Civilisation Française

Author(s): Mary Fleming

Location(s): France

Genre(s): Fiction

Era(s): 1980's

When recent college graduate Lily Owens enrolls in the Civilisation Française course at the Sorbonne in 1982, she hopes to put a difficult childhood behind her and to find
direction for adulthood.

She moves into an historic mansion on the place des Vosges where her job is helping elderly, half-blind Amenia Quinon, another ex-pat American. Unbeknownst to Lily, Amenia
is haunted by memories of World War II, as is her Jewish housekeeper, Germaine. The three women live alone in this house of silence and secrets, mostly revolving in their own
worlds, until Lily lets her friend, Thibaud, move into the empty wing. When Thibaud lets in others, the abandoned part of the house quickly turns into a squat, causing turmoil and distress among the three women, but ultimately bringing them closer together.

CIVILISATION FRANÇAISE is an engaging, powerful story about facing our past, discovering a future and the meaning of home.

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