There is a subtle meaning to the title 'Forgotten on Sunday"...

Since the passing of her parents, 21-year-old Justine has been living with her grandparents and her cousin Jules. She is a nursing assistant at The Hydrangeas, an assisted living facility, and loves listening to the residents tell their stories.

Justine befriends Hélène, a nonagenarian resident, and begins to record the details of her past: her days spent on the beach, her love for a man called Lucien, and her memories of the war.

Justine, moved by Hélène's story and her recollections of the past, is encouraged to piece together her own story driven by the loss she has kept hidden within herself for too long...

"Forgotten on Sunday" is an emotional, character-driven, and multi-layered story about two women, two separate timelines, and stories from the past. The writing is gorgeous, the prose flows, and the storyline is intense and reflective. As I read, I contemplated the blurred lines between loss of memory and lost memories.

This was an immersion read; the audiobook is read by Elisabeth Lagelée, whose French accent complements the recounting of this story. Her breathy voice perfectly reflects the main character, Justine's thoughtful first-person narration, leading the listener through the tangled tale. The result is a lovely listening experience!

"Forgotten on Sunday" was my first experience with this author's work, and the timing was ideal with the release of her translated debut novel. It is a beautiful story, and Perrin is an author I will continue to explore.

4.5⭐

Thank you to Europa Editions, Dreamscape Media, and Valérie Perrin for the DRC and ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you @netgalley for the audiobook Advanced Reader Copy of Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin. This is translated from French. Justine works in a nursing home in her small village in France. She loves elderly people and hearing their stories. She is recording the story of her favorite patient, and it goes back to WWII, and concentration camps, and also many secrets. Justine also has mystery in her own life, her parents and her cousin’s parents were killed in a car crash when both children were young, and they have been brought up by their grandparents. There is a lot more to that story than has been told to the children. Another twist ties back to the name, when some residents have no family visitors on Sunday visiting day. Some of these families have been receiving calls on Saturday night saying that their loved one has died, please come in the morning. Then they get there and the person is very much alive-and happy to see them! It is beautifully written, and I enjoyed listening to it. #forgottenonsunday #valerieperrin #audiobook #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #frenchtranslation #bookstagram #takeapagefrommybook #lovetoread #readersofinstagram

A moving inter-generational friendship story about a young nursing home assistant and the 100 year old woman who shares her tale of regrets and lost love. Great on audio, this new to me author blew me away. I really enjoyed this one! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Forgotten on Sunday was an excellent read. I love how Perrin writes about love and friendship. This was another great writing from her.
I really liked the narrator as well.

I really liked the audiobook narrator for this, but I lost interest in the story. This author has a lovely, poetic writing style with marvelous descriptions and interesting characters. This book has different timelines presented in a non-linear way. There just wasn't enough continuity to maintain the tension.

As much as I enjoyed the premise of this book and the characters I found it confusing with the non linear timeline and the jumps in time between past and present. I listened to the audio version of this book and if the narrator had prefaced each chapter with the year in question it would have helped me out quite a bit. I think the story is lyrically written and somewhat tragic, so a plus for that. The two interconnected stories of past and present come together in the end beautifully and I was completely satisfied. This is a work of literary fiction that makes the reader really think. Recommended. 4 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen/read an ARC audio version of this book.

Twenty-one-year-old Justine has lived with her parents and cousin Jules since their parents died when she was young. Working as a nursing assistant a local retirement home, Justine spends a lot of time listening to her residents’ stories, including her favorite resident, Hélène. As Justine listens to Hélène’s memories of love and war, Justine is forced to confront her past.

I adored this story; I think it is my favorite of Perrin’s books that have been translated into English. My first job was at a retirement home, so that made this book extra dear to my heart. There are so many wonderful characters in both timelines, and several tough issues are dealt with well. Elisabeth Lagelée did a phenomenal job reading the audiobook. I hope we get another book from Perrin soon!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

Oh, how I wanted to love this book more - and I suspect if I'd read it six months ago, or six months from now, I would've. Alas, I read it at a time when there was some "stuff" going on in my life that kept me from fully enjoying it. The writing is lovely and lyrical. The stories of the past and present were both interesting. But I somehow had trouble engaging with the characters, probably due to that real-life stuff I mentioned. I may well go back and try it again, when I'm less distracted. I initially gave it 3 stars, but based on the fact I want to give it another try, as well as the excellent narration by Elisabeth Lagelée, I upped it to 4 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

This book has such an interesting storyline! I enjoyed the character development also, and love how certain back stories overlapped in subtle ways. We forget when we see an elderly person that they’re not just close to the end of their life, they’ve already lived an entire story and most are willing to share if we just listen.

