Delicacy: A Novel
Written by David Foenkinos
Narrated by Nicole Poole
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Natalie and François are the perfect couple, and perfectly happy. But after François dies suddenly, only seven years into their still blissful marriage, the widowed Natalie erects a fortress around her emotions into which no one can gain access. Until the most unlikely candidate appears: Markus, Natalie’s Swedish, geeky, and unassuming coworker.
David Foenkinos
David Foenkinos is a French novelist and screenwriter. His novels have been translated into twenty-five languages and garnered ten awards around the world. Delicacy, which was first published in France, garnered nominations for all five major French literary prizes and has sold one million copies. David lives in Paris.
Related to Delicacy
Related audiobooks
Thalia Book Club: Madame Bovary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Star of Istanbul: A Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hot Country: A Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ethan Frome Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Empire of Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thalia Book Club: Tessa Hadley, Late In The Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thalia Book Club: Nicole Krauss' Great House Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man with No Borders: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If You Want to Write Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwo Tuppenny Ones Please Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Forgetting English: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Possible Life: A Novel in Five Parts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Small Hotel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAuthor's Playhouse - Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOwl Song At Dawn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBased on a True Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrizes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hummingbird: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Expectations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ten Days in the Hills Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Thalia Book Club: Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnder The Summer Sun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Narcissism of Small Differences Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Danger, Sweetheart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Broken Man on a Halifax Pier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lobster Johnson: The Proteus Club [Dramatized Adaptation]: From the World of Hellboy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dare to Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unburied Dead: DS Hutton Book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
General Fiction For You
The Hunger Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/511/22/63: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Two Towers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Duke and I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Darker Shade of Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Outsider: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Delicacy
206 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5At our local library, there is a shelf for recently returned books. My friend, who works there, tells me it's because patrons of the library want to see what's just been read by other patrons. It's a pretty good idea. This one called out to me as I walked by and I took it home. I read the first 20 pages or so last night, and it was OK. Then this morning, I read this: She was struck by the sight of the bookmark, especially. The book was cut in two by it: the first part, read while Francois was alive. And at page 321, he was dead. What should she do? Can you keep reading a book interrupted by the death of your husband? I was hooked. On a certain level, this is a light novel, a quick, romantic read. On the other hand, it also is unique, quirky and addresses the issues of love, grief and loving again in a delicate and gently humorous way. The chapter headings are priceless. If you take a look at the LT reviews page, you will note that it is a book that people either really like, or really, really don't like. I always find that interesting. No middle ground - no ambiguity about the response. Quotes:He was a fellow employee from Uppsala, a Swedish city that doesn't interest many people. Even the inhabitants of Uppsala* themselves are embarrassed; the name of their city sounds almost like an excuse. *Of course, it's possible to be born in Uppsala and become Ingmar Bergman. That said, his films should give some idea of the tenor of that city.Markus, who'd made a mess of so many things in his life, had just discovered his ability to appear in the field of vision of a woman at the perfect moment. Maybe the best idea was to cancel. There was still time. Unforeseeable circumstances. Yes, sorry, Natalie. You know, I'd really love to have gone, but, well, Mom died today. Nope, that was no good, too brutal. Too Camus, as well; and Camus was no good for canceling. Sartre: a lot better. I can't tonight, you see, because hell is other people. A hint of existentialism in the tone - that would go over nicely.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I think this book thinks it's charming, but it just left me feeling gross. The main character is this woman who is barely even a person, just a beautiful face with vaguely strange habits. Of course, everyone loves her for no special reason. It just seemed like the author really wanted to fuck Audrey Tautou and decided to write a book about what he would like her personality to be, but he didn't even care that much and just put in a bunch of random crap to make it sort of like Amelie.
