The Mystery of Henri Pick (2025)

a good book if you're wanting to study intentional fallacy because all these characters are just obsessed with the author more than they are the actual book

but at the same time, this also has a tinge of the male gaze and random comments that make you go ????? what, one example is where a character literally threatens to get an abortion if her partner publishes his book because it'll ruin her reputation??? plus, there are moments where the writing plays towards the male gaze and the male fantasy and that made me uncomfortable.

فكرة العمل جميلة وتتكلم عن صاحب مكتبة اسمه چان بيير جورفيك والي قرر يحول قسم في مكتبته الى قسم يخص الكتب المرفوضه من دور النشر ومن ضمن الكتب المعروضه كتاب مؤلفه اسمه هنري بك لفت انتباه ناشرة اسمها دلفين وبحثت عن المؤلف حتى عرفت انه صاحب مطعم بيتزا وتبدأ تحاول تتعرف على الكاتب الغامض الي مات من سنتين وتزداد الرواية اثاره بصوره تلفت فضول القارئ نفسه.

المزايا:
1- فكرة جديده وجميله
2-فيها حس فكاهي
3- أسلوب سردي جميل
4- غموض مشوق
5- بدايه سريعه وقويه
6- نهايه جميله ومرضية

العيوب:
1- العمل تخلله الملل بسبب الإطاله في السرد وكتير من الاضافات ما كنش ليها داعي
2- أخطاء إملائيه مزعجة

Comment ça on ne peut pas mettre 6 étoiles ?!

Lo leí por la morriña que tenía al volver de unas vacaciones en Bretaña, que es donde se ambienta este libro.
Aunque el final me decepcionó un poco es un libro entretenido, ligero y ameno, de esos que se leen en una o dos sentadas, sobre un pequeño misterio que tiene lugar en una biblioteca de un pequeño pueblecito que recoge manuscritos de autores que han sido rechazados para su publicación.

David Foenkinos präsentiert uns einen Roman mit einem ansprechendem Thema,
allerdings plätschert die Handlung etwas unspektakulär dahin, viele Nebensächlichkeiten.
Erst zum Ende hin, bevor der Leser erfährt, welcher Protagonist dieses ominöse Manuskript verfasst hat, entwickelt sich ein wenig Spannung.

رواية " الغامض هنري بك " للكاتب الفرنسي " دايفيد فونكينوس " هى احتفاء بالنصوص المرفوضة من دور النشر.
في مقاطعة صغيرة هادئة ، هناك من قرر افتتاح قسم خاص في مكتبته لاستقبال الأعمال المرفوضة على أن يأت الكاتب ويقوم بتسليمها ، على إحدى الأرفف رواية رائعة لكاتب يُدعى " هنري بك " ، تروج لها المُحررة الشابة " دلفين " ولكن الرجل توفى ولا يمكن التحقق من أي شيء كما كان صانع بيتزا وانطوائياً مُنسلخاُ عن العالم ، لا يمكن لزوجته أن تتخيل إنه كان يكتب على الإطلاق ، هل يمكن إنها لم تتعرف عليه حقاً طوال تلك السنوات ؟!...
كما إن العمل لم ترفضه دار نشر من قبل ، فهل الرجل اذن اختصر الطريق وألقى بالرواية على رف الكتب المرفوضة دون عناء؟!!...
يتبدى لك بأن ثمة خديعة ما ولكنها كفيلة بأن تغير حيوات الكثيرين في ظل نشر هذه الرواية وترويجها إعلامياً لتتصدر المشهد الأدبي...
تتضارب حيوات ، تتداعى ، ومنها ما ينكشف ، وأخرى تبدأ...
تتوقف عند الدور الإعلامي في حياة المجتمع ، كيف يمكن سوق الكثيرين وراء ما يريد ، فهنا لا تتخيل تهافت الجميع على الكتب المرفوضة وإقتناءها او تسليمها ، ليس إلا لأن رواية " هنري بك " تصدرت الأعمال الأكثر مبيعاً...
كيف يمكن أن يثير الإعلام زوبعة من اللاشيء سوى أن الغموض يلتف وينعقد ليثير فضول الناس ويبتلعهم...
وعلى الهامش من الممكن أن يستغل أحدهم الفرصة ليتلاعب بالهراء كيفما شاء لكي يقع في بقعة الضوء ويروج لنص لم يكتمل بعد..، وهناك من يحاول أن يستعيد مكانته الأدبية بالتقصي وراء الحقيقة...
ولا يتوقف صراع المصالح ، تحقيق الأرباح ، المادية التي تطغى على العلاقات الإنسانية ، وضياع المعنى في الخفاء....
هذا العمل يدفعك لطرح الكثير من التساؤلات خاصة بعد ان تتعرف به على كُتاب مشهورين قد تم رفض أعمالهم الأولى...
بحس فكاهة ساخر يندس في الرواية يأخذك الكاتب إلى عالم غامض يكمن وراء الكتابة...
كان يمكن للترجمة أن تكون أفضل ، وأما عن الأخطاء الاملائية فهى كثيرة ، قمت بتصحيحها وأنا منزعجة وأغمغم بأن هذا ليس دوري...
وأخيراً لا تسألني هل انكشفت الخديعة وتجلت الحقيقة ؟
هكذا تم اختراع رواية عن الرواية....

This is a charming, literary mystery, which revolves around a library of rejected books. This is, of course, a delightful idea for all book lovers – a library of, ‘the world’s literary orphans.’

When one of these titles, written by a deceased cook, becomes a huge success, it leads to an investigation into how the mysterious author could have penned this brilliant novel. There are an enormous amount of characters, all wrapped up in a wonderful French setting, who are involved, in some way or another, with the novel. Also, there is much about publishing, and all that entails, which is both amusing and also interesting.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery, but I also enjoyed the sense of place and character. A really enjoyable novel, full of French flavour. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

oh, I do hate star ratings. This one falls somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 for me, so what the heck. Let's round up for the novel's fun quotient.

full post here:
https://www.readingavidly.com/2020/09...

Normally the words "Walter Presents" means an hour or two or three or more spent watching foreign crime films/series on tv (now "Walter's Choice" in the US), so I had an international crime sort of framework in mind as a basis for buying this book. I admit to being a bit surprised as I started reading it, since The Mystery of Henri Pick, as I quickly discovered, is much more on the lighter side than I'd expected. At first it was a bit discombobulating not having the full-fledged crime/mystery novel I thought I'd bought, so I had to regroup, let go of my original expectations and move on. Once I relaxed, the book became a fun read, albeit with a slightly serious edge.

This book fortuitously arrived at a point when I needed something refreshing, something on the lighter side, and with this novel the author threw a few hours of happy reading my way. Author David Foenkinos noted that his book is "a playful reflection of the literary world," as well as a "tribute to books and literature and to the writers that have long been heroes of mine," and I have to admit that I couldn't help feeling rather guilty every time he mentioned a title that has been sitting on my shelves, sadly neglected and sadly unread. The story is definitely "playful," and while I loved the literary references as well as the great love for books and literature displayed throughout, for my taste it goes too much into the private lives/soul searching of all of the characters affected by the publication of Pick's book, making it drag a bit in the reading after a while and sometimes turning toward the "cutesy" side which is just not my cuppa. I also want to say that the dustjacket makes a lot of the "obstinate journalist," but in reality, he takes up far less space than I would have thought from the book's description. But then came the ending which I can only describe as completely unexpected and which I greeted with mental applause and a silent shout of bravo in my head. Now to watch the film.

Overall, it's fun, it's lighthearted, and we can all use some of that happening in our lives at the moment.

Este libro nos relata varias historias, pero la que desata todo este envoltorio de tramas, es la de una joven editora y su marido escritor, quienes tras encontrar en "La biblioteca de los libros rechazados" un libro titulado "Las últimas horas de una historia de amor" escrito de una forma magistral por Henri Pick quien falleció dos años antes, deciden publicarlo, desatando con ello, un drama que afectará a muchos y será el alivio de pocos.

Decidí leer esta novela desde que vi su título, ya que al instante, vinieron a mi mente, muchas posibilidades de lo que podía tratar, pero definitivamente me convencí al leer la sinopsis que me dejó, hasta cierto grado, enganchado a ese pequeño misterio que se promete en las páginas de este libro.

Una de las cosas positivas que tiene esa obra, es que es súper sencilla de leer, pues es muy corta y está dividida en capítulos muy breves, además el autor nos familiariza con el mundo editorial y honra con ello a los libros, e incluso el humor que caracteriza a cada uno de los personajes, pero además de eso, también está el narrador omnipresente que se siente como un amigo que te está relatando una historia.

El autor, crea en cada uno de los personajes personalidades muy distintas, que hace que cada uno de ellos tomé vida propia y no se vuelva incrédulo a la hora de leerlo, sin embargo, existen personajes, con sus respectivas historias, que son completamente innecesarios, de hecho, llega un punto en el que
no sabes de qué sirve que estés leyendo la vida de un determinado personaje para el resultado final de la novela.

