From the Publisher
Praise for Three
★ “Perrin’s prose is engrossing, transforming ordinary situations into delectable treats... Startling and affecting, Three is a novel about the refuge found in true friends, and about the mercy of self-acceptance.”—ForeWord Reviews (Starred Review)
“While the mystery of the car is thrilling and heartbreaking, the real power of this work is in the way Perrin captures the experience of growing up... Tender and often raw, this moody novel is a complex tale of friendship wrapped around a mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Friendship is complicated in Perrin’s enticing exploration of a trio who meet on the first day of fifth grade and remain inseparable... The numerous twists and eye-opening revelations will keep readers riveted. This offers a bounty of rewards.”—Publishers Weekly
“Three transplants you wholly onto its pages, leaving you between two drags of air and twice as many enigmas. This is a remarkable feat, as the plot swaggers up and down its timeline frantically, conveying a sense of derailment that’s as thematic as it is subliminal.”—Delphic Reviews
Praise for Valérie Perrin’s Fresh Water for Flowers
“Melancholic and yet ebullient… An appealing indulgence in nature, food and drink, and, above all, friendships.”—The Guardian
“It’s very healing... I haven’t read a more beautifully written book for a long time.”—Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine, in the Wall Street Journal
“Full of contentment and hope... Fans of Elizabeth Berg will enjoy this thoughtful take on the inner life of an unforgettable woman.”—Booklist
“A glorious read. Touching, thought provoking, taut: a tribute to our power to heal. Another must read.”—OCinsite.com
★ “Exuberant.”—ForeWord Reviews (Starred Review)
“Colorful and highly enjoyable.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Enchanting.”—Publishers Weekly
“A beautiful, intensely atmospheric bittersweet dream of a book.”—Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library
“Romantic, yes; light, yes; meaningless, no.”—Bethanne Patrick, Literary Hub
“Fresh Water for Flowers entranced me with its quiet joy.”—Kathi Kirby, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR
“Fresh Water For Flowers goes to show how debuts can be great works. Perrin plumbs the depths of motherhood, life on the streets, and regret in her story […] It is an extremely well-written book that was frankly difficult to put down…”—San Francisco Book Review
“Fresh Water for Flowers is a moving and lyrical portrait of one woman’s quest for happiness and love. A splendid work that will keep readers absorbed to the last page. A charming must-read.”—Lindsey Bartlett, formerly of Ellen Plumb’s City Bookstore, Emporia, KS
“Fresh Water for Flowers is a saga of a woman’s life from nothing to something…A story representative of many girls and women trapped by social and financial circumstances.”—The Winnipeg Free Press
“Readers will be swept away by the poetic gentleness of the narration, by the generous gaze that the two protagonists cast over human affairs, by the desire for peace felt by both Julian and Violette.”—La Croix (France)
“This book left me breathless and in tears!...A story of life with love, loss, yearning, sadness and all of the emotions that humans experience during their lifetimes.”—Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette, Fairhope, AL
“Gorgeous.”—Cat Chapman, Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL
“One of those special books that defy description and make you glad it was written!”—Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver, OR
“The only way I can describe this book is that it’s an epic…It is contemporary fiction, a murder mystery, a thriller, a tragedy, and a romance all rolled into one.”—Katie MacKendrick, librarian, Denver Public Library
“Reading [Fresh Water for Flowers] was truly a magical experience.”—Quentin Greif, Little City Books, Hoboken, NJ
“This story is simply beautiful. Fresh, fun, and so unique.”—Kappy Kling, HearthFire Books, Evergreen, CO
“A novel of astonishing humanity accomplished with an art so subtle it will take your breath away.”—Mary McDonald, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI
Kirkus Reviews
2022-03-30
A decades-old mystery comes back to haunt four childhood friends in this dark contemplation on growing up and apart.
Set in La Comelle, a small French town, the novel centers on three close friends in the 1980s and ’90s. Nina, Adrien, and Étienne meet in the fifth grade when they’re all assigned to the same dreaded teacher, and they quickly become inseparable. Through adolescence and into their late teen years, the group sees each other through the highs and lows of growing up. Virginie, a classmate, wants to be friends with them as well, but she’s always aware of the difference between the relationship they have with each other and the relationship she has with them. But by the time Virginie, now a journalist, moves back to La Comelle in the late 2010s, the three have largely lost touch. That changes when a submerged car is found in the lake where they once spent time together, a discovery that seems connected to the 1994 disappearance of an 18-year-old girl that haunts the four of them. While the mystery of the car and what it might contain is thrilling and heartbreaking, the real power of this work, translated from the French by Serle, is in the way Perrin captures the experience of growing up and the myriad ways Nina, Adrien, and Étienne give each other a place of safety—even as they are capable of inflicting great pain on others. While readers may want to know more about Virginie, her distance from the center of the story is fitting for the in-group, out-group tension that drives an underlying darkness from the very beginning.
Tender and often raw, this moody novel is a complex tale of friendship wrapped around a mystery.
