In Our Strange Gardens: Amazon.ca: Michel Quint: Books

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11 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious, April 21 2004

By

Alysson Oliveira "Alysson Oliveira" (Sao Paulo-- Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Our Strange Gardens (Paperback)

With 'In our strange gardens' French writer Michel Quint has created a short miracle with a novella hitting a little more than 60 pages he is able to tell a profound story. Many people write books with over 300 pages and don't tell half of Quint tells here.

It is a story of a French boy whose father is a primary teacher and a clown in his free time. The boy --who also is the narrator-- doesn't like the clown thing, but on one crucial Sunday he'll find out what's behind his father-clown. In a story that involves war, survivor, betrayal and love the truth is unfold.

With a fast prose, the book doesn't require more than a few hours to be read. But the feeling it leaves is timeless. We have read and seen in movies many stories about War and the French Resistance, and besides this one may not be different from what we have known, it is very engrossing and moving. Highly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Surprise!!!, Dec 31 2003

By

BA "bgaco" (Golden, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Our Strange Gardens (Paperback)

Though short, "In Our Strange Gardens" is a gripping story. The power of this book is found in the memory of a father, uncle, and aunt, and in the history from which it was penned.
The story starts at the end with the close of the trial of Maurice Papon then carries the reader through childhood embarrassment, to the Vichy Government in France during World War II, and to the efforts of two young French resistance fighters who are captured by the Nazis and held with two innocent French citizens.
The author recalls the source of his childhood embarrassment of his father who is a respected school teacher by day and a talentless clown by night. The clown persona is the cause of the author's embarrassment.
It's in the evening after the family attends a film that the author, still a young person, learns of the heroic actions of his father, uncle, and aunt. The clown, the shame of his youth, then becomes a source of pride.
The depth of the book is found with the knowledge of the events within. If the reader is unfamiliar with the history of the period then look it up as you go--it is worthwhile and adds tremendously to the story.
The story is only half of the book as there are an English and a French translation within.
It was a fantastic surprise!!!

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1.0 out of 5 stars The best thing about the story is the length., July 15 2003

By

Maurice Williams "mauricewms" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: In Our Strange Gardens (Paperback)

The description on the flap of the book is much more interesting than the actual story. This novella about two men who, during the second World War, were imprisoned for their participation in an attack on a German controlled power installation in France. The son of one of the captured men tells the story. The father is a schoolteacher who moonlights as a clown. His son is embarrassed by the clown persona. As the story unfolds, the son learns of the importance of the clown in his father's life and eventually wear's the mask himself albeit for different reasons. There is nothing special or highly creative about this text. The book contains the French version and the English translation of the story. As with any story translated from its original language, its difficult to tell if some of the meaning was lost in the translation. Perhaps that is the case with "In Our Strange Gardens". The best thing about this story is the length. Can't recommend this one.

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