Madame Depardieu and the Beautiful Strangers by Antonia Quirke

Antonia and her tome

My current enthusiasm to spread the word about my recent read about pooch Maf and screen goddess Marilyn led to another book recommendation to two film lovers I work with: Madame Depardieu and the Beautiful Strangers by Antonia Quirke.



Unlike The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog etc, Madame Deardieu is non fiction, a memoir by film reviewer Antonia Quirke that celebrates her love of film and filmstars, and how they have mirrored moments in her romantic life. Although memoir is not usually my favourite fare, Antonia's charming turns of phrase and the way her story bumps into the better end of chick lit, made it a perfect read for me. And I hope she expands into fiction one day.

On my Sunday afternoons working the bookshop floor of Better Read Than Dead in Newtown (Sydney), I took GREAT delight in reviewing this book and recommending it to anyone who would listen. Consequently the store had excellent sales of this title, possibly among the best in Australia (all praise the Power of Word of Mouth!).

In talking about it to my work colleagues today, I had a delighful moment to revisit Antonia Quirke's absorption and absolute accuracy in describing every facial feature of an actors face (I won't reveal who) in one particularly gripping chapter. I hope they track a copy down and read it.


To find out more, try this review from The Independent.