The French Letter
Viewing comments for Chapter 6 "Rue Poncelet Market"A Novel
32 total reviews
Comment from Mastery
Hi, Tony. A farly educational chaptr here, but not really much else is there? Or did I miss something? There are definitely things to see for the first time visitor to the marketplace. Lots of imagery in here. Blessings, Bob
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Hi, Tony. A farly educational chaptr here, but not really much else is there? Or did I miss something? There are definitely things to see for the first time visitor to the marketplace. Lots of imagery in here. Blessings, Bob
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Thanks for your comments, Bob. This short chapter is perhaps not much more than a detour in the developing action.
Comment from LaFrance
Your story is a nice fun speedy adventure around Paris and your dialogue is fun spirited. And you put a little mystery that is not worth sharing yet. Great fun read.
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Your story is a nice fun speedy adventure around Paris and your dialogue is fun spirited. And you put a little mystery that is not worth sharing yet. Great fun read.
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Very many thanks for the accolade of six stars and your kind comments. Much appreciated. I'm delighted that you enjoyed the pace of this chapter and the hint of mystery yet to be revealed.
Comment from krys123
Cheers, Tony;
> I must be going mad halfway through reading this story I started even speaking out loud in French and with a French accent, Chuckle!
> I'm really getting into this one is Charles is one funny character when it comes to being frightened about Helen's driving. In that passage where you write about Helen's driving skills I really like, when you said, that the wheels were tortured from the squealing that Helen did while she was driving away. These little indicative pieces of imagery are subtle but very elegantly embellishing.
> I really enjoyed reading this chapter with her going to a picnic and I learned a lot about choosing the right items for picnic. It was how they did it that really inspired me and how you wrote it made it come alive.
> Thanks so much, Tony, for sharing and posting this and take care and have a good one my friend and I'll be waiting for you next post.
Alx
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Cheers, Tony;
> I must be going mad halfway through reading this story I started even speaking out loud in French and with a French accent, Chuckle!
> I'm really getting into this one is Charles is one funny character when it comes to being frightened about Helen's driving. In that passage where you write about Helen's driving skills I really like, when you said, that the wheels were tortured from the squealing that Helen did while she was driving away. These little indicative pieces of imagery are subtle but very elegantly embellishing.
> I really enjoyed reading this chapter with her going to a picnic and I learned a lot about choosing the right items for picnic. It was how they did it that really inspired me and how you wrote it made it come alive.
> Thanks so much, Tony, for sharing and posting this and take care and have a good one my friend and I'll be waiting for you next post.
Alx
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Thanks, Alex. My French is very limited but I love the sound of the language. There is a romantic feel to the names of the various shops, whether they are selling cheese - in a fromagerie - or something more exotic, as might be found in a shop selling lingerie!
Thank you for your comments about the way the characters of Helen and Charles are emerging through both the dialogue and the imagery.
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You doing a good job in having them emerge the way you they are. Continue, continue...
Alx
Comment from Jannypan (Jan)
This is a great light-hearted chapter in your book, Tony. I enjoyed reading it. I like the detailed descriptions of the foods even though the names are in French. I recognized maybe one. But I got the idea of the specialized bakery products that are decadent. Your lines flow smoothly. I like the part about the car & the way they spoke about her driving & having lived in Thailand. Thanks for sharing. Jan
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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This is a great light-hearted chapter in your book, Tony. I enjoyed reading it. I like the detailed descriptions of the foods even though the names are in French. I recognized maybe one. But I got the idea of the specialized bakery products that are decadent. Your lines flow smoothly. I like the part about the car & the way they spoke about her driving & having lived in Thailand. Thanks for sharing. Jan
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Thanks, Jan. I find Paris markets fascinating, and Paris taxi drivers heart-stopping! LOL
Comment from Adri7enne
Lovely! You seem to know Paris. I visited once only, for about a week. It was wonderfully romantic. Sigh! You brought back so many memories. I like the relationship I see developing between Helen and Charles. You handle the dialogue well. It flows so well I forget I'm supposed to be reviewing. Nothing impeded the flow, no spags, no typos, no errors. A fun read. Waiting for the next chapter.
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Lovely! You seem to know Paris. I visited once only, for about a week. It was wonderfully romantic. Sigh! You brought back so many memories. I like the relationship I see developing between Helen and Charles. You handle the dialogue well. It flows so well I forget I'm supposed to be reviewing. Nothing impeded the flow, no spags, no typos, no errors. A fun read. Waiting for the next chapter.
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Glad you are enjoying this, Adrienne and that it brings back good memories. I was in Paris a month ago, so my own memory of it has been refreshed after a gap of too many years.
