French enchantment at least (My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle - Marcel Pagnol)

Name: pontecaille

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Product:	My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle - Marcel Pagnol
Date:	31/07/01 (147 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: excellent description, lovely and pure style, true story

Disadvantages: n/a

Marcel Pagnol was born in Aubagne (south West of France) in 1895 and died in Paris in 1974. French composer, dramatic author, narrator and member of the French Academy, his most famous books are “Topaze”, “Marius and Fanny”. He also wrote his biography and “La Gloire de mon père”, “My Father’s Glory” was the first of the three tomes.
“Le Château de ma mere”, “My Mother’s Castle”
“Le Temps des amours”, unfinished volume


Main characters:
Jospeh and Augustine (Marcel’s parents)
Lili (Marcel’s friend)
Jules (Marcel’s uncle)
Bouzique (maintaining canals)

Story:
In 1900, the Pagnol family lives in the centre of Marseille. Joseph and Augustine decide to pass a part of the summer in La Treille (in the outskirts of Marseille)……………..
This is where the story begins:
Marcel enjoys his yearly holidays as much as he can. Every morning he goes fishing with his father and uncle. He meets Lili, a boy from the surroundings and quickly becomes friend with him. Hunting reunites them. Time flies and it is school time again. Marcel and Lili exchange addresses and promise to keep in touch. Marcel is candidate for a bursary so he has to work harder than others. However He keeps on writing to Lili.
With his family he goes again in « La Bastide » for Christmas vacation. One night at the diner table, the members of the family talk about the possibility to stay longer in this place and mainly to come every weekend. Joseph promptly refuses. He thinks of the walking distance from here to the centre is far too long and Marcel will not have time to get to school in the morning. But his mum meets the school director’s wife who manages to persuade her husband not to work on Monday mornings.
They finally come back for Easter and on their way they bump into Bouzique, an ex-pupil of Jose
ph. He is maintaining the canals. As they begin a conversation, Bouzique shows them a shortcut to get to their house by passing through a number of different private properties but saving them about 2h30minutes. Bouzique gives them the key opening each one of the doors along the canal. Joseph is at first hesitating but finally accepts. But one of the owners of the properties sues them for taking an illegal path. Joseph is terrified of the repercussion of this transgression and is afraid of loosing his position as schoolteacher.

And the story goes on but I won’t tell more because you have to get this book. And if you can get the two other titles of his biography it is even better. They just are beautiful. The first two titles were adapted into films and they are of a good quality also.


It is a lovely written book. You can discover the region of Marseille (a typical temperament of the South of France) and its surroundings. You nearly can smell the fragrances from the rosemary and thyme, the chant of frogs at nighttime will slowly put you to sleep and the pollen of the mimosas (regional yellow flower) will tickle your nostril. Am I getting romantic or what? Well I am sorry if I got carried away but I can’t help it.

Pagnol is one of my favourite French writers and he always makes me dream. He has a very unique style of description and make you part of the story. You get sucked into the book and as the pages pass you can only be dragged down in a daydream. He has the gift to tell youth memories with such natural and always on the same tune. It is like if you get ready yourself for holidays. You know that exciting feeling of packing, travelling, seeing summer pen friends, going to your favourite place during the vacation, socialising…well it is there when you read Pagnol.
It is purely wonderful to feel this harmonious way when you live in cloudy and rainy Scotland…
His writing and style of telling his own sou
venirs will easily fascinate you. It definitely is a book to have. Even if you are not a big reader, you will be captivated.
The ultimate bed companion…

Summary: