The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes

by Tess Uriza Holthe

The 5:45 to Cannes. It links northern Italy with the French Riviera while running like a thread through lives that touch one another in unexpected and often secret Chazz, the heir to a great fortune, suffers debilitating mood swings that threaten his once-perfect marriage. GianCarlo, a kindhearted young Italian, looks for a way out of the life of thievery he leads with his impoverished and orphaned brothers. Anais feels the insults of old age too acutely when her beloved son marries a woman who seems to despise her. Sophie, a talented young photographer reeling from the sudden death of her family, finds herself vulnerable to the pangs of a lovesick heart. And then there is the accident—if in truth it is an accident—that joins each of these lives to the others in ways both profound and mundane. At the center we find beautiful, bereaved Claudette, wife of the doomed Chazz, taking the eponymous train to Cannes where she, like all the others, remembers her past and draws from it irresolvable feelings of strength and fragility, meaning and emptiness, permanence and loss.

In these stories, Tess Uriza Holthe peers deeply into the inner lives of these women and men, while evoking with sensual grace the richness of the land and culture they the time-stopping quality of an exquisite and leisurely meal taken at a tiny ristorante in an unmapped village; the salty breeze that wafts through the open bedroom window of an elegant chateau by the sea; the pulse of life at the festival in Rapallo, in the bullrings of Pamplona, and on the streets of Cannes when the movie people have gone. Sad and lovely, often at the same time, The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes takes us to places where we are happy to linger, in the world and in the human heart.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, France, Italy, Travel

274 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

TESS URIZA HOLTHE is the author of the critically acclaimed and nationally bestselling When the Elephants Dance. She grew up on a Filipino-American family in San Francisco. When the Elephants Dance is inspired, in part, by the experiences of her father, who was a young boy in the Philippines during World War II.

Tess Uriza's second book, The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes, was a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2007 and an ALA Notable Book of 2007.

In a series of linked stories, The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes takes readers onto the 5:45 train to Cannes, linking northern Italy with the French Riviera while running like a thread through lives that touch one another in unexpected and often secret ways: Chazz, the heir to a great fortune; GianCarlo, a kindhearted young Italian thief; Anais, who feels the insults of age; and Sophie, a talented young photographer. At the center we find beautiful, bereaved Claudette, wife of the doomed Chazz, making the journey to Cannes, where she, like all the others, remembers her past and draws from it irresolvable feelings of strength and fragility, meaning and emptiness, permanence and loss.

In these stories, Tess Uriza Holthe peers deeply into the inner lives of these women and men. Sad and lovely, often at the same time, The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes takes us to places where we are happy to linger, in the world and in the human heart.

Author photo copyright: Ross Pelton

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A disappointing read, for me. It started off well enough, I suppose. The author definitely has a talent for getting the essence of each character across to the reader with a minimum of words. This, unfortunately, was pretty much the book's only redeeming factor, in my opinion.

Each chapter focuses on a different character, with these stories initially seeming unrelated. Eventually, the stories converge later in the book, but honestly, by this point, my patience with the plot and storyline were wearing thin and I wasn't paying the closest of attention. I found this meandering style a little annoying because it took the author so long to bring them all together. And when she did finally start tie them together, there was so much uncertainty still remaining.

[Readgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Random book I picked up at the library. I liked the title. And it's a good thing that I didn't read it before my trip to the south of France, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten on a train there.
I liked the concept more than the stories themselves. Like how they all tue in together but too many things left unresolved.

[Kathleen Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I got totally sucked in by it.

[Kat]

DNF

[Becka · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took reading about a quarter of the book to become absorbed in this collection of disparate yet intertwined tales set in the Mediterranean Riviera. Starting off with a story about the accidental death of a mentally ill American millionnaire with a beautiful French wife did not pique my interest. Rather, it was Holthe's sensitive glimpse into the seamy underworld of the Cote d'Azur and the Ligurian coast, and the oftentimes sad circumstances of the more destitute characters that I sought to understand and empathize with, along with their oft misunderstood deeds. After reading about the intensely negative and stubbornly steadfast stereotypes of the Roma, and their subsequent difficulty in finding gainful employment, I could understand why the three Gypsy brothers made careers out of pickpocketing. The other characters, a 20-something American orphan, three un-merry widows, and an old lonely woman estranged from her son, also had multi-layered personalities, which were interesting to watch unravel. Lastly, of course, the balmy, sun-kissed backdrop was enough to keep me occupied, save for a few distracting daydreams of returning to Nice one day.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful book with interesting and well thought out characters set in lovely and not so lovely settings in Italy and France. I will think of these characters from these ten stories from time to time and wonder where they are now. I loved how one story ended and the next was woven together in unlikely threads like a beautiful and unique tapestry.

I so loved these simple, yet beautiful few sentences in one of my favorite stories in the book: "The talk and laughter that ensue under the stars is startling to Sophie after two years of hibernating. Has it really been years? She hadn't known her eyes were starved for the sight of a family laughing together. She watches them greedily between gulps of wine." (p.108)

The subject of Bipolar disorder makes a visit delicately and honestly in the last story, "Homecoming".

Can't wait for Tess' next book to arrive in stores.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holthe goes one step in this short story collection by trying to link at least one character in each story to a character in another, somewhat link an early Tom Stoppard play, where characters who have never met are brought together. The device works....sort of. In some of the stories you get too much linkage, and in others, not enough. The reader has to jump over a substantial hurdle to begin enjoying the stories. The first story, a sad tale of a mentally ill young American with more money than health, goes on far too long. I lost sympathy with Chazz pretty quickly and slogged through his story to reach some of the better ones. Holthe has a fine way of establishing the lives and struggles of her characters and their settings. She captures the south of France with its contrasting land of wealth, lavender and mansions and its underbelly. Some disciplined editing would have helped.

[Sally]

I'm reading this book of connected short stories in anticipation of our online chat with Tess Uriza Holthe (the Q&A is over, but you can follow the discussion at:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

Enjoying the book so far. What a contrast to When the Elephants Dance! Chazz, the affluent and troubled character who opens the book, is portrayed in fine detail. The author isn't afraid to give us the harsh realities of drugs and mania. You know Chazz loves his wife, but mental illness, and the long-term impact of parents who have emotionally abandoned him, have their grip on him.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories that share characters -- frequently, you will have met a peripheral character in one story, who shows up as the protagonist in another. I thought that Holthe pulled this off quite well. The collection isn't trite or over thought, and I felt that the stories could stand on their own (though they are certainly enhanced by being written in the way that they are). The tone and the mood stayed the same, which helped as well. Even if you don't normally like short stories, you may enjoy this for the continuity.

[Pbwritr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved it immediately just because of the title! I was disappointed at first to find out it was a collection of short stories. However, all of the short stories are connected in some way, so that turned out to be quite interesting. In some cases, the connections were more nebulous than others, or I couldn't even figure out the connection. Not comedy, not frilly. More a kind of sad set of stories of people trying to find their way, misunderstood or misunderstanding, the obstacles in their way of their own or someone else's making. Very much human interest stories about rich and poor.

[Margie Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was very engaging, fast-paced like a train ride, taking the reader to different places, seeing different nationalities and hearing different languages. Tess Uriza Holthe is brilliant. I love how she uses poetic language as if it were ordinary language; how she describes something poetically but without trying to emphasize it too much so that you read it ordinarily but the meaning is deep and the impact, lasting.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book enough to consider skipping class to finish it.

However, the idea wasn't that original: A series of narrations spiral out of a single, tragic incident. But Holthe overcomes banal by crafting amazing characters and letting us in on their insecurities and indecision.

Overall, a good read, but it lacks the magic that was in her other book, When the Elephants Dance.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very descrpitive and seting in a beautiful place. If you have visted this area, it takes you back to all your favorite memories of the food and landscape. However, overall, I was disapponted with the character resolution in this book and don't think I would recommend it. Your time would be better spent reading another .French Riveria/Ligurian-set novel.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the way to Paris/Aix en Provences. I finished after returning home.
It was an interesting story that links characters in way that causes you to jump around a bit, but ultimately it was suspenseful. I loved the descriptions of the places that characters find themselves in. I recommend this book!

[korey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well crafted book of short stories where the characters are intertwined. Much like Six Degees of Separation. Loved the three widows of Moretti. And I loved that the settings were in France, Italy and SF. The author grew up and lives in Bernal Heights. I could have been her neighbor. I think I'm going to buy this one because I will definitely want to read it again.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection of short stories, which are cleverly intertwined. You learn more about the characters as other people's stories are revealed. Well written with some very likable characters (and some not so likable). A good book club book as there is more here than meets the eye and a lot of different points of view, story lines, and perspectives for discussion.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the method the author used to intertwine these individual short stories. Some proved better than others, but they flowed together evenly without disjointedness. The written dialects were often difficult to read, but overall a sweet, relaxing book.

[Crysta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was well crafted, with several intertwined stories in which the characters' lives intersect, quite unbeknownst to them. The setting is beautiful (and warm) and Holthe's great with description. I will definitely pick up her other, more famous book, "When the Elephants Dance."

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way this book was written was intriquing. Each chapeter was about another individual somehow involved in the story-but seeimingly unrealated at first. I enjoyed this book a lot as well as the intertwining characters.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book by Holthe --- I wouldn't say as good as When the Elephants Dance though. Another novel though that radiates the culture of its setting with enough mystery to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another well written book by Tess Holthe, but I wish she put more into the story. I guess it is sort of like Hemingway, who often seems to tell a story without a plot.

Definitely readable, but I almost forgot what the book was about already.

[Tomio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book as I loved When the Elephants Dance by the same author. The writing was excellent but I was not interested in the story. It had to push myself to just finish the story. Some of the stories were interesting but overall I was not impressed.

[Zola · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine wrote this book and I must say, it is beautifully written. I love how the stories connect with one another. I highly recommend The Five Forty Five to Cannes if you enjoy beautifully written short stories!

[Jimiliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts out slow, but it really gets involving in the very middle. Gems of stories!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

i shoudn't have to say it again

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, very sad. Makes me want to go to Italy and France ASAP!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories takes place in France, Italy and Spain with characters that are connected even when they do not realize it.

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Linked short stories that had a familiar feel, but somewhat compelling. The feel of Cannes was real, but the characters didn't quite work.

[Christin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love love this book. Linked short story style with a very intriguing overarching narrative.