El libro está lleno de referencias a autores, poetas, artistas, músicos, a libros de la cultura pop que lo convierten en algo muy rico de leer, pero que a veces puede hostigar, de hecho, hay una crítica a la visión que tiene el mundo de la forma y el fondo, pero que termina contradiciéndose pues en la misma narración se vuelve más importante el como está narrada la historia, que la historia en sí.

Aún así, el libro es divertido, entretenido, gracioso y a veces te mantiene con ganas de saber qué es lo que pasará al final... que además ¡qué gran final!, pues el plot twist que hay en el epílogo me parece completamente inesperado porque yo no lo veía venir en absoluto.

Aplaudo a David por entretenerme un rato y por dejarme entrar a La biblioteca de los libros rechazados.

О, каква свършена, велика и неочаквано огромна тъпня е сътворил ДФ! Това е от онези редки случаи, в които съм бясна на някой автор. Дори не мога да повярвам, че този човек е написал Деликатност и Нашите раздели.
Значи, още докато видях в началото да използва сигурното доказателство за безсилие и тотален литературен тъпизъм "младата издателка", "възрастният мъж", "��ладата/старта жена" и други форми на малоумни заместители на "Иван" просто с "той", както би трябвало да е винаги, си казах о.О. Но с всяка страница ставаше все по-зле и по-зловещо з��е. Мислех да извадя примери, но толкова се вбесих, че дори това не ми се занимава. Само няколко неща по памет - "докато пиеха кафе, двамата изведнъж осъзнаха, че са влюбени" - това някакви хора, дето за сефте се вижда и са на по 50 - хаха. Друго -"вървейки, той си мислеше за всички лошотии, които животът му е стоварил"и винаги има някакво деепричастие, което може да побърка и най-търпеливите. Сюжетът е уж загадка, мистерия около една книга, ама толкова малоумно скалъпена, че аз се чудя дали наистина тоя човек е написал това пиршество на писателската свинщина. По-зле е и от най-малоумния български автор, издаден по неведоми пътища, а това все пак е Франция и френска литература. Не знам как се е случило. Ясно, че за пари, защото името продава, но мен би ме било срам да издам това, с риска да ям сух хляб до края на живота си. Финалът е еманация на свръхчовешката литературна тъпота.
Не, не става дума, че една книга не ми харесва, много книга не са ми харесвали и то на автори, които обичам, като например Амели Нотомб, но никога не съм срещала такова нахално човешко бездарие и свещена глупост, пробутани в книга. Добре, че си я взех от библиотеката, а не съм дала пари за това, защото тогава щях да намеря начин да пиша на тоя писател наистина какво мисля за неговата малка книга, която е голяма обида за читателите му.
Написах това ужасно ревю, с надеждата някой, който харесва ДФ преди тази книга, да прочете ревюто ми и да си спести времето и мозъчните клетки, както и гадните емоции.
Досега не съм се заричала никога да не чета автор, когото съм харесва��а, но има една тъпа, книга, но тази е обидно тъпа.
Сбогом, ДФ, и дано спреш да пишеш внезапно и завинаги до края на живота си да продаваш лотарийни билети край Сена.
Искам ми се да завърша това ревю толкова зле, колкото е книгата ти и да напиша една дума - "пръдльо", но няма.
Просто ще кажа, че това са едни минус триста звезди за скапаното ти творение.

Много приятна история - лека, неангажираща, но с много добри идеи и хумор. Разкрива доста любопитни факти за книгоиздаването и изобщо за манията за величие и слава, както и за хорските слабости и манипулируемост. Не очаквах да е толкова четивна и забавна и признавам, че не се досетих за интригата, докато четях. Препоръчвам като четиво за отмора между по-тежки книги, но същевременно в никакъв случай не е плоска и елементарна.

Nitko nikad nije shvaćen, a ponajmanje pisci. Oni lutaju carstvom nestalnih osjećaja i najčešće ne razumiju ni sami sebe.

Gajim golemu zaljubljenost u Davida Foenkinosa još od kad sam pročitala njegovu knjigu “Charlotte“. Naime, ta knjiga, koju sam dobila na dar, oborila me s nogu. Nikad prije, a bome niti poslije, nisam pročitala išta nalik tom malom remek djelu koje se diči strahovitom promišljenošću, originalnošću i emocijom.

Ima nešto u ovome piscu… Neka unutrašnja manija koja ga goni da svoju najiskreniju inspiraciju crpi upravo iz stvarnosti. “Charlotte” je najzanesenija biografija koju sam ikada pročitala, i to samo zato što si gospon Foenkinos nije mogao pomoći a da u potpunosti ne prepusti stranice svog romana Osjećaju koji je u njemu stvorila mlada umjetnica Charlotte čiji nesretan život opisuje u svojoj knjizi. Pa smo tako dobili izuzetan roman koji je u potpunosti ispisan u formi “jedna rečenica – jedan redak”. Zato što je Foenkinos to tako osjetio. Ma, izuzetno.

