Civilisation Francaise by Mary Fleming

 

Lily Owens is at loose ends when she realizes after graduating with a degree in law that she has no interest in it.  She knows she doesn't want to be back home with her parents as that has never been a happy place for her.  When her father agrees to fund her for a year in Paris, she enrolls in a course about French culture and heads off.  At first she stays with a family friend, but the wife makes it evident that Lily is a bother.  Lily looks for a job and lodging and is thrilled when she meets a man who is looking for help for his elderly aunt.  She is going blind and needs help only with breakfast as there is another servant who looks after the aunt during the day.

Lily agrees and so meets Madame Quinon.  Although she appears to be an aristocratic French lady, she is in reality an American who came to Paris with her husband before the war.  Germaine is the housekeeper and a Nazi camp survivor.  Together the three settle into the vast mansion that Madame Quinon owns.

Mary Fleming, like Madame Quinon, is also an American by birth but has lived in Paris for over forty years.  Her portrayal of these three women is compelling.  Lily grows up in the year she spends there.  She comes as a shy girl unsure of her worth or what she might want to do with her life.  After several romances and friendships and after taking care of someone else, she emerges as a strong woman sure of herself and her life.  The unraveling of Madame Quinon's life and secrets keeps the reader entranced and the friendship that grows between the three women is life-affirming.  This book is recommended for readers of literary and women's fiction.