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The Margot Affair
The secret daughter of a French politician and a famous actress drops the startling revelation that will shatter her family in this beguiling debut novel of intrigue and betrayal.
Margot Louve is a secret: the child of a longstanding affair between an influential French politician with presidential ambitions and a prominent stage actress. This hidden family exists in stolen moments in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank.
It is a house of cards that Margot—fueled by a longing to be seen and heard—decides to tumble. The summer of her seventeenth birthday, she meets the man who will set her plan in motion: a well-regarded journalist whose trust seems surprisingly easy to gain. But as Margot is drawn into an adult world she struggles to comprehend, she learns how one impulsive decision can threaten a family’s love with ruin, shattering the lives of those around her in ways she could never have imagined.
Exposing the seams between private lives and public faces, The Margot Affair is a novel of deceit, desire, and transgression—and the exhilarating knife-edge upon which the danger of telling the truth outweighs the cost of keeping secrets.
Margot Louve is a secret: the child of a longstanding affair between an influential French politician with presidential ambitions and a prominent stage actress. This hidden family exists in stolen moments in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank.
It is a house of cards that Margot—fueled by a longing to be seen and heard—decides to tumble. The summer of her seventeenth birthday, she meets the man who will set her plan in motion: a well-regarded journalist whose trust seems surprisingly easy to gain. But as Margot is drawn into an adult world she struggles to comprehend, she learns how one impulsive decision can threaten a family’s love with ruin, shattering the lives of those around her in ways she could never have imagined.
Exposing the seams between private lives and public faces, The Margot Affair is a novel of deceit, desire, and transgression—and the exhilarating knife-edge upon which the danger of telling the truth outweighs the cost of keeping secrets.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 16, 2020
839 people are currently reading
16659 people want to read
About the author
Sanaë Lemoine
5 books215 followersSanaë Lemoine was born in Paris to a Japanese mother and a French father. She was raised in France and Australia, and now lives in New York. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and received her MFA in fiction from Columbia University. The Margot Affair is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 870 reviews
June 16, 2020
First, a disclosure: I am married to the author! Margot has been a part of my life for many years, and I cannot pretend to share an unbiased review. What I can do however is to suggest which readers I believe will fall in love with this book, as I have.
The Margot Affair traces a year in the life of 17 year old Margot. She's in her last year of high school. Her parents' union, her very existence, are a secret outside of a small circle of intimate friends. Margot is simultaneously relatable and living a series of extraordinary experiences. She's also a vehicle for exploring larger questions around womanhood, family, friendship, and the relationship between public and private lives. In this sense, this is very much not a young adult book, despite the youthfulness of the protagonist.
Sanaë's truest talent is in creating characters on the page that come to life in the mind's eye, by invoking all of our senses: Margot's father's perfume; the grizzled sound of music on an old radio; her mother's mannerisms that so annoy Margot; the crunch of a buttered baguette dipped in a bowl of hot chocolate. These and so many other evocative details brought the book to life for me, with almost cinematic clarity. This is a story that has enough momentum to keep you hooked, and yet takes the time to create a rich and sensuous world.
And that world, in particular, will speak directly to all lovers of food, or Paris, or both. Wander with Margot through a Paris far removed from the clichés; feast on Brigitte's clafoutis or Mathilde's tomato tart, dishes I'd be more likely to learn from my grandmothers than to find in any cookbook.
As with all novels, this one isn't for everyone. But for the lucky reader, here's a story you'll want to return to again and again, at once a delightful escape into a world that looks much like ours but where the stakes are heightened through a teenager's fresh gaze, and a meditation on the power of mothers and families that may have you reflect on your own in a new light.
The Margot Affair traces a year in the life of 17 year old Margot. She's in her last year of high school. Her parents' union, her very existence, are a secret outside of a small circle of intimate friends. Margot is simultaneously relatable and living a series of extraordinary experiences. She's also a vehicle for exploring larger questions around womanhood, family, friendship, and the relationship between public and private lives. In this sense, this is very much not a young adult book, despite the youthfulness of the protagonist.
Sanaë's truest talent is in creating characters on the page that come to life in the mind's eye, by invoking all of our senses: Margot's father's perfume; the grizzled sound of music on an old radio; her mother's mannerisms that so annoy Margot; the crunch of a buttered baguette dipped in a bowl of hot chocolate. These and so many other evocative details brought the book to life for me, with almost cinematic clarity. This is a story that has enough momentum to keep you hooked, and yet takes the time to create a rich and sensuous world.
And that world, in particular, will speak directly to all lovers of food, or Paris, or both. Wander with Margot through a Paris far removed from the clichés; feast on Brigitte's clafoutis or Mathilde's tomato tart, dishes I'd be more likely to learn from my grandmothers than to find in any cookbook.
As with all novels, this one isn't for everyone. But for the lucky reader, here's a story you'll want to return to again and again, at once a delightful escape into a world that looks much like ours but where the stakes are heightened through a teenager's fresh gaze, and a meditation on the power of mothers and families that may have you reflect on your own in a new light.
July 23, 2020
GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!! Review to come soon -- (tired now) --what's for dinner? Who's cooking? --oops --'me'!
Review:
The premise of “The Margot Affair”, a debut, is intriguing!
It’s also chaotic - complicated - messy and a little scaring to all involved.
The setting is in an upscale section of Paris....near the gardens of Luxembourg.
When the story opens, we meet Margot. It’s her 17th birthday. She has one more year of high school. Her mother, Anouk, a famous starlight actress, is making the birthday girl a cup of special hot chocolate.
Anouk, then asks Margot, “what would you like for your birthday?”
Anouk only wants one thing. She wants her father to leave his wife, and move in with them.
Margot has known since birth that her father, Bertrand, was a public figure; a French politician. She knows that he is married to another woman and that they have two sons.
Margot is a big girl now - and because she has always adored her father, enormously, she now wants ‘daddy’ to live in her’ house.
Serious consequences develop when Margot lets the cat out of the bag to a journalist. Everyone’s private and public life is altered forever.
The supporting characters are well developed-
complicating matters even more- for Margot, Anouk, and
Bertrand.
They add ‘heartache-drama’ to the over-all journey we’re taken on.
The theme that speaks the loudest is how family relationships - parents and their children- are damaged from hidden secretive choices.
The beginning is strong....( great synopsis)
The middle section lags a little ( goes off course) ....
But then steam gets rolling again - to the end. ( emotionally felt ending)
If you happen to be a foodie you’ll enjoy the many edible descriptions.