Iako “Misteriozni Henri Pick” nikad neće biti nova “Charlotte”, očigledno je da Foenkinos još uvijek svoje najbolje ideje crpi iz gotovo slučajnih zanimljivosti na koje osobno nailazi. Inspiraciju za ovaj roman pronašao je u drugom romanu, odnosno u knjizi “Pobačaj” američkog autora Richarda Brautigana koja spominje knjižnicu koja prihvaća sve knjige koje su izdavači odbili. Objavljivanje romana s takve jedne hrpice imalo bi potencijalno dalekosežne posljedice i upravo se s time bavi Foenkinos u ovoj knjizi.

I kroz cijeli roman poteže se ključno pitanje – forma ili sadržaj? Što je danas bitnije u književnosti? Ipak, da to sve ne bi bilo onoliko dosadno koliko zvuči kad ja to prepričavam, autor koristi obilnu dozu ironije i humora, i time plete malenu priču o jednom velikom fiktivnom francuskom romanu.

Nikad ne otvaram knjige koje ostavljaju. Valja reći da su često loše. Danas svi misle da su pisci. A još je i gore nakon Pickova uspjeha. Kad ih slušaš, ispada da su svi ljudi neshvaćeni genijalci.

Kada mlada urednica iz Pariza otkrije savršen rukopis sakriven na odjelu odbijenih rukopisa u jednoj maloj knjižnici u Bretanji, ona ne može povjerovati svojoj sreći. Roman je savršen. Navodno ga je napisao Henri Pick, lokalni pizza majstor koji u životu nije napisao išta drugo osim popisa za kupovinu. Henri više nije živ, ali njegova supruga i kćer mogu potvrditi da Henri Pick nikada nije imao sklonosti za književnost. Ipak, knjiga se objavljuje i postiže ogroman uspjeh te uvelike utječe na cijelo književno društvo u Francuskoj, kao i na pojedince koji su s tom knjigom povezani.

Knjiga je, baš kao što sam ranije i spomenula, napisana kao komedija. Smijuljila sam se prilikom čitanja ove knjige. Poprilično. Obiluje inteligentnim, gotovo usputnim humorom. I nemoguće je ne zamisliti autora kako s glupavim osmijehom na licu piše “Misterioznog Henrija Picka“. Foenkinos “prca” svoj vlastiti svijet – svijet francuskih književnika i izdavača, i to tako pitko i tako s mjerom.

Mogao bih biti kakav psihopat. Napokon, godinama sam bio književni kritičar.

Svega tu ima, kojekakvih “arhetipa” – misterioznih genijalaca, ambicioznih mladih urednica, književnika s kreativnim krizama, propalih pisaca koji su karijeru pronašli u književnoj kritici, čak i slavnih pisaca koji na krilima ove priče pokušavaju uhvatiti medijski zalet za svoje najnovije naslove. Ha! Pametno.

Romanopisac Fréderic Beigbeder iskoristio je prigodu kako bi napisao kolumnu “Ja sam Pick!”. Napokon, roman je objavio njegov izdavač. (…) Novinari su ga potom nekoliko dana proganjali, a on je vješto i glasno obznanio predstojeće objavljivanje svoga novog romana. Što se reklame tiče, sjajan potez. Sad više nitko nije mogao zanemariti činjenicu da roman postoji, kao ni njegov naslov: Prijateljstvo (također) traje tri godine.

Likovi su dražesni, puni mana, gotovo karikirani, ali dražesni. Oni se međusobno isprepliću, zapinju jedni drugima pod sudbine, zaljubljuju se, odljubljuju, spajaju, odvajaju, prepoznaju. A sve ih povezuje (pa i inspirira!) Pickov roman.

U moru teške fikcije, ratnih tema, lijevog i desnog, gušt je pročitati djelo koje samo sebe ne shvaća previše ozbiljno - roman koji postoji gotovo kao neka igra, a koji je još k tome posvećem temi koju toliko volim - književnosti.

Je li ovo najbolji roman koji sam ikad pročitala? Ni približno. Ipak, na prste jedne ruke mogu nabrojati romane čija me upotreba trotočke (…) baš toliko zabavila. To je David Foenkinos. A um Davida Foenkinosa čarobno je mjesto.

Originalni osvrt možete pročitati ovdje: https://knjigesumojsvijet.com/2018/12...

