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Start giftingThe Wide World
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Learn moreThis electrifying novel of passion, greed, murder, and revenge follows the sweeping saga of one prominent French family in postwar Paris, Beirut, and Saigon.
The Pelletiers are a prominent French family living in Beirut. The patriarch, Louis, has built a successful business that he hopes to pass on to his eldest son. With no head for management, Jean nearly runs the company into the ground, then marries a materialistic young woman who insists they emigrate to Paris and join high society. But there's another reason Jean must leave—he has committed a terrible crime...Youngest son Etienne is sent to make his fortune in Saigon. Soon, he begins investigating a covert scheme to channel smuggled goods and cash to the Viet Minh. But the evidence he amasses presents a real threat to his own life.
François, the middle brother, arrives in Paris and tries his hand at journalism. His career begins to take off when he starts covering the brutal murder of an actress that seems part of a pattern of killings. But the killer he’s chasing is closer to him than he realizes.
Epic in scope, and a vivid depiction of French life in the booming postwar years, TheGreatWorld is a riveting saga at once gripping and classic.
Pierre Lemaitre is a French screenwriter and novelist of international acclaim. He has won the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger three times for his thriller Alex. In 2013, Lemaitre's novel The Great Swindle won the Prix Goncourt, France's leading literary award, and it was adapted for film in 2017. He lives in Paris.
Reviews
Praise for All Human Wisdom:"Terrific . . . Easily the most purely entertaining novel I have read so far this year."—David Mills, The Sunday Times "A really excellent suspense novelist."—Stephen King Praise for The Great Swindle:
"Mr. Lemaitre's background in crime fiction shows through in the intricate plotting and suspenseful pacing of The Great Swindle, which at times reads like a thriller. Its characters harbor so many secrets that part of the enjoyment in the book comes from seeing how the author plans to disentangle them."—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times "A masterly epic of post-war France, where impostures triumph and capitalists grow rich from the ruins."—Macha Séry, Le Monde "Lemaitre's tale is carefully researched, and most of the story's value lies in its historical authenticity . . . the battlefield and hospital scenes convey Lemaitre's mastery of imagery."—Kirkus Reviews Expand reviews