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A Letter From Paris: A True Story of Hidden Art, Lost Romance, and Family Reclaimed
When Louisa Deasey receives a message from a French woman called Coralie, who has found a cache of letters in an attic, written about Louisa's father, neither woman can imagine the events it will set in motion.
The letters, dated 1949, detail a passionate affair between Louisa's father, Denison, and Coralie's grandmother, Michelle, in post-war London. They spark Louisa to find out more about her father, who died when she was six. From the seemingly simple question 'Who was Denison Deasey?' follows a trail of discovery that leads Louisa to the libraries of Melbourne and the streets of London, to the cafes and restaurants of Paris and a poet's villa in the south of France. From her father's secret service in World War II to his relationships with some of the most famous bohemian artists in postwar Europe, Louisa unearths a portrait of a fascinating man, both at the epicenter and the mercy of the social and political currents of his time.
A Letter from Paris is about the stories we tell ourselves, and the secrets the past can uncover. A compelling tale of inheritance and creativity, loss and reunion, it shows the power of the written word to cross the bridges of time.
The letters, dated 1949, detail a passionate affair between Louisa's father, Denison, and Coralie's grandmother, Michelle, in post-war London. They spark Louisa to find out more about her father, who died when she was six. From the seemingly simple question 'Who was Denison Deasey?' follows a trail of discovery that leads Louisa to the libraries of Melbourne and the streets of London, to the cafes and restaurants of Paris and a poet's villa in the south of France. From her father's secret service in World War II to his relationships with some of the most famous bohemian artists in postwar Europe, Louisa unearths a portrait of a fascinating man, both at the epicenter and the mercy of the social and political currents of his time.
A Letter from Paris is about the stories we tell ourselves, and the secrets the past can uncover. A compelling tale of inheritance and creativity, loss and reunion, it shows the power of the written word to cross the bridges of time.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2018
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810 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
April 24, 2019
Louisa Deasey’s father died just before her seventh birthday, leaving her with only a few memories and a strange sense of disquiet caused by the dismissive comments many in her family made about him. She knew that he was a writer, and that drew her because of her own writing dreams. Her relatives called him a ‘black sheep’, though, and said he had ‘squandered three fortunes’.
Then, one day, Louisa received a Facebook message from a woman in Paris named Coralie. She had discovered a cache of letters in the attic of her dead grandmother, Michelle. These letters – written in the late 1940s – revealed that Louisa’s father had once had a close and intimate friendship with Coralie’s grandmother. Enchanted at the prospect of finding out more about her elusive father, Louisa sets out on a journey to Paris, to meet Coralie and her family, and to follow the trail of clues the letters gave here about the missing aspects of her father’s life.
It’s a wonderful story. Her father proved to be an intelligent and talented man whose life was thwarted by the war, poverty, and his own ill health. He struggled to find his way in a broken world, when his talents and beliefs were at odds with 1950s society. Most heartwarming of all is the new friendships Louisa made in her quest. This is a book about the importance of human connection, and the need to understand one’s place in the world. I really loved it.
Then, one day, Louisa received a Facebook message from a woman in Paris named Coralie. She had discovered a cache of letters in the attic of her dead grandmother, Michelle. These letters – written in the late 1940s – revealed that Louisa’s father had once had a close and intimate friendship with Coralie’s grandmother. Enchanted at the prospect of finding out more about her elusive father, Louisa sets out on a journey to Paris, to meet Coralie and her family, and to follow the trail of clues the letters gave here about the missing aspects of her father’s life.
It’s a wonderful story. Her father proved to be an intelligent and talented man whose life was thwarted by the war, poverty, and his own ill health. He struggled to find his way in a broken world, when his talents and beliefs were at odds with 1950s society. Most heartwarming of all is the new friendships Louisa made in her quest. This is a book about the importance of human connection, and the need to understand one’s place in the world. I really loved it.
March 26, 2022
Louisa recounts her young adult life searching for information about her father, a man who was already heading to the end of his life when she was a child and because of a family separation never really had the opportunity to discover much about him. Following in his literary footsteps seems to have inspired all her longing and research. The read follows along much of the same line as a television episode of "who do you think you are" although not going through the ancestry detail, just her father's life and the obvious hollowness Louisa feels that most in her family considered him to have been a failure.
Sadly, the book hasn't been well conceived or well edited in order to reduce the rambling and continual change of direction and location. Apart from her father's soon to be highly acclaimed friends from France and when Louisa travels there, as a lover of France and as a past repeat visitor to Paris and the south of France I found the read incredibly boring.
As an Australian in France I have never heard the words uttered, "le kangourou" as a description of my nationality.
Modern day it seems everyone has to talk about themselves. Really? Apart from brief descriptions, the rest is just blah blah blah! Much the same should be followed by an author otherwise the eyes of the reader will skim to the end of the blah blah blah!