❞ . يمكننا القول أنها أهم إنجاز في حياته. لقد حوّل فشل الآخرين لنجاح مرموق. ❝
في مقاطعة هادئة في فرنسا في رف في مكتبة صغيرة قرر جرفيك صاحب المكتبة إنه يخصص الرف ده للكتب المرفوضة.. كل الكتب اللى رفضتها دور النشر بقي ليها مكان في مكتبة حتي لو محدش هيقرأها بس على الاقل الكاتب هيتبدل عنده شعوره الرفض و الفشل بالرضا..
الفكرة زيها زى أى حاجة جديدة عملت ضجة في الأول بعد كدا اتنست لحد ما ظهرت الناشرة الشابة دلفين و خطيبها الكاتب- اللى روايته منجحتش- و زاروا المكتبة و لقوا رواية جميلة اسمها " الساعات الأخيرة من قصة حب" كتبها واحد اسمه هنرك بك.. بعد بحث عن الرجل المغمور اكتشفوا إنه مات من سنتين و إنه كان صاحب محل بيتزا صغير هو و مراته اللى عندها دلوقتي 80 سنة...
الرواية اتشهرت جدا.. و أكتر من شهرتها كانت شهرة قصتها.. بك صانع البيتزا اللى مش بيتكلم كتير و لا عمره كتب لمراته رسالة و لا حتى قرأ كتاب..
مع الوقت بيبان أسرار أكتر عن الرواية و بك و الأجمل تأثيرها على الكل.. بنته و زوجته و دلفين الناشرة و خطيبها و عاملة المكتبة و غيرهم ...
من الحاجات المهمة تأثير الإعلام العملاق على أى حاجة.. هات كتاب مش مهم و محتواه تافه و اكتب عليه الكتاب الذي مُنع من النشر أو أى حاجة تانية و هتشوف معجزات
الرواية لطيفة و دمها خفيف و كنت حاساها هتكون أحسن لو كانت أصغر لأنها كانت ممطوطة.. و للاسف فيه أخطاء لغوية كتير و حتي لخبطة أحيانا في أسماء الشخصيات..
اقتباسات
❞ سقطا في الحب يتشاركان العمر ذاته، ولم تعد لديهما رغبة في الظهور اللامع ظن روش أنها الساعات الأولى من قصة حب كان رائعًا احتساء القهوة معها في محطة بنزين، ما من مكان آخر على وجه الأرض سيكون أجمل من ذلك ❝
"وفي لفتة حمقاء ترفع يدها إلى أعلى نحو السماء ربما يلتقط الهاتف شبكة أفضل. ولكنه لم يهاتفها قط. كيف يمكن لرباط كان بهذه القوة أن ينقطع؟"
❞ فقط القراءة استطاعت أن توقف آلامه. ❝

Прочитайки анотацията на книгата знаех, че ще я прочета и на мига разбрах, че ще я взема съвсем умишлено от библиотеката. Тази година преоткрих любовта си към библиотеките и активното им посещение.

В романа става дума за една библиотека в Бретан, която обаче не е обикновена. В нея се събират непубликувани ръкописи или по точно такива, които издателствата отказват да издадат. Запознаваме се с някои интересни факти за книгоиздаването, имаме една мистериозна история, намерена точно там, написана от никому неизвестният бретонец Анри Пик, която попада в ръцете на издателката Делфин Десперо.

Тя успява да публикува романа и той става абсолютен хит. Дали обаче истината е тази или друга? Може ли един обикновен собственик на пицария да напише роман?

Давид Фоенкинос е забъркал коктейл от забавни случки и да ви призная не очаквах финалната развръзка. една приятна, четивна, лека френска комедийна книжка, чийто прочит беше удоволствие за мен.

Da barem postoji 555 zvjezdica, a ne "samo" 5, dala bih ih ovoj knjizi! GENIJALNO! Zaista se ne sjećam kada me neka knjiga ovako oduševila. Volim i Foenkinsonovu "Delikatnost" pa sam pretpostavljala da će i ovo biti po mom ukusu, ALI da će u meni izazvati ovakav ushit, to mi nije bilo niti na kraj pameti! Knjiga o knjigama, piscima, izdavačima... Uf...moram se malo pribrat' od ovog, prvotnog ushita pa ću onda napisati nešto konkretnije.

Dieser Geschichte rund um Bücher und um das geheime Manuskript des M. Pick hat mich gut unterhalten und ich vergebe 3,5 🌟. Es gab ein paar Schwächen,die es nicht zum Highlight haben werden lassen. Zum einen waren es ein paar zuviele Protagonisten und ich wäre bei dem ein oder Anderen gern länger geblieben. Interessant war der Zusammenhang und die Beeinflussung der Charaktere untereinander. Der Epilog hat leider nochmal runter gezogen.