If you happen to be a person who loves everything Paris....you’ll enjoy the pictorial Parisian ethos.
A few hiccups....but mostly very enjoyable with an electric cast and lush prose.
Great first novel. Looking forward to read what Sanae Lemoine writes next.
Review:
The premise of “The Margot Affair”, a debut, is intriguing!
It’s also chaotic - complicated - messy and a little scaring to all involved.
The setting is in an upscale section of Paris....near the gardens of Luxembourg.
When the story opens, we meet Margot. It’s her 17th birthday. She has one more year of high school. Her mother, Anouk, a famous starlight actress, is making the birthday girl a cup of special hot chocolate.
Anouk, then asks Margot, “what would you like for your birthday?”
Anouk only wants one thing. She wants her father to leave his wife, and move in with them.
Margot has known since birth that her father, Bertrand, was a public figure; a French politician. She knows that he is married to another woman and that they have two sons.
Margot is a big girl now - and because she has always adored her father, enormously, she now wants ‘daddy’ to live in her’ house.
Serious consequences develop when Margot lets the cat out of the bag to a journalist. Everyone’s private and public life is altered forever.
The supporting characters are well developed-
complicating matters even more- for Margot, Anouk, and
Bertrand.
They add ‘heartache-drama’ to the over-all journey we’re taken on.
The theme that speaks the loudest is how family relationships - parents and their children- are damaged from hidden secretive choices.
The beginning is strong....( great synopsis)
The middle section lags a little ( goes off course) ....
But then steam gets rolling again - to the end. ( emotionally felt ending)
If you happen to be a foodie you’ll enjoy the many edible descriptions.
If you happen to be a person who loves everything Paris....you’ll enjoy the pictorial Parisian ethos.
A few hiccups....but mostly very enjoyable with an electric cast and lush prose.
Great first novel. Looking forward to read what Sanae Lemoine writes next.
October 8, 2024
4.5 stars
This book snuck up on me and I ended up loving it. The Margot Affair follows Margot Louve, a seventeen-year-old girl who’s the child of a longstanding affair between a talented actress and a prominent French politician. Kept in the shadows of her parents’ secret relationship, Margot meets a journalist over the summer before her final year in high school – and her relationship with him sets into motion a series of events that alters the trajectory of Margot’s relationships with her parents forever.
I found the writing in The Margot Affair smooth, restrained, and engaging. For its first half I almost found the prose too restrained, like I wanted a bit more spark or less containment. But, throughout the book, I found myself immersed in Margot’s world. Sanae Lemoine does a great job of writing from the perspective of a late adolescent, of a girl trying to understand her place in the world full of messy adults. Margot came across as both insightful though still very much her age, caught in the crossfires of wanting to belong and wanting to challenge the status quo she’s known her whole life.
What I loved most about this book was how Lemoine wrote about the complexity of Margot’s relationships with both her parents, as well as other adults in her life. When Margot reflected on her desire for a relationship with her absent father, I *screamed*, I was like omg, all of us who’ve had an absent father in our lives can relate! And I was so impressed by how Lemoine captured the pain and love in Margot’s relationship with her mother, Anouk. There were a couple of passages in the last part of the book related to Anouk that literally made me gasp from how beautiful and how hard-won they felt. There’s so much nuance and powerful, understated emotion in these pages about how the adults in our lives hurt us, love us, and shape who we are.
The best book I’ve read in a few weeks and a fiction highlight of 2024 for sure. Don’t even get me started on David and Brigite though like… well, all I’ll say is that when I’m feeling bad about myself I’ll just remind myself that at least I’m not them! Anyway, yay for this book breaking my streak of dissatisfying reads!
This book snuck up on me and I ended up loving it. The Margot Affair follows Margot Louve, a seventeen-year-old girl who’s the child of a longstanding affair between a talented actress and a prominent French politician. Kept in the shadows of her parents’ secret relationship, Margot meets a journalist over the summer before her final year in high school – and her relationship with him sets into motion a series of events that alters the trajectory of Margot’s relationships with her parents forever.
I found the writing in The Margot Affair smooth, restrained, and engaging. For its first half I almost found the prose too restrained, like I wanted a bit more spark or less containment. But, throughout the book, I found myself immersed in Margot’s world. Sanae Lemoine does a great job of writing from the perspective of a late adolescent, of a girl trying to understand her place in the world full of messy adults. Margot came across as both insightful though still very much her age, caught in the crossfires of wanting to belong and wanting to challenge the status quo she’s known her whole life.
What I loved most about this book was how Lemoine wrote about the complexity of Margot’s relationships with both her parents, as well as other adults in her life. When Margot reflected on her desire for a relationship with her absent father, I *screamed*, I was like omg, all of us who’ve had an absent father in our lives can relate! And I was so impressed by how Lemoine captured the pain and love in Margot’s relationship with her mother, Anouk. There were a couple of passages in the last part of the book related to Anouk that literally made me gasp from how beautiful and how hard-won they felt. There’s so much nuance and powerful, understated emotion in these pages about how the adults in our lives hurt us, love us, and shape who we are.
The best book I’ve read in a few weeks and a fiction highlight of 2024 for sure. Don’t even get me started on David and Brigite though like… well, all I’ll say is that when I’m feeling bad about myself I’ll just remind myself that at least I’m not them! Anyway, yay for this book breaking my streak of dissatisfying reads!
June 14, 2020
4 stars
Margot Louve is the secret child from an affair of a French politician and and actress. Her father is married and has two boys with his wife and visits Margot and her mother in secret so as not to cause a scandal. Now that Margot is a teenager, she comes to realize that she wants more time with her father other than the little time he can spare from his job and family. She wants a father who is present in the traditional sense. She becomes so fed up with this arrangement and on an emotional whim, decides to set wheels in motion to "out" him. The consequences of this decision transitions her into adulthood and the book changes course to reflect this.
I flew through this book in a day and was initially disappointed. It started out strong, but then kind of fell into a pattern of waiting. If you feel like giving up (as I did), I urge you to continue into Part 2, where Margot forms a relationship with an older couple that has trouble all over it, but she can't seem to see that so lost in her own despair and (in my opinion), naïveté. There is a lot to unpack in this short debut novel and I think this would make a perfect choice for a book club to discuss. There are a lot of complex relationships that would keep a psychologist busy for days. As I sit here reflecting on this book, I'm increasing my rating from 3.5 to a solid 4. Sanaë Lemoine is definitely an another to watch and she reminded me a bit of Kiley Reid in that the writing was so clever it almost made it too easy to overlook some of the complex themes. The book also made me hungry!! So much delicious food always being cooked or eaten. I wanted to consume about 90 loafs of bread while reading it.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Hogarth (Penguin Random House) and Sanaë Lemoine for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
Review Date: 06/14/2020
Publication Date: 06/16/2020
Margot Louve is the secret child from an affair of a French politician and and actress. Her father is married and has two boys with his wife and visits Margot and her mother in secret so as not to cause a scandal. Now that Margot is a teenager, she comes to realize that she wants more time with her father other than the little time he can spare from his job and family. She wants a father who is present in the traditional sense. She becomes so fed up with this arrangement and on an emotional whim, decides to set wheels in motion to "out" him. The consequences of this decision transitions her into adulthood and the book changes course to reflect this.
I flew through this book in a day and was initially disappointed. It started out strong, but then kind of fell into a pattern of waiting. If you feel like giving up (as I did), I urge you to continue into Part 2, where Margot forms a relationship with an older couple that has trouble all over it, but she can't seem to see that so lost in her own despair and (in my opinion), naïveté. There is a lot to unpack in this short debut novel and I think this would make a perfect choice for a book club to discuss. There are a lot of complex relationships that would keep a psychologist busy for days. As I sit here reflecting on this book, I'm increasing my rating from 3.5 to a solid 4. Sanaë Lemoine is definitely an another to watch and she reminded me a bit of Kiley Reid in that the writing was so clever it almost made it too easy to overlook some of the complex themes. The book also made me hungry!! So much delicious food always being cooked or eaten. I wanted to consume about 90 loafs of bread while reading it.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Hogarth (Penguin Random House) and Sanaë Lemoine for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
Review Date: 06/14/2020
Publication Date: 06/16/2020
dnf
June 17, 2020DNF 20%
I was drawn to The Margot Affair after reading its summary. Sadly, beyond its intriguing premise, this novel has little to offer. Seasoned readers will find passages such as “I had Anouk’s lips. Wide and pale pink. When she wore lipstick, her mouth turned into a red wound, so bright it looked like someone had slashed her face. On an adult face it was striking. On my face it was grotesque. I imagined my mouth swallowing me whole. I knew it was jarring, a sensual and fleshy opening on my narrow, small head” to be both clichéd and contrived.
Then we have “he smothered his piece of bread with butter, filling the air pockets and spreading it to the edges” and “I stacked our bowls and carried them to the counter, filled the sink with hot water, and left the dishes to soak. Particles of food floated to the surface”. These details added little to the narrative as they didn't make a scene more vivid and felt completely unnecessary.
Also, the lack of quotation marks seems an attempt at being 'modern'...and I just find it annoying.
Hopefully other readers won't find this novel as off-putting as I did. I'm sure there is a right reader for this type of book...it just wasn't me.
I was drawn to The Margot Affair after reading its summary. Sadly, beyond its intriguing premise, this novel has little to offer. Seasoned readers will find passages such as “I had Anouk’s lips. Wide and pale pink. When she wore lipstick, her mouth turned into a red wound, so bright it looked like someone had slashed her face. On an adult face it was striking. On my face it was grotesque. I imagined my mouth swallowing me whole. I knew it was jarring, a sensual and fleshy opening on my narrow, small head” to be both clichéd and contrived.
Then we have “he smothered his piece of bread with butter, filling the air pockets and spreading it to the edges” and “I stacked our bowls and carried them to the counter, filled the sink with hot water, and left the dishes to soak. Particles of food floated to the surface”. These details added little to the narrative as they didn't make a scene more vivid and felt completely unnecessary.
Also, the lack of quotation marks seems an attempt at being 'modern'...and I just find it annoying.
Hopefully other readers won't find this novel as off-putting as I did. I'm sure there is a right reader for this type of book...it just wasn't me.
March 6, 2022
The Margot Affair is a story of a 17 year old girl who makes one decision that seemingly collapses the only life she’s known.
Margot’s father is a married French politician and her mother, Anouk, is a stage actress. Their relationship is unconventional and secretive because of her father’s career and other family.
Margot knows who her parents are but does she really truly know them? She meets David, a journalist, at a party and gives significant thought to sharing her family’s story. Margot forms a cordial relationship with David and eventually meets his wife, Brigitte, too.
There was a major plot point about halfway through the story that I did not anticipate. While I didn’t agree with all of Margot’s choices, I understood her desire as a young girl for acknowledgment from her father and for a more normal family life.
I did not care for Anouk, who felt self-absorbed and treated Margot as an adult sometimes and as a child at others, when convenient for her. She did grow on me as the story progressed but I still couldn’t say I liked her given her overall demeanor.
The Margot Affair was much different than I expected it to be — I thought it would be a drama-filled family scandal but it was more about a girl left with lingering questions and her intrigue about a couple she meets in this new stage of her life. I didn’t dislike the story, I just wasn’t expecting this story — 3.5 stars (rounded up)
Margot’s father is a married French politician and her mother, Anouk, is a stage actress. Their relationship is unconventional and secretive because of her father’s career and other family.
Margot knows who her parents are but does she really truly know them? She meets David, a journalist, at a party and gives significant thought to sharing her family’s story. Margot forms a cordial relationship with David and eventually meets his wife, Brigitte, too.
There was a major plot point about halfway through the story that I did not anticipate. While I didn’t agree with all of Margot’s choices, I understood her desire as a young girl for acknowledgment from her father and for a more normal family life.
I did not care for Anouk, who felt self-absorbed and treated Margot as an adult sometimes and as a child at others, when convenient for her. She did grow on me as the story progressed but I still couldn’t say I liked her given her overall demeanor.
The Margot Affair was much different than I expected it to be — I thought it would be a drama-filled family scandal but it was more about a girl left with lingering questions and her intrigue about a couple she meets in this new stage of her life. I didn’t dislike the story, I just wasn’t expecting this story — 3.5 stars (rounded up)
February 20, 2022
Such a delight - you will fly through it
September 25, 2020
This is a mighty impressive and mighty wise debut novel -- it's also deeply moving. A teen girl who is the product of an affair between her mother and her father, a single actress and a married French politician, decides to reveal to the world who her father is. The results? Well, not what she expects. Paris is palpable and the characters are all complex and flawed, and make the sorts of horrifying mistakes that real people make all the time.
May 5, 2023
"You go from invisibility to transparency. First, you're hidden, then you become the symbol of an affair."
