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Unique and offbeat

Reviewed in Australia on 6 October 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Hannelore Cayre is obviously something of an over-achiever: author, script writer, maker of short films and a practising criminal lawyer. This short quirky book takes us into the world of Patience, child of a Yiddish mother and a criminal French-Arabic father, who grew up by a motorway, largely reared by a kind black slave. When her husband dies suddenly, leaving her with two young daughters, she finds herself toiling as an Arabic translator for the French police for 25 years. Her life changes markedly when an enterprising young Moroccan who’s transporting best quality hash into France is scooped up. Warned, he dumps his cargo and who finds it before the police? Enterprising Patience, who in her fifties, becomes the Godmother, selling off her find to French Moroccan guys whose intellects cannot be described as sparkling. The main joy of this book is listening to Patience’s entirely pragmatic and completely unsentimental opinions of these and other humans and life in general. With her father dead and her mother in a nursing home that’s quite expensive, all Patience really wants is to provide for her mother, daughters and self without the slog. She provides quite an insight into internet-converted jihadis, French drug policy and policing, and through her landlady Mrs Fo (and the Moroccans), something of the immigrant experience, not to mention the typical awfulness of aged care. Reprising a childhood trip, she books into the Belvedere in Switzerland only to find it utterly changed and now run by Arabs. Nevertheless, she succeeds in laundering cash by buying eminently saleable goods. Back in Paris, her policeman boyfriend eventually gets wise but can’t prove anything. This is a thoroughly quirky, informative, often funny and entertaining book and the film version starring Isabelle Huppert will be something to look forward to.

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Amazon Customer

Reviewed in Australia on 29 December 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The novel started extremely well, but became turgid. I had a feeling there was satire and humour in the offing, but it was lost in translation. Characterisation, especially of the narrator, was not engaging, and it's hard to care about characters who are lacking in personality.

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Rosemarie Toynbee

Totally facinating and addictive. What a brillintly strong woman. Wonderful ending too. Would have loved a little mote Parisian atmosphere.

Reviewed in Australia on 30 November 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Totally facinating and addictive. What an incredibly strong characters. More Parisian atmosphere would have been welcome. A wonderful read. Just the correct length.

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Sharryn

This was an interesting little story

Reviewed in Australia on 25 January 2020

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I enjoyed this story with its strange look at family, policing, drugs, crime & old people's homes. Easy & interesting read

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Chezz

Reviewed in Australia on 2 November 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I thought this book was okay. I think I had a problem with the reporting style and didn't really care about the protagonist.

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Susan Kristensen

Reviewed in Australia on 25 January 2020

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

What a great read. Non stop entertainment. Brillant story. Does not surprise that the author is s screenwriter.

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Fiona Chapman

A book I won't forget.

Reviewed in Australia on 5 December 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I liked the story line; as I haven't read a novel quite like it. It wasn't a book that you would say I couldn't put down however it was intriguing.

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Elaine

Darkly funny read!

Reviewed in Australia on 26 November 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Such a great quick read. Loved this book and would highly recommend this book. Great characters and an original story.

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Top international reviews

Mouse

Read In One Sitting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2019

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For years now I have struggled to finish any novel I have tried to read. I heard about this book through a radio piece about the Staunch book prize, which is a prize for crime/thriller novels that do not rely for their story on women being victims. I looked at all the short-listed novels and picked this one because the main character is an older woman, I like to read stories about other cultures/settings than my own, and because I crave stories about women my age that are not all about relationships (yawn) or someone finding out about some hidden family history (don't care). The book has been sitting on my coffee table for a few weeks, but I finally, with low expectations, picked it up this morning to kick start my Sunday morning off softly with fifteen minutes of reading. It is now the afternoon and I have just come back to reality, hungry, needing a pee, and having read the whole thing without a pause, totally satisfied and entertained by the story, its detail, the style of the prose, and it's great ending. It was a revelation to read something that resonated with my own experiences, to the point where some of the portrayal of the mother's situation moved me to tears. I was absorbed by the story, and I felt recognised, and maybe those two things are what's missing from the other books I try to read. The Godmother is a completely convincing, exciting, and fascinating character. The way she sees things, her mongrel cultural and spiritual make-up, her compassion, what she actually cares about, and how she makes her decisions feels very grown-up, yet very 21st Century and made total sense to me. I enjoyed the moral complexities and the excitement of the story (there is a point near the end where I actually held my breath). This book is exactly what I needed, wanted, and have been missing. The phrase "you will be hungry again in an hour" features significantly in the story, but it certainly does not apply to the experience of reading this book. I am really sorry not to be able to spend more time in the Godmother's company, but I was completely absorbed in the story and found it completely satisfying. I feel soothed and recognised, so thank you Hannelore Cayre because to me that is the holy grail of any creative art.