The municipal library in the town of Crozon, Brittany, is a little different - it contains a section devoted to books that have been rejected by publishers. When up-and-coming young editor Delphine Despero comes to a nearby village to visit her parents with a new boyfriend in tow, the pair decide to check out this library. They while away a long afternoon at the library, and by the time they leave, Delphine believes she may have discovered the-next-big-literary-thing. It's a novel titled The Last Hours of a Love Affair, ostensibly written by the local, late pizzeria-owner, Henri Pick. The book is a sensation across all of France! Only, Pick's widow doesn't believe he could have written it. His daughter is doubtful too, although she welcomes the opportunities that arise from the publicity. Freelance journalist Jean-Michel Rouche is also in the sceptics camp, and with nothing much better to do, he decides to get to the bottom of the mystery.

This book was a major hit for Foenkinos upon its original publication in 2016. It was made into a movie in 2019 before being published in English for the first time in 2020. I didn't know about the movie, but I could have made a good guess, because it actually reads as if it was written for its screen potential. Perhaps Foenkinos was also making some kind of statement against the publishing industry? I don't know enough about him to be sure, but it's certainly possible. Apart from a couple of grubby male fantasy moments that made me cringe, it was a charming, quick read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Steerforth Press / Hanover Publisher Services for a digital copy to read and review.

This is very much my kind of book. It's a sweet little mystery full of surprising turns that leave you hanging right till the very end. It's very cleverly written, in a deceptively simple style and matter-of-fact tone. All the way through we have this nagging feeling that something doesn't add up but find it difficult to distrust such an open and honest narrative voice (I had initially guessed at the ending, but over the course of the book was convinced I had been wrong). I love that it's a true mystery - unlike most detective stories etc., it doesn't need any element of danger or time pressure to keep you hooked.

Along the way, as the story unravels, we encounter more and more people connected to the mystery in different ways. Between them they show us a wide range of different ways that people can be unhappy, but over the course of the book they are forced to re-evaluate their lives and find their own happiness. Put like that it sounds cheesy and annoying to read but it really wasn't, because everything was handled with such a light and unsentimental touch.

I also love the way this book questions how well people can ever really know eachother.

Definitivamente el estilo de Foenkinos me encanta, en todas sus historias encuentra la manera de dejar noticas y aclaraciones que le dan un toque muy original a sus novelas, me recuerda mucho a Amelie…
Esta historia me enganchó desde el principio, indiscutible la capacidad imaginativa del autor para crear situaciones, escenarios y personajes, sin embargo, en la mitad del libro sentí que perdió ritmo pero no como para abandonarlo, finalmente la historia repunta pero también quedé con la sensación de que el final fue apresurado y predecible.

Esta es una novela que habla del negocio editorial, del oficio de los escritores, de la ingratitud de la fama, de las relaciones familiares, de pareja pero sobretodo de la manipulación, de emociones, de momentos, de la comunicación, de las personas y bueno, el ingrediente sorpresa: un misterio.
Siento que este autor siempre logra exponer condiciones de vulnerabilidad humana de maneras muy ingeniosas y que finalmente resultan siendo muy tiernas.

Una lectura light, pero nunca vacía.

4.5★s

“Publishing a novel that nobody reads is like encountering the world’s indifference in person.”

The Mystery of Henri Pick is a novel by French author, David Foenkinos. It is translated from French by Sean Taylor. When junior editor at Éditions Grasset, Delphine Despero takes her boyfriend, struggling author Frederic Koskas, home to Breton for a vacation, she’s not expecting to discover a best-seller.

But, in the nearby town of Crozon, the municipal library boasts an unusual section: several shelves dedicated to unpublished manuscripts. This was implemented by a former librarian, Jean-Pierre Gourvec, who got the idea from a Richard Brautigan novel. The manuscripts might be many-times rejected, or never submitted, but the one condition is that the author delivers his work in person.

Delphine and Frederic idly peruse the shelves and happen upon The Last Hours of a Love Affair, by Henri Pick. They are stunned: it’s unbelievably good! Everyone who reads it is captivated. But who is Henri Pick?

Now deceased, it turns out he was, for forty years, the local pizzeria owner, and no one, not even his wife and daughter, had any inkling of his literary leanings. Delphine has no trouble convincing her bosses at Grasset to publish, but what really makes it a best-seller is this fascinating back-story. No-one, however, can predict what far-reaching effects this discovery will have.