Margot has lived all her life knowing the circumstances of her birth - that her parents consisted of a mother, a well known, famous actress, and an important married politician who had a wife and two sons. Feeling that her mother had always regarded her with half interest, she always dreamed of the day that her father would make them into a true family. She idolizes him, is constantly seeking his approval in her accomplishments. That father is really the only male character of any note in the book, primary focus being on the women and their relationships and effects on one another's lives through their jealousies, machinations and affections.
With a nod to of Bonjour Tristesse, which plays a part in the story, Lemoine creates a believable narrator in Margot, but it is in the depiction of auxiliary characters and the atmosphere of Parisian life that she really shines. The primary focus is on the women and their relationships. Every meal, every odor, every sight, every landmark and vista, all rendered beautifully. And what happens in Margot's world, the betrayals and revelations, all rendered in prose that make this a writer to watch.
Margot has lived all her life knowing the circumstances of her birth - that her parents consisted of a mother, a well known, famous actress, and an important married politician who had a wife and two sons. Feeling that her mother had always regarded her with half interest, she always dreamed of the day that her father would make them into a true family. She idolizes him, is constantly seeking his approval in her accomplishments. That father is really the only male character of any note in the book, primary focus being on the women and their relationships and effects on one another's lives through their jealousies, machinations and affections.
With a nod to of Bonjour Tristesse, which plays a part in the story, Lemoine creates a believable narrator in Margot, but it is in the depiction of auxiliary characters and the atmosphere of Parisian life that she really shines. The primary focus is on the women and their relationships. Every meal, every odor, every sight, every landmark and vista, all rendered beautifully. And what happens in Margot's world, the betrayals and revelations, all rendered in prose that make this a writer to watch.
April 30, 2020
Wow. That’s all I can say after finishing such a delicate and nuanced novel book early this morning. I have a couple of tears in my eyes which is a good thing, I enjoyed this book so much. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Hogarth Books for the ARC of The Margot Affair by Sanaë Lemoine in exchange for an honest review.
The Margot Affair is about a seventeen year old girl who is the product of an affair between a French stage actress named Anouk Louve and a French professor turned politician named Bertrand Lapierre. Margot and her mother live a relatively hidden life without anyone knowing who Margot’s father is. At times, her father comes to them and shares the responsibility of taking care of Margot. However, Margot has always yearned for more from him with an idea that her family can truly be together since she believes that her father doesn’t truly love his wife, Madame Lapierre and their two sons.
Immediately we are transported into Margot’s world with her mother, her best friend Juliette, and her mother’s closest friends—Mathilde and Théo. As someone who was raised by a single mother with a father who moved on from the relationship and married someone else, I could relate to Margot’s longing for her father. I felt tender-hearted towards her. The first few chapters explain the complex relationship between Margot and Anouk who live more like roommates. Their relationship isn’t as affectionate and a lot of times Margot felt like an afterthought in her mother’s glamorous and dramatic life. Their world is rocked when an article exposes the fact that Bertrand has been living a secret life for twenty years.
I was gutted for Margot when things didn’t play out how she thought it would. Tragedy strikes which sends Margot’s life into even more of a spiral as she navigates complicated feelings and relationships. She meets two writers, a journalist named David and his wife, a ghostwriter named Brigitte who are much older but she creates a bond with them as her life with her mother and best friend becomes even more strained. Margot’s desperation to be part of something important is felt throughout the delicately woven prose. There are no quotation marks in this book but it is well written and allows us to become fully transported into Margot’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Margot does a lot of growing up throughout this book after experiencing tragedy, loss, grief, abandonment, and betrayal. It provides an interesting lens on the relationships between women, especially the relationship between parents and children. Another reviewer pointed out the voyeuristic aspect of this book and I agree. Margot is someone who prefers to stay hidden but she has such a sharp and mature view on the world around her. While she is wise and had to grow up fast, she still has an innocent hope in order to see the best in others. It’s naive but realistic and it makes me want to protect her with everything I have.
As a Francophile, I expected to enjoy this book. While written in English, it’s very French in terms of characterization and the narrative offered. Margot is unlike American teenagers and this book is unlike other teen narratives for an adult audience. I look forward to the release this summer and I recommend adding it to your summer reads.
Warnings: attempted suicide (character is talking about a past event), emotional abuse, slut-shaming, infidelity, and vivid sexual content. For American readers and others where the age of sexual consent is 18 years old, there is a sex between a minor and an adult.
The Margot Affair is about a seventeen year old girl who is the product of an affair between a French stage actress named Anouk Louve and a French professor turned politician named Bertrand Lapierre. Margot and her mother live a relatively hidden life without anyone knowing who Margot’s father is. At times, her father comes to them and shares the responsibility of taking care of Margot. However, Margot has always yearned for more from him with an idea that her family can truly be together since she believes that her father doesn’t truly love his wife, Madame Lapierre and their two sons.
Immediately we are transported into Margot’s world with her mother, her best friend Juliette, and her mother’s closest friends—Mathilde and Théo. As someone who was raised by a single mother with a father who moved on from the relationship and married someone else, I could relate to Margot’s longing for her father. I felt tender-hearted towards her. The first few chapters explain the complex relationship between Margot and Anouk who live more like roommates. Their relationship isn’t as affectionate and a lot of times Margot felt like an afterthought in her mother’s glamorous and dramatic life. Their world is rocked when an article exposes the fact that Bertrand has been living a secret life for twenty years.
I was gutted for Margot when things didn’t play out how she thought it would. Tragedy strikes which sends Margot’s life into even more of a spiral as she navigates complicated feelings and relationships. She meets two writers, a journalist named David and his wife, a ghostwriter named Brigitte who are much older but she creates a bond with them as her life with her mother and best friend becomes even more strained. Margot’s desperation to be part of something important is felt throughout the delicately woven prose. There are no quotation marks in this book but it is well written and allows us to become fully transported into Margot’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Margot does a lot of growing up throughout this book after experiencing tragedy, loss, grief, abandonment, and betrayal. It provides an interesting lens on the relationships between women, especially the relationship between parents and children. Another reviewer pointed out the voyeuristic aspect of this book and I agree. Margot is someone who prefers to stay hidden but she has such a sharp and mature view on the world around her. While she is wise and had to grow up fast, she still has an innocent hope in order to see the best in others. It’s naive but realistic and it makes me want to protect her with everything I have.
As a Francophile, I expected to enjoy this book. While written in English, it’s very French in terms of characterization and the narrative offered. Margot is unlike American teenagers and this book is unlike other teen narratives for an adult audience. I look forward to the release this summer and I recommend adding it to your summer reads.
