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The Red Notebook
The Red Notebook
The Red Notebook
Audiobook3 hours

The Red Notebook

Written by Antoine Laurain

Narrated by Alex Wyndham

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Heroic bookseller Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street. There's nothing in the bag to indicate who it belongs to, although there's all sorts of other things in it. Laurent feels a strong impulse to find the owner and tries to puzzle together who she might be from the contents of the bag. Especially a red notebook with her jottings, which really makes him want to meet her. Without even a name to go on, and only a few of her possessions to help him, how is he to find one woman in a city of millions?
LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 29, 2016
ISBN9781515981923
Author

Antoine Laurain

Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of six previous novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President’s Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than 180,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris.

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Reviews for The Red Notebook

Rating: 3.9727891156462585 out of 5 stars
4/5

294 ratings27 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Nothing earth-shatteringly original here, but a very charming and G-rated love story that would make a really charming movie.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A novel that sweeps the reader into that special, magical world where romance lives. The language (even in translation) is lyrical and while the story is somewhat predictable, the reader can't put it down. In short, I loved it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is a little gem! A Parisian bookseller found a handbag, obviously abandoned by a mugger after removing anything of value. Although it still held many fascinating possessions, there was nothing to identify the owner. A red moleskin notebook had many of her thoughts noted so that the bookseller was able to learn much about this mystery woman. His daughter convinced him to begin a search for her, which he does, reluctantly. The story captured me from the first words and I was tempted to turn the pages quickly to find out what happens. Curbing the desire, I instead enjoyed the utterly charming story. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I know it's supposed to take place in Paris but going from English to French accent was annoying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This sweet little book revolves around a red notebook and the owner of a bookshop which is named Le Cahier Rouge (The Red Notebook). A woman is mugged, her purse stolen, the injuries that she sustained from the mugging causing her to go into a coma. A bookseller finds an abandoned purse the next day and becomes fascinated with the contents of the bag, which include a red Moleskine notebook full of the owners thoughts. He tries to find the owner. The story plays out on a beautiful Parisienne background, on a park where French author Patrick Modiano walks, on sidewalk cafes and tourist hotels. It is a lovely story. On the strength of it I've ordered a book by Patrick Modiano, who is present for an entire scene of the book. The book was warm, amusing, full of coincidences, replete with talk about books and authors. It was the perfect companion for a day when it was too hot to go outside, for curling up on the sofa and enjoying and finding solace from a book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sweet, short story. Well written, a bit formulaic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are times when I would like to have a 6th star for Extraordinary or Magnificent. This is such a review moment.Do not let the smaller count of pages fool you. This is a beautiful story and a lovely read. I was lucky to enjoy the reading experience of this novel in a single day which heightened the joy of uninterrupted reading time as I don't know how I could have possibly taken myself out from "between the covers" in the midst of reading this story.My only regret is that I am not more aware of European literature so that I could have even more thoroughly absorbed the delights of the authors and/or titles mentioned by bookshop owner, Laurent Letellier.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found the book charming. Nothing surprising about it but it felt like a nice summer read (listen). The narrator was great.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A short romantic read set in Paris. I loved every minute. It had books and cats, what more can anyone ask for?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delightful! Well written. Superbly narrated. A tonic for all the negativity that seems overwhelming sometimes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I just loved this book. Hopefully I can find others he was written.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delightful in characters, storyline, writing. Should be made into a movie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A great short story, slow starting but not long before you see where the story is heading. Great descriptives!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You probably can't justifiably categorise this book as crime fiction, more a mystery. We know from the very beginning who the red notebook belongs to. We know how it came to be abandoned in the street in the handbag that was stolen from its owner. As we keep an eye on the recovery of its owner, we watch Laurent Letellier investigate its contents and try to track down its owner.A good read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Maybe I'm losing my romanticism, but I didn't find this book sweet. I found it a little creepy. I mean, she ends up in a coma after this mugging, and I would think that after that, you wouldn't really be charmed by someone finding your purse and going through it and tracking you down... and it never occurs to anyone in the story that this guy might have been the guy who took the purse? I know he wasn't, but it seems at least a rational thing to consider. Not my cup of tea.Also the description, "Heroic bookseller"... not so much.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I think I picked this up as a freebie from audible. I have no other explanations. Or maybe...ah...Alex Wyndham. Well, there is that.I'm willing to debate that this book is full of universal truths. You may call them cliches. I'm willing for you to tell me it's silly, far-fetched, oversimplified and the like.And I'll say "So?"It is worth the investment (3.5 rounded down b/c I won't relisten)-it's short and it's really sweet. Why?This book is like a warm hot cocoa on a cold day. Only you get to snuggle up with Alex Wyndham's narration and a lot of unusual character development in a novella. Is this a case of 'hey, this is all probably saved by the narrator?" Maybe, maybe not. There's something I like about the straightforward truths and universality of this book, and something I love about two deeply sentimental and romantic characters finding each other.But also, yes, Alex Wyndham. So there.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a perfect Valentine's read --- sweet and short and hopelessly romantic in the best Hugh-Grant-movie kind of way. Translated from French and set in Paris, the book opens with the epigraph "There is little but the sublime to help us through the ordinary in life" by Alain. That is exactly what this book does. The story opens late at night with Laure Valadier being mugged and having her handbag stolen, as well as her head injured. After she checks into the hotel across the street (no apt. keys!) for the night on good graces and the promise to pay after she reports the crime, she slips into a coma when she goes to sleep. Meanwhile, the next morning on his way to work in his bookshop Le Cahier Rouge, Laurent Letellier finds an exquisite handbag atop a garbage bin and he picks it up to turn into the police as his good deed for the day. There is no ID, (wallet and phone stolen, of course!) but he is fascinated by its contents (including a red notebook) and the person he imagines the owner to be. When the police attempt is tangled up in bureaucracy (some things are universal, apparently!) Laurent takes the bag back home and decides to search on his own. Egged on by his precocious teen daughter Chloe, he very cleverly begins to assemble clues and determines Laure's identity. Insinuating himself in her life in ways that are tender and caring (not creepy) while she sleeps on, he ultimately returns her things and keeps his own identity secret. When she wakes and discovers her prized possessions intact, she is a little unsettled, but intrigued. Now the mystery is in her hands to solve, with only a first name and the description from her best friend Wilhelm, who met Laurent, but always assumed Laure knew him. The story is quick, but digresses into some meaningful reflection here and there: the idea "that we can pass right by something very important: love, a job, moving to another city or another country. Or another life. 'Pass by' and at the same time be 'so close' that sometimes....we can .... grab little fragments of what might have been. We passed by and we passed so close that something of the experience remains." Treat yourself to this charming story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a novella, the Kindle edition is 240 pages. The author is French and the story takes place in Paris. The protagonist was a lawyer/financial executive when he decided the work didn't suit him and opened a bookstore instead. He is just not a bookstore owner, he is a bibliophile and oh so likeable. Leaving the bookstore early one morning to go to his favorite breakfast café, he sees a purse on top of a trash can. It's an expensive purse and when he looks inside there are contents but no money or ID. He naturally surmises it's stolen. Being the good person he is, he takes it to the neighborhood police station, but they are backed up and disinterested. Obviously if the owner is found it's up to him. Fortunately he is a divorced father of a pushy teen who involves herself in the search. To cut to the chase, this is a romance although the parties don't meet until the end. A very enjoyable quick read that could have been an Audrey Hepburn movie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nice tale of 2 mysteries