7 people found this helpful

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BookWorm

Engaging, well written novel with an original concept

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2019

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This novel is darkly humorous and well written, with a good original idea behind it. Patience is an Arabic translator working for the French police, mainly producing transcripts of conversations between drug dealers importing from Morocco. Lacking in a pension or the means to pay for her mother's nursing home, when a deal-gone-wrong leaves a large quantity of high quality cannabis dumped in the countryside, she decides to become a dealer herself. So begins her double life as 'the Godmother'.

It's a really well written book, one of those that is engaging and enjoyable from page one. Despite the concept which sounds a bit far-fetched, it's actually written in a way that seems quite plausible. Patience is a surprisingly sympathetic character and I found myself rooting for her even though she was on the wrong side of the law.

Overall it's a quirky, fun novel that is hard to categorise and fun to read. I'll definitely look out of more by this author.

3 people found this helpful

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jesselee

It's fun, but not profound

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2019

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Sardonic french noir that is entertaining and easy to read. It rarely, if at all, lapses into the violence of many crime novels. Despite that, the deadpan delivery of the very reliable narrator carries all before it. A very enjoyable read especially in these dark times.

3 people found this helpful

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Simon4

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2020

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This cracking story of a middle-aged French woman who takes up drug dealing is a rollercoaster of a read: always entertaining; sly; and savvy enough to tread a moral highwire with dexterity, wit, and grace.

2 people found this helpful

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Jane O'Sullivan

An absolute cracker!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2020

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I loved this book ! Beautifully drawn main character and fizzing plot with sharp social commentary and a lot of dark humour. I am dying to see the film version with Isabelle Huppert.

2 people found this helpful

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Zinzan

Hilarious

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2019

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If you are a fan of French crime series like spiral, you will love this

One person found this helpful

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Jordan

Fascinating and fun

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2019

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Not a long read but very engaging and very fun. You really connect with the main character and you can understand why she makes the choices she does.

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Amazon Customer

Fantastic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2019

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Loved this book
The story was enjoyable and the main character is very believable despite the fairytale esque life she has led

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Ms H

Had me in stitches

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2020

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A fun and easy to read book of a law abiding citizen’s foray into the world of drug dealing. I’m reminded of it every time I pass the Tati store in Paris.

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M. S. Perihar

Magnifique!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 February 2020

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Phenomenal story with a great central protagonist. Check this story out, you won't be disappointed!

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Peter Hambro

a good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 December 2019

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well written, lots of good social and political comments. very enjoyable

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Tanmoy

Good , but not the best.

Reviewed in India on 16 November 2019

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Good book. Takes lot of pages to come to the main discourse. Not astounding.

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Charles Scott

The straight dope on how the deal went south.

