Mademoiselle Benoir

By Christine Conrad

Book Overview

Christine Conrad's charming and spirited novel offers a fresh look at life's pleasures in the French countryside. Thirty-something American Tim Reinhart leaves New York and purchases a farmhouse in rural France, where he fills his days restoring the property and pursuing his artistic passion. Letters to his family and friends back home vividly illustrate Tim's blissful immersion in the divine meals, deep-rooted customs, and quirky community of his new pastoral surroundings. But his enchantment grows more complicated when he befriends another artist -- his beautiful and much older neighbor, Catherine Benoir. As their relationship escalates, tensions run high on both sides of the Atlantic. From her aristocratic family's fiery protests and his parents' pleas of caution to the astonishing response of the village locals, Tim and Catherine's love affair triggers explosive reactions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 061877209X
• ISBN13: 9780618772094
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.9" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

An enchanting story

This is a novel written entirely in the form of letters -- and it's a romance. "Mademoiselle Benoir" by Christine Conrad is at once an old-fashioned love story and a completely modern one. At the age of 33, Tim Reinhart buys an old farmhouse in France. Once an assistant professor, he has removed himself from the "American treadmill of success" to concentrate on his drawing. But mom and dad back in New York City aren't happy that their son has moved to France. So they write, he writes, everybody writes. As Reinhart explains, "Sometimes it is easier to pull up the deeper layers of what's going on in one's mind in a letter," so we get to see intimate details of his life. When he falls in love, he has to deal with disapproving relatives, French laws and the Catholic church. Through the epistolary format, we witness the same event from different people and, as we see more than one side of the characters, they become very real. Reinhart describes the lively, quirky personalities in the neighborhood and the clash of cultures. He shares his love for the French countryside, "the way it spreads itself out before you in great waves, so you can appreciate every turn in the road." The book makes the reader think about relationships, how everything changes when one's needs and priorities change. It's an enchanting story packaged in a lovely little book.

Can't Keep a Good Couple Down

Neither fawning priests, ossified traditions of la vielle France, nor a sister's corrosive anger can shake the love that unfolds between Mlle. Benoir, a woman of a certain age, and Tim, a young American artist. A lovely story, one that takes you away with rich descriptions of the people, the landscape and, of course, the food, in little-known region of France. A wonderful story to read and to give as a gift.

Bowled over!

I was bowled over by this book. A friend of mine couldn't stop talking about it, but I'm 30 so I wasn't rushing to read a love story about a woman who gets married for the first time in her 50's -- I thought I might be jinxing myself! But I could not put the book down. Not only are you taken on a joy ride through the French countryside and Paris...but you learn so much about love, in the truest sense. I believe that every woman should read this book. I loved every minute of it.

Insightful, delightful...a fabulous read...

Mademoiselle Benoir is the kind of book we all love -- one you don't want to end. It is a love story that inspires the heart and uplifts the soul. It is full of surprises, sweetness and intimacy. We all have a dream like Tim, to break away from our mundane lives and begin a romantic adventure, but few of us ever do it. I found myself "experiencing" this book: from the tenderness, excitement, anticipation and exhilaration of finding your soul mate and falling in love to the challenges and triumphs of putting down roots in a foreign land. The sights and delights of France that are conveyed in this book made me want to pack up and go right now. Each of the characters is vibrant and alive. Their letters to each other reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings - feelings we can all identify with. Bravo Ms Conrad, this is a great read -- a tonic for the heart.

a pleasure trip

It wasn't only the May-December romance (with the woman on the December end, for a change) that I found enthralling about Mademoiselle Benoir. It was the insights into French culture, quirks, food, and odd traditions, along with the author's sense of humor and ability to paint vivid scenes. The Lot Valley, which I knew nothing about, really comes to life here. The letter format is a lot of fun and gives the book a lightness that makes it a very fast read. I was sorry to see it end.