“Art, love and longing, the French way . . . an emotionally taut portrayal of late-in-life, post-marriage drift” from the author of The 6:41 to Paris (The New York Times Book Review). A French teacher on the verge of retirement is invited to a glittering opening that showcases the artwork of his former student, who has since become a celebrated painter. This unexpected encounter leads to the older man posing for his portrait. Possibly in the nude. Such personal exposure at close range entails a strange and troubling pact between artist and sitter that prompts both to reevaluate their lives. Blondel, author of the hugely popular novel The 6:41 to Paris, evokes an intimacy of dangerous intensity in a tale marked by profound nostalgia and a reckoning with the past that allows its two characters to move ahead into the future. “A striking variation on the theme of the muse, this novel probes overlapping varieties of attraction . . . It veers toward the erotic, quickening the painter’s search for the model’s soul—‘a term that disintegrates the moment you try to define it.’”―The New Yorker “Captivating . . . The novel flies by with gentle humor, but it also poses complex questions about the meaning of art and sexuality, and offers an elegiac look at late middle age . . . Irresistible, and the story’s fundamental kindness sets it apart.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A novel of tender, shy wisdom whose characters remind each other that memory lives in the body, loosened like knots by the right touch.” —Patrick Nathan, author of Image Control

Some people might think it’s odd when a teenage boy starts making movies of his classmates kissing. But in A PLACE TO LIVE, the aspiring filmmaker’s project turns into a compelling protest against authoritarianism that could get him kicked out of school, and expose his surprising feelings for his best friend.

Joyeux Noël: “[An]endearing collection of Christmas stories from ten of France’s most esteemed writers―past and present―skillfully translated.” ―Foreword Reviews This collection brings together the best French Christmas stories of all time, featuring classics by Guy de Maupassant and Alphonse Daudet, plus stories by the esteemed twentieth century authors Irène Némirovsky and Nobel Prize winner Anatole France and contemporary writers Dominique Fabre and Jean-Philippe Blondel. With a holiday spirit conveyed through sparkling Paris streets, opulent feasts, wandering orphans, kindly monks, homesick soldiers, oysters, crayfish, ham, bonbons, flickering desire, and more than a little wine, this collection encapsulates Christmas à la française—delicious, intense and unexpected.

Brilliant psychological thriller constructed like an intensely intimate theater performance, a high-wire act of emotions on rails.

Un triangle amoureux. Une fille et deux garçons. Amour, amitié, séparation. Mais ce qui les relie irréductiblement l'un à l'autre est la danse, le hip-hop. La seule passion du mouvement, de la circulation dans et entre les corps, d'un art vécu comme une sérénité. Anais, Adrien et Sanjeewa : l'ancienne gymnaste à la carrière contrariée, le garçon en colère contre l'injustice familiale et le fils d'immigrés Tamoul que l'on ne sait pas trop où caser. Le trio réinvente les lois de l'attraction dans la vie comme sur un plateau. Nourri de culture musicale, Jean-philippe Blondel n'a pas son pareil pour mettre en scène l'adolescence avec énergie, sensualité et confiance.

La fièvre s’est emparée du lycée à l’annonce de la visite d’un célèbre critique rock et producteur en vue. Il paraît même que des groupes de l’établissement pourront lui faire écouter un ou deux morceaux. Mais celui de Benjamin n’existe plus, il a explosé... comme son amitié avec Mathieu. Et si c’était l’occasion de « rejouer » le passé ?

Vincent hat es in England zu einer beachtlichen Karriere und einer glücklichen Familie gebracht. Doch zu Besuch in seiner Heimat Frankreich ist er sofort wieder der unsichere Junge von früher. Schnell hat er über alle – die Eltern, den Bruder, die alten Freunde – ein Urteil gesprochen. Bis ihn die Frau seines Bruders, die er noch nie leiden konnte, endlich mit der Wahrheit konfrontiert ... Nach dem Bestseller „6 Uhr 41“ unternehmen wir mit Jean-Philippe Blondel eine spannende, überraschende Reise in die eigene Jugend. Eine Geschichte über Beziehung, Liebe, Freundschaft und über eine der reizvollsten Fragen überhaupt: Was wäre gewesen, wenn?

"Finely drawn . . . charming and engrossing.”—Suzanne Vega, singer-songwriter 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 portrayed with humor, insight, and tenderness. 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 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.

Alex, étudiant désargenté, décide de travailler comme baby-sitter. De plus en plus de parents font appel à lui, il devient leur ami et confident. Il apprend à découvrir l'univers des adultes qui tous cachent une blessure.