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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
"The Lady in the Car with the Glasses and a Gun" was written in 1966 and translated from French. A secretary takes her boss's car for a long ride from Paris to the south of France. Throughout the journey she finds traces of herself along the way -- in places she has never been before. A fascinating read.
At times I found myself lost in the events that were happening. I don't know if that was a result of the translation or the author's writing. Regardless, I stayed engaged and would read Sébastien Japrisot again.
The fact that the story was written over 40 yrs ago did not detract from it at all.
At times I found myself lost in the events that were happening. I don't know if that was a result of the translation or the author's writing. Regardless, I stayed engaged and would read Sébastien Japrisot again.
The fact that the story was written over 40 yrs ago did not detract from it at all.
So fun. This is a rather new genre for me, and I find the techniques absorbing.
One holiday weekend, Dany Longo, beautiful, blonde, secretary at a Parisian advertising agency, finds herself doing some extra work at the home of her boss, despite giving the impression to her colleagues that she has exciting plans for the weekend. The next day, after dropping her boss and his family at the airport, she is struck with a sudden dilemma - should she return the shiny, white Thunderbird she has been granted permission to drive, back to their home as arranged, or should she take off on a real adventure for once? She chooses the latter option, heading south in search of the sea, which she has never seen.
However, she soon becomes unsettled by reports from people she meets on her journey that they have met her before - the day before, in fact How can that be? As Dani heads closer to the coast, with events becoming ever more bizarre, she begins to question her sanity. Was she really in Paris yesterday, or is she the lady in the car, with the glasses, from the stories that people keep telling her they saw?
What a fabulous, Hitchcock-esque story this is! Part compelling 1960s road trip adventure, and part delicious noir crime story, this slow burn tale is a many layered conundrum that sucks you in. Told almost entirely through the account of Dany herself, it is pretty clear from the the start that she is a less than reliable narrator, especially since she admits creating a fictional image that she likes to portray to outside eyes to cover up her loneliness.
When Dany suddenly has a serendipitous opportunity to head off on an adventure that allows her to play out some of her fantasies, she gets a lot more excitement that she bargains for. There is something strange about this road-trip, and as the surreal story unfolds, it enmeshes her in the fallout of a shocking crime. Her less than stable mental state is exposed, and as she takes us through the events of the moment and the fractured pieces of her memories, she begins to question reality. Has she done these things that people keep telling her she has?
It is a long time before we find out whether she has or has not, and you are never quite sure of the truth of the matter until the delectable denouement. At each turn, you meet a likely cast of characters whose intentions may be good or otherwise, and your theory about what is really going on here flips back and forth as Dany's encounters with them add new information to the mixing pot. With lashings of mystery, and the most wonderful 60s noir vibes, this really does keep you guessing!
There are some lovely themes explored along the way in this story, especially around obsession, desire, pretence, guilt, and sins that come back to haunt us. There is a cleverly employed thread to the story around children and motherhood too, that slowly reveals itself as one that has a big impact on the unpredictable way Dany behaves. Although it is all very French, the transatlantic drawl of Jenn Lee works beautifully with the Hollywood star mystique that comes with a captivating blonde woman cruising the highways in an iconic Thunderbird, and her voice holds your attention with hypnotic power.
This story was voted one of the Sunday Times Best 100 crime novels, and although I had not heard of Sébastien Japrisot before listening to it, I can tell you that it certainly deserves its place on the list. If audio books are your thing, then I recommend listening to this as the best way to experience it. This is simply brilliant, and it held me spellbound.
However, she soon becomes unsettled by reports from people she meets on her journey that they have met her before - the day before, in fact How can that be? As Dani heads closer to the coast, with events becoming ever more bizarre, she begins to question her sanity. Was she really in Paris yesterday, or is she the lady in the car, with the glasses, from the stories that people keep telling her they saw?
What a fabulous, Hitchcock-esque story this is! Part compelling 1960s road trip adventure, and part delicious noir crime story, this slow burn tale is a many layered conundrum that sucks you in. Told almost entirely through the account of Dany herself, it is pretty clear from the the start that she is a less than reliable narrator, especially since she admits creating a fictional image that she likes to portray to outside eyes to cover up her loneliness.
When Dany suddenly has a serendipitous opportunity to head off on an adventure that allows her to play out some of her fantasies, she gets a lot more excitement that she bargains for. There is something strange about this road-trip, and as the surreal story unfolds, it enmeshes her in the fallout of a shocking crime. Her less than stable mental state is exposed, and as she takes us through the events of the moment and the fractured pieces of her memories, she begins to question reality. Has she done these things that people keep telling her she has?