"Forgotten on Sunday" by Valérie Perrin is fiction, but it seems to be real. It's about Justine, a 21 year old certified nurse assistant who loves her residents at the nursing and assisted living home and truly loves to hear their stories from the past. This story appeals to me as a former nurse assistant myself.

Hélène is one of the residents she cares for and learns the story about. Hélène married Lucien. Then he had to go into the war. This storyline was the most interesting one to me.

Justine lives with her cousin Jule and their grandparents. Both of their parents died in a car accident when they were very young.

At the nursing home, families visit residents on Sundays. Sadly, some do not have visitors. An unknown person starts calling families to say their family member who lives at the home has passed away. The families show up only to find their relative is alive and well and happy to have visitors.

The audiobook is narrated by Elisabeth Lagélee. All the names are pronounced in French and were a bit difficult for me to understand. I guess the setting is in France. This is my first experience listening to a narrator with a French accent and French words and names.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 3/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 2/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 4/5
Cover - 4/5 (different cover than shown here. It has a couple on a tropical beach in black and white)
Overall - 28/8 = 3 4/8, rounding down to 3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and
Valérie Perrin for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️

“I feel nostalgic, nostalgic for what I’ve not yet lived.”

Set in the small town of Milly, France, Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin (translated by Hildegarde Serle) revolves around twenty-one-year-old Justine Neige, a nursing assistant working at a retirement home named The Hydrangeas. Justine is an orphan raised by her grandparents with her cousin Jules after their parents perished in a road accident when they were children. She is close to Jules, whom she considers more her brother than cousin. In terms of personal relationships, she chooses to indulge in casual flings and consciously shies away from deeper romantic relationships but genuinely enjoys her job caring for the elderly and spends much of her time listening to their stories. She is particularly close to ninety-six-year-old Hélène Hel. Encouraged by Hélène’s grandson, Justine begins to write Hélène’s story – her love for Lucien, the WWII years, and the events and choices that shaped Hélène and Lucien’s lives. Hélène’s revelations Hélène inspire Justine to reflect on her own life and seek answers to questions about her family history and the tragedy that upended their lives. As the narrative progresses, we follow Justine as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and Hélène as she relives her memories. The retirement home also faces a trying situation when an anonymous caller devises a creative strategy of ensuring that its residents are not “forgotten on Sunday” by relatives who are reluctant to visit them.

“You know, when you've lost the person you loved most in the world, you lose her every day.”

This is my third time reading Valérie Perrin. I loved both Fresh Water for Flowers and Three and was eager to read Forgotten on Sunday, which was her debut novel only recently translated into English and I’m glad to say I was not disappointed!

Revolving around themes of friendship, family, love, loss, remembrance, and healing, this is a beautifully penned, profoundly moving story that inspires thought and reflection. Valérie Perrin’s characters are always well thought out - complex, flawed and thus, realistic and relatable. The author seamlessly weaves multiple timelines into a compelling narrative. I was invested in Justine’s journey and found Hélène’s story captivating and loved how the author brings all the threads of the story together. The tone of this novel leans toward melancholic, though there are splashes of humor to be found in the story. I loved the symbolism of the seagull and how the author depicts the significance of the same in both past and present timelines. This is a relatively short novel, but the author takes no shortcuts and allows us the opportunity to explore these characters – their motivations, their dreams, triumphs and regrets - with much depth and insight. The author addresses several sensitive topics -aging, loneliness, the horrors of war, trauma, grief, self-acceptance and the importance of the human connection – with maturity and compassion.

This is the kind of story that stays with you long after you have turned the last page.

"Life takes away and gives back at the same time."

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Elisabeth Lagelée who does a remarkable job of breathing life into the story. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC via NetGalley.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is remarkable literary fiction. Come for the heartfelt intergenerational story of unknown mysteries of the past but stay for the writing (I am reading an English translation, so I can only assume how much stronger this would be in French.)

A 21 year old worker at a retirement home uncovers the life of an elderly resident while also discovering the truth about her parents death. Complex, disturbing and full of emotions.

Lots of trigger warnings.

Thanks to netgalley and Europa Editions for the audiobook

Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin and narrated by Elisabeth Lagelée is an emotional, heart-rending and yet inspiring story of Justine, a nursing assistant in a retirement home. Told in multiple timelines and povs, the novel is grounded around the retirement home and its residents and employees.

