly, at one point she says, " 'if I stay with Yves, I'll have the life I'm dreaming of,' " which Le Gall repeats as, " 'The life you're dreaming of. You're dreaming.' " Yves writes a short book based on his liaison with Anna Stein (Forty Memories of Anna Stein), which Le Tellier incorporates as part of his novel. Meanwhile, Romain sets up an appointment with Le Gall under an assumed name and uses this occasion to let the psychiatrist know that Romain is not in the dark about the affair Le Gall is engaged in with his wife.
Le Tellier examines the possibilities of love after 40, and he deals with this issue with patience, understanding and bemusement.
(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
February 1, 2011
Despite its title, Enough about Love is all about love. Middle-aged Parisian psychoanalyst Thomas has been analyzing Anna Stein for 12 years. Shes married with children, fashionable, and successful. This particular therapy session begins with her confession, Ive met someone. That someone is Yves, a popular French fiction writer. Thomas is also about to meet someone, Louise, a married woman with two children. With their love affairs paralleling one anothers, the couplesThomas and Louise, Anna and Yvesface the turmoil of clandestine trysts and must decide which path to take, embracing reckless desire or retreating into the stability of marriage. Le Tellier addresses all the subtleties of love, passion, and disappointment with dexterity and a smart narrative. The novel is both thoroughly complex and utterly simple. Full of allusions, it takes on a meta-narrative structure as Yves begins to craft his own novel, but the main stories remain well grounded in reality, and readers will have no trouble relating to the characters dilemmas. Middle-aged romance has rarely seemed so intriguing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
December 15, 2010
Two love triangles (equal one love hexagon?) that reveal much--or at least enough--about love.
The first complication d'amour involves Thomas Le Gall, a psychiatrist in Paris. He waits for Anna Stein, one of his patients for 12 years and now finally getting ready to end her therapy. Toward the end of this session, she impulsively blurts out that she's recently met Yves Janvier, a writer whom she finds intriguing. Le Gall duly notes this information and then a few hours later is struck by an erotic thunderbolt of his own in the form of Louise Blum, a lawyer whom he meets at a party and who could be Anna's "blond twin." Louise is married to a prominent scientist, Romain Vidal, whom she's beginning to find lackluster and boring, while Anna is married to Stan, a prominent ophthalmologist. And while both family situations are complicated by children, amatory instincts begin to overtake the better judgment of the adults. Anna and Yves begin an affair, as do Thomas and Louise. French author Le Tellier occasionally and cleverly crosses the threads of his dual plot--e.g., by having Anna and Louise meet each other accidentally while shopping for clothes. And of course Anna makes her developing relationship with Yves (and deteriorating relationship with Romain) part of her confessional sessions with Le Gall. Tellingly, at one point she says, " 'if I stay with Yves, I'll have the life I'm dreaming of, ' " which Le Gall repeats as, " 'The life you're dreaming of. You're dreaming.' " Yves writes a short book based on his liaison with Anna Stein (Forty Memories of Anna Stein), which Le Tellier incorporates as part of his novel. Meanwhile, Romain sets up an appointment with Le Gall under an assumed name and uses this occasion to let the psychiatrist know that Romain is not in the dark about the affair Le Gall is engaged in with his wife.
Le Tellier examines the possibilities of love after 40, and he deals with this issue with patience, understanding and bemusement.
(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)