Publisher: Panmacmillan
Publication date: 10th March 2016 (Paperback)
By immersing myself in The Reader on the 6.27 I found a little corner of the world where words, either spoken or written, bridge the gap between loneliness and hope. For the briefest moment it can be the most rewarding experience there is.
Every morning during his commute, Monsieur Guylain Vignolles voluntarily reads aloud from the collection of single pages of books that have been orphaned from its parent. A random yet captive audience of strangers listens intently waiting for the next paragraph to begin, and Guylain willingly obliges until the words on the page run out.
This smallest of reprieves is more sustaining than a hearty breakfast. It sets Guylain up for his endless days at the book pulping factory where he works, like a prisoner in his orange overalls sentenced to hard labour. The only crime he commits from Monday to Friday is destroying tonnes of unsold works which he feeds to the machine they call The Thing.
Being both prisoner and executioner the only comfort of his job is when he aides the escape of the pages that are lucky enough to break free of The Thing, so he can recite from these random leafs on the train at 6.27.
This rail connection offers a man with only his goldfish for company an abstract sanctuary. Even though the paragraphs are cut short, the story forever unfinished, it doesn’t matter. It’s the art of reading, irrespective of the content, that makes the reader and his eager audience take these fleeting intervals from their lives. And yet, as the pages turned I could see that the rut he was stuck in was deepening – the skipped meals, his empty home, the endless unchanging routine.
Be it by chance, fate, or pure luck, the lonely operative finds an abandoned USB stick containing the diarised account of a young woman’s life. By candidly recounting all of her own mundaness this unfamiliar woman, known only as Julie, would rescue him from the madness of his own daily grind. As he shares portions of her writing to those who are listening, Guylain and the other thirsty souls lap up every word.
This entire story is something to be cherished, I adore it and I mean everything about it. The tragedy of destroying books, only being able to save a fragment of them like a macabre souvenir of Guylain’s tiresome days, is balanced with renewed optimism as his journey to track down the illusive writer of the diary gives him the courage to step back into the light. And his relationship with the previous operator of The Thing is simply wonderful – I raise a glass of champagne to Monsieur Vignolles and the discreetness of his unwavering emotional generosity.
With its quirky humour giving a second chance to everything that is thought to be lost, The Reader on the 6.27 is a pure delight.
Rating: 5/5
(Source: My own purchased copy.)
(Courtesy of Amazon UK)
An international bestseller from French author Jean-Paul Didierlaurent, The Reader on the 6.27 is ready to take you on a journey …
Guylain Vignolles lives on the edge of existence. Working at a book pulping factory in a job he hates, he has but one pleasure in life …
Sitting on the 6.27 train each day, Guylain recites aloud from pages he has saved from the jaws of his monstrous pulping machine. But it is when he discovers the diary of a lonely young woman, Julie – a woman who feels as lost in the world as he does – that his journey will truly begin …
The Reader on the 6.27 is a tale bursting with larger-than-life characters, each of whom touches Guylain’s life for the better. For fans of Amelie and Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore, this captivating novel is a warm, funny fable about literature’s power to uplift even the most downtrodden of lives.
(Courtesy of Publisher’s website)
Jean-Paul Didierlaurent lives in the Vosges region of France. His short stories have twice won the International Hemingway Award. The Reader on the 6:27 is his first novel. ” ” ” “Ros Schwartz has translated over 60 works of fiction and non-fiction from French including a new translation of Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. In 2009 she was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her services to French literature.
What a wonderful review! I would never have picked this up on my own.
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Thank you, you’re very kind. I desperately needed something ‘lighter’ to read after indulging in a bit of a crime fest and this was just perfect.
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This book is so gorgeous. I wanted to snuggle up in its weird, slightly macabre pages and never let go. ❤
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It IS absolutely gorgeous. I bought it a while ago and can’t believe it was sitting on my shelf for so long!
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This sounds amazing! For fans of Amelie? :O
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Oh, it is so lovely. And you know something, I’ve never seen Amelie – I’ll just head back to my cave… !
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Hahaha Dont worry, I havent seen many popular ones 😹
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I thought it was brilliant too. And this is his first novel! He’s set the bar high for himself 🙂
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Astonishing, isn’t it? I was most grateful to step away from the reads I’m usually drawn to, well, for a little while anyway! 🙂
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Reblogged this on Mike Thomas.
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Thank you 🙂
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Such serendipity, I just ordered this book yesterday! Can’t wait for it to arrive now 🙂
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Oooh, I wonder if you will receive the snowy cover version? It won’t change the wonderful content but it does look rather pretty! Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Oh I saw that one, with the reindeer, but decided against it – just in case I’m still reading it in January!! Brilliant review and by the way, Amelie is probably my favourite movie of all time – you need to watch it toute suite 😉
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Ah, I understand completely! I may not be a huge movie/TV watcher but I do like the sound of this one – will take a closer look. (Thank you, btw.)
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I love this book too, there is something magical about it. Great review.
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It is such a special book. Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂
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I have been meaning to read this since Claire’s review and your just rekindled my interest!
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Oh, it’s a terrific book! Would love to hear what you think of it 🙂
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