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A French Pirouette
After an accident in rehearsals, Suzette, a famous French ballerina, disappears to an auberge in Brittany to recuperate. Libby, a young English widow, is starting a new life running the auberge, purchased from her old friend Odette. The summer is full of ups and downs for all three - Suzette meets Pascal, Libby turns the head of local vet Lucas, and Odette is thrilled when her pregnant daughter returns to Brittany - as they come to terms with the changes in their lives.
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2015
432 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Bohnet
25 books277 followersSixteen years ago Richard and I, with our then dog, 14 year old Holly in a trailer attached to Richard's bike, cycled down through western France via the canal paths, arriving in Antibes in July. With the exception of two fleeting visits back to the UK we have lived in France ever since.
For the past five years we have lived in a small cottage in central Brittany with one large collie dog called Viking, one fat cat known as Little’un and a young tortoiseshell cat called Missy. Oh, and there are various ducks and chickens in the garden, and a large pond with about a hundred fish in!
I have contributed short stories and serials to many of the UK women's magazines including, The People's Friend, Candis, My Weekly, Best, Yours and my stories have been published in Australia, Sweden, South Africa and Ireland.
I also write magazine features and my work has been published in national magazines and newspapers like, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Home and Country, Devon Life. For over three years I had my own newspaper column in the South Hams Group of Newspapers, that took a wry look at family life.
I am a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors.
For the past five years we have lived in a small cottage in central Brittany with one large collie dog called Viking, one fat cat known as Little’un and a young tortoiseshell cat called Missy. Oh, and there are various ducks and chickens in the garden, and a large pond with about a hundred fish in!
I have contributed short stories and serials to many of the UK women's magazines including, The People's Friend, Candis, My Weekly, Best, Yours and my stories have been published in Australia, Sweden, South Africa and Ireland.
I also write magazine features and my work has been published in national magazines and newspapers like, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Home and Country, Devon Life. For over three years I had my own newspaper column in the South Hams Group of Newspapers, that took a wry look at family life.
I am a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
February 20, 2015
****Copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***********
This is a charming and readable book - with several different character's stories criss-crossing and interacting. Libby reminded me of a Trisha Ashley heroine in many ways (that's a good thing!) and I really liked Suzette the ballerina. I thought the balance in the book between the stories was great - and if the dialogue's Frenchisms sometimes annoyed me, the didn't take me out of the narrative flow too much.
It's not a long book - and I was sorry it ended so soon. I'll keep an eye out for more from Jennifer Bohnet.
This is a charming and readable book - with several different character's stories criss-crossing and interacting. Libby reminded me of a Trisha Ashley heroine in many ways (that's a good thing!) and I really liked Suzette the ballerina. I thought the balance in the book between the stories was great - and if the dialogue's Frenchisms sometimes annoyed me, the didn't take me out of the narrative flow too much.
It's not a long book - and I was sorry it ended so soon. I'll keep an eye out for more from Jennifer Bohnet.
July 15, 2016
Last year I had the great pleasure of discovering the lovely writing of Jennifer Bohnet. I thought The Little Kiosk By The Sea was really something rather special. At the back of Kiosk were a few chapters of A French Pirouette, and I did mention at the time that I wanted to read on and find out what happened to Libby as she took on the auberge...and now I have. And do you know, this book was every bit as lovely.
As a child, I had a dream of being a ballerina. I had the poise and build of a small elephant, but I still think I could have made the grade if I'd had the right encouragement (instead of the stifled laughter that greeted my efforts). As Suzette bathes her calloused feet, wondering what will become of her when she retires from the ballet, it put a smile on my face and took me right back... and I was hooked from the opening pages, transported into a different little world.
The characters in this book are wonderful. Suzette herself tugs at your heartstrings as she struggles to recover from a bruising fall that might end her dancing career sooner than she planned - she needs a refuge where she can hide out for a while, decide what she plans to do. Libby has her scars too - the sudden death of her husband, a daughter moving on with a new life of her own, fears about her future, but taking on the auberge in Brittany as her fortieth birthday approaches offers her a fresh start along with a whole new set of challenges. And then there's Brigitte and Bruno, handing over the reins of the auberge to Libby, wondering exactly what the future might hold for them. Throw into the mix two gorgeous and available men - one who runs a garden centre but has a rather unfortunate controlling mother, the other the handsome and rather smooth local vet - and you have the makings of a perfect story just waiting to be told.
