Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“As she reads these pages, something verging on magical happens, making her think for the very first time that books might be better than real life.”

I always love reaching for something new, and a French translated book certainly checked that box! A book about books and a love of reading was certainly the main selling point of this one for me, and it really does live up to expectations. It’s one of those hidden gems that you want to keep close to you, the comfort read that’ll make you feel all the feels. It’s truly special – so happy to be sharing my review of Clara Reads Proust!

About the book

Clara is a hairdresser at Cindy Coiffure, a sleepy French salon with an identity crisis. Her relationship is fizzling out. Her tanoholic boss Madame Habib worships Jacques Chirac and talks longingly of her days in Paris. The highlight of the week was when the dishy technician came to repair the display cabinet. And now Madame Lévy-Leroyer wants to go blonde. Clara can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life…

Everything changes when a customer leaves behind the first volume of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. As Clara reads, she discovers a whole new world, leading her to strike up an unexpected friendship. And slowly but surely, she will work out who she wants to be.

The beginning

Where it lacks in pages, this little book certainly makes up for it in perfect description! Despite the opening to the book being a little heavy in character introductions, I still found it particularly charming. I loved the introduction to Cindy Coiffeur, a sleepy little French salon, as well as all the characters surrounding it. Clara works as a hairdresser here, with her boss, Jacqueline, making out it’s much more grand than it is. And Clara is absolutely right in thinking there must be more to life than the new hair colours of her 70-year-old customer base. The characters really were a highlight for me from the start – they had oodles of personality and I loved the subtle humour injected in all the right places. Clara herself was immediately lovable and I could really relate to her. The fact that she’s realised things with her boyfriend aren’t what they used to be, that she’s destined for bigger and better things filled me with hope and a sense of adventure.

“She edges closer to the little table, opens the drawer and pops the book inside, just as naturally as if it were a comb or a pair of scissors.”

Despite the beautifully written paragraphs, it took a while for me to actually get into the story itself and to understand the point of it all. But as I read further, it became clearer and I began to enjoy it more and more. I did find that the structure of the chapters took me out of the story in places, but at the same time, I appreciated how unique it was. I enjoyed following Clara, experiencing her thoughts and feelings, and understanding her drive and what she wants out of life. I found her to be such a strong person underneath it all with a great mindset. The lives of other characters are sprinkled in to give the book more depth and meaning, and for the most part, it was really entertaining seeing what they were up to. I found the book to be so different so far which is probably the reason I had a love for it early on, and I just felt like the best really was yet to come!

The middle

As soon as Clara notices a book left by an interesting, mysterious new client, everything changes. From the way the physical presence of this book links her to this man, to the way it soon enchants her was enough to bring a tear to my eye. Her experience with In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust encapsulates a reader’s love of books, of the joy of reading as a whole, of escapism and mental healing. Reading from Clara’s perspective felt so warm and so fulfilling, and it always left a smile on my face. It was so liberating seeing just how what she reads affects her daily life and positively impacts her thoughts and feelings. Understanding how someone else visualises what they read felt really good. I think about this a lot actually – how do different people see the scenes in a book play out? Would it be the same as I imagine things? Clara reading In Search of Lost Time sparked my imagination and filled me with warmth, and I was completely obsessed with it!

“You have a soul in you of rare quality, an artist’s nature; never let it starve for lack of what it needs.”

Mentions of a reader’s little slice of joy in the social media world (bookstagram) made me do a little happy dance. Finally, an author who gets us?! An author who gets the fact we love a good aesthetic?! I loved how Clara was emerging from the person she is to the person she is becoming, all from reading and discussing Proust at any chance she gets, whether others in the conversation ‘get it’ or not (I’m looking at you, JB.) It’s such a beautiful transformation of character, a perfect exploration of intelligence and expanding knowledge. Clara finally manages to discuss what she’s reading with one of her clients, someone who admires Proust as much as she does, and it took me back to all the times you love a book so fiercely and find someone else who shares that love, who is willing to listen to you ramble on and on about it, and someone who can understand your enthusiasm. It’s a beautiful thing to be understood in such a way, and this book just radiates that.

The end

Clara goes through some big life changes and in doing so, along with reading through the different volumes of In Search of Lost Time, she craves something more. Her salon job just isn’t cutting it anymore (pun not intended, but we’ll take it.) She needs to know what’s out there, whether she is destined for bigger and better things, something more fulfilling. I really felt for Clara as she goes through so many emotions over this period, her brain full and her thoughts uncertain at times. But the final part of the book was all about her growth and ambition, and I couldn’t get over just how beautifully written it was. Clara takes time off work to attend a festival where she’ll be reading extracts of Proust, something so spontaneous and exciting – would she have done anything like this before discovering Proust?

“Hearing her own reading voice feels like being reunited with a very dear friend. A warmth floods through her, a force; the feeling that when she is reading out loud to other people, nothing bad can happen to her.”

As the book comes to a close, I had so many feelings and it felt so incredibly easy to feel them all alongside Clara. Her life becomes completely different, and I felt a little lump in my throat as I read through the epilogue. This author somehow makes Clara’s whole journey so profound and memorable, even though the book is pretty short. As much as I enjoyed it, I still couldn’t help but think it would have benefitted from being a bit longer. I wanted to explore Clara’s discovery of Proust more, I wanted to become more connected to the other characters, especially those introduced right at the end as I didn’t feel anything towards them at all. However, the book really does what it sets out to do very well, and I’d definitely recommend to everyone who loves to read and discover new authors. We’ve all got that one author who has changed our lives in some way, right?!

Overall thoughts

Clara Reads Proust is a love letter to every single reader. To everyone who loves books, to everyone who appreciates the power of a good story to inspire change, new beginnings and exciting opportunities. It felt like such a breath of fresh air, the story such a unique, quirky tale, a tonic for the soul. Clara had my heart and it was so difficult not to be pulled into her world, which is an achievement in such a short book. Despite craving a little more from the story and some of the characters, I really appreciated its charm and grace. A beautiful book!

Huge thanks to the author,  Stéphane Carlier, and Claire over at Gallic Books for my beautiful copy! You can grab your own copy of Clara Reads Proust right now from Amazon (if you’re an eBook reader. If not, you’ll need to wait until 21st May for the paperback!) or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author on Instagram for more updates!

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