Left Bank

by Kate Muir

A devilishly sneaky, chic, and ironic peek at the glittering inhabitants of Paris’s most exclusive neighborhood

Olivier and Madison Malin have what most celebrity magazines would call the perfect life. Olivier is a telegenic version of Sartre: philosopher, gourmand, and media personality—the darling of Paris’s most exclusive cafés, as well as the darling of more than one mistress. And Madison’s celebrity has eclipsed even her husband’s. An American film star turned Parisian It girl, Madison has buried her Texas upbringing—along with a few years from her true age—beneath the trappings of an exquisitely decorated salon, an impeccable French accent, and a collection of couture gowns. Together, Olivier and Madison are the toast of Paris’s neighborhood of neighborhoods, the Left Bank, where the perfect couple and their friends indulge in fine wines, bon mots, and some exceptional cheeses.

Everything looks flawless, if a touch pretentious. But when their precocious trophy daughter Sabine goes missing at a European mega-amusement park, her self-centered parents are finally forced to focus on something other than their own reflections.

With the sting of a good Camembert, Kate Muir’s fiction debut is a sophisticated, fun, and delightfully satirical look at family life along Paris’s Left Bank that will have readers of all ages hungry for more.

Genres: Fiction, France, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Drama, Love, Book Club

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Kate Muir studied Politics at the University of Glasgow.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So. The cover is very pretty and I bought it for a few pence, so all is not lost. But - no. No, this was not for me. Maybe I should I have realised it wasn't going to be something I would love when the enticing quote on the front was from the Daily Mail. "I don't expect to find a more exquisitely written or enjoyable book this year!"

Well. How about Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, which also came out in 2006? Or The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier? Or Black Swan Green - one of my all-time favourite books - by David Mitchell? Or blimey, I don't know... the first Twilight book? Read that instead.

I think this is a little tongue-in-cheek, but I can't really tell. Two-dimensional caricatures of rich, beautiful, vain, boring, foolish and utterly ridiculous people are not really my thing.
There is an affair. People are bored with each other. Money is spent. Children are ignored. You know the score.

If I've sold it to you - and I'm sure I have - you can have my copy.

[eRin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Olivier and Madison Malin are France's golden couple--she a former Texan turned successful French actress, he the best philosopher of the day. The actuality of their lives, however, is not as glamourous as the magazines depict. They have grown apart and the only thing that connects them is their seven-year-old daughter, Sabine. Then one day, on a family outing to an amusement park, Sabine disappears and the couple are forced to come together.

This book is not good. In fact, I hated it. The characters are absolutely horrible and self-centered. The only one I liked was Sabine. I was counting down the pages almost from the get-go, hoping that it would improve. It didn't. The cover is the only thing I liked about it.

[Dolly Strutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

une belle histoire d'amour, de désir, de tentation et de passion.
(A beautiful story of love, desire, temptation and passion.)

[Brianna Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
I definitely wasn't expecting this book. I read it on a fluke, and was completely sucked in. It wasn't until the last few chapters that I liked any of the characters apart from the stuffy Malin couple's daughter, Sabine. This was the strange thing about the book. My lack of attachment allowed me to be a sort of outside viewer looking in, unaffected by the scandalous way the couple lived their life. Had I cared about Madison, I would have been revolted by Olivier's constant affairs. Instead, I enjoyed having a perspective into their lavish, pretentious, ridiculous life.

I was so happy with the character development by the end of the book, especially Madison's. She came out as my favourite character, when I had initially despised her. I was disappointed in Anna and unsurprised with Olivier, but I was very happy that Sabine could live a better life.

I really enjoyed the glam and ritz of the book. I found myself looking up a lot of the places mentioned; it was nice to learn about new places. As well, the little tidbits of upscale Paris life- the gilded frames, trips to ridiculously priced cheese shops, and the passions of Parisian food lovers was excellent.

All in all, a fun read.

[Rachel]

“Left Bank” has real promise, though it didn’t entirely deliver. There’s a great setting, of course, and fairly interesting characters. What separates a book like this from being literature, and leaves it in the chic lit category, is what Muir does (and doesn’t do) with these characters. I enjoyed the progress of the nanny and the American actress-turned-French celebrity, though I felt the philosopher/philanderer was left rather flat in comparison. This was an entirely enjoyable quick read, just not the most intelligent bit of fiction you’re likely to find.