Warnings: attempted suicide (character is talking about a past event), emotional abuse, slut-shaming, infidelity, and vivid sexual content. For American readers and others where the age of sexual consent is 18 years old, there is a sex between a minor and an adult.
August 11, 2020
I enjoyed the first half way more, but after the halfway point I started to lose interest. I liked Margot, eventhough I didn't approve of some of her action. The writing is the best part of this book, I recommed if you're into lit fiction, and flowery writing.
Its a bit slow paced though.
Its a bit slow paced though.
May 20, 2020
Is it reasonable to say that this is the modern-day, political Bonjour Tristesse? Margot only sees her father a few times a year--that is, in person. The rest of the time, she can watch him on the television as the grand politician that he is. She is the result of her mother's affair with him years ago, and both her mother and her father are very trusting in each other's ability to keep their relationship from all those years ago secret. But the more that Margot grows older, the more she wants a father figure in her life. After all, his other children have that, so why not her?
When she meets a reporter at one of her mother's dramatic performances, she toys with the idea of letting the truth be known. And if the truth was known, then perhaps the problem of her lacking a father would be solved. But what will her father's wife say? And how will such a release of information affect his political status?
When she anonymously spills the beans, she quickly realizes how her words have meaning and power. She has affected relationships, inserted her life into a world of gossip and articles, and finds and loses friendships based on her being the illegitimate child of an actress and a politician. As she comes to terms with her decision to let her genealogy be known, she also must come to terms that she can't always get what she wants.
Overall, this was a compelling novel that I adored on the basis that I knew what they were talking about, what with the Bacs and the tabacs cobblestone streets. It took me back to another time, and made it easy for me to feel transported to another place. It's well crafted, and makes for quite a good story. Definitely worth reading, especially if you're a fan of the political and personal.
When she meets a reporter at one of her mother's dramatic performances, she toys with the idea of letting the truth be known. And if the truth was known, then perhaps the problem of her lacking a father would be solved. But what will her father's wife say? And how will such a release of information affect his political status?
When she anonymously spills the beans, she quickly realizes how her words have meaning and power. She has affected relationships, inserted her life into a world of gossip and articles, and finds and loses friendships based on her being the illegitimate child of an actress and a politician. As she comes to terms with her decision to let her genealogy be known, she also must come to terms that she can't always get what she wants.
Overall, this was a compelling novel that I adored on the basis that I knew what they were talking about, what with the Bacs and the tabacs cobblestone streets. It took me back to another time, and made it easy for me to feel transported to another place. It's well crafted, and makes for quite a good story. Definitely worth reading, especially if you're a fan of the political and personal.
June 22, 2020
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Before I begin, I'd like to recommend that you queue up your favorite French composer to play as a soundtrack behind your reading of this book. I love Ravel, but you can pick whoever you'd like. Also, Sanaë Lemoine's website has recipes for the dishes talked about in the book! Whip up some clafoutis before you crack open this read!
The Margot Affair is a beautifully constructed debut novel from Sanaë Lemoine. Following Margot Louve, the opening chapters highlight the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter, which becomes even more nuanced with the added layer of a dark secret. Margot is the daughter, borne from a romance between her mother, an actress, and her father, a political figure of importance who happens to also be married to someone else.
As the narrative progresses, the writing focuses on the dynamic, emotional relationship between Margot and her parents. Her actress mother, Anouk, and largely absent father, a teacher turned politician. These chapters are full of descriptive language that pulls you into Margot's Paris apartment and paints a vivid picture of her delicate world. The reader is taken on a journey through her inner monologue, weaving through her desire to be closer to her mother and to feel wanted, her conflicting thoughts about her father's other family, and her absolute longing for a complete family unit filled with love and compassion. The reader can feel Margot's desperation as she describes her distant relationship with her mother, an actress who tends to stay in character, even when the play has concluded.
Throughout the narrative, the author returns to a familiar theme of space: how do we shape the space in which we exist and where is the center. This recurring motif inspires the reader to think critically about their space and how they exist inside of it. The author explores the incredibly nuanced question that many people deal with: is it better to tell the truth, or keep a secret.
I love the style choices in this book, particularly the lack of quotation marks. The pages blend into a seamless narrative of an extremely personal nature. I read this novel as if it were Margot's internal monologue. This nicely compliments the abundance of descriptive language, but does not burden the reader with explicit exposition. It is subtle, beautiful, and I could not put this book down.
This work does contain elements of emotional abuse, attempted suicide, and sexual content.
The Margot Affair is published by Hogarth and will be celebrating it's book birthday on June 16, 2020! This book NEEDS to be on your To Be Read list this summer!
Check out The Margot Affair on goodreads and Sanaë Lemoine's website.
I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and Random House.
Before I begin, I'd like to recommend that you queue up your favorite French composer to play as a soundtrack behind your reading of this book. I love Ravel, but you can pick whoever you'd like. Also, Sanaë Lemoine's website has recipes for the dishes talked about in the book! Whip up some clafoutis before you crack open this read!
The Margot Affair is a beautifully constructed debut novel from Sanaë Lemoine. Following Margot Louve, the opening chapters highlight the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter, which becomes even more nuanced with the added layer of a dark secret. Margot is the daughter, borne from a romance between her mother, an actress, and her father, a political figure of importance who happens to also be married to someone else.
As the narrative progresses, the writing focuses on the dynamic, emotional relationship between Margot and her parents. Her actress mother, Anouk, and largely absent father, a teacher turned politician. These chapters are full of descriptive language that pulls you into Margot's Paris apartment and paints a vivid picture of her delicate world. The reader is taken on a journey through her inner monologue, weaving through her desire to be closer to her mother and to feel wanted, her conflicting thoughts about her father's other family, and her absolute longing for a complete family unit filled with love and compassion. The reader can feel Margot's desperation as she describes her distant relationship with her mother, an actress who tends to stay in character, even when the play has concluded.
Throughout the narrative, the author returns to a familiar theme of space: how do we shape the space in which we exist and where is the center. This recurring motif inspires the reader to think critically about their space and how they exist inside of it. The author explores the incredibly nuanced question that many people deal with: is it better to tell the truth, or keep a secret.
I love the style choices in this book, particularly the lack of quotation marks. The pages blend into a seamless narrative of an extremely personal nature. I read this novel as if it were Margot's internal monologue. This nicely compliments the abundance of descriptive language, but does not burden the reader with explicit exposition. It is subtle, beautiful, and I could not put this book down.