Sadly, the book hasn't been well conceived or well edited in order to reduce the rambling and continual change of direction and location. Apart from her father's soon to be highly acclaimed friends from France and when Louisa travels there, as a lover of France and as a past repeat visitor to Paris and the south of France I found the read incredibly boring.
As an Australian in France I have never heard the words uttered, "le kangourou" as a description of my nationality.
Modern day it seems everyone has to talk about themselves. Really? Apart from brief descriptions, the rest is just blah blah blah! Much the same should be followed by an author otherwise the eyes of the reader will skim to the end of the blah blah blah!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 16, 2019An enchanting memoir that will stay with you long after you close the book.
Rebecca Raisin, bestselling author of The Little Paris Collection
A beautiful celebration of the profound healing power of stories shared.
Karina Machado, author of Spirit Sisters
An amazing story which gave me tingles.
Carla Coulson, author of Paris Tango and Italian Joy
A Letter from Paris is a sobering reminder of the ease with which our stories can be warped by the prevailing attitudes of the time – and the crucial importance of archives in the preservation of lives and literature.
Marion Rankin, The Guardian
Truly enthralling reading … Louisa’s writing is raw, intimate and unpretentious, and she shares her experiences in such a way that the reader is invested from page one.
Better Reading
[A] fascinating and moving memoir.
Nudge-Book
[This] is a must read for memoir lovers.
The French Village Diaries
What emerges is the portrait of a fascinating and unconventional man who lived life to the full. For readers interested in family, history, the message is simple. Don’t give up! .
Christopher Banticko, Weekly Times
Enchanting.
The New Daily
A beautiful, true story, engagingly told. So much joy and kindness between the covers.
Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Seamstress
Rebecca Raisin, bestselling author of The Little Paris Collection
A beautiful celebration of the profound healing power of stories shared.
Karina Machado, author of Spirit Sisters
An amazing story which gave me tingles.
Carla Coulson, author of Paris Tango and Italian Joy
A Letter from Paris is a sobering reminder of the ease with which our stories can be warped by the prevailing attitudes of the time – and the crucial importance of archives in the preservation of lives and literature.
Marion Rankin, The Guardian
Truly enthralling reading … Louisa’s writing is raw, intimate and unpretentious, and she shares her experiences in such a way that the reader is invested from page one.
Better Reading
[A] fascinating and moving memoir.
Nudge-Book
[This] is a must read for memoir lovers.
The French Village Diaries
What emerges is the portrait of a fascinating and unconventional man who lived life to the full. For readers interested in family, history, the message is simple. Don’t give up! .
Christopher Banticko, Weekly Times
Enchanting.
The New Daily
A beautiful, true story, engagingly told. So much joy and kindness between the covers.
Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Seamstress
January 9, 2019
I picked up this book thinking it would be one kind of story -- perhaps an uncovering of a family mystery, which in a way it is -- but when I read Louisa Deasey's memoir of self-discovery, I fell in love with it in a whole other way. It's a book I was meant to read at this point in my life. Which is really not surprising. In 2010, I was a regular follower of Mystic Medusa's blog, and when she exhorted us to buy a debut book written on a Saturn Return, I did, even though I rarely bought books or had time to read in those days. That book was 'Love and Other U-Turns'. I hadn't realised that 'A Letter from Paris' was by the same author. It is a memoir of knowledge hidden, knowledge revealed, time and right timing. Louisa received a message from a Frenchwoman whose grandmother had written about Louisa's father Denison in 1949. Louisa knew very little of her father, as he'd died when she was 7 and the family had concealed or obscured his legacy from her. Piecing together details of his amazing life from a very large cache of manuscripts held in major libraries, she comes to see their similarities in attitude to life, and through him, know herself and her place in the world better. The journey takes her to France and a teary (for me) reunion with Gisele, her godmother. After a slow-ish start to the memoir, I found myself simultaneously racing through chapters and savouring them, side-by-side with my journal as I noted down lines that resonated with me. "This is like what life could be like, if I wanted it" and "To have that feeling of kinship with myself is worth risking everything". The themes of savouring time, of being at peace and finding beauty wherever I am in the world, have recently become deeply relevant and personal. I am so glad to have picked up Louisa Deasey's second book at this particular time.
May 21, 2019
I loathed this book!
Not having been born in Australia, I do not know whether the author's father, Denison Deasey, was ever well-known to the general public as opposed to the literary elite. Because of this, I found the book a self-indulgent, and badly written, attempt at family history with nothing to recommend it.
I also found the book extremely pretentious in her (mis)use of French. Since she claims to have such close ties to her contact family in France, she could at least have had them check the French words and phrases scattered through her writing. "Boulevard", for example, does not have an "e" at the end. "Le Passage de l'Horloge" does not mean "the passage of time"; it's a street name that would translate as Clock Lane (although translating place names is a no-no). "Chasser la joie" is ambiguous inasmuch as the verb "chasser" can mean "to hunt" but can also mean "to chase away". And I very very much doubt whether she and her host family began a meal in one of Paris' top restaurants with "a cup of champagne". "Une coupe" is simply a champagne glass, one of those old-fashioned wide glasses that have now largely been replaced by flutes.