It is a long time before we find out whether she has or has not, and you are never quite sure of the truth of the matter until the delectable denouement. At each turn, you meet a likely cast of characters whose intentions may be good or otherwise, and your theory about what is really going on here flips back and forth as Dany's encounters with them add new information to the mixing pot. With lashings of mystery, and the most wonderful 60s noir vibes, this really does keep you guessing!
There are some lovely themes explored along the way in this story, especially around obsession, desire, pretence, guilt, and sins that come back to haunt us. There is a cleverly employed thread to the story around children and motherhood too, that slowly reveals itself as one that has a big impact on the unpredictable way Dany behaves. Although it is all very French, the transatlantic drawl of Jenn Lee works beautifully with the Hollywood star mystique that comes with a captivating blonde woman cruising the highways in an iconic Thunderbird, and her voice holds your attention with hypnotic power.
This story was voted one of the Sunday Times Best 100 crime novels, and although I had not heard of Sébastien Japrisot before listening to it, I can tell you that it certainly deserves its place on the list. If audio books are your thing, then I recommend listening to this as the best way to experience it. This is simply brilliant, and it held me spellbound.
Interesting but unsatisfying. Japrisot falls to the mystery novel trap of building up an immensely intriguing and suspenseful narrative that he has to then tear apart clumsily in the last 30 pages to explain himself. The first two "acts" are stunning psychological noir material, fast-paced and full of character intricacies, secrets, and neuroses; an absolute thrill to read, the kind that forces your hand to keep turning the pages. The main character, Dany, grows more and more interesting over the series of events, as do the men she encounters along the way. However, the final act is a gaping flaw in every aspect from character to suspense to plausibility to atmosphere and so on. It read like a dry, longwinded factual explanation that, drained of the eerie uncertainty that overshadowed the rest of the story, struck me as weak and unconvincing, and all the unexpected twists in the world couldn't make it feel right.
It's truly a shame that Dany's character, after revealing hints and loose threads of psychological disorder and past trauma throughout, should be almost tossed aside in a single concluding paragraph.
She is far too unusual for the ordinary end she receives.
I'm still infatuated with Japrisot's writing style, on the whole. As in A Very Long Engagement, he paints an extraordinary picture of France and fills it with desperate but strong women that even I can't help but fall in love with. I'd like to read more of his work if I can find translations somewhere in this city....
It's truly a shame that Dany's character, after revealing hints and loose threads of psychological disorder and past trauma throughout, should be almost tossed aside in a single concluding paragraph.
She is far too unusual for the ordinary end she receives.
I'm still infatuated with Japrisot's writing style, on the whole. As in A Very Long Engagement, he paints an extraordinary picture of France and fills it with desperate but strong women that even I can't help but fall in love with. I'd like to read more of his work if I can find translations somewhere in this city....
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some time back I read Muriel Spark's "The Driver's Seat", which has some distant thematic and aesthetic resemblances to this book. "Lady/Car/Glasses/Gun" has about 100% more thriller ingredients, but equally full to the brim with first-person reflexive psychological insights, someone (actually, a couple of someones) confessing to themselves what a horrible thing they've done, what a horrible person they are. The plot is astoundingly contrived, in the way many books of this flavor are, but when done well, as it is here, it comes off as a juggling act involving flaming torches, chainsaws, and bowling balls with nails sticking out of them. You know it's all a performance, but it's such a good performance, such a daring one, you don't care.
This book has also been filmed not once but twice, although only the most recent adaptation is readily available.
This book has also been filmed not once but twice, although only the most recent adaptation is readily available.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Four stars for ideas and the writing in most of the book
Two stars for the conclusion by direct exposition, and for the adolescent fantasy tinge to a lot of the writing when it came to women and sex.
Enjoyed overall -- could be made into an amzing film, but also deeply flawed.
Two stars for the conclusion by direct exposition, and for the adolescent fantasy tinge to a lot of the writing when it came to women and sex.
Enjoyed overall -- could be made into an amzing film, but also deeply flawed.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This has been on my reading list for a few years, and I'm glad to have finally read it.
Wasn't sure what to expect, but very enjoyable, easily readable (the translation was excellent).
Kept me interested. A good whodunit.
Wasn't sure what to expect, but very enjoyable, easily readable (the translation was excellent).
Kept me interested. A good whodunit.