In the Moon: A Memoir of a 1930s Childhood in France

By Alan Holmes

Book Overview

In the Moon
Dans La Lune
A memoir of a 1930s childhood in France ABOUT THIS BOOK

In the Moon takes you on a vivid and entertaining journey of a boy's life in France, of his personal growth, daydreams and enthusiasms. Told mostly in the voice of the growing boy, In the Moon recounts, often with much humor, the many situations and unusual characters in Alain's exotic life. Alain is the son of a strong-willed, proactive Belgian mother and a brilliant, tough-minded and emotionally laconic British father, but he is also heavily influenced by a surrogate father, Raimond, their French butler and gardener. Alain has to shape his identity and choices amidst the clashing influences of a class-ridden and multinational milieu. Adding to the tension, he attends six schools over a period of six years. Some of these schools are French, where he faces a harsh and cruel environment, but where learning is nevertheless effective and thorough. In two English-speaking schools, life is more pleasant and has its rewards, but the learning process is subtler and less obvious. Alain spends several summers in a wealthy resort community, followed by three summers in a rural farming community where he learns firsthand about the primitive pleasures and hardships of French peasant life. In each situation, the author provides a richly detailed and lively description of these diverse aspects of the period's life and culture. Included in the telling are many episodes in which his parents' own colorful and unconventional life feature prominently. Throughout his memoirs, Holmes tells the story with eccentric charm, sometimes poetic detail, and often with abundant humor and humility. Some readers have likened this absorbing biographical work to Marcel Pagnol's La gloire de mon p re, the memoir of the French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. As in Pagnol's book and the 1990 movie based on it, In the Moon is about the adventures, discoveries, and hard-earned lessons of a young life. In the Moon is a light, highly entertaining read and one to which a reader will return with pleasure.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401084311
• ISBN13: 9781401084318
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Xlibris Us
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Memories of 1930's boyhood in France, Smart, Witty, Interesting!

In the Moon is an autobiographical novel with the flavor of a good French film. It's about a man's strongest memories of childhood rendered in the voice of the growing boy, Alain. The story is backlit by descriptions of life in France in the `30s with undercurrents and background changes that emerge as WWII crashes down on the world. Alain must carve out his identity amidst the clashing voices and values of a class-ridden society in a multi-national milieu. Alain attends six schools over a period of six years some French, others English-speaking schools in France. Among these, Alain finds harshness and cruelty as well as mellow environments full of fun. Some of his early summers are spent in a rural community in northern France where he learns about the pleasures of peasant life. Other summers are spent at the watering holes of the wealthy. The child is an eclectic mix of dreamer, scientist, artist and inventor. He is enchanted as much by what things are and how they work as he is fascinated by what they might be. He is keenly alert to concrete detail and deeply engrossed in all things beautiful. He is sometimes mystified by adult behavior and attitudes, sometimes in awe of them. Alain is a bright child whose perceived bouts of mischief are always related to his drive to learn something new or to verify a perception. His precocious penchant for reverie sometimes gets him into trouble. Alain is the son of unconventional, well off parents: a strong-willed Belgian mother and a brilliant but emotionally laconic British father. His mother's language is often peppered with hilarious malapropisms which seem to arise from her imaginative nature as well as her selective facility with a second language. Unusual characters and situations enliven the story throughout. Ultimately, what emerges is an entertaining tapestry of a young boy's emotional and intellectual development and unbounded enthusiasm for life. In The Moon has been compared to Marcel Pagnol's La Gloire Mon Pere. Mr. Holmes navigates the young protagonist's sea of adventures and fantasies with charm and wit. This is a delightful read you will enjoy sharing with friends, as I have.