Her descriptions of France and the French, such as they are, are full of clichés.
I struggled through this because it was the monthly read for the book group I attend but would not recommend it to anybody.
Not having been born in Australia, I do not know whether the author's father, Denison Deasey, was ever well-known to the general public as opposed to the literary elite. Because of this, I found the book a self-indulgent, and badly written, attempt at family history with nothing to recommend it.
I also found the book extremely pretentious in her (mis)use of French. Since she claims to have such close ties to her contact family in France, she could at least have had them check the French words and phrases scattered through her writing. "Boulevard", for example, does not have an "e" at the end. "Le Passage de l'Horloge" does not mean "the passage of time"; it's a street name that would translate as Clock Lane (although translating place names is a no-no). "Chasser la joie" is ambiguous inasmuch as the verb "chasser" can mean "to hunt" but can also mean "to chase away". And I very very much doubt whether she and her host family began a meal in one of Paris' top restaurants with "a cup of champagne". "Une coupe" is simply a champagne glass, one of those old-fashioned wide glasses that have now largely been replaced by flutes.
Her descriptions of France and the French, such as they are, are full of clichés.
I struggled through this because it was the monthly read for the book group I attend but would not recommend it to anybody.
January 22, 2019
Louisa Deasey, take a bow. What an absolutely divine memoir. It was a joy to be taken into Louisa's world where she delved and dived into a world of letters, stories, diaries and photographs that gave her the undeniably surprising and refreshing portrait of who her father was. The chance discovery of letters from a past love of her fathers in France connected her with the life he lead as a writer, an adventurer, a poet and every bit a larrikin. It took her on her pilgrimage where she discovered huge collections of his work tucked away in libraries where she spent countless hours reading and devouring all that was Denison Deasey. But it wasn't until she went to Paris and other very special locations that she truly found her father in the places he stayed in, breathed in, loved and lived in that she could really connect the dots, to recognise who he really was, this was a defining moment for her. The memoir is a delicious summary of uncovering and drawing from the past to finally create the picture of a man that she barely knew and lost when she was young - throughout her whole life quite misunderstanding who is actually was and what he had achieved. He came to life, and back into her life, through his writing. This was truly special, so much more could be said, it was a journey well worth taking.
September 21, 2018
Terrible writing, like a bad journalist for a flight magazine. The weird astrology stuff just made her seem like a flake. It didn't really land for me, and it's a very immature approach to the life of her father. It needed to decide if it's a travel journal or a dip into her father's life and her own life. All surface, no real depth, as though she was afraid of the real skeletons in the closet, as all families have.
October 8, 2018
Louisa weaves her father's story with her story. Denison's story is interesting. Louisa's, less so. I found myself skim reading large and small sections of this book.
A good read? It felt more annoying than good.
A good read? It felt more annoying than good.
August 20, 2018
Louisa Deasey’s father Denison died just before her seventh birthday, leaving her with just three distinct memories of him but, because of repeated, casual comments made about him, by family, friends and acquaintances as she was growing up, with many confusing and contradictory impressions of him. Although some of these pointed to him being a charismatic and remarkable man, most suggested that he was the “black sheep” of the family and hinted at wildness and unreliability – “he squandered three fortunes” …. “he wasted his talents”…. “a failure” …. “a dilettante”. As young child she had loved her father and, as a freelance writer herself, had always felt a strong affinity with him – although she was never quite sure whether this was something about which she should feel proud or ashamed!
How could she ever find out who he really was? Her father had been in his sixties when he died and his parents, and four of his six older siblings were already dead when Louisa was born, with the remining two already being in their late sixties. Her parents had separated some years before he died and, knowing how painful her late mother had found it to talk about him, she had never felt able to ask her for explanations or information. With her two older siblings knowing little more than she did about their father, she had never had anyone who could tell her more about what he was really like. Although her brother and sister did have boxes of disparate papers and photographs, their attempts to organise these had proved too frustrating because there just wasn’t enough detailed information to put what they had into context, or to provide any coherent time-line. Most of her father’s papers are held at the State Library Victoria, in Melbourne and, in 2006, when she was twenty-seven, she had asked to look at any papers relating to 1981; that was the year her parents were in the process of separating and she wanted to discover why. However, just that one year was represented by dozens of boxes of unsorted documents …. diaries, accounts, shopping lists, court documents, photographs …. and she found it too overwhelming and upsetting to continue with her search for answers.
