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mccallaycock's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
dizzymisslizzy's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Sexism, Alcoholism, and Racism
toniclark's review
3.0
Promising start and a lot of charm, but for me, fizzled at about the 3/4 mark. Fast read.
guk's review
4.0
Another book that lets me indulge in arm chair travel to Paris! Four semi-strangers in the current day share a bottle of vintage wine and wake up the next morning in 1954. They become friends and try to figure out a way back. I enjoyed the contrast between old and new Paris. There were many charms but also drawbacks in the old times, especially in terms of social freedoms. This was definitely entertaining and I will read more from this author. I learned about this title on the Strong Sense of Place blog focusing on Paris.
melinda1962's review
4.0
3.5-4 stars. Fans of Kurt Vonnegut should like Antoine Laurain. The story line was quirky and over the top. A little since fiction thrown in with time travel and UFO. The humour was dry but kept me going. The characters were brought to life by the author. The only problem I had with the book is I wanted more. I wanted to see more in the build up to the UFO. The book has a great pace going then the last 20 pages was a race to finish. I felt the ending could of been more. Hubert’s ending especially. Overall a good read and I’d be willing to try other books by this author.
mfumarolo's review
5.0
This was ADORABLE! Picturesque and delightful, like a rich dessert that isn’t big but you savor every bite. Or more appropriately, like a really good glass of red wine :) Right up there for me with The Red Notebook!
kazza27's review
5.0
Vintage 1954 Antoine Laurain
A French Time Travelling Triumph 5 stars.
I sometimes think that even though I work with books all day in a library, authors can just pass me by.
This is obviously what has happened with Antoine Laurain and I thank Gallic Books and Jane Aiken and Emily Boyce for translating. When I mentioned I was reading this book many of my colleagues said, ‘oh yes I loved The Red Notebook’! So, I have now added to my monstrous TBR pile.
I was captivated by the front cover and the plot and immediately I had visions of Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris which I love, and I was not disappointed.
Hubert lives in a flat in Paris in an apartment block which has been in his family for many years. One evening some of the other residents of the apartments get together for a residents meeting in the apartment and this is when we get to know some of the residents in greater detail.
Hubert, Bob an American staying in a Airbnb, Julien a mixologist and Abby a antique restorer all stay on after the meeting and a share a bottle of wine from 1954 that Hubert has found in his cellar.
The next day they wake up and find out that things have changed radically overnight, and they are now in Paris in 1954.
I loved how the author highlights how modern-day life has changed us as a society perhaps for the worse in some ways since 1954 with the introduction of technology. Also, how the time travel allows the characters to uncover some secrets about their families that they were not aware of and gives them some closure to events they had not previously understood.
It is a short book, only 212 pages but I loved everything about this quirky story and the nostalgic look at life the author gives us from 1950’s France.
A French Time Travelling Triumph 5 stars.
I sometimes think that even though I work with books all day in a library, authors can just pass me by.
This is obviously what has happened with Antoine Laurain and I thank Gallic Books and Jane Aiken and Emily Boyce for translating. When I mentioned I was reading this book many of my colleagues said, ‘oh yes I loved The Red Notebook’! So, I have now added to my monstrous TBR pile.
I was captivated by the front cover and the plot and immediately I had visions of Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris which I love, and I was not disappointed.
Hubert lives in a flat in Paris in an apartment block which has been in his family for many years. One evening some of the other residents of the apartments get together for a residents meeting in the apartment and this is when we get to know some of the residents in greater detail.
Hubert, Bob an American staying in a Airbnb, Julien a mixologist and Abby a antique restorer all stay on after the meeting and a share a bottle of wine from 1954 that Hubert has found in his cellar.
The next day they wake up and find out that things have changed radically overnight, and they are now in Paris in 1954.
I loved how the author highlights how modern-day life has changed us as a society perhaps for the worse in some ways since 1954 with the introduction of technology. Also, how the time travel allows the characters to uncover some secrets about their families that they were not aware of and gives them some closure to events they had not previously understood.
It is a short book, only 212 pages but I loved everything about this quirky story and the nostalgic look at life the author gives us from 1950’s France.
alundeberg's review
4.0
Why drive a DeLorean to go back to 1955 America when you can drink a bottle of wine and travel back to 1954 Paris? Sign me up. French author Antoine Laurain's novel "Vintage 1954" is a perfect antidote to today's trying times. Set in 2017 Paris, four characters are brought together to share a bottle of vintage wine made during the year when hundreds of flying saucers were spotted over France; the next morning they wake up in 1954 Paris and quickly realize that they must figure out a way to get back to the future. Like Marty McFly, they get to meet earlier (and alive) versions of their relatives and have to solve the mystery of how to get back. Yes, there is a wacky scientist, too.
I fell into this book and read 100 pages before I realized I had. Laurain's love of his city and the past shines through as he peppers his book with star-studded cameos and takes the reader to beloved destinations. One character Bob, a Harley-Davidson mechanic from Milwaukee, visits the Mona Lisa pre-plexiglass and large selfie-stick-wielding crowds. Reading Laurain's book also reveals what is lost to many people-- that the French are warm and funny (on my recent trip to France we saw a man who taught his dog to wave when you said, "Bonjour!"). He pokes fun at French (and American) culture, but ultimately, it's an homage to the past, when people communicated more face to face, took delight in the everyday, and had a sense of joie de vivre. This book is light and delightful-- a perfect escape.
I fell into this book and read 100 pages before I realized I had. Laurain's love of his city and the past shines through as he peppers his book with star-studded cameos and takes the reader to beloved destinations. One character Bob, a Harley-Davidson mechanic from Milwaukee, visits the Mona Lisa pre-plexiglass and large selfie-stick-wielding crowds. Reading Laurain's book also reveals what is lost to many people-- that the French are warm and funny (on my recent trip to France we saw a man who taught his dog to wave when you said, "Bonjour!"). He pokes fun at French (and American) culture, but ultimately, it's an homage to the past, when people communicated more face to face, took delight in the everyday, and had a sense of joie de vivre. This book is light and delightful-- a perfect escape.
asmxth22's review
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25