Antoine Laurain is such a wonderful author, and this is a fantastic read. Nathalia visits a therapist, Dr Faber, as she is unable to work as a photographer. He suggests she tells a story about each floor of the apartments opposite hers. As the weeks go by he becomes more and more concerned about what she is recording and how to help her - but is it her who needs the help? Any more would give too much away.

The overall story was interesting, but the formatting made it hard to tell when the perspectives switched. Laurain’s writing is fantastic as always and I will still pick up whatever he writes next.

Rear Window meets therapy in this tale of interconnectedness, using the floors of a building to build a charming piece of storytelling.

Traumatized after accidentally catching a murder on film, a photographer finds herself in therapy. Meanwhile, her therapist proposes a slightly unorthodox approach to helping her come to terms with what has happened...

With his delightfully humorous trademark charm, this is another book by Antoine Laurain which definitely deserves to be read! It gets an easy 3.5 stars.

The characters feel authentic and flawed. There’s also a gentle mystery that propels the story forward without overwhelming its intimate tone.

If you’re looking for a quick but meaningful read that immerses you in the ambiance of Paris while nudging you to reflect on human connection, then you will enjoy this book.

I would've given it another star but unfortunately I received an advanced copy that had no structure whatsoever, and was without any paragraphs or sentence structure, so it made this a very difficult read.

This was my first book by this author and based on the description, I was looking forward to charming and whimsical characters. Unfortunately, I found the characters to have no personality at all.
The patient is beautiful and gives one-word answers. That’s all we learn. In fact, women fit in two categories: desirable objects out of reach, in which case they are stunning and mysterious, or wives/family, in which case they are cold and unaffectionate.

The book is described as a mystery, in which the patient’s observations become “increasingly detailed.” That’s just not true. The first observation is as detailed and dull as the last. While stories of people’s mundane lives can be fascinating, I found the writing style and at times awkward translation failed to generate any kind of interest.

The reveal at the end was ok. Probably the best part of this otherwise boring book.

When Nathalia, a photographer, finds it difficult to take another picture, she goes to Dr. Faber for analysis. Nathalia is not willing to speak much so Faber gives her a writing assignment. Her apartment overlooks a five-story apartment building, and she is asked to write a story about something on each floor, starting on the ground floor.

During her first session, she says she has a photo of an act of murder. Faber finds it difficult to get her to tell him more, thus the assignment. He thinks she will reveal more of herself in her stories.

Each week, Nathalia writes her story but instead of mailing them to him, she drops them off unsealed.

She writes these inventive stories with characters who seem real. With a little research he discovers that they are real people. The problem is that he cannot distinguish whether it is fiction or truth. She will not give him a straight answer.

With each story we learn nothing new about Nathalia. We do learn more about Dr. Faber and his wife. He becomes concerned when he discovers that his wife has been reading the stories.

Each story is interesting on their own, so they are stories within a story.

This did feel like a French version of Rear Window.

There are moments I was pulled into the story, but the story structure made it difficult for me to stay focused. Luckily it is a short book with only 208 pages. The story structure felt like reading stream of conscious writing and I am not a fan of that style. There are no chapters.

If it had been longer, I doubt I would have finished this book. I don’t know if this is this author’s trademark style or if he did it only for this book. This author is new to me. The style made it feel like a struggle to read. I wasn’t always sure if he was telling us more about his relationship with Nathalia or telling us one of her stories. I sometimes had to re-read to figure out what was going on. I guess maybe I am a lazy reader, but I do read for enjoyment and don’t like to work that hard for it. If the style doesn’t bother you and you like a twisty murder mystery, this might be the book for you. I did like the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallic books for the advance reader copy. I do appreciate the introduction to a new to me author. My response may be more me than the book. It just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.

Quirky, witty but dark tale about a therapist and his sessions with a client, who he encourages to write short stories about the people in the apartment building she can see through her window.
A story of transparency and judgement, truth and lies.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️ 2.5/5

Nathalia is a photographer who lost her passion after she witnessed and photographed a murder. She sees a therapist who assigns her an exercise of writing stories of each neighbor she watches from her window. She obviously shows vouyerism tendencies and has an artistic eye.

This short book has the charm I’ve come to recognize from reading a couple other books by Antoine Laurain; it’s light, a little quirky, and has a romantic Parisian atmosphere. The idea behind the story is actually clever: a set of French windows becomes a sort of portal into the lives and secrets of the people living behind them.

This is an ensemble story. The focus shifts between several residents of the building, giving you glimpses into their lives through their windows. But I was a little put off and confused at where the story was going. I wasn’t sure what the main goal of the book was. While the premise was really promising, the execution doesn’t totally land. The plot feels a bit scattered, like the author had a few great character ideas but didn’t quite know how to tie them all together in a satisfying way. Some chapters are super engaging and fun, but others feel like they’re just spinning their wheels. A few characters are lovely and memorable, but others are more like sketches…. they show up, make an impression, and then disappear without much development.

There were definitely moments where the whimsy felt a little forced, almost like he was trying to recapture the magic of The Red Notebook or The President’s Hat without fully getting there. It’s less a plot and more a collection of whimsical moments loosely stitched together

Overall, French Windows is an easy, pleasant read. If you’re a big Laurain fan or you’re just looking for something light and a little dreamy, you’ll probably still have a good time with it. But if you’re hoping for something really special or tightly plotted, it might leave you wanting a bit more.