Then, out of the blue in January 2016, Louisa received a Facebook message from a Frenchwoman called Coralie. She had discovered a cache of letters in the attic of her grandmother, Michelle, who had recently died. These letters, dated 1949, detailed a passionate affair between Michelle and Denison in post-war London and Coralie and her relatives were keen to discover more about him. Could Louisa help? As soon as she started to read these letters, Louisa felt that her father was being brought alive for her and she became determined to finally solve the mystery of who he really was. It was time to go back to the library and search for the truth, a search which would retrace his life, and which would have a profound effect, not only on Louisa and her family in Australia, but also Coralie and hers in Paris.
From the opening chapter of this fascinating and moving memoir, I felt intimately drawn into Louisa’s search for the truth about her father, almost as though I was accompanying her every step on her journey, with all its roller-coaster ups and downs. It was a journey which was far from straightforward and was frequently upsetting, daunting and frustrating. When she began her search, she discovered that the inventory alone for his archived collection of papers ran to forty-four pages and, from her initial look at the folder descriptions, it was clear that there was no chronological coherence in the contents of the overwhelming number of boxes and folders! However, her committed, not to say dogged, persistence with her search, including a visit to France, brought wonderful moments of joy and discovery. These shone a new light on her father’s remarkable achievements and his approach to life, influencing and clarifying not only how she saw him, but also about how she felt about herself.
Denison Deasey was, quite clearly, a complex and fascinating man whose life had encompassed secret service in Australia during World War II, contact with many famous bohemian post-war artists and writers and periods of time spent in Europe. His reflections about the social and political influences of the 1950s, and about the differences in attitudes and expectations between Australia, England and France, made for fascinating reading, bringing post-war conditions and attitudes vividly into focus. In addition, they offered insights into the lives of the writers and artists he spent time with, particularly during the time he lived in France. I also loved reading about the increasing closeness which developed between Louisa, her own family and the family in France, as they emotionally processed all the discoveries and links they were making. Although there are themes of loss, sadness and grieving in this story, the overpowering feelings I am left with are more concerned with how important sharing is, and how love and forgiveness can be such great healing forces, enabling people to move forward with more self-confidence and optimism.
Although Louisa’s story is unique to her, it highlights some universal themes about the secrets which can remain hidden in families and which, over time, can so easily become distorted. Her detective work in uncovering some of these buried truths in her own family should encourage all of us to do what we can to make it easier for future generations to have an accurate picture of their inheritance. The fact that she was able to gain access to so much written material, enabling her to reach back in such a profound way to her father’s experiences, thoughts and feelings, made me reflect on whether, in this digital age, this sort of rich source will no longer be available, and what the possible implications of this are. Maybe we should all be keeping diaries and writing letters! On a somewhat more practical level, what reading her memoir has encouraged me to do is to properly label and archive my thousands of photographs – a daunting job which I have been putting off for years!
In writing this review I haven’t wanted to go into any detail about the discoveries Louisa made because I think this would spoil it for anyone who wants to enjoy the journey as much as I did. However, what I do want to do is to urge you to read this remarkable memoir for yourself!
My thanks to Scribe and newbooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
How could she ever find out who he really was? Her father had been in his sixties when he died and his parents, and four of his six older siblings were already dead when Louisa was born, with the remining two already being in their late sixties. Her parents had separated some years before he died and, knowing how painful her late mother had found it to talk about him, she had never felt able to ask her for explanations or information. With her two older siblings knowing little more than she did about their father, she had never had anyone who could tell her more about what he was really like. Although her brother and sister did have boxes of disparate papers and photographs, their attempts to organise these had proved too frustrating because there just wasn’t enough detailed information to put what they had into context, or to provide any coherent time-line. Most of her father’s papers are held at the State Library Victoria, in Melbourne and, in 2006, when she was twenty-seven, she had asked to look at any papers relating to 1981; that was the year her parents were in the process of separating and she wanted to discover why. However, just that one year was represented by dozens of boxes of unsorted documents …. diaries, accounts, shopping lists, court documents, photographs …. and she found it too overwhelming and upsetting to continue with her search for answers.
Then, out of the blue in January 2016, Louisa received a Facebook message from a Frenchwoman called Coralie. She had discovered a cache of letters in the attic of her grandmother, Michelle, who had recently died. These letters, dated 1949, detailed a passionate affair between Michelle and Denison in post-war London and Coralie and her relatives were keen to discover more about him. Could Louisa help? As soon as she started to read these letters, Louisa felt that her father was being brought alive for her and she became determined to finally solve the mystery of who he really was. It was time to go back to the library and search for the truth, a search which would retrace his life, and which would have a profound effect, not only on Louisa and her family in Australia, but also Coralie and hers in Paris.
From the opening chapter of this fascinating and moving memoir, I felt intimately drawn into Louisa’s search for the truth about her father, almost as though I was accompanying her every step on her journey, with all its roller-coaster ups and downs. It was a journey which was far from straightforward and was frequently upsetting, daunting and frustrating. When she began her search, she discovered that the inventory alone for his archived collection of papers ran to forty-four pages and, from her initial look at the folder descriptions, it was clear that there was no chronological coherence in the contents of the overwhelming number of boxes and folders! However, her committed, not to say dogged, persistence with her search, including a visit to France, brought wonderful moments of joy and discovery. These shone a new light on her father’s remarkable achievements and his approach to life, influencing and clarifying not only how she saw him, but also about how she felt about herself.