    Not a mystery but a romance between persons each with a mystery to solve. A tale for lovers of the literary-bookish type story. A very nice, very French story. I enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sweet, short story. Well written, a bit formulaic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are times when I would like to have a 6th star for Extraordinary or Magnificent. This is such a review moment.Do not let the smaller count of pages fool you. This is a beautiful story and a lovely read. I was lucky to enjoy the reading experience of this novel in a single day which heightened the joy of uninterrupted reading time as I don't know how I could have possibly taken myself out from "between the covers" in the midst of reading this story.My only regret is that I am not more aware of European literature so that I could have even more thoroughly absorbed the delights of the authors and/or titles mentioned by bookshop owner, Laurent Letellier.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Simply charming.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good book, with literary references
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The book itself very succinctly spells out its story – “It’s the story of a bookseller who finds a handbag in the street one day, takes it home with him, empties out its contents and decides to look for the woman who owns it.” This is an absolutely delightful little book. Not finding any identification in the handbag, bookseller Laurent begins to read the red notebook that was in the handbag. The notebook contains the innermost thoughts of its owner. Laurent becomes fascinated with this lady and goes to extremes in his effort to find her. The handbag’s owner is Laure, who was mugged one evening at the entry of her home and sustains a head injury that causes her to go into a coma. While the book is light reading it holds your attention. I found myself anxiously hoping he would find clues to her identity. I felt slightly devastated at each clue that only led to a dead end. I think “whimsical” is a good way to describe it, as he comes across as a bit peculiar. Yet the story is light-hearted and amusing. I so wanted these two people to find each other. But there was a nervousness, wondering that if they found each other would they recognize how they seemed to be perfect for each other? Would they be willing to throw caution to the wind?This is the perfect book to kick back and relax with – have a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Lose yourself in the story. You will be glad you did. I received a copy of “The Red Notebook” from its Gallic Books, via GoodReads’ First Reads program.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Translated from French into English. Bookseller Laurent Letellier discovers an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street. Anything of value to the mugger has been removed, but there are all sorts of other items left behind. Laurent feels a strong impulse to return the bag and remaining contents to its owner. As he tries to discern who she is from her belongings he becomes fascinated with a red notebook that contains her day to day thoughts and jottings. What has happened to the notebook's owner and can he piece the puzzle together to find her in a city of millions? A lovely little read, well enjoyed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A gentle, charming story. Very French, very witty.I strongly encourage everyone to read this romantic novel.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I totally enjoyed this sweet romance. Laurent's search for Laure, using only the random items in her stolen bag, was perfectly paced. This translation from French is well done. It accomplishes the goal of making me wish I had a love story like that.