Goodreads review: This book was the read I was craving. An English translation of a French novel, the story was interesting and meandering and mysterious, which this translation handles well. The words feel crisp and clear as the mystery of the story surrounding a masterpiece discovered in a library of rejected book swirls through the psyche. A quick read that delves into the literary world in multiple ways (one of my favorite worlds when done well). My only misgiving is that there were times when certain messages (such as "fame ain't always what it's cracked up to be! #hotchacha) were a bit too hit-you-over the head. This annoyance is slight, however, and I do highly, highly recommend.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51256433-the-mystery-of-henri-pick
Blog Post - I note that I liked the book, and discuss the idea of reader entitlement and obsession.
https://letzbeereal.com/2020/06/21/is-the-truth-stranger-than-fiction/

The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos
Source: NetGalley and Pushkin Press
Rating: 1/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: For most of this book, I was on the fence with my rating. The premise of the book is interesting, and I wanted to see what path would emerge, so I dove in. I can’t say I overly enjoyed the book, but I didn’t dislike it either. I determined to stick with the book hoping that by the end, something will or will not have happened to sway my opinion one way or another. I made it to the epilogue before that moment happened. Literally one sentence, one utterance from Delphine turned me totally and completely off this book. There are some things that should NEVER be said! While I fully understand the mentality of the character, her fear of losing everything material, some things just shouldn’t ever be threatened in any capacity or context, ever. I have never, in 40+ years of reading, had a book turn my stomach so completely with a single sentence. I was blown away that an author would even consider writing such a thing even in the context into which it has been written. I can’t, in good conscious recommend this book.

I would define this as an especially good beach read, it’s everything you could ask for: it has a mystery, it’s funny, ironic, and also has wonderful prose.

This is a novel about the novel surrounding the novel, and I know it sounds complicated and that’s actually how I felt at fist: a bit confused.
However it only takes a few (small) chapters to really get into the mystery at the center of this story and that’s where things start to get interesting and you start to relate to all the characters.

Long story short I really liked this book and you should read it too if you love mysteries and the editorial world behind the publication of a book.

If had to pick something I didn’t really like about it it would be the choice to add what I would describe as comments from the narrator as footnotes, I actually loved the comments but in my opinion footnotes are very distracting so found myself skipping them in order to continue with the story with no interruption.

I would give this book a solid 4.5 stars and I look forward to reading more by David Foenkinos!

An editor and author, who are also dating, find themselves in her hometown one weekend. While there, they go into the public library and discover a section of books that have been rejected by publishers, a "library of rejected books." They browse through the books and come across one they are both interested in. After reading it, they fall in love with the book immediately. They quickly discover that the author was the owner of a local pizzeria and is now deceased. The rest of the book, which reads like a dramatic, quirky mystery was difficult to put down. It takes place in several towns as the characters deal with the unintended consequences of the novels literary success. New found fame, fortune, and the underlying mystery of whether or not Henri Pick is really the author, kept me turning the pages. The references to the literary world between editors, publishers, authors, and critics was very interesting to me. I found the characters to be genuine, relatable, and intriguing.

I did not give a full 5-stars because it felt as though the story was wrapped up a bit too quickly, however, I did not predict the ending and I'm pretty sure I was reading it with my jaw dropped open. This book will linger with me for awhile as I really enjoyed the characters, the creativity of the story, and the ending.

Thanks to Net Galley, Pushkin Press, and David Foenkinos for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was short and, although well-translated, did seem very French in its whimsical and somewhat stylized tone. There were footnotes throughout, which don't really work on an e-reader, and which seemed a little precious. I read it in one sitting and quite enjoyed it, although if I had put it down, it might have been hard to pick it up again, as the pacing was measured rather than gripping. There was indeed a mystery about the authorship of a novel, and there were even a few twists and turns, but it wasn't exactly exciting...

This book really was a love letter written to the book industry - be it the publishers, the book reps, the book sellers and librarians and ultimately the readers and writers. It was the kind of book that made me smile and chuckle because I felt connected to the characters.

It starts off in a small town in France. A well known editor of a publishing house goes to her hometown, Crozon, to visit her parents with her boyfriend. Over there, they go to visit this library that is known to the library of rejects. They find a book there written by an unassuming pizza restaurant owner, Henri Pick, who died a few years ago. The book captures the imagination of both Delphine, her boyfriend and her family and Delphine decides to publish it. The book is an instant hit in the country. People are enamoured by it and shocked that an unassuming restaurant owner can have written such a masterpiece. But a lot of people also believe that the book isn’t written by Henri Pick. One such literary critic goes on to try to find the truth.