Denison Deasey was, quite clearly, a complex and fascinating man whose life had encompassed secret service in Australia during World War II, contact with many famous bohemian post-war artists and writers and periods of time spent in Europe. His reflections about the social and political influences of the 1950s, and about the differences in attitudes and expectations between Australia, England and France, made for fascinating reading, bringing post-war conditions and attitudes vividly into focus. In addition, they offered insights into the lives of the writers and artists he spent time with, particularly during the time he lived in France. I also loved reading about the increasing closeness which developed between Louisa, her own family and the family in France, as they emotionally processed all the discoveries and links they were making. Although there are themes of loss, sadness and grieving in this story, the overpowering feelings I am left with are more concerned with how important sharing is, and how love and forgiveness can be such great healing forces, enabling people to move forward with more self-confidence and optimism.
Although Louisa’s story is unique to her, it highlights some universal themes about the secrets which can remain hidden in families and which, over time, can so easily become distorted. Her detective work in uncovering some of these buried truths in her own family should encourage all of us to do what we can to make it easier for future generations to have an accurate picture of their inheritance. The fact that she was able to gain access to so much written material, enabling her to reach back in such a profound way to her father’s experiences, thoughts and feelings, made me reflect on whether, in this digital age, this sort of rich source will no longer be available, and what the possible implications of this are. Maybe we should all be keeping diaries and writing letters! On a somewhat more practical level, what reading her memoir has encouraged me to do is to properly label and archive my thousands of photographs – a daunting job which I have been putting off for years!
In writing this review I haven’t wanted to go into any detail about the discoveries Louisa made because I think this would spoil it for anyone who wants to enjoy the journey as much as I did. However, what I do want to do is to urge you to read this remarkable memoir for yourself!
My thanks to Scribe and newbooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2019
An extremely moving memoir.
Louisa was only six when her father died, and she knew very little about him until an email arrived unexpectedly from France . Encouraged by her siblings and friends, she began an incredible journey of discovery to learn about the father she barely remembered.
I heard Louisa on ABC Conversations last year, and was compelled to read her book.
It is an incredibly well written and researched memoir which brought me to tears on several occasions.
Louisa was only six when her father died, and she knew very little about him until an email arrived unexpectedly from France . Encouraged by her siblings and friends, she began an incredible journey of discovery to learn about the father she barely remembered.
I heard Louisa on ABC Conversations last year, and was compelled to read her book.
It is an incredibly well written and researched memoir which brought me to tears on several occasions.
May 9, 2020
I loved this book - it ignited my wanderlust and had me thinking about the reasons that make life worth living: art, beauty, and truth. Louisa Deasey’s search for the truth about her father’s past is a globetrotting affair, but along with the sun-baked adventures and fine French cheeses, there’s some real heart and growth, about a woman coming into her own and learning to overcome the fears and doubts that have held her back. There’s also some beautiful stuff here about the kindness of strangers and the power of our stories to connect us. It reminded me of nothing so much as a non-fiction ME BEFORE YOU.
January 26, 2020
Thank you Richard Fidler on ABC Conversations, for introducing me to Louisa and her rather convoluted family tree. I was fascinated as the author searched for information on her late father's early life and through some rather serendipitous contacts, letters and archived material, managed to piece together much of his story. I was whisked through life in post-war London, visited a villa in France, met some rather well known Australian artists and writers and walked through streets in Paris once more. The author was always led to believe her father hadn't really amounted to much but her research revealed a complex and intriguing character. Watching as a young six year old girl and her mature older self rediscover a parent they barely remember is well worth the read.
July 29, 2022
From the moment I read the description of this memoir I was captivated and am thrilled to have received a pre-publication copy of this title as an “Early Reviewer” from LibraryThing.
Louisa Deasy experiences life events within 7 days that are filled with emotion – a funeral, an emergency room visit, calling the police as a neighbor “had gone off the rails” and quitting a job. At the end of this week Louisa returns home late on a Saturday from an evening with friends to receive an unsolicited “message request” on Facebook. The message is from Coralie and graciously gives brief details that the woman’s grandmother, Michelle Chomé recently passed away and letters have been found written in 1949 communicating a passionate affair with Louisa’s father, Denison Deasy in post-war London.
This story is all the more captivating and fascinating because it is not imaginative creation by an author but is all true. To read in Louisa’s own words about the death of her father at age 6 and the loss of her mother to suicide brings the reality of loss and grief that absorbs her heart and is somewhat different and yet somewhat the same by her older siblings, one brother and one sister.