[Daria Ageeva · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is set in Paris which is a bonus and begins with some potential. The Malin’s (Madison, Olivier and their daughter Sabine) are in a Parisian theme park when little 7 year old Sabine goes missing and their world is turned upside down. The prologue finishes on a cliffhanger and you buckle yourself in for a ride. Only to be left disappointed. The book then goes back in time and has three points of view, Madisons, Oliviers and Anna Ayer (their live in nanny). The author spends just over 200 pages discussing affairs and philosophy with lots of rich people problems that I found difficult to relate to or interested to read, a book of this size I’d usually finish in two days and it took me four just to find the motivation to read it all).

Long story short, because this felt like a long story, Olivier was a serial cheater and when the new nanny turns up he is fascinated with her and peruses her, Anna gives into Olivier and they start to sneak around in sleazy hotels and catching an hour in a bar here and there when they can. As this is going on the author attempts to set the mood about Sabines disappearance by giving the reader clues on which characters may have potentially taken her, such as the obsessed house keeper Luiza who has been working for the Malins all of Sabines life, or perhaps it’s the Chechen men she hangs round with that have an issue with Olivier. However when it’s all said and done Sabine wasn’t kidnapped she had merely got in a taxi and went home as she was annoyed her parents were arguing, seemed like Sabine was wiser and more mature than all the adults in her life.

Once we know Sabine is safe and sound, Madison has a revelation that she is no longer happy in a marriage with Olivier and that she doesn’t want him anymore. He moves to the apartment downstairs and peruses his relationship with Anna who was obviously fired when the affair was exposed. Anna attempts to meet her estranged father however she realises that it’s all to much for her and better to have a life with Olivier than to dig out the past.

The philosophy went over my head a little bit, but what didn’t was the constant talk of affairs, French stereotypes, cheese and wine, however I wish the author had focused on Olivier instead and perhaps it would of been beneficial for him to learn a lesson or two and I’m not talking about the pie throwing or the computer being ruined during the robbery, at the end of the book Madison is painted out to be this woman who has changed her life for the better where as Olivier has not learnt a thing and has remained the same, still going to sleazy hotels but this time not with Anna.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The descriptions of Paris were beautiful and I took some insights into French philosophy onboard. The plot was rather slow and ultimately I really despised the character of 'Olivier' so much that it made it difficult to read this story, as he was extremely unlikeable. However, it was something a bit different and depicted a rather intriguing French aristocracy.

[Donna Regan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m being kind with that rating. Poor rich couple discovers their marriage is a poor front at the expense of their daughter. The self absorbed mother suddenly becomes mother of the year and the philandering husband gets set free only to fall into his same habits. It was difficult to read and I skipped pages just to get through it quicker at no expense to understanding the story. I only paid $0.50 for it so no great loss but I didn’t get $0.50 worth of a good book.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already read this book but saw it at the library and had to get it again and re-read it. It is funny, satirical and well-written. Kate Muir is a newspaper writer in London but was working in Paris for a number of years. I didn't really think about it the first time I read this but the two main women in the book are not French! The oh so "french" actress, Madison, is a Texan and the nanny turned home wrecker, Anna is British. This book was published in 2006 and Kate has not written another novel since. I wish she would! She has a great flair for creating memorable characters and interesting story line.

[Jessorella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was lovely to read in the garden in the warm springtime weather. It has some beautiful descriptions of Paris, cuisine, architecture and countryside and I always love a book that paints beautiful pictures with its words. The characters, however, I’m afraid I couldn’t warm to quite as much - although I did like the turnaround in Madison’s character arc in the third act of the book. I didn’t find the book to be hugely page-turnerish, but it was nice to read.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not a favourite, yet mindless enough to tear through on a lazy day off.

[Maire Naughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern comedy of manners - light hearted engaging read about an American actress and French philosopher and their less than perfect marriage

[Lisbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Left Bank" by Kate Muir. It is an easy enough read about a fashionable couple, Madison and Olivier, living on the left bank in Paris. They are both successful people, she an actress and he a philosopher. Very busy with their own careers they have hardly time for their daughter Sabine. Into their lives enters nanny Anna.

It starts with a family visit to Disneyland, Paris and a dramatic event. The story leaves us there to take us back in time to introduce us to the characters, their lives and loves. It is a typically French story, and it takes us to wonderful places around Paris that you just long to visit yourself. It turns out that the happy, fashionable couple is not that happy after all. The title of this book could as well has been "keeping up appearances" because that is what their lives are about.

Both Madison and Olivier are now in their mid-forties and the popularity of their younger selves more difficult to keep up. Then something happens (this is where we catch up events from the Prologue) that makes, at least Madison realise, that there might be more important thing in life than keeping your body and face in perfect condition. In a way Olivier also realises, but it is more difficult for him to adjust, at least for a longer time. What is life without the exiting lunch meeting with your lover in a small hotel?