This work does contain elements of emotional abuse, attempted suicide, and sexual content.
The Margot Affair is published by Hogarth and will be celebrating it's book birthday on June 16, 2020! This book NEEDS to be on your To Be Read list this summer!
Check out The Margot Affair on goodreads and Sanaë Lemoine's website.
I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and Random House.
March 26, 2023
deft & atmospheric novel set in paris about a young teen who impulsively betrays her family. it's tender & cruel, every scene or detail is exquisitely captured or rendered: the stolen moments, the shared meals, the small paris apartment, & the very horrid briggett. the Bonjour Tristesse tie-in was sublime.
October 4, 2020
I stopped at page 66. Usually my goal is to at least get to page 100 before I abandon a book. And I can’t recall not finishing a book, even ones I ended up hating, in recent history. It’s just, well, boring. And I have 2 other books on my nightstand and 2 waiting at the library for me - I’d just rather be reading a book I actually enjoy.
May 31, 2020
"Coming of age" is a strange expression. Is it a process or an event? Does it occur at a certain numerical age or at a certain level of maturity, the product of knowledge and past experience? Margot, the titular protagonist of The Margot Affair is the daughter of a secret dalliance between her mother and a well-known politician with another official family, comes of age during her final year of lycée in Paris.
What Margot seems to learn—painfully—is to accept the complexity of adult life. To grow up, she must understand the foibles of her father and mother and all the other adults that fail her. By doing so, she loses the rosy simplicity of youth to join the dark and realistic hallways of adulthood. The effects of this transition are similar to those mined by Françoise Sagan in Bonjour Tristesse, a novel mentioned in this text as the ur-loss-of-innocence story.
In addition to a fresh take on these old themes, The Margot Affair offers an ample dose of psychosexual tension and passages devoted to delicious food. The story also twists in ways you don't expect it to based on the premise, gathering speed particularly after a surprising event occurring at the end of Part I. A charming novel that teeters between complexity and simplicity, The Margot Affair is a quiet but compelling entry into the "coming of age" genre.
What Margot seems to learn—painfully—is to accept the complexity of adult life. To grow up, she must understand the foibles of her father and mother and all the other adults that fail her. By doing so, she loses the rosy simplicity of youth to join the dark and realistic hallways of adulthood. The effects of this transition are similar to those mined by Françoise Sagan in Bonjour Tristesse, a novel mentioned in this text as the ur-loss-of-innocence story.
In addition to a fresh take on these old themes, The Margot Affair offers an ample dose of psychosexual tension and passages devoted to delicious food. The story also twists in ways you don't expect it to based on the premise, gathering speed particularly after a surprising event occurring at the end of Part I. A charming novel that teeters between complexity and simplicity, The Margot Affair is a quiet but compelling entry into the "coming of age" genre.
March 10, 2021
QUICK TAKE: I didn't' know what to expect with this one, but I actually really loved it. A soapy story about a Parisian teen girl who discovers she and her mother are the "secret family" her father kept from his other wife and children. When the father dies, both families must reckon with the fallout. The writing is fantastic, the drama elevated, and the characters deeply flawed. I loved the Paris setting and overall was a big fan of this one.
September 10, 2020
(audiobook) I really wanted to like this book more. It was a fine story, I didn't realize going into it that it would be a coming-of-age story. I expected it to be more about the affair, and French politics, but instead it's very much about Margot's struggles as a young woman and her blossoming sexuality as she departs high school.
Part 1 is a lot of set up, for what is a decently interesting part 2. However, if you aren't into taboo relationships (age difference), then the tension won't be engaging. The entire book hinges on you being invested in Margot's desire for David (and partially Bridgette). I think this really limits the scope of interest because the rest of the 'plot' is so generic that there's not a lot to keep you going aside from that.
Aside from the rather wishy-washy plot, this book tries way too hard to be French. It almost feels as though the author is trying to prove her Frenchness. There are so many random (and unnecessary) French words thrown into sentences: "I went down the street to the boulangerie." This was particularly noticeable in the audiobook as the narrator hams up the French accent of the words. There's also a lot of geographical details about Paris, some contextualize Margot's trips to see David, but some feel oddly specific such as when she's going to the party with Bridgette and both the arrondissement and Metro station are referenced but neither are famous or landmark.
I prefer a plot-driven story, as opposed to character, so this book inherently isn't one I would love. But I still think it had elements that were engaging enough to keep me engaged from start to finish.
Part 1 is a lot of set up, for what is a decently interesting part 2. However, if you aren't into taboo relationships (age difference), then the tension won't be engaging. The entire book hinges on you being invested in Margot's desire for David (and partially Bridgette). I think this really limits the scope of interest because the rest of the 'plot' is so generic that there's not a lot to keep you going aside from that.
Aside from the rather wishy-washy plot, this book tries way too hard to be French. It almost feels as though the author is trying to prove her Frenchness. There are so many random (and unnecessary) French words thrown into sentences: "I went down the street to the boulangerie." This was particularly noticeable in the audiobook as the narrator hams up the French accent of the words. There's also a lot of geographical details about Paris, some contextualize Margot's trips to see David, but some feel oddly specific such as when she's going to the party with Bridgette and both the arrondissement and Metro station are referenced but neither are famous or landmark.
I prefer a plot-driven story, as opposed to character, so this book inherently isn't one I would love. But I still think it had elements that were engaging enough to keep me engaged from start to finish.
August 16, 2020
oh, wow. i have forgotten what it was like to be blown away by a novel like this.
the writing is so, so exquisite. there was so much texture in the description of food, the light, all the complex characters who populate its world. there were no attempts to paint the characters as evil or good - only as they were: humans in all their flawed glory. the same goes for the location; i felt like i really got a sense of paris through the text.
hm, what else. this book came to me at exactly the right time. i've been living with my parents for a month now. the margot affair has given me a lot of things to consider as i contend with the realities of my upbringing, my relationship with my parents, their marriage.
i'll be thinking about this intelligent and complicated novel for a long time. this was truly something else.
the writing is so, so exquisite. there was so much texture in the description of food, the light, all the complex characters who populate its world. there were no attempts to paint the characters as evil or good - only as they were: humans in all their flawed glory. the same goes for the location; i felt like i really got a sense of paris through the text.
hm, what else. this book came to me at exactly the right time. i've been living with my parents for a month now. the margot affair has given me a lot of things to consider as i contend with the realities of my upbringing, my relationship with my parents, their marriage.
i'll be thinking about this intelligent and complicated novel for a long time. this was truly something else.