And the author tells it so well. Her characters are totally real, people you might just know - I particularly loved Libby and Suzette, and really wanted them both to have the happy endings they deserved. And she is so very good at creating a sense of place. The auberge and its grounds become totally real with her vivid and detailed descriptions - I'd really like to move into the gite alongside the auberge, especially after the little extra touches added by its new resident. She has a gentle flowing style that's so easy to read, and a natural storyteller's skill in weaving together the different threads of her story. There's romance here, but there are also lies and a bit of deception, family issues, problems to be overcome - but it's all wonderfully gently done, nothing that's going to really upset your escape into the Brittany countryside, sheer enjoyment from beginning to end.
OK, so I read it on a grey and wet day in Yorkshire - but this really would be a perfect book for an afternoon in the sun, maybe with a glass of wine to hand (would an accordion player in the background be too much, do you think?). It's a teeny bit lighter than The Little Kiosk I thought - maybe slightly fewer threads to the story - but it's a simply gorgeous read all about healing, starting over, putting away the past and moving forward. And I loved every single moment.
As a child, I had a dream of being a ballerina. I had the poise and build of a small elephant, but I still think I could have made the grade if I'd had the right encouragement (instead of the stifled laughter that greeted my efforts). As Suzette bathes her calloused feet, wondering what will become of her when she retires from the ballet, it put a smile on my face and took me right back... and I was hooked from the opening pages, transported into a different little world.
The characters in this book are wonderful. Suzette herself tugs at your heartstrings as she struggles to recover from a bruising fall that might end her dancing career sooner than she planned - she needs a refuge where she can hide out for a while, decide what she plans to do. Libby has her scars too - the sudden death of her husband, a daughter moving on with a new life of her own, fears about her future, but taking on the auberge in Brittany as her fortieth birthday approaches offers her a fresh start along with a whole new set of challenges. And then there's Brigitte and Bruno, handing over the reins of the auberge to Libby, wondering exactly what the future might hold for them. Throw into the mix two gorgeous and available men - one who runs a garden centre but has a rather unfortunate controlling mother, the other the handsome and rather smooth local vet - and you have the makings of a perfect story just waiting to be told.
And the author tells it so well. Her characters are totally real, people you might just know - I particularly loved Libby and Suzette, and really wanted them both to have the happy endings they deserved. And she is so very good at creating a sense of place. The auberge and its grounds become totally real with her vivid and detailed descriptions - I'd really like to move into the gite alongside the auberge, especially after the little extra touches added by its new resident. She has a gentle flowing style that's so easy to read, and a natural storyteller's skill in weaving together the different threads of her story. There's romance here, but there are also lies and a bit of deception, family issues, problems to be overcome - but it's all wonderfully gently done, nothing that's going to really upset your escape into the Brittany countryside, sheer enjoyment from beginning to end.
OK, so I read it on a grey and wet day in Yorkshire - but this really would be a perfect book for an afternoon in the sun, maybe with a glass of wine to hand (would an accordion player in the background be too much, do you think?). It's a teeny bit lighter than The Little Kiosk I thought - maybe slightly fewer threads to the story - but it's a simply gorgeous read all about healing, starting over, putting away the past and moving forward. And I loved every single moment.
January 14, 2015
What an amazing read from beginning to end. It's such an amazing story of turning your life around after tragedy and learning to start over and create a new life for yourself.
Suzette a prima ballerina has had an amazing career but it know seems as if her career is slowly coming to an end. Injuries are becoming more frequent and are taking longer to come back from. But where does she go from here? Is there life after dance?
Libby on the other hand has lost her husband and is trying to find the will to go on and be happy again and give her daughter Chloe the best life possible. She then has a crazy idea, should she pack and bags and realize the dream that her late husband once had to open a B&B? Can she really do it on her own?
Lastly there is Brigitte, she has been running the B&B in France for so long, her husband would like her to sell and retire and have the life they have always dreamed of, relaxation and vacations.
These three ladies take an amazing journey to find themselves and each other along the way.
This truly is an amazing story that everyone will cherish.
Suzette a prima ballerina has had an amazing career but it know seems as if her career is slowly coming to an end. Injuries are becoming more frequent and are taking longer to come back from. But where does she go from here? Is there life after dance?
