Chance Acquaintances and Julie De Carneilhan

Jan 2, 2026 5:49 PM

Author:Colette

Set in pre-war Paris, Julie de Carneilhan tells of the complex relationship between proud but impoverished Julie and her former husband, the Comte d'Espivant, who has remarried a wealth widow. Julie de Carneilhan was the last full-length novel Colette was to write as was 'as close a reckoning with the elements of her second marriage as she ever allowed herself.'In Chance Acquaintances Colette visits a health resort accompanied only by her cat. While there, she befriends the handsome Gerard Haume and his invalid wife Antoinette, and is unwittingly caught up in the mysterious and disturbing events which befall them.Varying widely in mood and treatment, these two short novels demonstrate the versatility and sensitivity of Colette's writing

Reviews

Unbearably thrilling and romantic...full of Verne's gentle humour

—— Daily Mail

Among the deep-sea volcanoes, shoals of swirling fish, giant squid and sharks, Captain Nemo steers the Nautilus. Nemo is the renegade scientist par excellence, a man madly inventive in his quest for revenge

—— Sunday Telegraph

A tale of terror, suspense and wonder

—— Guardian

Fabulous...the pace is sharp and the story as dramatic and engaging as ever

—— Daily Express

Verne's imagination has given us some of the greatest adventure stories of all time

—— Daily Mail

One of the books I have read and re-read with unfailing pleasure and interest is Jules Verne's 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.... Verne's novel entranced me. I was in love with Captain Nemo, the brooding cultured misanthrope of the deeps, who combined the romantic qualities of Heathcliff and Byron with the ruthlessness of Macbeth

—— Margaret Drabble , Independent

Engrossing - compassionate and tense.

—— New York Times

The book is a fantastically entertaining and witty read, following the lives of three young women, Caroline, Gregg, and April working on the New York publishing scene as they search for love while trying to succeed in the metropolis ... the book's portrait of young women at a vibrant stage in their life, their excitement, fun, struggles and friendships in the city, is accurate and timeless. A fabulous summer novel best consumed poolside with a cigarette and martini

—— Lucy Greene , City A.M.

There is an old-fashioned feeling to this readable and well-written novel

—— Independent

Boyne's twinning of the subjects of homosexuality and conscientious objection is inspired

—— Metro

Boyne skillfully draws a thread through from sexual to moral to social shame... he tells a good story

—— Irish Independent

A really enjoyable, if rather sad, read, full of historical and human interest

—— Irish Sunday Independent

Felix Quinn, the narrator of the book...explains it beautifully - and this is a very good novel... Feeling unsafe makes him feel alive. And loss, of course, is the wellspring of good storytelling

—— Evening Standard

The Act of Love is an ambitious and at times extremely uncomfortable novel

—— The Telegraph

It is an almost frighteningly brilliant achievement. Why did the Booker judges not recognise it?

—— The Guardian

This is a very good novel

—— Scotsman

Jacobson's 10th novel is a moving, thought-provoking and darkly witty story of desire and love

—— Irish Times

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