Reviewed in the United States on 5 January 2020

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Hannelore Cayre wrote an illuminating novel about the more practical aspects of dealing street-level drugs in modern France, entitled The Godmother. It was originally published in French in 2017. Stephanie Smee translated the book into English. The translated version was first published in 2019. The book is definitely a winner. It is rock solid and has substance. It provides the straight dope on how the deal went south from numerous angles and knowledgeable sources. Readers should find the book thoroughly thought provoking, if not mildly stimulating. The mind-numbing plot intoxicates and simply overwhelms the senses. The story-line defies everyday logic and common sense. It plays on the emotions of the leading character, "Patience." You quickly discover that she is not your typical "Fairy Godmother" from the Brothers' Grimm fairy tales. She takes advantage of every situation which presents itself. Then, she goes to great lengths and shows in great detail, with the aid of masterfully revealing, excruciatingly complex minutiae just how far she would go in seeking to attain her ultimate goals in life; how devious, sneaky, and underhanded she could really be when she sets her mind to it, gets down, and applies herself.
Some readers may agree with the convoluted, half-baked statement that any intellectual of average intelligence might have made, that what's legal isn't always right; what's fair and reasonable isn't necessarily good for you--but this merely involves a question of semantics. It begs the question. As I may have casually mentioned before, she has already thrown caution to the wind and logic completely out the window. She has no need for recognition. She has no need for attention. Or anybody's seal of approval, for that matter. In fact, she would prefer complete anonymity and the utmost secrecy in making absolutely certain that her "French Connection" inspired business transactions become a fully functional reality, and a model for posterity.
In the Arab world, the woman's place is in the home. It is her principal domicile. Apparently, because of this narrow view, women have been severely limited, hampered, and restricted in their actions, activities, and achievements since time immemorial. One may even say that they have become totally oppressed, repressed, and submissive as a result of the bargain they have made with society as a whole. In sharp, dramatic contrast, as in the highly exceptional case of the leading character, Patience, specifically, we soon learn "who wears the pants in the family." Nevertheless, we are also surreptitiously led to believe that she still has only two options open to her: she can either learn the easy way, or she has to learn the hard way. You object! You are probably thinking, but she has sailed a massively difficult ship across treacherous waters, rowed an unwieldy, awkwardly unstable dinghy to shore, figuratively speaking. Once on dry land, she has discovered that the prized cargo she carries is actually "a tough row to hoe," but lucrative. You think that all of her hard work should pay off. Alas, but we can only pause and reflect, surmise the outcome, and sympathize with her, because of her plight. How can she possibly behave in a truly heroic fashion under such obvious duress in the long run? How can she survive her fate? You gasp in horror, with fear and trepidation.
We know that Patience has a tendency to be stubborn, and is a very determined woman, so we have to persevere for the duration of her trials and tribulations in order to learn the true result of the endgame. We follow along placidly, merrily, dreamily, sweeping in and gliding gently, virtually hovering about in order to get a closer aerial bird's eye view of the culmination of her caterwauling career, as the authorities rapidly close in on her, in the ensuing, climactic chase scene. We begin to read each paragraph much faster. We turn the pages more quickly now; finally, with utter abandonment, and in eager anticipation.
R. Royce was enjoying life to the fullest. He had acquired a mixed lot of jewelry recently, including those formerly owned by some royal family, it seems, made of the finest gold and platinum, and having the most precious diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald, tourmaline, and topaz inlaid gemstones. The multitude of large, faceted stones flashed with dazzling brilliance, fire, and clarity. The items should fetch a tidy sum somewhere in the range of twenty to twenty-two million U.S. dollars, he calculated. A bundle, in short, yielding a tidy profit. He made only one tiny, little mistake along the way, when he decided to wear one of the distinctive diamond rings in public, which happened to fit his finger perfectly, like a kit leather glove. A man with whom he was intent on dealing recognized the item immediately and took it upon himself to inform the original owner of its whereabouts.
His Royal Highness King Richard III "The Lion Heart" Ishtabuhla, formerly known as the "Wandering Prince of Budapest" introduced himself to Royce while he was seated on a rickety folding chair on the old wooden wharf not far from Satellite Beach in Florida, a fishing pole in hand, and another leaning up against the railing. He appeared mysteriously out of the wild blue yonder one day. Debonair and unassuming, he was casually dressed in light, loose-fitting clothing and comfortable sneakers. He looked about the area nonchalantly and was apparently pleased with the natural beauty of the surrounding scenery and the tranquility of the secluded location.
"Catch anything?" inquired the King, twice removed, impoverished by the sudden, unexpected disappearance and untimely sale of the crown jewels in the past.
"They stopped biting," said Royce. It was getting warmer outdoors with the rising sun. "Caught several sea bass earlier this morning, though. They're in the cooler over there." He pointed to the nearby ice chest.
"And the big one that got away?" asked the King. He'd heard plenty of fisherman's tales in his time.
"I was using a heavy-weight line, with a metal leader and swivels, a lead sinker, and a large, sturdy hook on the end. It must have been a snook or a barracuda that hit the line and took off. I fought and fought for at least half an hour, trying my level-best to reel him in. Eventually, though, the line went slack. I thought the big fish had snapped the line in two, causing me to lose the hook, line, and sinker. But when I reeled in the line, to my chagrin, I discovered that the hook, line, and sinker was still attached to the line as before. What was most unusual about it was, the once gracefully-curved and sharply barbed hook had been bent completely straight, the barb sheared off, broken. That must have been why the fish slid off the hook and got away."
Royce invited his new friend, Richard, to take up the other fishing pole and try his luck, to which the King readily agreed. Eventually, they returned to his condominium, where he introduced him to his friends and acquaintances, namely Cornelius Korn, Alexis Sue Shell, Raquel Remington, and Heather Meriwether, who looked an awful lot like the beautiful television celebrity and blonde bombshell, Heather Locklear. They'd recently met her at the beach, looking for sea shells. Richard took to her like a duck takes to water. They quickly became friends.
Eventually, King Richard III, the Lion Heart, had to come clean and get something off his chest, which must have been troubling him for a long time. He did not reveal his true identity to the group, however.
"Might I be so bold as to inquire about the gold ring that you are wearing, Royce?" he asked. "Where did you get it?" They'd been sipping on spiced island rum and cokes on ice.
Royce was taken aback and became reticent and introspective. He reflected, before he gave an answer. "Raquel gave me the ring over the holidays as a token of our love and friendship," he said, finally.
"This particular item had been included in an estate auction. We'd purchased numerous items jewelry recently through an auction service in Miami Beach. We purchased the majority of a large quantity of fine jewelry pieces, thinking they would soon make a sound business investment," Raquel elaborated. "We had originally planned to sell all of the items we bought to a collector in New York, but I thought we should keep the ring for ourselves. It appears to be quite stylish and most unique. As they say in the credit card commercials, 'Simply priceless.'"
"I don't personally believe that the diamond is actually real," confided Cornelius Korn. "It must be one of those Russian-manufactured diamonds, since it appears so completely flawless. They make artificial diamonds, using complex machinery which operates under extremely high pressure and at very high temperatures. These diamonds may be expensive to produce and expensive to buy, yes, but, in my opinion, they are not the genuine article, driven by the forces of nature; exploding volcanoes, colliding continents, and shifting tectonic plates, as Mother Nature had intended."
"I can assure you that you have the genuine article," said Richard III, calmly and evenly. "The ring has been engraved with my initials and it once belonged to me." The other members of the group were genuinely surprised, that they were in the presence of one so intimately knowledgeable about the apparently and relatively insignificant trinket in their possession. The apparent predicament in which they now found themselves aroused their curiosity, and they became greatly concerned. How is it that fate has brought these people together in this manner, uniting them with the expert in the matter? They sensed that their latest deal was beginning to come unraveled at the seams.
"So, tell us truly, Richard, dear friend. Do you want your magnificent, shining ring back now, after all has been said and done, for sentimental reasons?" asked Korn, in sincerity. It must have been a terribly delicate subject to broach.
"Actually, I would be more interested in exploring partnership possibilities for newly-constructed submarine bases," said the wandering King-maker, and spokesman for a proud, traditional, and as-of-yet undisclosed European nation. "Perhaps, we can include the islands to go with the bases in the deal." He had long since located and bought back the missing crown jewels from the business associates that they had in common in New York, at reasonable prices and fees. This was no longer a concern.
"Of course, you may keep the ring as a token of our friendship," added Richard, with considerable authority, magnanimity, and finality. "I just thought you'd like to know a little about its considerable history."
He did not specify exactly, but there were actually 13 of the rare rings originally created by the finest craftsmen deep inside the frozen mountains of the Scandinavian North. They had been perfectly designed, refined, and tooled. They are easily identifiable to this very day. The first King Richard, the Lion Heart, had once called them rings of friendship, before his untimely imprisonment, centuries ago, dating back to medieval times and knights in shining armor. The party suddenly felt subdued by the somber mood of silence and secrecy which fell upon them. They were given a purpose, direction, and a new lease on life.