Madeleine Pick is stunned to find herself interviewed on TV; Henri’s daughter, Josephine, is also in demand, and courted by a long-gone husband; the now-librarian, Magali finds the extra workload from all the literary tourists irritating; Frederic is jealous at the attention Delphine is bestowing on this dead author; but a certain once-renowned literary critic is so sceptical, he decides to investigate.

Does he learn the truth? Does the librarian run away with her young lover? Does the daughter reunite with her husband? Did the pizzeria owner really write the novel? If not, then who did?

While some of the literary references will be lost on the everyday reader, this is still a marvellous literary mystery, clever and funny, with (of course!) a very French flavour. There are some delightful last-minute plot twists in this intriguing little tale. Very entertaining.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pushkin Press

Es el primer libro que leo de Foenkinos –autor también de La Delicadeza– y me ha encantado. Además de que a mi me encantan los libros que tratan sobre libros, La biblioteca de los libros rechazados te atrapa desde el principio con su galería de personajes en una trama en la que el lector intenta descubrir quién escribió en realidad ese libro misterioso que se ha convertido en un éxito. Interesante también desde el punto de vista del marketing, ya que podemos ver lo que hace una buena historia a la hora de "vender" un producto. Genial hasta el final y con un buen puñado de frases para subrayar :)

I read French author David Foenkinos' engaging novella, Charlotte, several years ago, and whilst I intended to pick up more of his work in the interim, I somehow never got around to doing so. The Mystery of Henri Pick, freshly translated into English, sounded like an interesting literary romp, and the fact that it is part of a new 'Walter Presents' series at Pushkin Press intrigued me further.

In the small town of Crozon in Brittany, a library becomes home to a myriad of manuscripts, all of which were rejected for publication. It is based on an idea of Richard Brautigan's, and is a 'French version of the library of rejects' which appears in one of his novels. This library came to fruition in Foenkinos' novel through the character of Gourvec, whom we meet at the beginning of the story. It is difficult not to warm to him immediately: 'According to him, it was not a question of liking or not liking to read, but of finding the book which was meant for you... For this purpose, he had developed a method that might appear almost paranormal: he would examine each reader's physical appearance in order to work out which author they needed.'

When Gourvec began to collect rejected manuscripts, he found his idea a popular one: 'Many people made the journey. Writers came from all over France to rid themselves of the fruits of their failure. It was a sort of literary pilgrimage.' His single stipulation was that the manuscripts had to be delivered in person, and only then would they be added to the growing collection on the shelves at the back of the library.

Protagonist Delphine Despero, who works at a publishing house in Paris, chooses to spend her holiday in the small Breton town. She is thrilled to discover a story which she loves in said library, and decides to ready it for publication.The Last Hours of a Love Affair has purportedly been written by a now-deceased pizza chef from Crozon, named Henri Pick. The book, of course, becomes a sensation. The delighted audience, however, soon wonders how such a man could have written such a magnificent book, and suspect a hoax. In steps journalist Jean-Michel Rouche, who is determined to investigate the mystery.

Some of the other manuscripts housed in the library sound fascinating, and were they real, they would be added straight onto my to-read list. These include a 'cookery book compiling every meal eaten in Dostoevsky's novels'. An erotic guide to raw fish, entitled Masturbation and Sushi, not so much.

There is a lot of depth here, particularly with regard to the relationships between characters, and to the keeping of secrets. Foenkinos gives rather thorough backstories to each of these characters, and these are just as detailed as those in the present day. Even in translation, The Mystery of Henri Pick feels stylistically very French, and has the same delightful feel to it as novels by Muriel Barbery, and A Novel Bookstoreby Laurence Cossé. It is not as quirky as some French novels which I have read of late, but it is thoroughly engrossing from beginning to end, and every element within it has been so well handled. The translation feels seamless.

The Mystery of Henri Pick, which was first published in its original French in 2016, and in English in 2020, is a novel well worth picking up. It has humour and tenderness in abundance, and muses constantly about the power which books have in our lives. Foenkinos makes use of short chapters and sections to follow different characters, all of whom eventually intersect. The author is sensitive and understanding of his cast, all of whom are going through different things, some of which are tumultuous. The Mystery of Henri Pick is easy to read, and highly memorable; I, for one, am still thinking about it weeks after finishing the book.

Cam 3.5, as spune.

O carte foarte simpatica, o lectura usoara si cursiva in primele doua treimi. Apoi, din pacate, autorul o ia lejer pe aratura si introduce unele elemente "de umplutura". Iar cheia din epilog e cam cusuta cu ata alba :)

Charming novel set in BRITTANY (The Last Hours of a Love Affair)

Who doesn't love a feel-good novel that revolves around books?

