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The Balcony
The Balcony | Jane Delury
16 posts | 16 read | 14 to read
"Jane Delury arrives on the scene of her debut with a sensibility fully formed and a breathtaking array of writerly gifts at her command." -- Jennifer Egan A century-spanning portrait of the inhabitants of a French village, revealing the deception, despair, love, and longing beneath the calm surface of ordinary lives. What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? Set in a small village near Paris, The Balcony follows the inhabitants of a single estate-including a manor and a servants' cottage-over the course of several generations, from the Belle poque to the present day, introducing us to a fascinating cast of characters. A young American au pair develops a crush on her brilliant employer. An ex-courtesan shocks the servants, a Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo attract the curiosity of the neighbors, and a housewife begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. Rich and poor, young and old, powerful and persecuted, all of these people are seeking something: meaning, love, a new beginning, or merely survival. Throughout, cross-generational connections and troubled legacies haunt the same spaces, so that the rose garden, the forest pond, and the balcony off the manor's third floor bedroom become silent witnesses to a century of human drama. In her debut, Jane Delury writes with masterful economy and profound wisdom about growing up, growing old, marriage, infidelity, motherhood - in other words, about life - weaving a gorgeous tapestry of relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments across the frame of the twentieth century. A sumptuous narrative of place that burrows deep into individual lives to reveal hidden regrets, resentments, and desires, The Balcony is brimming with compassion, natural beauty, and unmistakable humanity.
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review
VRM1975
The Balcony | Jane Delury
Pickpick

Loved everything about this book!

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Paperback.Propensity
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Pickpick

Another awesome Dollar Tree find. These stories surrounding the same estate in France spanning generations are just beautiful. Beautiful writing.

11 likes1 stack add
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GatheringBooks
Balcony | Jane Delury
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#DearDecember Day 3: There are now #GreenCovers in our balcony courtesy of Al Ain Central Market. Definitely not bookish but a perfect reading spot during cooler weather. Still waiting for my “nest reading area” to be delivered this week.

squirrelbrain Nice! (I visited Al Ain very briefly 12 years ago - I remember the museum. My Dad lived in Oman at the time and we were visiting on holiday) 5y
GatheringBooks @squirrelbrain oh wow! much has changed since then, i am sure. there are just so many buildings sprouting everywhere. they are aggressively expanding. :) 5y
squirrelbrain I bet it‘s changed massively- The Sheikh Zayeed Grand Mosque wasn‘t even finished! We stayed 2 nights in Dubai, drove to Abu Dhabi for 1 night, then drove to Oman for a week. Fab experience for someone like me who hadn‘t travelled anywhere so ‘exotic‘ before! 5y
See All 7 Comments
GatheringBooks @squirrelbrain hopefully you can come back again - who knows? 😍 I never thought we would be living here, but here we are. 5y
squirrelbrain I hope so! 5y
Velvetfur That's beautiful, I love the colours in this picture 😊 5y
Eggs Nice interpretation!! 5y
60 likes7 comments
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kspenmoll
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Not winter yet, but I loved this image.

Suet624 What beautiful imagery. 5y
53 likes1 comment
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kspenmoll
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Just was struck by this image.

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Godseybam
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Mehso-so

Delury‘s writing is fluid and romantic, most of the stories are lovely. This will fulfill any need you have for a French romance!

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BookCottageBlog
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Mehso-so

Just posted my review on my blog https://bookwormcottage.wordpress.com/author/bookwormcottage/
Basically a short story collection, that didn‘t quite enthrall me. A 50/50 - a couple of the stories were good, and I wish were longer. Some were just so/so. I found it a bit of a downer.

tammysue Great review! :) 6y
10 likes1 comment
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mgallo1968
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Pickpick

3 1/2 out of 5 (round to 4) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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JSW
The Balcony | Jane Delury
Panpan

Ultimately, I can‘t recommend this one. I didn‘t like the characters, I found the connected stories to really not be that connected, and the balcony as a character was non-existent. I enjoy a good short story collection, but this one left me feeling down and confused. No thanks.

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JSW
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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There‘s something incomprehensible about these short stories but I‘m enjoying them.

Time for a quiet lunch in the sun and trying to hold back a cold - sun and green smoothies are my secret weapon. Hope this works.

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MrBook
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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#TBRtemptation post 2! A debut novel. A century-spanning portrait from the Belle Époque to today, following a single estate set in a small village near Paris. The rose garden, the pond, the third-floor bedroom's balcony, all become silent witnesses to what unfolds. A sumptuous cast of characters, including: a twitterpated American au pair, a shocking ex-courtesan, and a Jewish purple hiding from the Gestapo. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook ?

JSW I picked this one up a month ago and it‘s high on my TBR list! 6y
Vertabrain Ooh, the estate as a character reminds me of Manderley from Rebecca. I need to read this! 6y
84 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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BookCottageBlog
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Slow paced stories loosely woven together. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but it grew on me. Enjoying it today on my lunch break outside on a hot, sunny-breezy day. It's a perfect day for this type of book!

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Artsywink
The Balcony | Jane Delury
Bailedbailed

It was an interesting concept but I couldn‘t get into it. The first chapter was superb but after that I didn‘t care about the characters.

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BookMama789
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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My next March Read has some serious Spring vibes going on in the cover. Seeing how it's almost midnight here though, and I have been reading all night... I will start this one tomorrow 😊

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Pretty!! 💚 7y
BookMama789 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks The cover really is beautiful and so far the story is making me want to pack up and move to France. I only just started though. 7y
15 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
The Balcony | Jane Delury
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Bailedbailed

I had serious hopes pinned on this one. Sadly, it‘s my first DNF of the year. January isn‘t even done yet. 🙁 I really, really need an epic read. This wasn‘t it, so I‘m hoping my new book is going to do it for me.

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Rhondareads
Balcony | Jane Delury
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A debut novel a small village outside of Paris .A single property a history of the people who have lived there over a century.Rave reviews my type of book.Thanks @LittleBrownBooks for today‘s book mail.💕📚💃🏼

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