The Margot Affair

A Novel

By: Sanaë Lemoine

Narrated by: Hope Newhouse

An “exquisite” (The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice) and “wonderfully Parisian” (Leila Slimani, author of The Perfect Nanny) debut novel of intrigue and deception.

“Betrayal and desire fuel the story of Margot, the secret daughter of a twenty-year affair between a French politician and a famous actress. . . . A startling, affecting first book by an author who is confident in her craft.”—The New York Times

Margot Louve has lived her whole life as a secret. The hidden daughter of a long-standing affair, she exists with her mother in the shadows, living in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank.

It is a house of cards that Margot—fueled by a longing to be seen and heard—decides to tumble. The summer of her seventeenth birthday, she meets a well-regarded journalist who will set her plan in motion.

But as Margot is drawn into an adult world she struggles to comprehend, she learns how one impulsive decision can shatter the lives of those around her in ways she could never have imagined. Incisively exposing the seams between private lives and public faces, The Margot Affair is a simmering exploration of desire, transgression, and the dangers of speaking the truth.

©2020 Sanaë Lemoine (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A diary and a page-turner and a masterful debut, all at once.”—Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling

“Gorgeous . . . very French. . . in lush, lyrical prose that perfectly captures the heightened emotion and confusion of being a young woman with a bruised heart and limited experience. Though the book seems to be about an absent father, it’s more about a tricky mother, and about motherhood in general. It asks the ultimate question about this most complicated of relationships: What will a mother do for her child?”—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times (Daily Review)

"Drumming with tension, The Margot Affair grapples with the complexity of familial love."—Marie Claire

it was just ok

im sorry but i did not enjoy the narrators voice at all, and the story was not very interesting

The end of adolescence

This was an excellent book. The narrator sounded young and nervous, like the main character, Margot.

Glimpse into Parisian life

There was some fine writing in the story, but I was left unfulfilled by Ms Newhouse’s breathless performance. While I enjoyed the details of French life (school, Parisian neighborhoods, cooking, etc), I could not get past the delivery. In short I disagree with the choices made by the performer. Each line is spoken with timidity and delivered with a breathless giggle as if she’s uncertain of what she’s saying.

Fabulous

Great writing great Performance excellent summer listen! Makes you feel like you are a teen in Paris

Enjoyed the first half of the book

The majority of second half of the book made no sense. Margot accepts appalling behavior.

Bad narration

Returned because of the narrator. Painful to listen to, breathy and childish, sounds nothing like a soigne Parisian teen.

Does she hate females?

This book has a flimsy plot filled with females being catty with each other and body image issues. Not a feminist's choice. Shocking the author is herself a woman.

Not much about Paris like I wanted

I was headed to Paris and wanted a light summer like novel to put me in the mood. I kept thinking the book would get better but it didn’t. It was interesting, but when it ended I was aghast! That’s it? I feel like it was a waste of time. My trip to Paris however was fabulous.

2.5 stars

I found this slow in the beginning, and a bit tedious and annoying, it does improve slightly as the book progresses, but I kept having to remind myself Margot is a child.
The plot was not as fulfilling as I'd hope it would be. Margot makes a childish decision. The adult she makes that decision with is a creepy man who treats her like an adult though she is 17. Maybe in France it's different and you are an adult at a younger age, but I hope regardless of the culture, adults in their 30's-40's do not treat children who are 17 as fully functioning mature adults. They have no idea what their decisions can do long term.
Do I feel like Margot is as mature as everyone around her thinks she is? No, I think she's just been left to fend for herself and learned not to draw attention to herself. Do I think that makes her mature? No, maybe just shy and/or introverted.
Do I feel that Margot learned any lesson here? Sure, did I need 9 hours of listening to realize she learned her lesson? No.