On the front cover it says that it is "Intoxicating, witty and delicious, like Paris itself..." and that is true. It is a charming story, very Parisian, but with dark undertones on how it is to grow older and having to realise what is important in life and the necessity to adjust your life style accordingly. Which does not necessarily leads to a lesser life. I liked the book and it is perfect as an easy summer read.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivier and Madison Malin are a celebrity couple in Paris. He’s a celebrated and dashing philosopher with a tv show, and she is an American who moved to Paris to study but became a model and and actress. Their marriage is not as perfect though, but they never notice because they are so busy with their work and an endless string of premieres and galas. A maid cooks all their food and a nanny takes care of their daughter. But there is an awakening waiting round the corner for them.

The book is told from three persons’ perspectives: Anna, the British nanny, Olivier and Madison. The dialogue is occasionally quite entertaining. All characters come into situations that make them reflect on their behaviors, and some interesting insights are sprinkled throughout the book, more than I expected actually. But in the end I felt that the characterization is oversimplified. In the first half or 2/3 of the book, Madison is the “villain” and Olivier is described in a more generous and forgiving light. Towards the end, suddenly the tables turn and it’s Olivier who is the bad guy, who will never learn or improve his ways, whereas Madison completely recreates herself and becomes almost the hero of this story.

[Susan Leonard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up second hand at a charity sale, and thought it might be interesting as I have visited Paris twice.

The story started well, and introduced some complex, interesting characters, the writing reminding me of Jojo Moyes. Regrettably the rest of the book did not live up to this early promise. By midpoint I was getting bored, nothing was happening and the development of the characters began to border on caricature. The final stretch improved with some more action, and an ending which wrapped up the storyline.

Mentioned in the story were parts of Paris I have visited, but disappointingly - especially as the author has written a non-fiction guide to Paris - I got no sense of 'being in', or what it might be like to 'live in', Paris .

[S. Az · Rating 5 out of 5]

an intricate fantasy of living a dramatic life in Paris. the story exposed the Parisian (extra)marital norms in a most informative fashion. the pacing was a bit strange, with the second half of the book jam-packed with plot developments.
i really enjoyed the Anna’s descent into mistresshood and Madison’s phoenix arc. the characters were well-developed, and the writing style was witty. very funny that the author is from London, because i’m not sure how accurate the Parisian lifestyle is, but that doesn’t matter.

[Agatha St. Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not high literature. This is Crazy Rich Asians but set in France and slightly more pretentious. Actually, it's quite pretentious. And the sad thing is, it does have potential, but it is so caught up in its false literary-ness that one is left with 300 pages of cliches and over-written soap opera scenes. But I guess I came for the cliches and the oh-la-la-la adultery-in-Paris, so-- 3 stars.

[Ilse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked how the story started and expected the missing of Sabine to be solved at the end. To my surprise it was already solved somewhere halfway. That was unexpected. I wondered where the story would go from there. It was a good read but not something I would read again. I thought the parents be very unlikable.

[Dale Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an absolute waste of time. Horrid characters, of whom only one redeems themself by the end. At least there was reasonable pace to the book, so time didn’t stand still whilst the story drudged on, but still took all my stubbornness to get through it… and be left feeling nothing by the last page.

[Irene Adler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned due to 50 page rule.

I was already bored in somewhere around 30 pages in but I kept going to page 64 because I was too comfortable to get up and exchange books. Wish I had though, reading minutes I won't get back.

Not even the Paris setting can save this one.

[Kelli Hughes · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started out well with the disappearance of Sabine on the Disney ride so I kept going to p100. I lived in Paris once and thought this would remind me of all the wonderful experiences I enjoyed. Not at all. The couple were boring spoilt brats who’s company I refused to keep any longer.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more like 3.75 stars for me. I enjoyed the Paris setting very much.

[Stefani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, not a fan at all. Will get rid of my copy.

[Maryem Ben Mansour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book as it really portrayed how we all are self centered. The end is not a perfect one nor the core of the story. Thank you Muir.

[Joyce Gauthier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read . . . . Paris setting, what's not to love!

[Tessa De Roo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bizarre. What on earth is this silly book about? I just finished it and I'm still not sure...

[Amanda Goldsworthy]

Gave up within several pages , book not for me

[Charlotte-Elizabeth Garwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, light and made me feel like I was roaming around the Parisian streets at night. Not the most complex book but worth reading if you're looking for something that transports you to Paris!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice imagery about Paris and food but non of the characters are sympathetic and it all feels a bit pointless.

[Gregg Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, fun to read, engaging characters. The plot could have been a bit more compelling, but I enjoyed the book.