Cecile “SeriaLectrice”, contributrice from the reading group 20 Minutes Booksrecommends “Les enfants du large” by Virginia Tangvald, published on August 21, 2024 by Éditions JC Lattès.
His favorite quote:
« I was afraid all the time. I felt like I was naked on a white, barren, empty plain, dotted with dead birds. This image revealed itself when I was cold. I was often cold. I was afraid of remaining all my life without a country, without roots, without an identity. »
Why this book?
- Because Virginia, the heroine, is looking for desperate to understand where she comes from in order to move forward in life. She seeks to unravel the mysteries of a father who chose the sea rather than the Earth. This novel goes far beyond a simple family investigation; it is a true inner odyssey where each discovery is more painful than the last.
- Because the characters in this novel are marked by the sea and absence, Peter Tangvald, Virginia’s father, is fascinating. Described as a mythical figure, his quest for freedom has cost the lives of many close to him, making him both captivating and destructive.
- Because the writing of Virginia Tangvald is a true enchantment. His poetic pen captures the beauty and violence of the sea, as well as the pain of absence. Each word seems weighed, each sentence resonates like a wave, which brings a poetic depth to the whole story.
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot. Virginia, the author, seeks to understand her past. Her father, in particular, who disappeared at sea and took part of his family with him.
The characters. Virginia, in search of her past. Thomas, her brother. Peter, her father, in love with the ocean who will perish at sea.
The places. The sea mainly, but also the different places where Virginia lived, oscillating between France, Brazil and Canada.
The era. This autobiographical story takes place in the present day, but immerses the reader in a past taking place in the 1990s.
The author. Born at sea in 1986 on her father’s boat, Virginia Tangvald grew up in Canada. After years in music, she became a director. Children of the Sea is his first novel.
This book was read with curiosity. I was fascinated by this quest for the past and this father that we seek to understand at the same time as the author.
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