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Sans Atout #1
Sans Atout et le cheval fantôme
Ce sont certainement les dernières vacances que François, dit Sans Atout, va passer au château familial de Kermoal. Son père, l'avocat maître Robion, veut le vendre. Le coeur serré, le jeune garçon retrouve la vieille forteresse et les Jaouen qui veillent sur elle. Il ne les reconnaît pas : ils ont un comportement si étrange ! Pourquoi parlent-ils tous si bas ? Sans Atout sent planer un mystère. C'est alors que Jean-Marc, le fils des Jaouen, l'avertit : "À minuit, regarde à travers les fentes des volets..."
176 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1971
4 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Boileau-Narcejac
144 books81 followersPierre Boileau and Pierre Ayraud (aka Thomas Narcejac) were French authors who specialized in police stories. They collaborated as "Boileau-Narcejac," with plots from Boileau. Narcejac provided most of the atmosphere and characterisations in each novel.
Each of them were highly successful alone before beginning their work together. The Prix du Roman d'Aventures, one of the most important literary awards in France, is given each year to the author of the best example of detective fiction in the world. Boileau won it in 1938 for Le Repos de Bacchus . Narcejac received it for La Mort est du Voyage in 1948. They met at the 1948 awards dinner.
While most of their works stand alone, they also wrote the "Sans Atout" series for young readers.
Two of their novels, Celle qui n'était plus and D'entre les morts , were adapted into films (respectively, Les Diaboliques and Vertigo)
Each of them were highly successful alone before beginning their work together. The Prix du Roman d'Aventures, one of the most important literary awards in France, is given each year to the author of the best example of detective fiction in the world. Boileau won it in 1938 for Le Repos de Bacchus . Narcejac received it for La Mort est du Voyage in 1948. They met at the 1948 awards dinner.
While most of their works stand alone, they also wrote the "Sans Atout" series for young readers.
Two of their novels, Celle qui n'était plus and D'entre les morts , were adapted into films (respectively, Les Diaboliques and Vertigo)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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August 2, 2011Ah, la nostalgie de lectures de jeunesse, accroc aux livres, à une époque où internet n'avait pas une place aussi importante qu'aujourd'hui ... !
October 28, 2023
J'ai été chercher ce livre à la librairie il y a quelques jours, après que la professeur de français de ma fille ai demandé à sa classe de 6e de le lire.
Curieuse, j'ai décidé de voir ce que ça valait (je me souviens juste l'avoir lu en étant beaucoup plus jeune).
Au début peu emballée par ce style "club des cinq tout seul et pour les plus grands, j'ai vite trop ce l'écriture agréable (malgré l'omniprésence narrative) et le mystère épais.
Une lecture sympa, bien écrite et sans prétention.
Curieuse, j'ai décidé de voir ce que ça valait (je me souviens juste l'avoir lu en étant beaucoup plus jeune).
Au début peu emballée par ce style "club des cinq tout seul et pour les plus grands, j'ai vite trop ce l'écriture agréable (malgré l'omniprésence narrative) et le mystère épais.
Une lecture sympa, bien écrite et sans prétention.
May 23, 2024
Je trouve cette histoire parfaite pour le format livre audio. Le mystère n'est pas incroyable (dans le sens où il ne nécessite pas cinquante relecture/réécoute pour comprendre les tenants et les aboutissants) mais j'ai plaisir à le réécouter en été et à me laisser emporter dans ce château hanté en Normandie en compagnie de Sans-Atout.
June 28, 2021
[A brief explanation of the hero's nickname for english readers : « Sans Atout » can be translated « without advantage » : he's clumsy and lightheaded, without any particular skill, and likes to be called like that.]
If « Sans Atout et le cheval fantôme » (« Sans Atout and the ghost horse ») can be considered as a children's/ teenage book classic, almost nothing shows its age (fifty years !). And we quickly understand why the book is still printed nowadays, with a well-crafted mystery, lots of suspense and killer plot-twists.
Halfway between adventure and crime fiction, somehow close to the Famous Five, the book never really falls under one category : not enlivened enough to be called adventure, yet too light in the investigation side (it doesn't starts until half of the book and we can't say Sans Atout digs very deep). No, this is a true *mystery* book, with incomprehension, the conviction to be in front of something that has a logical explanation, even if everythings lets think it doesn't. So have we never the feeling to be in a paranormal book : by a sort of silent agreement with the authors and Sans Atout, we trust him to find the truth. We can sometimes shiver ; we can, like the young protagonist, let our imagination running wild... but always, some very real details bring us back in the tangible world. Yet the atmosphere doesn't suffers from it. Because, like the Jaouen family, as long as we don't understand, we can only witness strange things. Without any slow-downs, the novel is a storytelling masterpiece ; we never get bored, there's always something happening.
Alright, the conclusion lacks of natural, with explanations popping up after an ellipsis, preventing us from guessing what's going on before it's told to us. But that's the only complain we can make.
Also, the women are really treated poorly in the story, only good to cook, heal the bruises and scream of fear. Even if it was written in the 70's, this point of the book hasn't aged well. Luckily it hasn't that much presence in the text. Not enough to spoil this little literary trip to Bretagne !
If « Sans Atout et le cheval fantôme » (« Sans Atout and the ghost horse ») can be considered as a children's/ teenage book classic, almost nothing shows its age (fifty years !). And we quickly understand why the book is still printed nowadays, with a well-crafted mystery, lots of suspense and killer plot-twists.
Halfway between adventure and crime fiction, somehow close to the Famous Five, the book never really falls under one category : not enlivened enough to be called adventure, yet too light in the investigation side (it doesn't starts until half of the book and we can't say Sans Atout digs very deep). No, this is a true *mystery* book, with incomprehension, the conviction to be in front of something that has a logical explanation, even if everythings lets think it doesn't. So have we never the feeling to be in a paranormal book : by a sort of silent agreement with the authors and Sans Atout, we trust him to find the truth. We can sometimes shiver ; we can, like the young protagonist, let our imagination running wild... but always, some very real details bring us back in the tangible world. Yet the atmosphere doesn't suffers from it. Because, like the Jaouen family, as long as we don't understand, we can only witness strange things. Without any slow-downs, the novel is a storytelling masterpiece ; we never get bored, there's always something happening.
Alright, the conclusion lacks of natural, with explanations popping up after an ellipsis, preventing us from guessing what's going on before it's told to us. But that's the only complain we can make.
Also, the women are really treated poorly in the story, only good to cook, heal the bruises and scream of fear. Even if it was written in the 70's, this point of the book hasn't aged well. Luckily it hasn't that much presence in the text. Not enough to spoil this little literary trip to Bretagne !
August 17, 2023
Lu avec mon fils (9 ans)
Une aventure qui se situe dans les années 1960 -70 et qui permet de montrer la vie d’alors pour de jeunes adolescents de bonne famille, l’intro gué est sympathique.
Une aventure qui se situe dans les années 1960 -70 et qui permet de montrer la vie d’alors pour de jeunes adolescents de bonne famille, l’intro gué est sympathique.
August 19, 2023
dnf @ 58%
August 16, 2012
Great story. I couldn't stop reading the book.
Want to read
December 28, 2015hello
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews