Sunday 15 May 2016

The Reader on the 6.27

29501558

Book Title: The Reader on the 6.17
Author: Jean-Paul Didierlaurent
Date Started: May 13th 2016
Date Completed: May 15th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Star
Final Rating: Four stars
Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

The Reader on the 6.27 was a really lovely book. It's been a while since I've read something so calm and sweet and purely enjoyable. This is a story that doesn't propel you through excitement and danger, but lets you float gently along the plot about a man torn between his love of books and working in a factory that churns them up to make new ones.

Didierlaurent's writing style is nice and fluid and works particularly well in the thoughtful first-person narrative. But there are also extracts throughout the books of pages Guylain has saved from his workplace that (I assume anyway) are also written by the author. The writing style is genuinely a little different each time, so you get this nice diversity of style that I'm impressed came through so well after translation.
In fact the book as a whole has been very well translated: from the flow of the words to the little cultural things that are tweaked to make a bit more sense outside of France. Although I obviously can't compare it to the original since I can't read French, I think Schwartz has done a really good job bringing the book to life in English.

You can tell this book is originally French through its style - there's definitely a couple of strange, quirky moments that just had my mind replaying Amelie again and again. I really liked this, and it unintentionally sent me back into the mindset I'm always in when I go to France, and Paris in particular. But at the same time it's such a subtle part of the book that I don't feel like it overwhelms the actual story with its nationalism - if you aren't aware of French culture, you can still settle into this story, and you might learn something along the way.
On top of its French identity, The Reader on the 6.27 is one of those stories where you can feel the love of books through the pages. Again, it isn't necessarily the primary focus of the entire book, but it creeps in at all the corners. The characters love books, and the plot welcomes stories in at every turn, whether it be from the books or Guylain's thoughts or little anecdotes from the people.
While there isn't a huge climax to build up to in the end, there's a heartwarmingly satisfying conclusion and that lingering feeling of comfort even though you've had to say goodbye to the characters.

This book has a lovely little assortment of characters, and while they don't really stand out overwhelmingly as individual, together they fit wonderfully into this story. It's all led by Guylain - a likeable man in his thirties who ends up helping other people through his own little indulgences like reading aloud on a train in the mornings. But around him there's a host of other nice people that come into his life in various ways: the people on the train, those he works with, other people he sees everyday on the streets, and finally a girl he knows only through the files on a USB he finds. I keep thinking of how they all fit together like characters in a fairytale: none really meant to work in any old world, but lovingly crafted for this one.

It's short and sweet to fit perfectly with the book's overall feel. Didierlaurent didn't need to draw the story out, but he still gets you invested in these loveable characters very early on. I was comfortable to stroll along with the rhythm set, even though it's a lot slower than what I mostly read.

The Reader on the 6.27 was exactly the kind of book I was looking for: relaxed, sweet and loveable. I love my fantasy adventures, but sometimes it's nice to just take it a little slower. This book was a contemporary without the over-fluffy romance or the stereotypical family problems. Just a quiet little tale that didn't need to shout to make me enjoy it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting just a gentle break from the big loud world.

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