Love Letters from Montmartre by Nicolas Barreau

Love Letters from Paris is a charming and quirky read and definitely a book to speak to the romantic inside you. I don’t want to give anything away but the way writing the letters made such a change in Julien’s life was rather lovely, with a hint of ‘You’ve Got Mail’ about it – appropriate given the title of this book. Some of the things he said made me laugh out loud while at the same time causing his father some embarrassment! The letters which Julien wrote were so heartfelt and full of love, they really expressed his sense of loss. I really loved Julien’s little son Arthur with his straightforward way of looking at the world. They made him see that life was going on, as it inevitably does, and that there were still possibilities for him to find happiness. However, as he did finally begin to write the promised letters, he began to see that his wife was right. I thought that some of his friends were being a bit insensitive in their rush for him to get on with his life. I really felt for Julien at the beginning when he was so lost without Helene who he obviously deeply loved. But once he does start to write the letters, he finds life beginning to change for the better, just as she said it would.

Julien, rather ironically, is a romantic novelist and not only does he feel unable to write about love any more, he is also struggling to fulfill his wife’s wish. Before she died, she made him promise to write her 33 letters (one for each year of her life) telling her what is his life is now like with their young son Arthur.

Julien’s story begin somewhat sadly with the death of his young wife Helene. On Valentine’s Day what could be more appropriate than a story about love letters set in the city of love itself – Paris?

Love Letters from Montmartre by Nicolas Barreau