Free Downloads The President's Hat
This prize-winning French bestseller is a charming fable about the power of a hat that takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride through French life during the Mitterrand years.Dining alone in an elegant Parisian brasserie, accountant Daniel Mercier can hardly believe his eyes when President François Mitterrand sits down to eat at the table next to him.After the presidential party has gone, Daniel discovers that Mitterrand's black felt hat has been left behind. After a few moments' soul-searching, Daniel decides to keep the hat as a souvenir of an extraordinary evening. It's a perfect fit, and as he leaves the restaurant Daniel begins to feel somehow . . . different.Has Daniel unwittingly discovered the secret of supreme power?For two years the iconic item of headgear plays with the lives of the men and women who wear it, bringing them success that had previously eluded them. Antoine Laurain's brilliantly orchestrated tour captures entertaining portraits of a rich gallery of characters.Shot through with a delicious, wicked sense of humor, The President's Hat is a vivid re-creation of the everyday life of an era."As entertaining as it is original, this is a story to enjoy like a chocolate with a surprise centre."—Marie France"An enjoyable trip into the heart of the 1980s."—Le Figaro"Impossible to resist"—L'ExpressAntoine Laurain was born in Paris. He is a writer, collector, and director of several short films.
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Gallic Books (September 3, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1908313471
ISBN-13: 978-1908313478
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #41,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #60 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Self-Help & Psychology #115 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Satire #137 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical > Cultural Heritage
The milliners advertising used to say "to get ahead, get a hat". They would very much approve of this book. Daniel Mercier is a Mr Average - or perhaps a Monsieur Mediocre. He's a lowly accountant until one evening he finds himself dining next to French President, François Mitterrand, who leaves the restaurant without his hat. When Daniel decides to keep it, his life starts to change and he feels somehow more confident. In other strands of the story, Fanny Marquant is having an affair with an older man who clearly has no intention of leaving his wife while celebrated perfumer Pierre Aslan has lost his ability to detect smells and to create perfumes. Bernard Lavallière, meanwhile is struggling to live up to the right wing standards of his wife's friends and starts to read the more left wing papers. At some point, all will come into contact with the President's hat and it will have an impact on all of them.Antioine Laurain's short novel, is a delight. It's as light and subtle as a soufflé and is both wryly amusing and entertaining. The first three of the story's threads in particular are excellently worked and when they come together they are both funny and thoughtful. The Lavallièrre thread worked less successfully for me but then that is perhaps because it rather stands alone from the other three.Behind Laurain's humour though is a subtle look at what Mitterrand brought to France and the reaction of the wealthy to his socialist values. The hat stands for the good intentions that he brought and suggests that as much as anything what he sought was a change in attitudes. But while there is depth to the narrative, first and foremost it is superbly entertaining.
Celebrating President's Day: What Is a President? (Learn to Read Read to Learn Holiday Series) He Has Shot the President!: April 14, 1865: The Day John Wilkes Booth Killed President Lincoln (Actual Times) Caesar's Wife: The College President's Spouse: Minister Without Portfolio Or The President's Conscience? The President's Hat Boynton's Greatest Hits: Volume 1/Blue Hat, Green Hat; A to Z; Moo, Baa, La La La!; Doggies (Boynton Board Books) Old Hat New Hat Old Hat New Hat (Bright & Early Board Books(TM)) Red Hat RHCSA/RHCE 7 Cert Guide: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (EX200 and EX300) (Certification Guide) The President Is Dead!: The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond The Hillary Clinton Coloring Book: The Ultimate Tribute to the Next President of the United States Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War Bad Kitty for President Duck for President (New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books (Awards)) Mad Libs for President (Mad Libs) Splat the Cat for President This Little President: A Presidential Primer TIME For Kids President Obama: A Day in the Life of America's Leader Time For Kids: Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President (Time for Kids Biographies)