January 13, 2025
I picked up
The Margot Affair
hoping to read about some scandalous family drama but I was disappointed.
First, the writing is good, and the author describes Paris beautifully.
At times I felt I was at Paris (on my bucket list!) but I read this a week ago and can't think of any other positive.
If I had known this was more of a coming-of-age story, I wouldn't have finished this.
If I had known it was about Margot, the bastard secret daughter of a politician with a serious Freudian attachment to her mostly absent father, I definitely wouldn't have finished this.
I understand why Margot would be unnaturally attached to a man who is barely in her life as she grows up, but I can't understand why and I'm a Freudian.
Frankly, it creeped me out the way she mooned and fawned over her dead, in her thoughts, her actions and her memories.
Margot's mom is a joke and not in a funny ha ha kind of way.
She's artsy, a free spirit, an actress who once had higher ambitions, yet succumbed to the biggest cliche in the world, in real life and in books; she fell for a married man and was subjected to his rules, whims and behavior.
Margot and her mom live for his visits, they are thrown into a tizzy when he arrives; their spirits lighten and their hearts rejoice when he arrives.
He is their sun and they are just the planets that orbit him. Gag.
Margot's dad, his name already escapes me (I don't remember anyone's name, only Margot and that's because its in the title) is just as memorable as the story.
Nothing much happens, except Margot learns (like most children do) that things never go as planned, people betray you and some things never change.
Overall, the impression I got after reading this was that adults (once again) no matter their age, continue to behave badly and the only person with a decent head on her shoulders is, most times, the child.
First, the writing is good, and the author describes Paris beautifully.
At times I felt I was at Paris (on my bucket list!) but I read this a week ago and can't think of any other positive.
If I had known this was more of a coming-of-age story, I wouldn't have finished this.
If I had known it was about Margot, the bastard secret daughter of a politician with a serious Freudian attachment to her mostly absent father, I definitely wouldn't have finished this.
I understand why Margot would be unnaturally attached to a man who is barely in her life as she grows up, but I can't understand why and I'm a Freudian.
Frankly, it creeped me out the way she mooned and fawned over her dead, in her thoughts, her actions and her memories.
Margot's mom is a joke and not in a funny ha ha kind of way.
She's artsy, a free spirit, an actress who once had higher ambitions, yet succumbed to the biggest cliche in the world, in real life and in books; she fell for a married man and was subjected to his rules, whims and behavior.
Margot and her mom live for his visits, they are thrown into a tizzy when he arrives; their spirits lighten and their hearts rejoice when he arrives.
He is their sun and they are just the planets that orbit him. Gag.
Margot's dad, his name already escapes me (I don't remember anyone's name, only Margot and that's because its in the title) is just as memorable as the story.
Nothing much happens, except Margot learns (like most children do) that things never go as planned, people betray you and some things never change.
Overall, the impression I got after reading this was that adults (once again) no matter their age, continue to behave badly and the only person with a decent head on her shoulders is, most times, the child.
June 30, 2020
↓ About the book
Margot, the secret child of an affair between a famous French actress and politician, yearns for her family to be complete. The hidden family exists in moments in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank.
With a desire to be heard, Margot finds a well-regarded journalist to tell her story. Once the scandal is released for the public to read, Margot realizes that her impulsive decision has a series of catastrophic consequences.
↓ My thoughts
If you have ever watched a French movie, this book is that. I often find myself being confused about halfway through a French film, only to finish it feeling incredibly depressed. That said, this coming of age story is beautifully written and makes you feel like you are in Paris. The descriptive food descriptions are especially delectable.
The synopsis was what pulled me in, but I found the actual storyline to fall flat. Once a pivotal moment occurs about halfway through the book, the story takes a turn that I found to be unrelated to the original synopsis. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one, but I am excited to see what Lemoine writes next, as her writing style wowed me.
Thank you Hogarth for a finished copy in exchange for a review!
Margot, the secret child of an affair between a famous French actress and politician, yearns for her family to be complete. The hidden family exists in moments in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank.
With a desire to be heard, Margot finds a well-regarded journalist to tell her story. Once the scandal is released for the public to read, Margot realizes that her impulsive decision has a series of catastrophic consequences.
↓ My thoughts
If you have ever watched a French movie, this book is that. I often find myself being confused about halfway through a French film, only to finish it feeling incredibly depressed. That said, this coming of age story is beautifully written and makes you feel like you are in Paris. The descriptive food descriptions are especially delectable.
The synopsis was what pulled me in, but I found the actual storyline to fall flat. Once a pivotal moment occurs about halfway through the book, the story takes a turn that I found to be unrelated to the original synopsis. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one, but I am excited to see what Lemoine writes next, as her writing style wowed me.
Thank you Hogarth for a finished copy in exchange for a review!
March 2, 2021
Teenage Margot lives in Paris with her mother, a famous actress. The daughter of an illicit affair between her mother and a married politician, Margot loves her father and craves formal recognition as a part of his family. After meeting a journalist at the theater, Margot decides to go public with the information that her father has a long-term lover and a daughter out of wedlock. Soon after this revelation, Margot's father dies suddenly, and she is left to sort through the past she's had with her father, the relationship between her parents, and her role in the adult world. The Margot Affair is a perfect snapshot of the fleeting space between adolescence and adulthood.
CW: Although I believe Margot is 18 when this happens, there is a scene in which she has a sexual encounter with a much older man.
CW: Although I believe Margot is 18 when this happens, there is a scene in which she has a sexual encounter with a much older man.
July 22, 2020
An excellent book on coming of age, complex family relationships and the great French culture. Very French book on every page, from the relaxed (yet strained at times) attitude toward the affairs and sex to the very importance of food and its presentation, style and female beauty. I enjoyed this as an homage of sort to Sagan book which I loved reading as an young girl as well.
I miss travelling so much, and I especially miss France, the country I used to visit every season of the year and never get tired of. The simple classic style of it women, the wonderful food and the amazing atmosphere of its small and big cities alike.
I miss travelling so much, and I especially miss France, the country I used to visit every season of the year and never get tired of. The simple classic style of it women, the wonderful food and the amazing atmosphere of its small and big cities alike.
October 3, 2022
1. Книга напомнила мне типичный французский фильм: много меланхолии, много нездоровых отношений, много неожиданной обнаженки. И да, французский кинематограф я не особо люблю.