Also, don't put in the book who you think should be in the movie. It's tacky. You know who else does that? Dan Brown. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Ugh- just bad.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is light, fluffy French romantic nonsense. As such, it would not be expected to appear on *my* reading list. In fact I have no idea how it got onto my wish list, as none of my LibraryThing friends list it. Anyway, I read it, and although I wouldn't say my life has been profoundly affected by the experience, I did finish it and quite enjoyed the experience. I liked Foenkinos's quirky style with wacky footnotes, very brief chapters, and slightly irrelevant asides. I haven't seen the movie (nor would I), but the book actually almost seems to have been written with a movie in mind. It begins with a remarkable similarity to Ann Hood's "Ruby" (ultra-romantic marriage is cut short by the death of the husband when he is hit by a car while jogging).and then focuses on the life of the beautiful young widow and the men she attracts. Having recently read a remarkably thoughtful, introspective, contemplative and sometimes depressing book on relationships (Elizabeth Hay's "Small Change"), perhaps I needed something like "Delicacy" to refresh my reading palate.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I recently discovered Amazon's list of 100 Best Books 2012 and ordered six of the novels cited. Delicacy is a very nice romance. It takes place in Paris. It's very French, so some of the behaviors are rather odd, but I liked it anyway. It's short, but it has some 115 chapters, several of which are ultra brief, clever and amusing, e.g., Chapter 38 "Code for the Door to Markus's BuildingA9624"There are a number of very nice romantic moments, a number of funny ones, a few tragic ones. Altogether a nice story. It has won a number of French awards and sold a ton of books there.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I started this book in much the same way as the main character - hopeful. It seemed so full of promise. Unfortunately, I very quickly found myself becoming irritated by the writing style, which reads like a cross between a movie script and a Twitter feed. Is it really necessary for a 250 page book to have 115 chapters? - Especially when some of them are made up of only three or four words. I should have been forewarned by the footnote on the first page, where after saying "But she never ever felt nostalgia. That was something that was quite rare for Natalie" the author feels compelled to add a footnote saying "There's often a clear tendency for nostalgia in Natalies". Even though the story is quite slight, there are plus points. The two main characters are quite well drawn, and the writing style is such that not only do you get to see their back story and motivation, but you get to see their thinking. Unfortunately, there are other characters who, for me, actively detracted from the book. Natalie's boss, Charles, in particular is supposed to be holding down a responsible position but acts in such a way that in real life, he would be in industrial tribunals and police investigations so fast his head would have been spinning. Considering the book is set within the last decade, he seems to have been drawn from the 1950's. If you can put up with the staccato style, and are looking for something light and frothy to read on a weekend break, then this may be very much for you but if you are looking for a literary romance then, alas, you may be in for a disappointment - much in the style of a collapsed soufflé.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a beautiful, touching, whimsical, heartbreaking, and oh so very French story. What do I mean by that last? It's hard to describe - but I think it's the combination of refined/whimsical/slightly stuck-up mixed with not-so-neatly wrapped endings. Delicacy was all that. And, much like it's title suggests, it's a delicate story.I loved so much about this book - I loved the way the relationships are wrote about, and the breaks in the story to feed the reader random facts about what is happening. I found it utterly charming, and laughed and cried my way through it all.For such a thin little book, this one packs a punch, and I hope you give it a chance - now.. I need to get my hands on the film!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5French novelist and screenwriter Foenkinos tells the story of Natalie and Markus, two young coworkers traversing the uneasy terrain between love and friendship. Natalie's life abruptly halts when her husband of seven years dies. With barely enough energy to continue on, Natalie returns to work but allows her friendships to lapse and her love life to disintegrate into nothingness. Enter Markus, a self-effacing Swede, who stumbles into her office at precisely the right moment. Taken over by the need to feel feminine, Natalie gives into a sudden and impulsive act that sends both her and Markus down a muddled path toward love. As with all stories of would-be-lovers, a number of obstacles are thrown in their way. Natalie and Markus must contend with their lovesick boss, Charles, and a whole horde of nosy coworkers who can't seem to understand Natalie's interest in the geeky Markus. The reader, unfortunately, will have to contend with the opposite problem as they are left to wonder what is so magnificent about Natalie. The fault lies with Foenkinos’s decision to present Natalie as a feminine ideal rather than a fully fleshed out character. He tells the reader of Natalie’s love of reading, fascination with Pez dispensers, and educational background. None of these facts, however, make her personality any more decipherable as Foenkinos focuses more on her beauty than her character. Foenkinos's stylistic prose can also be faulted for this lack of character depth. This is unfortunate since his prose is also his greatest strength. The narrative style of Delicacy can best be described as ethereal ¾ concerned far more with style than substance. The reader sorts through pages and pages of aesthetically appealing prose without finding any true emotional connection with the characters. Hearts are broken and love restored, but the reader has difficulty caring. Foenkinos may believe that pretty words are an acceptable substitute for characters and story, but the reader may not be convinced. Delicacy is a meringue of a novel, and those wishing for meatier fiction should look elsewhere.