The Kites

Set in Normandy before and during WW II, The Kites is narrated by a young orphan Ludo Fleury, who is madly in love with Lila de Bronicki, a charming and self-absorbed Polish aristocrat. Despite the looming war, Ludo remains obstinately in love with Lila, and becomes involved in the Resistance.

Ludo’s uncle and guardian, the colourful Ambroise Fleury, a passionate amateur kite-maker, is deported to Auschwitz, while Ambroise’s best friend, Marcellin Duprat, one of France’s greatest chefs, battles the Occupation with an unrelenting love of haute cuisine, and Julie Espinoza, a Parisian madame refashions herself as a collaborationist countess, running a Resistance network under the noses of the Nazis.

Written by one of the greatest and best-loved French authors, The Kites is both a ripping good story and a sobering reflection on the tragic human tendency to search for an enemy. It's funny and heartbreaking, dark and optimistic, tender and unsparing.

About the Author

Born in 1914 in what is now Lithuania, Romain Gary wrote nearly thirty novels and numerous short stories and screenplays. He was twice awarded France's most prestigious literary award, the Prix Goncourt, once under his own name, and once under the pseudonym Emile AjarMiranda Richmond Mouillot was born in the USA but now lives in France. Her first book, A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War and Ruined House in France, is also published by Text.