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Hunting and Gathering [Paperback]

Anna Gavalda
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Book Description

7 Jun 2007

Camille is doing her best to disappear. She barely eats, works at night as a cleaner and lives in a tiny attic room. Downstairs in a beautiful, ornate apartment, lives Philibert Marquet de la Durbellière, a shy, erudite, upper-class man with an unlikely flatmate in the shape of the foul-mouthed but talented chef, Franck. One freezing evening Philibert overcomes his excruciating reitcence to rescue Camille, unconscious, from her garret and bring her into his home.

As she recovers Camille learns more about Philibert; about Franck and his guilt for his beloved but fragile grandmother Paulette, who is all he has left in the world; and about herself. And slowly, this curious quartet of misfits all discover the importance of food, friendship and love.


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Hunting and Gathering + I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere + Consolation
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Product details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New Ed edition (7 Jun 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0099494078
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099494072
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 3 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 138,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"Enjoyable, well-paced and engaging" (Lucille Houston Times Literary Supplement)

"Like Amélie, Hunting and Gathering stops at nothing to make the reader feel good. Reading it reminded me of tucking into one of those beautifully constructed little cakes that you see in the windows of elegant French patisseries" (Sunday Telegraph)

"A charming, romantic - and very French - novel" (Rev'd Amber Pearson Daily Mail)

"An elegant, ironic tale.. this will be a classic" (Cosmopolitan)

"Gavalda's ability to reinvent the will-they-won't-they love story makes this a refreshing five-star read with real bite" (Eve)

Book Description

A bestseller in several countries, this enchanting novel about a collection of misfits in Paris is quirky, poignant and unputdownable.

Now also made a French film starring Audrey Tautou.


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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous portrayal of life and love 6 Jun 2009
Format:Paperback
I think that this novel about a group of four unlikely misfits that become friends is both profound and touching. Camille is an anorexic and lonely artist. Philibert her intellectual and aristocratic neighbour is the one who initially rescues Camille from herself. Franck a talented chef is Philibert's lodger. The final member of the quartet is Franck's aged Grandmother Paulette. The group learn to slowly cope with life together through the redemptive power of their various forms of love for each other. Each one of them discovers that they need something that is missing from their lives, whether it is food, friendship or love.
I liked all four protagonists as thanks to the descriptive writing one felt as though you really knew them and were able to empathise with them over their problems. Anna Gavalda also managed to bring to life for me the Parisian surroundings including the garret flat, the imposing apartment and Paulette's former home in the countryside.

It is no exaggeration to say that I found it a fabulous portrayal of life and love, certainly one of my favourite reads so far this year.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, engrossing, evocative... 30 May 2008
By LittleReader VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Initially I found this novel hard work, the first few chapters were slightly nonsensical and vague and I had to push myself to continue. Luckily for me, I persevered and was introduced to the wonderfully quirky World hidden behind the doors of an imposing Parisian apartment. Philibert - a downtrodden intellectual with a penchant for writing, his fiery flatmate - the talented chef Franck, Franck's ageing, beloved grandmother Paulette and finally Camille - a waif like artist that is rescued from herself...As this enchanting tale unfolds, they all rescue each other and a love story is shaped.
Not only was the story seamless and exquisitely written, it's characters were whole and very likable and as you move through the pages, that initial vagueness, the sense of not really understanding what the author was trying to say, becomes crystal clear.
I believe this is the quintessential modern day classic and a must for readers of all genre's...
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant ! 3 Jan 2008
By AGDA
Format:Paperback
I read the info on this book and was midly curious, I am not too interested in sad stories, and terrible dramas, so when I read that one of the characters is a girl that is not eating, trying to disappear I had my doubts, but the main characters are delightful, amazing weird, lovable people, the freedom of their hearts and the prisons were we put ourselves sometimes when we are hurting. The tender strokes of the dialogues, the hopes that keeps on growing as the story unfolds...it is classic, modern and brilliant.
The best I have read in a long while
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars If we all could find such a place... 1 Aug 2007
Format:Paperback
Anna Gavalda describes a place so many people would like to find, a place where lives are solved, where everything just comes to fit together, where loose ends or disadvantages turn out to be just what was needed. The book is the literary equivalent of a fireplace or an evening with candlelight, soft and embracing warmth. It is very hard to create such stories or characters without overdoing it. The author was able to do so, and the only actual problem is that the book has an end.
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5.0 out of 5 stars a nice happy tale 12 May 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Anna Gavalda is something of a chameleon in her writing - each book I have read of hers so far are quite different in tone and style. This one is perhaps not quite as literary as the others I have read, but is instead a wonderful heart warming tale of a group of misfits who find solace and friendship, even love together. There is a moody chef; a young woman who is a talented artist, but who works as a cleaner; an eccentric aristocrat, in whose huge apartment they find a home and finally the chef's grandmother. The book charts the ups and downs of their lives and how they cope with each other and come to a final happy ending.
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5.0 out of 5 stars great reading 20 Dec 2012
By Lii
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love it, page by page it took my breath away, very special and real, sincere. will definatly read it again after some time
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4.0 out of 5 stars good book well worth reading 23 Sep 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
We read this in our book club and most of us enjoyed it. I loved the different characters and was fascinated with their development. Also the writer got the French atmosphere and I felt I was in Paris whilst reading it.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed hunting and gathering 4 Oct 2010
Format:Paperback
We read this for our book club. All enjoyed it. Excellent translation. A feel good book. All the ky characters had issues in their pasts and had difficult public peronae, but underneath they were all really nice people and this is what came out in the end. A good read, I would recommend to anyone.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars a keep me book
What a delicious little book, it kept the pace going
all the way through, the characters were strong,
regardless of how they first appeared, and their
strengths... Read more
Published 16 months ago by lynne lanson
1.0 out of 5 stars So disappointed, love Paris but hated the book
i was recommended this book by a ember of my book group who loved it. I found it to be one of the dullest books have every read, in spite of the fact that I adore Paris and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Miss J
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique
I don't know what it is, but something about this book made me love it. It didn't seem to have much of a plot but it flowed beautifully. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2010 by Rachel
4.0 out of 5 stars A good holiday read!
The beginning is a bit depressing and I nearly gave up, as it is difficult to get into until she reveals who is who and how they are linked. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2009 by Mrs. A. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Just lovely
I read this in german first and could hardly put it down. Near the end i was so much on the 'edge of my seat' that i didn't want to read further in fear of how it might end! Read more
Published on 21 April 2009 by D. Mohr
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful!
I read this book once and thoroughly enjoyed it. Though the first couple of chapters are slow it's an absolute cracker after that! Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2008 by H. Leahy
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I've read this year
This book was recommended to me and it didn't appeal. After the fourth recommendation, I read it. Oh my gosh, it's beautiful. Read more
Published on 4 April 2008 by L. Carter
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