I do have to say that the literary critic, Rouche, doesn’t come in till the 70% marker in the book. I very much enjoyed the book and thought it was very well written. It was written in simple but heartwarming prose mixed with wry humour and I found myself highlighting many things. I felt connected to the characters and found them charming. However, I did not like the end. I felt like it was almost a disservice the way it ended. That would be my only point of contention.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

‘The Mystery of Henry Pick’ is one of my favourite novels I’ve read in while. This is the second novel I’ve read by David Foenkinos and they were completely different in tone and subject matter but both were really well written. The novel portrays the current literary landscape with such warmth and humour but without losing its critical edge. I think this would be a great novel to read for anyone who is interested in the larger context of readership and the publishing industry. It would also be great novel to read for any Francophile and there’s a really fun cameo by François Busnel in there as well. A great reading experience overall.

With thanks to the publisher for the digital review copy via Netgalley.

Where to begin to review this book? See, there is a whole lot to unpack here, and if we unpack too much, we’ll end up with spoilers. To begin with, let’s start with the overall effect of this book, which is quite a romp. When I began reading this book, Gourvec, the man came up with the idea of housing these rejected manuscripts (within the municipal library) was described as someone who could help people find the right book for them – even for someone who didn’t like to read. That put me in mind of the protagonist in Nina George’s novel “The Little Paris Bookshop,” whose owner seems to have this same talent (maybe this is a French trait?), so I thought I was going to get something like that. However, no sooner had this been revealed than that character dies, leaving the library in the hands of his assistant Magali. Apparently Magali wasn’t much into reading or books when she was hired by Gourvec, and after his death, she doesn’t do much to care for his collection of unwanted books. Of course, all this changes when Delphine comes to visit (as the blurb suggests).

However, I don’t think the story to publish this abandoned manuscript on the one hand, and solve its mystery on the other, is really what is at heart here. In fact, although on the surface this whole discovery/mystery plot surrounding the book seems central to this novel, I think that Foenkinos actually used that as a ruse to investigate something much deeper, something much more complex. If I’m really honest, I might say that the blurb is terribly misleading, and in fact, this book isn’t actually about the questions surrounding an uncovered masterpiece at all. For me, this is actually a conglomeration of connected character studies and a whole bunch of little coming-of-age stories, all focused on the effect that recognition and/or admiration can have on people, especially when previously, their lives may have lacked or lost either, or both of these.

Let me explain. Although there is a certain major arc to this story around the publication and authorship of this book, there are also many little side stories going on here. While all of them are connected in their own way to this novel, they also seem to be connected through how this book seems to have spawned some kind of change in each of their lives. Furthermore, the old adage “no two people read the same book” is proven in full force here, as we hear how each person reacts to the novel, and personalizes parts of it to parallel either their own lives, or give new insights into their histories. Now, this doesn’t mean that all of the effects of this mysterious novel are positive ones, and in fact, we also see how the prospect of fame and fortune can bring out the worst in some people, particularly those who would take advantage of someone else for their own gain. In addition, not all of the changes that this book’s publication cause in these characters, are for the better. This means that while it might seem like this is a plot driven book, I actually think it is more character driven – albeit multiple characters, but still. That makes this a deceptively layered novel, that investigates the human condition from different angles.

Finally, Foenkinos achieves all this with a prose style that is very much on the cheeky side, as if he didn’t really take any of this whole thing seriously, and so maybe we as readers shouldn’t either. However, I should mention that although this is contemporary fiction, there was a bit of an older-world feel to the prose here that didn’t totally fit with the current era for me. This means that I was constantly taken a bit aback every time things like Google or smart phones were mentioned. This could be the fault of the translator, but I must admit that it was a bit unsettling for me.

Now while I enjoyed this book a great deal, I’m unsure (at this point) if it is worthy of a full five stars or not. On the one hand, it was a very fun read, with a great twist of an ending. On the other hand, I wonder if this book is a potential modern classic, or perhaps it’s just a satire of the publishing industry and its adoration of pushing “form over substance” in order to sell more books; if I give it five stars, am I buying into that? Well, instead, maybe I’ll give it four and a half stars and allow myself to change this rating if I feel that I’ve been overly generous or not generous enough, after I think about it more. Either way, I still recommend this book warmly, and I feel it will have quite a widespread appeal.

"An author can write the most farfetched or implausible story ever, but there will still be readers who will say, "I don't believe it: you wrote the story of my life!"

In a small town of Corozon in Brittany a Library welcomes & accepts manuscripts rejected for publication. You are introduced to Gourvec who believed who believed that it was not a question of liking or not liking a book, but finding a book that was meant for you, thus begins this fun, fast paced novel.

The characters in the book are what keep you glued to the book. The depth, the human element, and their relationship which oddly at times you relate to.

