Café Unfiltered
"Finely drawn . . . Charming and engrossing."--Suzanne Vega, singer-songwriter
An ode to the French café as a magical place, portrayed by a beloved author with humanity, insight, and tenderness. At a classic café in the French provinces, anonymity, chance encounters, and traumatic pasts collide against the muted background of global instability. Jean-Philippe Blondel, author of the bestselling The 6:41 to Paris, presents a moving fresco of intertwined destinies. In the span of twenty-four hours, a medley of characters retrace the fading patterns of their lives after a long disruption from Covid. A mother and son realize their vast differences, a man takes tea with a childhood friend he had once covertly fallen for, and a woman crosses paths with the ex who abandoned her in Australia. Amidst it all, the café swirls like a kaleidoscope, bringing together customers, waiters, and owners past and present. Within its walls and on its terrace, they examine the threads of their existence, laying bare their inner selves, their failed dreams, and their hopes for the uncertain future that awaits us all.
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Jean-Philippe Blondel was born in 1964 in Troyes, France, where he lives as an author and English teacher. His novel The 6:41 to Paris has been acclaimed in both the United States and Europe.
Alison Anderson is a novelist and translator of literature from French. Among the authors she has translated are J. M. G. Le Clézio, Christian Bobin, Muriel Barbery, and Amélie Nothomb.
"Each character comes fully and beautifully alive, and together their stories create a strong sense of people sorting through their lives and making changes . . . Moving, insightful, and fun to read; for fans of literary and popular fiction alike."--Library Journal "A novel of finely drawn characters taking place in--you guessed it--the French version of Tom's Diner. Thick with atmosphere, it serves up charming and engrossing bittersweet slices of life."--Suzanne Vega, singer-songwriter
"Delicate and delightful . . . Café Unfiltered is a warm hug of a novel that brims with hope."--Foreword Reviews
"Café Unfiltered takes a look at the pandemic through a rear view mirror . . . A post pandemic poetic effort to put into words, to make sense of what we have all just lived through . . . Wherever you found yourself between February 2020 and July 2021, the slender book will have something to say to you."--Musée Musings
"This intimate story confirms the author's rare talent for portraying bygone eras."--Le Monde
Praise for The 6:41 to Paris:
"A strong plot and a touching portrayal of how any of us might feel when unexpectedly confronted by the detritus of young love ... The 6:41 to Paris is a timely reminder that the past is always waiting to ambush us."--The New York Times Book Review
"A taut, suspenseful psychological journey from which there is no escape. The 6:41 to Paris shatters any illusions that acts of cruelty committed in our youth are of little consequence later in life. A gripping yarn for our time."--Kati Marton, author of Paris: A Love Story
"Blondel conveys ... a shared, suspenseful dread that makes you want to turn every page at locomotive pace."--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Perfectly written and a remarkably suspenseful read ... an absorbing, intriguing, insightful book for all readers."--Library Journal (Starred review)
"A fast, yet deep journey through the characters' experiences of anger, triumph, remorse, and forgiveness, Blondel's novel ... reminds us that even long-ago heartbreaks have the power to ignite our most powerful emotions."--Kirkus Reviews
