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Julien Parme
The Catcher in the Rye with a French accent.
Even if it blows your mind, I want to tell you about this unbelievable thing that happened to me last year. I’m not bragging, but things as unbelievable as the one I’m going to tell you about don’t happen every day, I swear. In fact, they never happen.
Thus begins Julien Parme, by bestselling French author Florian Zeller, who makes his American debut with this account of the trials and illusions of a bright, rebellious 14-year-old boy. The product of divorce, young Julien is not blending in so well with his blended family. One night, he escapes the family apartment to see where destiny and his stepfather’s credit card will take him. His long, dark night of the soul includes several stops at parties and cafes during which the reader is treated to a running monologue of hilarious and rueful observations. Zeller perfectly captures the sweet sincerity and innocent grandiosity of youth. Julien sees himself not as a troubled teen, but as a modern-day Don Quixote, defending his honor, righting wrongs and achieving everlasting fame. Dawn breaks and Julien stands on a platform, intending to catch a train bound for Italy. He thinks about the mountain climber who reached the summit of Mount Blanc, but knew his destiny was to climb back down eventually. And so Julien climbs into a taxi and returns home, hoping his mother will forgive him for being who he is rather than some more perfect person.
“You can’t put the book down until the very end. . . . Florian Zeller proves that he is a true writer capable of varying genres and tones.” —Paris Match
“It is without a doubt his best book.” —Le Monde
Even if it blows your mind, I want to tell you about this unbelievable thing that happened to me last year. I’m not bragging, but things as unbelievable as the one I’m going to tell you about don’t happen every day, I swear. In fact, they never happen.
Thus begins Julien Parme, by bestselling French author Florian Zeller, who makes his American debut with this account of the trials and illusions of a bright, rebellious 14-year-old boy. The product of divorce, young Julien is not blending in so well with his blended family. One night, he escapes the family apartment to see where destiny and his stepfather’s credit card will take him. His long, dark night of the soul includes several stops at parties and cafes during which the reader is treated to a running monologue of hilarious and rueful observations. Zeller perfectly captures the sweet sincerity and innocent grandiosity of youth. Julien sees himself not as a troubled teen, but as a modern-day Don Quixote, defending his honor, righting wrongs and achieving everlasting fame. Dawn breaks and Julien stands on a platform, intending to catch a train bound for Italy. He thinks about the mountain climber who reached the summit of Mount Blanc, but knew his destiny was to climb back down eventually. And so Julien climbs into a taxi and returns home, hoping his mother will forgive him for being who he is rather than some more perfect person.
“You can’t put the book down until the very end. . . . Florian Zeller proves that he is a true writer capable of varying genres and tones.” —Paris Match
“It is without a doubt his best book.” —Le Monde
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2006
2 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Florian Zeller
35 books95 followersFlorian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. His work has been translated into a dozen languages, including English. He won the Prix Interallié in 2004 for his novel "Fascination of Evil" ("La Fascination du Pire").
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 22, 2008
I was looking forward to reading Julien Parme. I happened upon an advance reading copy of the novel, which isn't scheduled to be released until next month. The jacket blurbs, with their announcement of the author's French literary awards and the news that it was the first of his books to be translated into English, intrigued me, and the novel's epigraph from Don Quixote was the clincher. However, as I began reading this first-person narration by an awkwardly self-conscious, early teen protagonist, I realized that the book was aimed at a younger (i.e. teenage) audience. The book has its merits, and in some ways (narratorial style, etc.) seems a French version The Catcher in the Rye, but it isn't what I was looking for.
November 19, 2020
J'ai beaucoup aimé ce court récit de 252 pages qui parle de l'adolescence, je trouve que l'auteur retranscrit à merveille les pensées d'un jeune adolescent et sa rébellion contre son beau père, sa fugue, son envie de devenir écrivain malgré tout.
Un livre qui ne me marquera cependant pas plus que cela mais je ne l'ai pas trouvé ennuyeux à lire.
Un livre qui ne me marquera cependant pas plus que cela mais je ne l'ai pas trouvé ennuyeux à lire.
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January 20, 2020Lol
September 30, 2025
This is so much Catcher in the Rye, incredible. Not convincing but I admit I was curious to see how it ends.
September 16, 2014
Publishers Weekly and Booklist liked this book. I was less enthusiastic. I got bored with his self-involved wanderings, but they are probably very true to the mind of a 14 year old boy. What really bothered me was that he advertised his fantasized romance with his teacher as a real occurrence. He is not even worried when he thinks the police may be at her house searching for him when he runs away from home. Apparently the French are either more understanding and her reputation will remain intact, or he just does not understand the gravity of such a statement.