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The Brown Bookloft

Tightly written, darkly humorous and very clever

Reviewed in the United States on 14 December 2019

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Summary: The Widow Patience Portefeaux is a middle aged French woman plodding along on the treadmill of life. She works as a poorly paid Arabic translator — first for the courts and then for the police. She struggles to pay for her mother’s Alzheimer care facility while keeping a shabby roof over her own head. Having grown up in a dysfunctional family on the fringes of society, Patience has great survival and coping skills, but much needed cash is in short supply.

Patience spends her days listening to, and then translating, transcripts of conversations between drug dealers, most of whom are complete idiots. They rant, rave and threaten each other, more interested in machismo than intelligent planning. When a more level-headed and business-minded family group of drug dealers crosses Patience’s desk, she starts to pay closer attention.

She discovers that she has an unexpected personal connection to one member of the family. This sets off ideas in her head that lead to her solving her cash-flow problem by becoming the Godmother of the local drug crime district.

Comments: This tightly written, darkly humorous and very clever novel crossed my path because it is this month’s book club selection for a discussion group I am joining. My description doesn’t begin to do justice to the wry observations and wit sprinkled throughout The Godmother. Stephanie Smee obviously did a fantastic job of translating from the original French.

Very highly recommended for readers of Literary Fiction.

My Rating: 5 STARS

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F. Neil Brady

smart page-turner, funny

Reviewed in the United States on 4 November 2019

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I've read two really good books this year. One was Olga Tocarzcuk's Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, and the other was The Godmother. Both are translations, the former from Polish and The Godmother from French. The main character in this novel is morally complex, as we all are. I connected with her from page one. Many moments in this book are laugh-out-loud funny, while others are very sad. I'm not sure why I don't give it five stars. I guess it's because of the crime novel genre. Similar in feel to A Naked Singularity--just as smart but shorter and funnier.

4 people found this helpful

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