3.25/5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read an eARC of this title. I was in a reading slump prior to reading this short novel and am eternally grateful to have found such a fun palate-cleanser to get back on track. This book is told from the POV of a Parisian shrink who is treating a woman photographer that lost her ability to do her job after accidentally photographing a murder out of the window of her apartment. She shows voyeuristic tendencies so he assigns her the task of writing stories about the inhabitants of the apartments in the building across from her window. A deeper plot is explored as she delivers these short stories to him one by one. The character studies of each story she writes and ultimately of the woman and the shrink are fascinating and well-written. The twist/resolution at the end was slightly predictable but I really enjoyed how everything came together, and it was so Parisian that I had to have a bit of a chuckle at the reveal.

I enjoyed this short and engaging book. Photographer Natalie has been asked by her therapist to write about her neighbours in the apartments opposite. We are treated to a birdseye view of a mix of characters and a slice of Paris life. I loved the writing style and look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: French Windows
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into French Windows completely blind, and I’m glad I did. From the very first page, the writing pulled me in because it felt like it fit the story perfectly.

One of the aspects I appreciated the most was the therapy setting. It added an intimate, introspective atmosphere that framed the narrative in a really immersive way. For much of the book, I wasn’t exactly sure where it was going — but that was part of its charm. The sense of mystery kept me hooked, and the ending tied everything together beautifully. It was well-rounded and impactful.

The glimpses into the lives of the people in the building were sometimes uncomfortable to read, but I understood it was intentional. Those moments were crafted to provoke thought and emphasize the themes, and I respect that. They added a raw and realistic layer to the book that made it more memorable.

This was a short but meaningful read — relatively low risk. I absolutely recommend it if you're looking for something a little different, quietly powerful, and well-written.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

Nathalia had been seeing a therapist. She was a young photographer and was passionate about her job, until she unfortunately witnessed a murder. Used to seeing things and people through her lens, she was no longer able to dissociate her work with what she witnessed until she lost the zeal to work completely. Seeking the help of a therapist, she was encouraged to talk about the murder but because she was reluctant to do so, her therapist recommended her to tell stories about her neighbors.

Each time she submitted about her neighbors and what she saw, we learned more about the characters in the windows of the apartment. I loved learning about the background of each tenant, and what happened in their lives that the murder mystery took a backseat. These became like short stories about different people leading very different lives, even though they live within close proximity to one another. I enjoyed these stories a lot, it reminded of the game “guess what they do and their background story” people sometimes play while peoplewatching the streets.

I loved the playful language of the author but there were some parts that I thought a little foreign. As I’m not familiar with French, I’m not sure if it’s characteristic of the language, the writing style of the author, or the translation. It wasn’t anything bad, but I’m just not used to the style and choice of words.

However it was unfortunate that I enjoyed the reveal a lot less when Nathalia finally gathered the courage to talk about the murder she witnessed. Felt like the background stories of the neighbors were far more interesting than the overarching murder mystery.

4.5 stars!

I popped into this book assuming it would be any old cosy mystery, but it was a quirky little jewelbox of a novel and I loved it much more than I thought I would. It doesn't have great ratings though and I think if you just want a procedural you should look elsewhere. But don't do that! Just read this with an open mind!

This book is told from the perspective of a psychiatrist who has a photographer patient arrive in his office saying that she cannot take pictures any more because the last photos she took were of a murder that took place in the building across from her apartment. He suggests that she should tell stories about what takes place on each of the floors in the building she sees from her window in order to move on and be able to return to her art.

The stories are weird and interesting and very relationship-focused. His responses are weird too. There's a twist, which I did guess, but I didn't guess how it worked or why it was twisted like that and it was all so funny and so French. It's super short, just hop in there and enjoy!

Thank you to Pushkin Press for an advance review copy for unbiased review.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

This book is about a photographer who witnessed and photographed a murder. She goes to a therapist.

If you're looking for a murder mystery then this ain't for you. This is a novella that's actually a short story collection of somewhat meaningless side characters, imagine only murders in the building without the intricate plot.

Perhaps things got lost in translation? I don't know. The raving praises that the book has got certainly seems to indicate this.

This short quirky novel follows Nathalia Guitry, a successful photographer, who one day inadvertently captures a murder on camera. Traumatised and creatively blocked as a result, she seeks help from an unconventional therapist who proposes an unconventional therapy – to write stories about the residents in the apartment block opposite to her own. What develops is a sort of cat-and-mouse game between patient and therapist. It’s a playful novel but one with an underlying seriousness which explores reality and the imagination, storytelling and identity, a somewhat whimsical tale which I found engaging and entertaining.

Having a personal "thing" for stories with therapy somewhere in the plot, I was quite interested in "French Windows". It's organised around therapy sessions of a photographer, Nathalia, who via sessions with Dr Faber is trying to cope with the aftermath of murder she accidentally caught on her camera.

The intervention proposed by the therapist is meant to get Nathalia out of her creative rut but in reality the therapy sessions serve an entirely different purpose.

It is an original concept with a surprising plot twist that would benefit from slightly more skilled writing and world-building.

Magnifique!

I was so happy to see the books of Antoine Laurain coming out on July 1st. Since highlighted by the Queens Reading Room, I’ve been looking forward to reading French Windows. This charming mystery didn’t disappoint, with well developed, agreeable characters all set in Paris!!

Thanks Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Paris but I don't think this worked for me. I can be a bit particular about my murder mysteries/stories, and I think something was lost in translation here.