From Publishers Weekly:
Impetuous 14-year-old aspiring writer Julien Parme hasn't quite gotten over the death of his father from cancer five years earlier, and his latest bout of bad behavior has led to a grounding by his strict Protestant mother. That means skipping the Champs-Elysées birthday party of hottie senior Emilie Fermat, the actress-daughter of a TV producer. News of his mother's impending marriage, however (to live-in jerk in a goatee and corduroy pants François), propels Julien into the Paris night. He's in love, sort of, with his French teacher, Madame Thomas, who's very inspiring when teaching Jean de la Fontaine in sheer blouses, but he's also especially taken with Emilie's horse-loving younger sister, Mathilde. Rodarmor's translation makes Julien—who narrates—read like a sweetly knowing update of Holden Caulfield, complete with boarding school stint. Hilarious moments of bravery and deceit win the reader over utterly. (June)
From Booklist:
Move over, Jacques Brel: Holden Caufield is alive and well and living in Paris. Or so readers of this Salingeresque story from France might think. The eponymous Julien is a troubled 14-year-old Parisian who recalls the details of “this unbelievable thing that happened last year.” The problems start when disaffected Julien, learning his widowed mother is planning to re-marry, runs away from home. How much of what follows is actually true remains up for grabs, since Julien has fantasies of becoming a celebrated writer and is already an accomplished self-dramatist (read “liar”). One thing is sure: Julien’s time away from home is bound to end badly. Or is it? Something of an enfant terrible himself, the now 28-year-old Zeller published his first novel at 22 and wrote his first play at the urging of Francoise Sagan. He has since attained the celebrity that his protagonist dreams of, so perhaps there’s hope for Julien after all. --Michael Cart
From Publishers Weekly:
Impetuous 14-year-old aspiring writer Julien Parme hasn't quite gotten over the death of his father from cancer five years earlier, and his latest bout of bad behavior has led to a grounding by his strict Protestant mother. That means skipping the Champs-Elysées birthday party of hottie senior Emilie Fermat, the actress-daughter of a TV producer. News of his mother's impending marriage, however (to live-in jerk in a goatee and corduroy pants François), propels Julien into the Paris night. He's in love, sort of, with his French teacher, Madame Thomas, who's very inspiring when teaching Jean de la Fontaine in sheer blouses, but he's also especially taken with Emilie's horse-loving younger sister, Mathilde. Rodarmor's translation makes Julien—who narrates—read like a sweetly knowing update of Holden Caulfield, complete with boarding school stint. Hilarious moments of bravery and deceit win the reader over utterly. (June)
From Booklist:
Move over, Jacques Brel: Holden Caufield is alive and well and living in Paris. Or so readers of this Salingeresque story from France might think. The eponymous Julien is a troubled 14-year-old Parisian who recalls the details of “this unbelievable thing that happened last year.” The problems start when disaffected Julien, learning his widowed mother is planning to re-marry, runs away from home. How much of what follows is actually true remains up for grabs, since Julien has fantasies of becoming a celebrated writer and is already an accomplished self-dramatist (read “liar”). One thing is sure: Julien’s time away from home is bound to end badly. Or is it? Something of an enfant terrible himself, the now 28-year-old Zeller published his first novel at 22 and wrote his first play at the urging of Francoise Sagan. He has since attained the celebrity that his protagonist dreams of, so perhaps there’s hope for Julien after all. --Michael Cart
March 18, 2012
Disclosure: I did not utterly hate Julien Parme. I did not think it was an absolutely terrible book with no objective merit. But I very clearly did not like it. I didn't enjoy reading it, I didn't learn anything from it, and I don't appear to have taken anything away from it.
My immediate impression upon finishing the book was that it was a Frenchified, modern take on The Catcher in the Rye (another book I am not entirely fond of). It comes as no surprise to me, then, that Julien Parme has been referred to as precisely that both on Goodreads and many other sites. Julien's character is similar in attitude to the infamous Holden Caulfield, and equally annoying. Except that Julien is trying a heck of a lot harder to be liked.
Florian Zeller's writing style is distinct and not bad, but it didn't really work for me. This probably had something to do with the fact that I quite disliked the narrator, but there were also times when Julien's voice sounded a bit too clean and together for his personality (though Zeller for the most part did a good job of making Julien sound like a stupid fourteen year old kid).
I particularly struggled with the story. That there isn't much going on in Julien Parme is fine. That the story sets itself up as though the nothing is actually quite interesting... less fine. Clumsy plotting, to say the least.
All in all, not my type of book. An unlikable narrator, poor storytelling and occasionally awkward writing made sure that I didn't enjoy about 80% of the book. The rest - parts that made me laugh and a few apt 14 year old boy observations - couldn't quite make up for the losses. Again: not the worst book I've ever read, but one I quite disliked and would be unable to recommend.
My immediate impression upon finishing the book was that it was a Frenchified, modern take on The Catcher in the Rye (another book I am not entirely fond of). It comes as no surprise to me, then, that Julien Parme has been referred to as precisely that both on Goodreads and many other sites. Julien's character is similar in attitude to the infamous Holden Caulfield, and equally annoying. Except that Julien is trying a heck of a lot harder to be liked.