Although Louisa had briefly explored her father’s personal history several years earlier through library research she was overwhelmed with the material shown to her for the requested year of 1981 as that was the year her parents separated. Now with questions inspired by Coralie’s contact and Louisa’s own continued and unanswered question – “Who was Denison Deasy?” – Louisa begins an extraordinary journey. The memoir provides Louisa’s self-discovery through her library research in Australia and her own travel to Paris to meet Coralie and family and to follow some of her father’s footsteps of his younger life. The travel brings beautiful and loving surprises to Louisa’s life that she could never have anticipated.
Sometimes when one hears the word memoir it might trigger a dictionary definition such as “a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources.” That might be immediately followed by the thoughts of a fact-filled, dry compendium. Louisa’s memoir is presented with organization that shows not only all of the hours of library research culling through her father’s writing of published works, unpublished documents, photographs, and diaries but also of the hours of electronic communication with Michelle’s family members in Paris prior to Louisa’s own trip. But most importantly, Louisa’s memoir is beautifully written to share all of her heartfelt emotions of this very personal discovery of her father’s life. Louisa’s journey to answer questions about her father’s life also begins Louisa’s own self-discovery and self-awareness and reveals her thoughts and heartfelt emotions through this “new beginning” of her life.
Answering one private Facebook message request from a stranger could have been an author’s imaginative fiction creation. To read this book is so much more. Particularly for a reader who also lost her father far too young it stirs the wonder of Louisa’s discovery with empathy and love. This book is meaningful for all readers to gaze upon the lives of 2 families – one in Paris, one in Melbourne that is presented to us through writing. It is a compelling story of love and loss, of secrets, of post-war England and France, of friendship of bohemian artists, of the relationship of siblings, and of the true benevolence of strangers. To put it simply, Louisa Deasy’s memoir is a celebration of humanity written with her grace, her honesty, and her love. An exquisite, engaging and mesmerizing read not to be missed!
As I closed the memoir, I wished for an opportunity to meet Louisa and her siblings, and Coralie and family. I am grateful to have spent time with all of them through Louisa’s writing and the memory of this read will stay in my heart always.
Also enjoy: https://parisfordreamers.com/2019/09/...
Louisa Deasy experiences life events within 7 days that are filled with emotion – a funeral, an emergency room visit, calling the police as a neighbor “had gone off the rails” and quitting a job. At the end of this week Louisa returns home late on a Saturday from an evening with friends to receive an unsolicited “message request” on Facebook. The message is from Coralie and graciously gives brief details that the woman’s grandmother, Michelle Chomé recently passed away and letters have been found written in 1949 communicating a passionate affair with Louisa’s father, Denison Deasy in post-war London.
This story is all the more captivating and fascinating because it is not imaginative creation by an author but is all true. To read in Louisa’s own words about the death of her father at age 6 and the loss of her mother to suicide brings the reality of loss and grief that absorbs her heart and is somewhat different and yet somewhat the same by her older siblings, one brother and one sister.
Although Louisa had briefly explored her father’s personal history several years earlier through library research she was overwhelmed with the material shown to her for the requested year of 1981 as that was the year her parents separated. Now with questions inspired by Coralie’s contact and Louisa’s own continued and unanswered question – “Who was Denison Deasy?” – Louisa begins an extraordinary journey. The memoir provides Louisa’s self-discovery through her library research in Australia and her own travel to Paris to meet Coralie and family and to follow some of her father’s footsteps of his younger life. The travel brings beautiful and loving surprises to Louisa’s life that she could never have anticipated.
Sometimes when one hears the word memoir it might trigger a dictionary definition such as “a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources.” That might be immediately followed by the thoughts of a fact-filled, dry compendium. Louisa’s memoir is presented with organization that shows not only all of the hours of library research culling through her father’s writing of published works, unpublished documents, photographs, and diaries but also of the hours of electronic communication with Michelle’s family members in Paris prior to Louisa’s own trip. But most importantly, Louisa’s memoir is beautifully written to share all of her heartfelt emotions of this very personal discovery of her father’s life. Louisa’s journey to answer questions about her father’s life also begins Louisa’s own self-discovery and self-awareness and reveals her thoughts and heartfelt emotions through this “new beginning” of her life.
Answering one private Facebook message request from a stranger could have been an author’s imaginative fiction creation. To read this book is so much more. Particularly for a reader who also lost her father far too young it stirs the wonder of Louisa’s discovery with empathy and love. This book is meaningful for all readers to gaze upon the lives of 2 families – one in Paris, one in Melbourne that is presented to us through writing. It is a compelling story of love and loss, of secrets, of post-war England and France, of friendship of bohemian artists, of the relationship of siblings, and of the true benevolence of strangers. To put it simply, Louisa Deasy’s memoir is a celebration of humanity written with her grace, her honesty, and her love. An exquisite, engaging and mesmerizing read not to be missed!
As I closed the memoir, I wished for an opportunity to meet Louisa and her siblings, and Coralie and family. I am grateful to have spent time with all of them through Louisa’s writing and the memory of this read will stay in my heart always.