Libby on the other hand has lost her husband and is trying to find the will to go on and be happy again and give her daughter Chloe the best life possible. She then has a crazy idea, should she pack and bags and realize the dream that her late husband once had to open a B&B? Can she really do it on her own?
Lastly there is Brigitte, she has been running the B&B in France for so long, her husband would like her to sell and retire and have the life they have always dreamed of, relaxation and vacations.
These three ladies take an amazing journey to find themselves and each other along the way.
This truly is an amazing story that everyone will cherish.
January 4, 2020
I absolutely loved this book!! It was my ideal story, set in my ideal place. Its my dream to do what Libby did 🙏 Thank you Jennifer, and to all authors, who have such talent to take us on such incredible journeys. I will get round to start writing my first book and hope I can make people feel the same, although mine will be for little people to begin with 😊
January 23, 2024
Quick read but great characters. Sweet romantic.
April 10, 2020
Easy read which envelopes you into a rural French illdyl
Three different women reach a crossroad in their lives.
In Britain Libby's daughter is about to start university and Libby realises that she'll now be on her own. Since the sudden death of her husband two years ago she hasn't thought about the future but with her fortieth birthday approaching, she wants to realise their dream of moving to France.
In Brittany Isabella's husband wants them to sell their auberge, move to his family home and enjoy their retirement.
In Nice, Suzette was rehearsing for her performance when a bad landing results in a sprained ankle. Unable to dance she returns to Paris, aware that her career as a prima ballerina is coming to an end. Although she left Brittany as a child at thirty-eight she feels a need to return there to contemplate the next stage.
The storylines are gentle with no great surprises but it's a relaxing journey in the country. And, due to current lockdown, it's a chance just to experience ordinary life again.
I'm looking forward to trying the recipes given at the end of the book.
Three different women reach a crossroad in their lives.
In Britain Libby's daughter is about to start university and Libby realises that she'll now be on her own. Since the sudden death of her husband two years ago she hasn't thought about the future but with her fortieth birthday approaching, she wants to realise their dream of moving to France.
In Brittany Isabella's husband wants them to sell their auberge, move to his family home and enjoy their retirement.
In Nice, Suzette was rehearsing for her performance when a bad landing results in a sprained ankle. Unable to dance she returns to Paris, aware that her career as a prima ballerina is coming to an end. Although she left Brittany as a child at thirty-eight she feels a need to return there to contemplate the next stage.
The storylines are gentle with no great surprises but it's a relaxing journey in the country. And, due to current lockdown, it's a chance just to experience ordinary life again.
I'm looking forward to trying the recipes given at the end of the book.
September 1, 2019
Great weekend read!
This is the second book I’ve read from this author—love her writing style and especially her descriptions of places and foods. Nice touch that at the end of the book she shares a few recipes that the main character made in the book (main character was an owner of a guest house/ B&B. Her books really take you away—this one to the beautiful countryside of Brittany France.
This is the second book I’ve read from this author—love her writing style and especially her descriptions of places and foods. Nice touch that at the end of the book she shares a few recipes that the main character made in the book (main character was an owner of a guest house/ B&B. Her books really take you away—this one to the beautiful countryside of Brittany France.
February 20, 2021
This book was pleasant and easy. Not interesting, intriguing, or particularly anything. Just an inoffensive, nice story. The relationships that start during the story mostly just happen. They developed because we're told so. There's not enough described to allow the reader to get invested in much. The narration is third-person and maybe a little detached. The writing isn't bad, but it didn't draw me in.
May 30, 2024
a ballerina needing time out due to injury and a longing to escape her identity so a wig and a new name with an escape to the idyllic countryside of Brittany. Evie is a name not associated with ballet but at the guesthouse she quickly befriends the people there and falls for Pascal who gives her guided tours. Malik her friend and old dancing partner catches up with her and begs her to do Swan Lake
May 16, 2020
An Absolutely Lovely Book
I needed some mental time away from a very busy work week coupled with a move to a new home. This book provided the calmness and cheering up my mind needed. I loved the story line, characters, descriptions of the country and of course the great recipes, which I absolutely plan to make. Thanks Jennifer Bohet. I look forward to reading more of your books
I needed some mental time away from a very busy work week coupled with a move to a new home. This book provided the calmness and cheering up my mind needed. I loved the story line, characters, descriptions of the country and of course the great recipes, which I absolutely plan to make. Thanks Jennifer Bohet. I look forward to reading more of your books
April 17, 2020
Interesting Stories In This Book
The three women in this book have challenges in their lives to face. They have to make tough decisions about their futures, although they have support from old and new friends.