Florian Zeller's writing style is distinct and not bad, but it didn't really work for me. This probably had something to do with the fact that I quite disliked the narrator, but there were also times when Julien's voice sounded a bit too clean and together for his personality (though Zeller for the most part did a good job of making Julien sound like a stupid fourteen year old kid).
I particularly struggled with the story. That there isn't much going on in Julien Parme is fine. That the story sets itself up as though the nothing is actually quite interesting... less fine. Clumsy plotting, to say the least.
All in all, not my type of book. An unlikable narrator, poor storytelling and occasionally awkward writing made sure that I didn't enjoy about 80% of the book. The rest - parts that made me laugh and a few apt 14 year old boy observations - couldn't quite make up for the losses. Again: not the worst book I've ever read, but one I quite disliked and would be unable to recommend.
February 1, 2014
A funny, quirky, fun read. If you have had a teenager or have taught them, you will especially enjoy this. From the blurb: In Julien Parme Florian Zeller captures the sweet sincerity and hopeless grandiosity of youth. A volatile mixture of innocence and arrogance, Julien careens through this singular night, alternately insightful and clueless, taking the reader along for an unforgettable ride. From Amazon: The Catcher in the Rye with a French accent.
Even if it blows your mind, I want to tell you about this unbelievable thing that happened to me last year. I’m not bragging, but things as unbelievable as the one I’m going to tell you about don’t happen every day, I swear. In fact, they never happen.
Thus begins Julien Parme, by bestselling French author Florian Zeller, who makes his American debut with this account of the trials and illusions of a bright, rebellious 14-year-old boy. The product of divorce, young Julien is not blending in so well with his blended family. One night, he escapes the family apartment to see where destiny and his stepfather’s credit card will take him. His long, dark night of the soul includes several stops at parties and cafes during which the reader is treated to a running monologue of hilarious and rueful observations. Zeller perfectly captures the sweet sincerity and innocent grandiosity of youth. Julien sees himself not as a troubled teen, but as a modern-day Don Quixote, defending his honor, righting wrongs and achieving everlasting fame. Dawn breaks and Julien stands on a platform, intending to catch a train bound for Italy.
Even if it blows your mind, I want to tell you about this unbelievable thing that happened to me last year. I’m not bragging, but things as unbelievable as the one I’m going to tell you about don’t happen every day, I swear. In fact, they never happen.
Thus begins Julien Parme, by bestselling French author Florian Zeller, who makes his American debut with this account of the trials and illusions of a bright, rebellious 14-year-old boy. The product of divorce, young Julien is not blending in so well with his blended family. One night, he escapes the family apartment to see where destiny and his stepfather’s credit card will take him. His long, dark night of the soul includes several stops at parties and cafes during which the reader is treated to a running monologue of hilarious and rueful observations. Zeller perfectly captures the sweet sincerity and innocent grandiosity of youth. Julien sees himself not as a troubled teen, but as a modern-day Don Quixote, defending his honor, righting wrongs and achieving everlasting fame. Dawn breaks and Julien stands on a platform, intending to catch a train bound for Italy.
August 10, 2008
Florian Zeller is an author probably best marked as ‘one for the future’, given that he is still to reach thirty, but that hasn’t stopped him in recent years putting out a number of novels and plays. Julien Parme (2006), is the fourth of his novels and provides an interesting bit of trivia in that two translations have been released this year - one in the US by Other Press, translated by William Rodarmor, and the pictured edition, in the UK, translated by Christopher Moncrieff, and published by Pushkin Press.
Read my full review here.
Read my full review here.
July 8, 2009
I took the cover blurbs seriously enough (don't ask me why) to soldier through this one, and I have to admit it eventually got a grip on me. I don't envy this translator (William Rodarmor) because I have the definite sense that the first-person narrator--a 14-year-old Parisian boy, an aspiring writer who never writes but dreams of authorial glory nonetheless and who runs away from home, where 'no one understands him'--probably had more charm, and his language more wit, than comes through in English.
September 17, 2008
Julien Parme wants to be a writer. He imagines what it would like to be famous, what his books will look like, who he will send them to, but he never actually gets around to writing anything. This entire book is about his ridiculous dreams of being a writer, his random schemes, his running away and pretending to be someone he isn't. I found Julien to be obnoxious, which is why this book drove me up a wall, though, it wasn't uninteresting, just annoying as all get out.
October 22, 2008
I am biased and love everything that Florian Zeller writes. This is no exception. It has been compared to Salinger's Catcher in the Rye since it is about a young, misguided teenage boy, but unlike Holden, Julien takes you on a night of first love, insecurity, fantasy, loneliness in true Parisian style. Even with all the stupid choices Julien makes, you can't help cheer him on and believe in his grandeur, even if no one else does.
August 7, 2008
This was a very interesting book. It's the 1st French author I read and he definitely infuses French culture and ideas into the book. And it's crazy because the main character is only 14 and does crazy things! Good, quick, read!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews