The Red Notebook

Laure is returning from work carrying her beautiful, expensive new purse. She is looking forward to a relaxing evening before the fire with her cat beside her, perhaps a glass of wine... And suddenly a robber seizes her purse, shoves her when she tries to fight back, knocking her out. She awakens, bloody, disoriented, unable to get into her apartment, with no money, no phone, no keys... She makes her way to a hotel, which unwillingly lets her in for a night, and subsides into a coma. The next day, the owner of a bookshop sees the beautiful purse sitting atop a trash bin. He takes it, looks inside to find the name of the owner, and finds a notebook, a dry cleaning stub, a set of keys...and nothing else. The owner must have been mugged. Laurent is a kindly man, and he knows the probable value of the purse. The story follows his attempts to glean information about the owner that will allow him to return the purse. And in sifting through the evidence, he finds himself falling in love. There is more to the story than that. It is a charming, skillful peeling back of layers or, if you like, adding layer of fine layer of growing understanding, appreciation, wonder and courage. Antoine Laurain is a master of conveying emotions and backstory in subtle touches. How the characters came to be who and where they are... How a kind act turns into a good deed performed for love. At its very basic level, you could call this a detective story, with Laurent, the bookseller, trying to make whole the victim of the mugging/purse-snatching and using whatever clues he can find. The subtle, deliciously handled love story is a bonus. And let me mention the presence of a teen-aged girl in this story that was particularly delightful, a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Genghis Khan. The story was originally written in French. I have not read it in its original language (tempted, though...) but this English translation flows beautifully, captures the essentially Parisian 'feel' of the story. There were no jarring notes. It is a keeper for me. Five stars.

Le Figaro says the author is a storyteller, and this is a fetching tale. If you love Paris, this book takes you into the minds and hearts of two Parisians who seem destined to meet. Laure is a bit of a mystery - you meet her in the first pages when she is mugged in front of her apartment building and the thief steals her purse. Laurent is a bookseller who finds her mauve bag and tries to solve the mystery of who she is through the contents of her purse. Of course, he finds her beguiling. One review said fans of the French novel THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG - one of my two favorite novels of the past 25 years - would enjoy this book. Yes, there are some commonalities. Like other readers, I wish this book had been longer. The characters still seemed a tad remote to me. You want to get to know them better. Saw that the rights had been bought to make into a film. It seems a natural for a film. It is pleasant to read something upbeat for a change. It is a fun summer read if you want something light and lovely.

This is a sweet, sweet little nugget of a book. This is a charming love story of two basically happy, but lonely souls finding each other through the mystery of a stolen bag in Paris. It was a bright spot in my reading because it was so upbeat, the characters were friendly, and I always enjoy reading a foreign translation. It feels like a glimpse into another world. This book is a great way to pass an afternoon in the sunshine, or a long flight to London.

This is the first book by Antoine Laurain I've read and I enjoyed it. We jump right into the action with Laure and we're hit with the issue of her purse after a somewhat violent purse snatching. In the next chapter, we jump to Laurent who you seem to automatically know is a good guy. As the story progresses and his curiosity gets the best of him, leading him on a mission to try to find the owner of a purse that lacks any sort of ID. He pieces together the kind of woman she is, becoming more and more interested in the woman whose little red moleskin contains random, personal thoughts. Laure later mirrors his detective skills in an effort to find her purse-returning hero. I find the third person omniscient POV fun and enjoy experiencing the book from multiple character's views. It raises the anticipation, knowing you know something that a particular character doesn't and are just waiting for the conflict to peak. That being said, the story has a moderate level of mystery, a good dose of subtle humor, and isn't weight down by a painful amount of drama or unresolved sexual tension a regular romance novel would flood with. It was a slow, steady burn and despite some questionable stalking on both Laure and Laurent's parts, you're rooting for them - the woman who lost her purse and the man who found it - as they fall in love with a person they've never met, based solely on the content of her purse and his kind actions without want recognition.

This is a very quick read, which I thoroughly enjoyed during the several hours if my time it occupied this afternoon. I love Paris, I love books, I love Patrick Modiano, all of which were elements of this story. It is a little bit of a mystery and the beginnings of a love story. Good choice for a light read.

Enjoyable recommended to me by 2 friends, one who is French. I got the red hardback which would make a nice, charming gift. Was also easy to find around the house I took my time reading it. Appreciated the supporting cast of characters. It is like a long short story

Clever story buoyed my very good writing.

I adore this book! I don't give many 5-star ratings but this one absolutely deserves it. I started reading it on the train and immediately fell into the story. The whole thing felt like a conversation with an old friend. It was cozy, like being wrapped up in your favorite sweater near a roaring fire with the best cup of tea. It reminded me a bit of the film Amelie in its style and arc. I'm completely enamored! The technical things: the characters are well-developed for a shorter story. The pacing is great; it isn't too fast, nor does it drag. The arc of the story is subtle yet appealing. I realize it won't please everyone because the events aren't gripping, fast-paced, exciting occasions. They're quiet moments, soft and a touch above ordinary. It's that almost-yet-not-quite-ordinary quality that I loved the most. I could see this happening to someone I know. Thank you, Mr. Laurain, for writing such a beautiful book!

Came across this book quite by chance and I am so glad I did. I would class it as a cosy book, one that you can read when life throws lemons at you.

Beautifully written and an absolute joy to read. Characters and setting totally resonated with me. Love how the author describes things in an uncomplicated, relatable way (recalling a bathroom trip the morning after made me smile). A great little pick-me-up to unwind with.

Once you've started reading it, it becomes almost impossible to put it down until the story unfolds! Then you may wish to spend a little longer with the characters. They are so lovely!! Enjoy!!

I loved the story, it was really interesting and engaging, with a bit of mystery. Special love story, unlike any I've ever read. I loved the name dropping for authors and books, I even put some on my TBR. Leave it to a bookseller to check the books you have at home. I was really confused as to why Laure never asked for Laurent at his own bookshop when she was researching. Leave it to Chloé to put those two together finally. Antoine Laurain wrote the book in French and it was translated. I'm wondering why some of the French is not good, like blanche colombe (adj/noun); we'd say colombe blanche (noun adj).

It is a contemporary romance novel perfect for a beach day. It is an amazing love story set in paris. I had read this book in two days, so you can imagine how amazing this book is!!