An irresistible French sensation - Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore meets Amelie - The Reader on the 6.27 explores the power of books through the lives of the people they save. It is sure to capture the hearts of book lovers everywhere. Guylain Vignolles lives on the edge of existence. Working at a book pulping factory in a job he hates, he has but one pleasure in life ...Sitting on the 6.27 train each day, Guylain recites aloud from pages he has saved from the jaws of his monstrous pulping machine. And it's this release of words into the world that starts our hero on a journey that will finally bring meaning into his life.
For one morning, Guylain discovers the diary of a lonely young woman: Julie. A woman who feels as lost in the world as he does. As he reads from these pages to a rapt audience, Guylain finds himself falling hopelessly in love with their enchanting author ... The Reader on the 6.27 is a tale bursting with larger-than-life characters, each of whom touches Guylain's life for the better. This captivating novel is a warm, funny fable about literature's power to uplift even the most downtrodden of lives. 'The humanity of the characters ...the re-enchantment of everyday life, the power of words and literature, tenderness and humour . .. The Reader on the 6.27 is a must' L'Express 'A beautiful testimony to the universality of the love of books' Livres Hebdo
About the Author
Jean-Paul Didierlaurent lives in the Vosges region of France. His short stories have twice won the International Hemingway Award. The Reader on the 6.27 is his first novel. A bestseller in France, it has been sold in over 25 territories.
Industry Reviews
I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down! It is one of those feel-good books that gets you really invested in the character's story, and then puts you in a good mood when you finish it. There is an underlying element of it being a love story, but the novel is so much more than that. * Literary Loveliness - Hello Magazine Online * The humanity of the characters . . . the re-enchantment of everyday life, the power of words and literature, tenderness and humor . . . The Reader on the 6.27 is a must. * L'Express * This contemporary fable was acquired by more than twenty countries. A beautiful testimony to the universality of the love of books * Livres Hebdo * Charming . . . It is a clever, funny, and humane work that champions the power of literature * Sunday Times * A delightful tale about the kinship of reading... Much of the charm resides in the simplicity of Didierlaurent's prose and his vivid characterisation. Ros Schwartz's translation perfectly conveys the warmth and eccentricities of his memorable cast. Already a bestseller in France, The Reader on the 6.27 looks set to woo British readers and become a book club favourite * Independent on Sunday *