2. Давид — мерзкий педофил, чьё место в тюрьме 😋✨ А жена его нарциссичная манипуляторша. Идеальная парочка, удачи их будущему ребёнку ;)
3. В данном произведении только два положительных момента — это описание еды (с удовольствием бы почитала лишние пару десятков страниц о том, как Бриджит готовит, вместо всех тех сцен Давида с Марго) и существование подруги главной героини (она святое создание).
Итог: пойду умоюсь, после этой книги хочется сделать только это.
2. Давид — мерзкий педофил, чьё место в тюрьме 😋✨ А жена его нарциссичная манипуляторша. Идеальная парочка, удачи их будущему ребёнку ;)
3. В данном произведении только два положительных момента — это описание еды (с удовольствием бы почитала лишние пару десятков страниц о том, как Бриджит готовит, вместо всех тех сцен Давида с Марго) и существование подруги главной героини (она святое создание).
Итог: пойду умоюсь, после этой книги хочется сделать только это.
June 24, 2020
I'm still crying with that ending, especially Anouk's words were beautiful.
The story of Margot wasn't easy, she really went through so many things that I'm not sure how she was able to keep walking, she was a great heroine in a way that she was very mature and strong for her age, sometimes I even forgot how old she was. Her mother wasn't easy, she was not very nurturing and Margot felt the need to seek advice and help from other people.
I felt very sad for Margot as I was learning more about her. she was very lonely, she didn't have many friends, she was always seeking the approval or the acceptance of her parents maybe that's why she always felt and crave affection and love, she didn't felt beautiful, a lot of people betrayed her trust hurting her in the worst way. she only wanted a family, a father that will care for her always.
"When I asked you to stay with your wife, it was before meeting the other love of my life"
The secondary characters were great, Juliette, Mathilde, Theo, David, and Brigitte. One of my favorite characters was Madame Lapierre, she really surprised me in many ways, I didn't expect to like her and at the end, she really was a lady.
Worst moment of the book, When Bridgitte spoke with Margot.
Many things to say about The Margot Affair, it was steady, I felt a melancholy feeling around the story at all times, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, it was suspenseful in many ways but at the same time, it was dramatic and with a lot of misunderstandings. I always felt like too much "silence" was slowly killing Margot.
Overall I really love it and I'm thankful to the author that in the end, she gave justice to Margot, it was necessary and so well deserved!
The story of Margot wasn't easy, she really went through so many things that I'm not sure how she was able to keep walking, she was a great heroine in a way that she was very mature and strong for her age, sometimes I even forgot how old she was. Her mother wasn't easy, she was not very nurturing and Margot felt the need to seek advice and help from other people.
I felt very sad for Margot as I was learning more about her. she was very lonely, she didn't have many friends, she was always seeking the approval or the acceptance of her parents maybe that's why she always felt and crave affection and love, she didn't felt beautiful, a lot of people betrayed her trust hurting her in the worst way. she only wanted a family, a father that will care for her always.
"When I asked you to stay with your wife, it was before meeting the other love of my life"
The secondary characters were great, Juliette, Mathilde, Theo, David, and Brigitte. One of my favorite characters was Madame Lapierre, she really surprised me in many ways, I didn't expect to like her and at the end, she really was a lady.
Worst moment of the book, When Bridgitte spoke with Margot.
Many things to say about The Margot Affair, it was steady, I felt a melancholy feeling around the story at all times, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, it was suspenseful in many ways but at the same time, it was dramatic and with a lot of misunderstandings. I always felt like too much "silence" was slowly killing Margot.
Overall I really love it and I'm thankful to the author that in the end, she gave justice to Margot, it was necessary and so well deserved!
August 28, 2020
Although the story is good, I had a few issues with the writing. The writer provides strange unnecessary details in some instances. In others, the metaphor used just reads as weird. Like this sentence, "When she wore lipstick, her mouth turned into a red wound, so bright it looked like someone had slashed her face." There are no quotation marks for dialogue, which would have been okay. However, this is a first person narrative. When a secondary character starts narrating a long-winded story(of which there are many) with details that only a writer could write about, the switch is confusing. I've had to go back and read who is actually speaking. The dialogues don't sound authentic either. The story and the characters are well fleshed out. There are several descriptions of food that are well-written. I liked the book; I only wish it were written differently.
March 15, 2020
I loved this novel. I found it to be totally riveting—and, somewhat unusually for me, I was propelled as much by a desire to understand the characters' motivations and dynamics as to see what happened next in the plot. I loved the focus on thought-provoking and complex relationships: romantic relationships, relationships between mothers and daughters, relationships between and among women. The author created such an immersive world: When I wasn't reading the novel, I found my thoughts straying back to it. And on a sentence level, the writing was precise and exquisite. (Plus, it made me want to improve my kitchen skills!)
Read
January 1, 2026A slow burn, a Parisian “Conversation with Friends” - I absolutely loved it. I guess 4.5 rounding up to 5? I hope I’m not overhyping but I really did love everything about it.
November 17, 2020
Margot Louvre is the secret daughter of a long-time affair between a French politician eying the presidency and a well-known stage actress. She only saw her father when he made himself available away from his wife and sons. As her parents were too widely known, the life of her parents and Margot was reduced to the apartment. “There were so many of us, children of these double families who dreamed of the other side.” At seventeen, she no longer wanted to be kept hidden and unknown. She felt confined and wanted to breathe. She wanted to be part of her father’s other life. At a chance encounter with a journalist, she made a rash statement about her father. She has an opportunity to be liberated from the constraints of her life. He warned her of the consequences of disclosure. Is telling the truth worth the price? The first half of the book focuses on Margot, her parents, and her friend, Juliette. The second half of the book explores her relationship with David, the journalist, and his wife, Brigitte, a ghost writer, which she hides from Anouk (her mother) and Juliette. This is about recognition, growth, family, betrayal, love, and sexuality. The story grew on me.
However, I found the scenes of cannibalism disturbing and initially lowered my rating as I could not fathom why they needed to be included. Other means are available to demonstrate what they metaphorically signify.
However, I found the scenes of cannibalism disturbing and initially lowered my rating as I could not fathom why they needed to be included. Other means are available to demonstrate what they metaphorically signify.
October 15, 2023
this was an emotional journey and the only comparison I can make is the musical evita. like I’m enthralled into your personal journey, we’re lighter on explicit plot development/arc but it’s much more like following the story of a life. Her internal narration is delightfully and painfully intoxicating and I loved it but it wasn’t pleasant I’d say most of the time
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