The three women in this book have challenges in their lives to face. They have to make tough decisions about their futures, although they have support from old and new friends.
April 20, 2020
This book
I did not quite enjoythis book as much as the other 2 i have read but still liked it very much.what I love about this author is the fact I feel I am in that part of France with the characters being people I know.
I did not quite enjoythis book as much as the other 2 i have read but still liked it very much.what I love about this author is the fact I feel I am in that part of France with the characters being people I know.
April 29, 2020
A light and heart- warming read
Having thoroughly enjoyed A Riviera Retreat, I was really looking forward to another of Jennifer Bohnet's books. A French Pirouette didn't quite live up to my expectations but was an easy and pleasant read nevertheless.
Having thoroughly enjoyed A Riviera Retreat, I was really looking forward to another of Jennifer Bohnet's books. A French Pirouette didn't quite live up to my expectations but was an easy and pleasant read nevertheless.
February 1, 2021
Ms. Bohnet's books are for me, the French/Breton equivalent of Maeve Binchy's books mostly set in Ireland. They are warm, endearing stories about people, families, life situations and love. They simply make me feel good when I read them. Not weighty literature but a delightful escape.
May 16, 2022
couldn’t read fast enough!
Wonderful light-hearted romantic comedy stories! I so appreciate a fun story with a few twists and then finding myself laughing out loud followed by a tear as it warmed my heart!
Wonderful light-hearted romantic comedy stories! I so appreciate a fun story with a few twists and then finding myself laughing out loud followed by a tear as it warmed my heart!
August 11, 2022
This was predictable but the setting made up for it. It makes you want to sell up & try running a gite in Brittany. Found it hard to believe that the Suzette character could bounce back so easily to give her finest performance.
October 2, 2023
Uplifting story of change and love
Jennifer has done it again. This is a story of two lives that are changed by accepting a new direction can lead them to happiness. The characters definitely come to life and seem so real as you turn the pages of this book.
Jennifer has done it again. This is a story of two lives that are changed by accepting a new direction can lead them to happiness. The characters definitely come to life and seem so real as you turn the pages of this book.
December 26, 2024
3.5 stars
A sweet easy read. A little off on the age of the characters but if you love France even just a little take a day or three to read this book. No stress - just enjoy as you fall asleep each night.
A sweet easy read. A little off on the age of the characters but if you love France even just a little take a day or three to read this book. No stress - just enjoy as you fall asleep each night.
April 23, 2020
Light, entertaining, enjoyable, well written. I only missed better locations' descriptions. It helps to get
to get the reader "into the story".
to get the reader "into the story".
May 27, 2020
Simple sweet story. Basic, clean nice read. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt.
June 3, 2020
Feel real good!
In this troubled time I need stories that are well and happily resolved. Three cheers for Jennifer Bohnet ! ! !
In this troubled time I need stories that are well and happily resolved. Three cheers for Jennifer Bohnet ! ! !
November 5, 2020
a light-hearted book; no worries; no mystery; just a lovely little story.
March 20, 2021
A lovely, light and enjoyable read. Perfect for this rainy day.
May 10, 2021
Charming
I have now read two books by Jennifer Bonnet, and find her gentle style of story telling irresistible. Thoroughly recommend
I have now read two books by Jennifer Bonnet, and find her gentle style of story telling irresistible. Thoroughly recommend
May 15, 2021
It was a nice novel but without any real cause to want to read more quickly to see the development of the story. It was nice and easy but no suspense.
July 14, 2021
An extremely pleasant read. I’ve just discovered the books of Jennifer Bohnet and I have to say I love them.
May 8, 2023
good story
Nicely written, would be five stars were it not for every French word written in italics which became annoying very fast.
Nicely written, would be five stars were it not for every French word written in italics which became annoying very fast.
June 18, 2023
Beautifully written and an enjoyable read. Loved the story and enjoyed the ending.
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June 24, 2023French culture, set in Bretagne with 3 women facing life changes. Solid beach/summer read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews