THE BOOK FAIR

Awash in colors of celadon, dove gray and sparkling blues, and amid textures of rustling satin and soft, lacey silk, Richman’s novel reveals the tale of a young French woman, Solange, who first meets, then develops a relationship with her socialite/mistress grandmother, Marthe.  The novel moves back and forth in time from the year 1888, to the advent of WWII in 1939, in Paris, France, and is told from the voices of Solange and Marthe.

Richman draws interesting parallels and contrasts in the narratives of the two women.  Both accounts involve stories of love and strength of character.  In contrast, however, where Marthe used her beauty as a ladder to success, and found security in wealth and valuable items, Solange found security in family and knowledge.

The author cleverly draws the two philosophies together with the Barcelona Haggadah, a fourteenth century treasure.  The Haggadah, the book of the Passover Cedar, retells the story of the Israelites escape from Egypt.  Although WWII is not central to the novel, as impending doom lurks over Paris, and as the Germans conquer Europe and occupy France, the Haggadah becomes relevant to both Solange and Marthe.

The book is intelligent and colorful with endearing, sensitive descriptions of characters and events, in spite of at times, repetitive descriptions of Marthe’s gowns.  The closing chapters of the novel turn into a fast-paced thriller before its somewhat dispiriting conclusion.