Astrid Hawk

Part sentimental and part humor - this book does definitely read better in the original French than in the English version (The Heart of Everything, released in the US and UK in late 2025), but it's still not remarkable literature or even really a captivating fun romp. Aside from some light jabs at English, French pronunciation of American English, and American culture that are difficult to translate when the book is in English (and therefore hard to keep in mind that in fact the characters are speaking French), it was hard to pinpoint what it was that didn't translate well. I think it just comes down to the fact that the humor in this book is French, and the book reads a bit like a French screenplay. A faithful (as in, relatively precise) translation thus sounds awkward and stilted, a recitation of lines sort of abruptly juxtaposed. The reader has to imagine camera/perspective cuts during the conversation, plus the French casual/dry humor, and the scenes are both funnier and less awkward. This is more natural in this original version than in the English translation.

Aside from that - I suppose it's a fine book for people who love sentimentality with a bit of absurdist humor thrown in to keep things light. It wasn't really my thing, in either language, but probably a fun romp for someone. Small warning - M. Levy's treatment of women in this novel is definitely from a male, borderline misogynist perspective. All the women are secondary characters here, but none of them are shown making smart, rational decisions, and his male main characters see them very superficially even when claiming to respect them