Also enjoy: https://parisfordreamers.com/2019/09/...
September 22, 2018
A powerful and moving story. The author has a wonderful way with words and I highly recommend this memoir.
October 11, 2018
3 1/2 and not rounded up, in case I was wrong to think there were more secrets to com. However, absolute cracking read.
March 2, 2019
Wonderful read, what a healing journey of discovery.. the meeting with Gisele was all you could hope for, a spine tingling moment.. leaves me with a lingering wanderlust
February 16, 2019
"Family stories are perhaps the hardest to unravel because there's so much at stake - namely, survival. If we ask the wrong questions, we might be thrown from the pack, having unwittingly jabbed a hot poker at the only people who can keep us safe."
I picked up Louisa Deasey's book A Letter From Paris having heard her interviewed on Radio National's Conversations program in 2018. In the book Louisa uncovers the life, loves, friendships and work of her father, Denison Deasey, a man a generation older than her mother, and who died when Louisa was a young child. This process leads her to connect with her 'French family' and to travel to the places where Denison felt most at home. It is a beautiful and very personal exploration of family and grief and what it means to pursue a creative life. Recommended.
I picked up Louisa Deasey's book A Letter From Paris having heard her interviewed on Radio National's Conversations program in 2018. In the book Louisa uncovers the life, loves, friendships and work of her father, Denison Deasey, a man a generation older than her mother, and who died when Louisa was a young child. This process leads her to connect with her 'French family' and to travel to the places where Denison felt most at home. It is a beautiful and very personal exploration of family and grief and what it means to pursue a creative life. Recommended.
May 25, 2019
I love memoirs but I have to start this review by saying this is the most moving and beautifully written memoir I have read in a long while.
Louisa Deasey grew up with the cloud of shame about her father Denison Deasey, who died when she was only six, hanging over her. She soon learned not to ask about her dad when she was growing up, as she was made to feel guilty if she did. All she really knew about him she learned from reading his obituaries, which sadly gave her no sense of pride for a man who led a rather remarkable life. All this changed when she received a mysterious message from Paris. The granddaughter of Michelle, an old flame of Denison’s, contacts Louisa in the days following her grandmother’s death. This proves to be the catalyst Louisa needs to discover for herself the life her father led before he returned to Australia and settled down with his family.
I have to admit that I had never heard of Denison Deasey before reading this book, but I soon became as enthralled by Louisa’s journey to discover the truth about his life as she was. Denison lived in another era; experiencing life in the post war years in Europe, where he contrasts his experiences in London, Paris and the south of France through his diary entries and constantly compares Europe, where he feels at home to an Australia he feels lacks creativity. I learned a lot, both culturally and historically.
Alongside her amazing journey, this book contains many remarkable people, who although not technically related, become real family to Louisa as they help her find her way from the cold and cheerless library archives in Australia, to jet-lagged rendezvous in London, to reconnecting with her godmother in Paris and finally, coming ‘home’ to a villa on the French coast. I devoured the pages, feeling I was there with her, experiencing every step.
This is an emotional read; many would have given up when discoveries became difficult or leads became dead ends. Louisa finds the strength to keep going, learning that sometimes it’s the chance encounters with strangers who give us the most support and help us on our way.
Louisa Deasey grew up with the cloud of shame about her father Denison Deasey, who died when she was only six, hanging over her. She soon learned not to ask about her dad when she was growing up, as she was made to feel guilty if she did. All she really knew about him she learned from reading his obituaries, which sadly gave her no sense of pride for a man who led a rather remarkable life. All this changed when she received a mysterious message from Paris. The granddaughter of Michelle, an old flame of Denison’s, contacts Louisa in the days following her grandmother’s death. This proves to be the catalyst Louisa needs to discover for herself the life her father led before he returned to Australia and settled down with his family.
I have to admit that I had never heard of Denison Deasey before reading this book, but I soon became as enthralled by Louisa’s journey to discover the truth about his life as she was. Denison lived in another era; experiencing life in the post war years in Europe, where he contrasts his experiences in London, Paris and the south of France through his diary entries and constantly compares Europe, where he feels at home to an Australia he feels lacks creativity. I learned a lot, both culturally and historically.
Alongside her amazing journey, this book contains many remarkable people, who although not technically related, become real family to Louisa as they help her find her way from the cold and cheerless library archives in Australia, to jet-lagged rendezvous in London, to reconnecting with her godmother in Paris and finally, coming ‘home’ to a villa on the French coast. I devoured the pages, feeling I was there with her, experiencing every step.
This is an emotional read; many would have given up when discoveries became difficult or leads became dead ends. Louisa finds the strength to keep going, learning that sometimes it’s the chance encounters with strangers who give us the most support and help us on our way.
