The book
In this autobiographical story, Wiazemsky’s writes about her mother Claire as a young woman. At twenty-seven, Claire is still under the sway of a domineering father, the acclaimed author François Mauriac. With the Second World War raging, her desire for freedom prompts her to join the Red Cross in southern France, where she faces the horrors of war with a youthful naïveté and audacity. When, having survived the months of bombing and bloodied patients, Claire realizes that rather than quelling her spirit her experiences have left her thirsting for more, she sets out for the heart of the fallen enemy: war-torn Berlin.
Claire pities the German citizens in their desperation and is moved by the desolation of the once thriving metropolis. Yet, despite the devastation of war, there is life and love to be found there, as the ruined city becomes a magical and emotionally charged backdrop for a passionate romance.
The author
Anne Wiazemsky
Anne Wiazemsky is an acclaimed French actress, author and filmmaker born in West Berlin . She has written several award winning novels: Filles bien élevées (La Société des Gens de Lettres Grand Prix for the Novel, 1988), Canines (Goncourt Prize, 1993), Hymnes à l’amour (1996, prix RTL-Lire), and Une poignée de gens (The French Academy’s Grand Prix, 1998). Wiazemsky was married to the director Jean-Luc Godard and appeared in his films La Chinoise and Weekend. She lives in France.