The Mystery of Henri Pick is an enjoyable book. It would be a perfect companion if you're sitting in a coffee shop on your own, having a cup of coffee. The characters and storyline draw you completely in. For a book lover, this will definitely be a delightful read.

Thank you Netgalley & Pushkin Press for a copy

In the small town of Crozon in Brittany, a library houses manuscripts that were rejected for publication: the faded dreams of aspiring writers. Visiting while on holiday with her author boyfriend, young editor Delphine Despero is thrilled to discover a novel so powerful that she feels compelled to bring it back to Paris to publish it.

The book is a sensation, prompting fevered interest in the identity of its author - apparently one Henri Pick, a now-deceased pizza chef from Crozon. Sceptics cry that the whole thing is a hoax: how could this man have written such a masterpiece? An obstinate journalist, Jean-Michel Rouche, heads to Brittany to investigate.

The Mystery of Henri Pick is the first book in the new 'Walter Presents library', published by Pushkin Press. If this novel is anything to go by, then the rest of the titles published in the library list are going to be fabulous.

I work in publishing, so I have to admit to a bias towards novels set in the publishing world; and The Mystery of Henri Pick nails it. The descriptions of the interactions between editors and authors, the sales and marketing discussions are amusingly drawn, and never tip over into farce.

Although described as a comic novel, it isn't laugh out loud funny, but gently humorous in its portrayals of archetypes from the writing world; the contrasts between the Parisian intelligentsia and the local Brittany folk are highlighted through a series of confused interchanges.

I would definitely recommend this novel.

This first publication in a collaborative series between Pushkin Press and Walter Iuzzolino, aka Walter Presents, holds early promise. I have been a fan of the Walter Presents selections (via amazon Prime), in which he curates international tv series for American viewing, and applaud his branching out into books.

This is not the deepest or most intellectually challenging of stories, but one which is very entertaining and which pays homage to unpublished works which may or may not have merit. Many references to Richard Brautigan, but closer in spirit to possibly John Kennedy O'Toole and the tragedy of his story. Hung on the barest of plots, it does have some good characterizations, but a bit more soap than I like.

Most British readers will be familiar with the video on demand service Walter Presents curated by Walter Iuzzolino. Launched on 3 January 2016 Walter Presents specialises in foreign language drama and comedy, subtitled in English.

Recently Walter Presents joined forces with Pushkin Press in publishing translated work and the first of this is the charming The Mystery of Henry Pick by French author and director David Foenkinos.

If there’s one topic which instantly attracts a book lover’s attention it’s a book about books. What better topic to read about than the one thing you love? If the book oozes whimsy and quirkiness in an easy, yet well-written package, even more so.

You can read the rest of the review here: https://wanderingwestswords.wordpress.com/2020/06/01/the-mystery-of-henri-pick-david-foenkinos/

No one does whimsical – and gets away with it - better than the French. This charming little literary mystery starts with a library of rejected books and goes on to explore authorship, publishing and how sometimes all the fuss about a book becomes more important than the book itself. The basic plot here is the discovery, in a small library in a small town in Brittany, of an unpublished manuscript, apparently written by a local pizza café owner who never, in his lifetime, showed any interest in books or reading or writing. So is this the literary sensation of the century? Or a hoax? A deliberate fraud? I found it a delightful read, with many quirky characters who somehow manage to remain real, and clever and believable dialogue. There’s a nice satisfying ending too. And for an added bonus, you can look up American author Richard Brautigan and discover how he envisaged a library for rejected manuscripts in his novel The Abortion, and also how there really is such a library in the US. Look it up!

THE MYSTERY OF HENRI PICK:

In a world that appreciates success, it is refreshing to discover that rejected books find a home in a small town’s library. This idea is at the center of this story. A library that sets aside space specifically for books that were rejected from publishers is cause for celebration, if just for the fact that it gives those writers a sense of success and accomplishment. This is the thread that runs through this story, and quite an interesting story it is. The story grabs you from its opening and just gets more entertaining.

The mystery behind the author of an unpublished book, and the book itself, brings life to a tiny town located far from the big cities and their hustle and bustle. The book becomes a sensation and tourists flock to see the town it was born in, as well as to get glimpses of its unknown author’s life.

This story puts you in the lives of the characters and their interesting backgrounds, and challenges you to solve the mystery that touches all their lives, too.

This book is an enjoyable journey. Along with the idea of a library of rejected books, the story follows a mystery revolving around an author of a phenomenal novel. I don't know why but I keep thinking about the song Eleanor Rigby while reading. Maybe it's because the story also includes pieces of the life of rejecting or rejected characters but with a warm, light-hearted tone. The translation is really smooth and the writing is easy to follow, perfect or a holiday read.
Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for sending me a copy.