Comment from nancy_e_davis
All those French words are too new for me to comprehend; let alone pronounce, but I could tag along with an idea of what they were doing. It is a foreign vacation for me that's for sure. Seemed to me like they bought a great deal of food for two people. Did they forget the wine? Well done Tony. Nancy
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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All those French words are too new for me to comprehend; let alone pronounce, but I could tag along with an idea of what they were doing. It is a foreign vacation for me that's for sure. Seemed to me like they bought a great deal of food for two people. Did they forget the wine? Well done Tony. Nancy
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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They do seem to have bough rather more than they will need. Although I didn't see them buying it, I suspect that they have a bottle of Anjou Rose tucked away somewhere in the hamper!
Comment from heart of Lou
You have written a fun continuation of your story. I love your description, especially the phrase 'with all the dexterity of a sweatshop seamstress'. I can so imagine her weaving in and out of traffic with a grin on her face.
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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You have written a fun continuation of your story. I love your description, especially the phrase 'with all the dexterity of a sweatshop seamstress'. I can so imagine her weaving in and out of traffic with a grin on her face.
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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I have travelled often enough in French taxis to understand the challenge of driving in Paris - only slightly less hair-raising than Bangkok! Youth and humour are great assets under such circumstances!
Comment from Pantygynt
This took me back to a few days holiday I spent in Paris in my twenties. It was just after the Wilson 14% devaluation and the effect on the exchange rate witrh the French Franc (this was before the Euro era) was horrific. Although only April the weather was kind. We bought a yard of bread and some soft goat's cheese (we couldn't afford butter) together with a cheap bottle of vin rouge for lunch each day. This was consumed under a tree in the Champs Elysee.
This part of your story brought all that back to me. Thank you.
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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This took me back to a few days holiday I spent in Paris in my twenties. It was just after the Wilson 14% devaluation and the effect on the exchange rate witrh the French Franc (this was before the Euro era) was horrific. Although only April the weather was kind. We bought a yard of bread and some soft goat's cheese (we couldn't afford butter) together with a cheap bottle of vin rouge for lunch each day. This was consumed under a tree in the Champs Elysee.
This part of your story brought all that back to me. Thank you.
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Happy memories. I once travelled down through France with a friend on an ancient Lambretta scooter, of an apoplectic maroon colour, when I was young and innocent. Now it is me that is becoming ancient, and occasionally apoplectic. Our staple diet from one place to the next was 'pain, vin, and camembert', usually consumed on the roadside or in a sunny village square.
Comment from Spitfire
This reminded me of my trips to Paris and visiting the outdoor markets. I'm glad you changed the pastry from eclairs to Financiers which adds to the foreign flavor of the description. (pun intended.)
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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This reminded me of my trips to Paris and visiting the outdoor markets. I'm glad you changed the pastry from eclairs to Financiers which adds to the foreign flavor of the description. (pun intended.)
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Gad to read that this brought back memories for you. Paris has a unique flavour, which I found relatively unchanged on my most recent visit, after a forty year gap.
Comment from Debbie Pope
I have no six-stars to award, but this was truly excellent. I started not to read it because I seldom pick up in the middle of books. This chapter is totally freestanding though. Are all of your chapters like this? I would like to read others if so.
You write with intelligence and humor. In a narrative format like this, the humor is essential, and yours is good. For instance, "Paradoxically, the next words he uttered were, "We'll have to hurry." Since you are talking about admiring the French for their laid back ways, that's funny. . .to me, at least.
Your style is sophisticated. For instance: " Weaving in and out of the traffic with all the dexterity of a sweatshop seamstress." That is both well written and humorous. Your metaphor, if that's what it is, is clever. It's an enjoyable sentence.
You are a good writer. Good luck with your book. I intend to become a Fan so that I can check out the other chapters.
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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I have no six-stars to award, but this was truly excellent. I started not to read it because I seldom pick up in the middle of books. This chapter is totally freestanding though. Are all of your chapters like this? I would like to read others if so.
You write with intelligence and humor. In a narrative format like this, the humor is essential, and yours is good. For instance, "Paradoxically, the next words he uttered were, "We'll have to hurry." Since you are talking about admiring the French for their laid back ways, that's funny. . .to me, at least.
Your style is sophisticated. For instance: " Weaving in and out of the traffic with all the dexterity of a sweatshop seamstress." That is both well written and humorous. Your metaphor, if that's what it is, is clever. It's an enjoyable sentence.
You are a good writer. Good luck with your book. I intend to become a Fan so that I can check out the other chapters.
Comment Written 17-Aug-2018
reply by the author on 18-Aug-2018
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Delighted that you chose to read this chapter and that you enjoyed it. I agree with you, that the judicious use of humour adds spice to a tale!