The Devil's Cave

 

Bruno Courréges seldom felt happier about the community he served as chief of police than when standing at the rear of the ancient stone church of St. Denis, listening to rehearsels of the town choir. Unlike the formal ceremonies at Mass when the singers dressed in neat white surplices, the choir practiced in their normal dress, usually gathering immediately after work. But Father Sentout's daring decision that the choir should reach beyond its usual repertoire to attempt Bach's St. Matthew's Passion had required some additional rehearsels early in the morning. Farmers stood alongside schoolteachers and accountants, waitresses and shopkeepers. These were people Bruno knew, wearing clothes he recognized, and usually singing hymns that were familiar, perhaps the only memory of his church orphanage that still gave him pleasure.

Martin Walker

The Devil's Cave

 

 

This is 6th in the series of Bruno Courrèges, Germandier of St. Denis in the Dordogne department, southwestern France, which corresponds to the ancient county of Périgueux.

 

This entry in the series is my new favorite, although I've fully enjoyed them all--learning much about the history of the region and of France, the people and culture of the Pèrigueux, and the foods and produce that underwrites the economy and way of life.

 

Don't miss the unbelievable roast chicken recipe on pgs. 226-229.

 

Martin Walker's Bruno

So, after reading Black Diamond I checked three more Martin Walker books from our library system in Northern Illinois and read them in chronological order. The first is not about Bruno, but indeed sets the background for much of the back story for this village in the Dordogne Region of Southwest France.

An art-history mystery that spans 17,000 years, THE CAVES OF PÉRIGORD is an ntertaining romp through the part of southern France known for its cave paintings, including the famous Lascaux cave. Written by historian and National Public Radio commentator Martin Walker, the book is divided into segments set in three separate times: the present; 1943-44; and circa 15,000 B.C. Romance, war, and betrayal are intertwined with French politics, ancient religion, murder, family, and feminism. It's a lot to hold together in one book, but although some of the dialogue sounds wooden and the writing isn't always gloriously lyrical, Walker does a good job of maintaining intrigue while avoiding confusion.
The Book Reporter


Then, the Bruno series...

Benoît "Bruno" Courrèges is a master chef and devoted oenophile in the town of St. Denis in the beautiful Dordogne region of France. He also happens to be the town's beloved Chief of Police. In Martin Walker's three books, BRUNO, CHIEF OF POLICE, THE DARK VINEYARD, and, most recently, BLACK DIAMOND, Bruno's had his hands full with murders, suspicious fires, and truffle-smuggling ring. Get to know Bruno with excerpts from all three books!
Alfred A Knopf


And, it looks like Bruno has a new set of mysteries to solve coming this July. I'll look forward to this one, too.

A FAREWELL TO FRANCE

(This is a big, thick book. Actually, the copy I bought used on Amazon is a Doubleday Book Club edition. It took me a lot of time to read. Unusual for me, but I was somewhat indisposed (Shingles) during the time I was reading it. I loved returning to it every single night at bedtime. I love this book.)

For all our youth the Astell family had lived in and out of Douzy, the small chateau named after the village, hidden by vineyards lining the gentle, sloping hills of Champagne. My American father and mother, his father's father, my French grandma, my brother and his twin sister, our friends, our lovers--all had made up a patchwork of happiness that none believe would ever end.

* * *

That was before. But then the serenity of Douzy was exchanged for lives that tore us apart, of death and torture for some, despite neutrality, and eventually, after America entered the war, for me a life spent in ditches and barns, hunting the enemy or being hunted--to protect or to kill.

A Farewell to France
Noel Barber

I will begin to read everything written by Noel Barber. Everything. He's written loads of fiction and non-fiction. This book is his second novel, and it makes me want to read his first, Tanamera (which is also a film) and then to proceed through his entire roster.