Ugh, not liking this, hmmm, now that is interesting, oh well, kind of funny, could he really have written it, did he really say that, no she actually did that.

This is a book about writers, all sorts, good, bad, tried and failed, tried and succeeded. It is also about readers and publishers and good people and egotistical people which would be the readers because as it is pointed out” Reading is a completely egotistical pleasure. Unconsciously we expect books to speak to us.” It is also inferred that “words always have a destination.” Interesting I never knew that but can acknowledge its truth.

Anyway, a library of rejected books is created within a library in a small town in Brittany. A masterpiece is discovered and attributed to the most unlikely man. As sometimes happens things are blown out of any sense of reality and there are always the outliers who just have to wreak havoc to prove their brilliance and around and around, we go and the mysterious writer has to be defined and the house of cards is crumbling. The story is told is the most delicate of indelicate ways with a slight disconnect between all of the characters and the unreality of every situation.

Amusing little book. Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a copy.

A brilliant and heart warming literary caper, the story of Henri Peck and his lost and found novel is a real joy. Quirky, funny and profound in equal measures, it's a must for people with a love of books, or just a love of life. It's full of twists and turns and there really is something quite special about this book. Read it, read it now!

“According to him, it was not a question of liking or not liking to read, but of finding the book that was meant for you.”

What if the book you were meant to read – a book that is just right for you and you shouldn’t live without – was rejected by a publisher? Luckily, in the world of The Mystery of Henri Pick you could go to the library of rejects in Crozon, Brittany (France). Gourvec, the owner, would examine a reader’s physical appearance to work out which author they needed to find a book that speaks to them.

Humor is embedded through the subjects the characters talk about and the thoughts they express. But even though you see it as funny, there is a grain of truth in most things that happen. Sometimes the situation reveals a bitter truth, sometimes something beautiful. In a way, this book is about dealing with failure – and hopefully turning it into a belated success – and about picking yourself up again when things don’t go your way.

“An author can write the most farfetched or implausible story ever, but there will still be readers who will say: ‘I don’t believe it: you wrote the story of my life!'” Food for thought… many lines in this book made me think and reflect. Are books moving to form over substance? Is the story around it more important than the story within? In The Mystery of Henri Pick, David Foenkinos makes fun of popular books: are they popular because they are such good books or because of the story behind it. And if it’s the latter, does it matter? An interesting person or story sells at least as well as a good book. If your book becomes a success by accident, shouldn’t you just celebrate your mastery of luck?

The Mystery of Henri Pick is not a book I read from front to cover. New characters get introduced so frequently, that I couldn’t connect to any of them. Whenever the book switches to the point of view of a new character, I would take a break from reading. This can be a positive thing if you only want to read a few pages a day, but negative if you like to read a book in one or two sittings. Because of this I felt less immersed, as if I were merely a spectator.

Which brings me to one last thought: what if the book that is meant for me won’t ever exist? Perhaps it won’t ever be written, finished, published, or it has been published out of my sight? In case it is the latter, the book would be a perfect fit for the library of invisible books… At least The Mystery of Henri Pick has a different destiny, because I found it and recognize its existence.

In the small town of Crozon, Brittany the discovery of a rejected manuscript by a Parisian editor prompts curiosity about the author. Could a simple pizzeria owner write something so enchanting?⁠
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I was drawn to this based on the synopsis alone. This novel was originally published in French then translated to English. While the story flowed well, I think a few things ended up being lost in translation. I found a few sentences awkward but that could also be a result of not understanding French culture. ⁠
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This is one of the few books I wasn't able to rate as soon as I finished it simply because I didn't like the ending. I had to sit with it for a while to decide how I felt about it. I try to stay away from reviewing books, and lean more towards recommending books I find interesting and which provoke thought and discussion. ⁠
That said, here are some of my takeaways: ⁠
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Hype over substance. This is a book about book. Mostly the publishing and promotion side. How often do we get so caught up with the fanfare surrounding the book such that the actual content and substance of the book takes a back seat?⁠
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This book asked us to think about the consequences of our actions. Before you make a decision, do you consider how far reaching the repercussions of that decision/action might be? Or do you solely focus on what parts of your own life will be altered? ⁠
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Although I didn't love the ending, I appreciated how much it made me think and that alone makes it worth reading. ⁠
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This is a great story, whimsical in that very Gallic way I love so much. It would be a shame for others if I were to give away any of the plot beyond the publisher’s blurb. A medley of unusual and endearing characters, with a soupçon of mystery and a big splash of romance, it was just what I needed in these locked-down days to transport me to the bistros of Paris and the Brittany coast. Plenty of references to real people and events in the arts and publishing worlds had me reaching for the internet, too, all very interesting. Highly recommended.