February 13, 2019
Really connected with me as my father died when I was 6 years old. You are left with so many unanswered questions, so I could understand the emotion in the book
November 16, 2018
A beautiful touching tale of a search for the story of the author’s Australian father focussing on his time in France
Beautiful descriptions of time and place and the generosity of people
Beautiful descriptions of time and place and the generosity of people
December 23, 2018
2 1/2 stars ... Potentially interesting I found it a little tedious and self indulgent at times.
January 17, 2019
Simply wonderful. An engaging true life tale that lingers long after the last page.
July 27, 2019
Louisa Deasey was 6 years old when her father died. His reputation was one of a prolific writer who failed to complete work, wasted money and was constantly in motion. After his death the State Library purchased his many documents left behind: photographs, manuscripts, letters, diaries.
At a time that Louisa was struggling as a writer she received a Facebook post from Paris. Coralie, a French woman, was looking for Denison Deasey because her grandmother spoke of their romance on her death bed. Louisa began a journey through her father's documents to find references to Michelle.
At the end of a year's search through documents Louisa learned a great deal about her father. With support and assistance from Michelle's family in Paris she retraced her father's steps at a significant point in his life. The research took her to France.
I found the early part of the memoir to be a struggle. Louisa was so sad, there was so much she missed and misunderstood. The moment Louisa arrived in France under the care of her "new family" she came alive. Her time there was joyful and fulfilling. I did not want her to leave Paris. I hope that she returns often.
At a time that Louisa was struggling as a writer she received a Facebook post from Paris. Coralie, a French woman, was looking for Denison Deasey because her grandmother spoke of their romance on her death bed. Louisa began a journey through her father's documents to find references to Michelle.
At the end of a year's search through documents Louisa learned a great deal about her father. With support and assistance from Michelle's family in Paris she retraced her father's steps at a significant point in his life. The research took her to France.
I found the early part of the memoir to be a struggle. Louisa was so sad, there was so much she missed and misunderstood. The moment Louisa arrived in France under the care of her "new family" she came alive. Her time there was joyful and fulfilling. I did not want her to leave Paris. I hope that she returns often.
February 2, 2020
Beautiful story. If you are a Francophile you need to read these book. I was captivated. I was pulled on a journey through the past and across continents. This book read like a fiction story yet you could feel just how personal and intense of a journey it was.
Beautiful prose, the descriptions of France makes me want to get on a plane and follow this journey too.
Not only has theirs book increased my desire to explore France it’s also showed me the value of journal writing and how important it is to use that time to find one’s self and what personal happiness is in the horizon. I feel like I’m existing and this book shows me that the first step to finding what will get me out of that rut is to pick up a pen and journal. Journal about feelings and desires and dreams and see where the words take me.
Beautiful prose, the descriptions of France makes me want to get on a plane and follow this journey too.
Not only has theirs book increased my desire to explore France it’s also showed me the value of journal writing and how important it is to use that time to find one’s self and what personal happiness is in the horizon. I feel like I’m existing and this book shows me that the first step to finding what will get me out of that rut is to pick up a pen and journal. Journal about feelings and desires and dreams and see where the words take me.
August 29, 2019
This is a memoir of a young woman's search to find out more about her much older father who dies when she was under ten years old. She remembers getting letters from his first wife from Paris, and decides to try and track down this woman who has disappeared from her life. In doing so, she finds new friends and a family of sorts.
This book talks a lot about the famous people her father knew and worked with. Unfortunately, they are all Australian and not so famous outside that country. I found myself skipping over pages because the references were meaningless to me. Explanatory notes or an appendix would have been very helpful.
This book talks a lot about the famous people her father knew and worked with. Unfortunately, they are all Australian and not so famous outside that country. I found myself skipping over pages because the references were meaningless to me. Explanatory notes or an appendix would have been very helpful.
October 15, 2021
A beautiful evocation of what family means and the journey across time and continents to find it. Louisa starts researching her father's life after receiving a message from the granddaughter of a French woman who remembers him very fondly. And then the French family forwards letters that mention her dad. Do her father's papers mention this woman? She goes searching and finds much, much more and then sets out to follow the trail.
Louisa's emotions in this journey are finely captured as are the characters and generosity she meets along the way.
Louisa's emotions in this journey are finely captured as are the characters and generosity she meets along the way.
August 11, 2020
I really enjoyed the audiobook, and the author's quest to discover her father's past. Of course, it was set in France, and it made it so much more enjoyable.
December 29, 2021
I originally thought this was a novel. Memoirs are not my forte. This is a story of the author searching for answers about who her father, who died when she was a young girl, really was. If you are interested in French or Australian authors post WWII, you would probably enjoy this book.
October 10, 2021
Not sure what to say about this book. I rarely give up on a book,but I did this one. I feel like i must be missing something because it got so many good reviews.
October 12, 2018
A fascinating look at the power of investigation and curiosity from this writer in trying to discover the father she never really got to know. This is the Paris everyone wants to experience!
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