Noel Barber was for many years the chief foreign correspondent for the London Daily Mail. He was the first Briton to reach the South Pole since Scott, was stabbed five times covering wars in Momrocco, reported on the fall of France to the Nazis, was shot during the Hungarian uprising, and walked across the Himalayas to report the Dalai Lama's escape to India.
from the back cover flap

A FAREWELL TO FRANCE

Loving this book. Loving it. It's a long one, which is great since I've been under the weather and in need of distraction. I've not finished it yet, but already I know I want to read everything Noel Barber has written. And, that's a lot--fiction and non-fiction..

Whoops! The above links are Amazon U.K. Here's a U.S. link.

Be back soon with more details and my review.


Fiction
Tanamera: A Novel of Singapore (1981)
A Farewell to France (1983)
A Woman of Cairo (1984)
The Other Side of Paradise (1986)
The Weeping and the Laughter (1988)
The Daughters of the Prince (1990)

Non-fiction

Cities (1951) (with Rupert Croft-Cooke)
Fires of Spring (1952)
Strangers in the Sun (1955)
A Handful of Ashes: A Personal Testament of the Battle of Budapest (1957)
The White Desert (1958)
Distant Places (1959)
The Flight of the Dalai Lama (1960)
Life with Titina (1961)
Adventures At Both Poles (1963)
Conversations with Painters (1964)
The Black Hole of Calcutta (1965)
Let's Visit the USA (1967)
Sinister Twilight: The Fall And Rise Again of Singapore (1968)
From the Land of Lost Content (1969)
The War of the Running Dogs: How Malaya Defeated the Communist Guerrillas, 1948-60 (1971)
The Sultans (1973)
Lords of the Golden Horn: From Suleiman the Magnificent to Kamal Ataturk (1973)
Seven Days of Freedom: Hungarian Uprising, 1956 (1974)
The Week France Fell: June 10-16, 1940 (1976)
The Natives Were Friendly So We Stayed the Night (1977)
The Singapore Story (1978)
Fall of Shanghai: Communist Takeover in 1949 (1979)
Sakkara (1985

About Noel Barber

Noel Barber has enchanted millions of readers with his bestselling novels. These powerfully exotic novels have each become timeless classics in which he drew upon his own experience as one of the leading foreign correspondents from the '40s to '60s working on the Daily Mail. He was the first Briton to reach the South Pole since Scott, was stabbed five times covering the wars in Morocco, and was shot during the Hungarian uprising. He died in 1988.

SERIES AND BACKLIST SELECTIONS

Inspector Lynley series
by Elizabeth George
[Thanks movienut for compiling the list.]

D.I. Rebus series
by Ian Rankin
[Thanks to Themis-Athena for listmania]

Darina Lisle Mysteries
by Janet Laurence
[Thanks to acozylover]

Ian Rutledge series
by Charles Todd
[Thanks to PrimeSuspectBooks.com]

Sue Miller

Anita Shreve

Susan Isaacs

Stephen White

THE COMPLETE POLYSYLLABIC SPREE

So this is supposed to be about the how, and when, and why, and what of reading--about the way that, when reading is going well, one book leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how, when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything but attempt the next paragraph, or reread the last one for the tenth time. 'We talked about books,' says a character in Charles Baxter's wonderful Feast of Love, 'how boring they were to read, but how you loved them anyway.' Anyone who hasn't felt like that isn't owning up.
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree
Nick Hornby

A collection of monthly columns Hornby wrote for the Believer about his reading (and book purchasing) habits as opposed to writing about a particular book. A fun read and a great resource. CA loves Nick Hornby's books, but couldn't get into this one. I love words and reading; I get Nick Hornby's reading habits.

The fun part of this book is that I bought in Paris at Shakespeare and Company--full price, because I was short on reading material. I saved this one for the last bit of our time in Paris and the flight home. I smiled a lot, and used a highlighter (!) to note books I need to check out at the library and on Amazon.

I find the paperback cover photo on Amazon's offering rather off-putting. Sorry, Nick, but a full frontal facial isn't the best marketing tool. The British version of the paperback cover is definitely more subtle...