In Brittany there is a library that stocks the books that nobody wants. It is of course an American idea. A chap called Jean-Pierre Couvrec set up a library (as a tribute to Richard Brautigan - look him up) where authors can deposit their books that have been rejected by publishers. The scene is set.

Delphine Despero is an editor at a publishing house and together with her beau, Frédéric, she visits the library and she happens to discover a fabulous manuscript that she just knows will be a success story if she were to publish it. It is up there with the works of J D Salinger et al. After a little research they determine that a local man wrote it, the eponymous but deceased Henri Pick of the title. It is time to share their findings with his wife Madeleine, who is utterly incredulous. Henri owned a pizza restaurant, he never even penned a birthday card to her, let alone would he be capable of crafting a masterpiece. When would he have written it? Whilst waiting for the pizza dough to rise? He was not an écrivain, absolutely not!

Once the story gets out, it causes a buzz of consternation and almost hysteria in the community, the impact has a marked ripple effect both positive and negative.

The serendipitous discovery and attribution, of course, make a fabulous storyline to promote the novel - The Last Hours of a Love Affair - and Frédéric, having had little success with his own book "The Bathtub", is going to write about how the novel came to fruition.

Soon an investigative journalist is onto the story of this phenomenal book sensation, avidly pursuing his lines of enquiry. Did Henri Pick really write this book? Oui? Ou non?

This is a charming novel of writerly pursuits, books, writing and it is an affirmation that some of the best books initially get rejected (just think of Harry Potter, rejected 12 times before someone saw the quality!). It is written with wit and sagacity, it is beautifully quirky and makes for an entertaining dance through the world of books and people. Just lovely.

Me costó mucho más entrar en la narración que en los demás libros que he leído de Foenkinos, pero una vez cogido el ritmo... me ha encantado. Una historia con muchos personajes entrelazados y un misterio relacionado con libros. Como siempre en Foenkinos, original y precioso.

Un libro sobre libros, curioso y con algo de intriga, pero nada del otro mundo.

4.5⭐ out of 5⭐
I'm totally surprised, but in a good way. The title and the epilogue called my attention, although I couldn't have imagined it was going to be this way. It's quite original and even funny. I like the way the author writes. The narrator tells us the story in a very particular way; witty and original. Therefore, it makes you keep on reading. You need to know what's going to happen next. You totally need to know how this mystery ends.

There're several characters and, in my humble opinion, I think they're all interesting. Each one of them is important, they're like the threads that compose this intrincated pattern.

The story itself is interesting, original, fun, and it has even some sad elements which are narrated with mixed emotions; sometimes, the narrator tells us these facts in a way we can totally empathize with the characters, therefore we can feel this sadness, but then it takes a different turn, and we can see bits of irony.

I find it difficult to summarise the story without giving spoilers, so I won't tell you anything new by saying that the story revolves around the mysterious manuscript called The Last Hours of a Love Affair, by Henry Pick, who died two years ago and owned a Pizzeria in a little French town. This manuscript was found in the peculiar library of rejected books by Delphine -a young editor- and Frédéric -an author whose first book was rejected several times until read by Delphine, therefore it ended up being published but with no success.

Who was Henri Pick? How could a man who seemed to have no interest in books write such a novel? Everything around the book's author seems contradictory. That's why the journalist Jeane-Michel Rouche is so intrigued. He thinks there's something strange about this whole media story. He won't be at peace until he demonstrates that Henri Pick couldn't have written that novel.

Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

No es la bomba, pero entretiene.

Estás novelas son de las que te mantienen al vilo. Una historia mezclada con humor y un toque detectivesco que te impulsa a querer saber más sobre quién es Pick (e incluso leer la novela de la que tanto hablan).

También siento que tengo sentimientos encontrados porque antes de leer el libro, vi la película. Resulta que me gustó mucho más la segunda, aunque ambos tienen perspectivas y detalles muy lindos pero diferentes sobre quién es el autor real de ese libro rechazado. Incluso la investigación y las pistas varían.

En resumen, es un libro para los amantes de los libros y los escritores que se han preguntado alguna vez sobre la idea de qué pasaría con sus libros si no fueran leídos y publicados.

This first publication in a collaborative series between Pushkin Press and Walter Iuzzolino, aka Walter Presents, holds early promise. I have been a fan of the Walter Presents selections (via amazon Prime), in which he curates international tv series for American viewing, and applaud his branching out into books.

This is not the deepest or most intellectually challenging of stories, but one which is very entertaining and which pays homage to unpublished works which may or may not have merit. Many references to Richard Brautigan, but closer in spirit to possibly John Kennedy O'Toole and the tragedy of his story. Hung on the barest of plots, it does have some good characterizations, but a bit more soap than I like.