Anne-Laure Bondoux

Ferme des Chaumes, fief de la famille Balaguère, dans le Morvan, dans laquelle les hommes portent des noms d'arbres.
Déroulée comme un long et passionnant récit retraçant l'histoire des générations qui se sont succédées depuis la veille de la Première guerre mondiale, avec le vieux Cytise, sa femmle, et leurs deux fils, Anzême et Marty. L'un meurt très vite à la guerre, l'autre est un peu simplet et ne partira pas comme son frère. Nous suivons quatre générations, de 1914 à 2022.
Le dernier de cette famille, Saule, doit se plonger dans la lettre qui lui est destinée pour comprendre d'où il vient, de quel bois sont faits les membres de sa famille, ses aïeux, et quels sont tous ces lourds secrets et ses accumulations de violences que chacun porte sur ses épaules sans en avoir vraiment conscience.
Une très belle puissance du récit, qui nous fait traverser les grands évènements du 20e et 21 siècle. Un vrai plaisir de lecture.… (mais)

2.5 stars

“Compared to those distant powers, the problems of the human heart seemed unimportant.”

Malva is a fifteen-year-old Princess of Galnicia with a dream to escape her fate and duty in pursuit of free will and adventure. Philomena, Malva’s chambermaid and best friend, agrees to stow away with Malva and sneak out of Galnicia. Malta and Philomena promise to live the rest of their lives together, but the future does not go as planned.

Orpheus has always been drawn to the sea but believes he has a medical condition that prevents him from being able to survive on the open water. When rumors of Malva being alive and imprisoned circle the city, Orpheus is determined to answer the call of the ocean and his nation—he resolves to rescue the princess at all costs.

“Everyone on board the Fabula knew it wouldn’t be easy to explain their passage beyond the boundaries of the Known World."

The Princetta has the potential to sail you to a different world on the trail of adventure but falls flat in the delivery. Malta and her crew find themselves in interesting and unique situations, which is the only reason I kept reading. The main reason I wanted to stop reading this book is the pace. The pace is too slow, and the book would benefit from some edits to remove unnecessary information that weakens the plot of the story; for example, a lengthy return to Galnicia and restoring the nation. The story starts when Malta leaves Galnicia and should end when she returns. Instead, the ending reveals a variation of HEA—not romantically— that is dissatisfying and does not leave the reader daydreaming like you would expect an adventure novel should. Additionally, the character Lei is a built-in “get out of jail free card,” and stunts the suspense and growth of the plot. The novel was just okay. I did not want to keep picking it up, but I did because I wanted it to be over. It is possible the French version did the story justice and did not translate well to English.… (mais)

“I like metamorphosis. . . wood that becomes books. Winter that becomes spring. Grapes that become wine . . . And the child who becomes a man.”

An extraordinary novel—spare, poetic, mystical, wise, and moving. It has the timelessness and power of a myth, legend, or the best fairytales. I understand why David Almond, author of another wonderful book, Skellig, praised it. It also put me in mind of Laura Amy Schlitz’s The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm. Bondoux’s novel—ostensibly for young adults, but more likely to be appreciated by older ones—addresses redemption and the transformative power of love. I loved this book. I cannot praise it enough.… (mais)

Malva, la heredera al trono de Galnicia, tiene su destino sellado: deberá casarse en breve con un príncipe. O eso creen sus padres. Porque esa misma noche decide huir lejos, más allá de los confines de la tierra conocida, hacia un mundo inexplorado salpicado de islas paradisíacas junto a otras habitadas por seres procedentes de la peor de las pesadillas. Atrapados en el Encierro del Archipiélago, Malva, el capitán y el resto de la tripulación deberán enfrentarse a toda clase de obstáculos para salir de él antes de que se agoten las piedras de vida que poseen.… (mais)