There are a great many layers to this story, all of which are relatable on a human level. I experienced every emotion that I have and some I did not realise I had, but all point to an incredible story well told and well read

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, Valerie Perrin and the narrator Elisabeth Lagelee for this beautiful ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This book had many running intermingled plot lines and time lines. Oftentimes, the book was difficult to follow in the audio version. If I had a printed version to accompany the audio version, it would have helped tremendously to visually track or check back on places, dates, times, names, etc. It is a complex plot that did keep me interested; this is not a light, fluffy beach read. I enjoyed the vulnerability of the main character. Her naiveté was believable and relatable. Overall, the story is a wild ride, but needs full time and attention to stay engaged.

EXCERPT: My name is Justine Neige. I'm twenty-one years old. I've been working at a retirement home call The Hydrangeas for three years. I'm a nursing assistant. Generally, retirement homes are named after trees, like The Lindens, or The Sweet Chestnuts. But mine was built on a bank of hydrangeas. So no one considered trees, despite the home being on the edge of a forest.
I love two things in life: music and the elderly. I go dancing one Saturday in three, pretty much, at the Paradise Club, about thirty kilometers from The Hydrangeas. My Paradise is a kind of reinforced-concrete cube stuck in the middle of a field, with a makeshift carpark where, sometimes, I drunkenly kiss people of the opposite sex at around five in the morning.
Of course, I also love my brother Jules (who's actually my cousin) and my grandparents - my late father's parents. Jules is the only young person I spent time with at home during my childhood. I grew up with the elderly. I skipped a generation.
I divide my life into three: caring by day, interpreting the old folks' voices at night, and dancing on Saturday evenings to get back that carefree feeling I lost in 1996 because of grown-ups.
Those grown-ups were my parents and Jules's parents. They had the terrible idea of dying together in a car accident one Sunday morning.

ABOUT 'FORGOTTEN ON SUNDAY': Justine is 21 years old and has lived with her grandparents and her cousin Jules since the death of her parents. As a nursing assistant at a retirement home, she spends much of her days listening to her residents’ stories.

After bonding with Hélène, an almost 100-year-old resident, the two women slowly reveal their stories to one another. Whilst Justine helps Hélène to relive her memories of love and war, Hélène encourages Justine to confront the secrets of her own past, and the loss she keeps buried deep within.

MY THOUGHTS: When an old person dies - a library burns to the ground. - an old African proverb, reminding us to value the time we have with our elders and to appreciate the wisdom they have to offer.

How could anyone not love Justine? She has the biggest heart. She cares. She listens. She loves. She respects. She touches. She touched me, in my heart. She has a special friendship with Hélène Hel, 96, who, in her head, goes to the beach each day. At the request of Hélène's grandson, Roman, Justine writes down the story of Hèléne's life. As Hélène tells her story, Justine is motivated to look at her own life story a little more closely.

I loved Hélène and Justine's friendship. Actually, I adored this whole read/listen. The unravelling of two lives lived almost 75 years apart enchanted and enthralled me. I am bereft that this story has come to an end, but I shall hold these characters, particularly 'what-his-name', in my heart and my mind for a long time to come.

Beautifully written and narrated, Forgotten on Sunday is both sad and joyous. A gentle and touching read not to be missed.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#ForgottenonSunday #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Valérie Perrin is a photographer and screenwriter who works with (and is married to) Claude Lelouch. She was born in 1967 in Remiremont, in the Vosges Mountains, France. She grew up in Burgundy and settled in Paris in 1986. Valérie published her first novel at the age of 48.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Dreamscape Media via NetGalley for providing the audiobook Forgotten on Sunday written by Valérie Perrin, translated by Hildegard Serle, and beautifully narrated by Elisabeth Lagelée for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Forgotten on Sunday (Les Oubliés du dimanche) by Valérie Perrin, translated by Hildegarde Serle, narrated by Elisabeth Lagelée
Audiobook publication date: June 4, 2024

This is the debut novel by Valerie Perrin, originally published in France in 2015. After the smashing international success of her second novel, "Fresh Water for Flowers," her other two novels were also translated in English. Personally, I read "Fresh Water for Flowers" recently and I was very impressed by it. It is one of my top three books thus far in 2024 out of over 70 books I have read. I was very excited to read her other novels. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to read other works by this author.

This book is centered around a 21 year old Justine who works for an elder care home as a nursing assistant. She enjoys working there and listening to old people's stories. Her favorite resident is Helene, whose story fascinates Justine. The story goes back and forth between Justine's story and Helene's story from the past.

If you have read "Fresh Water for Flowers", there are a lot of similarities between two works, the oddly quiet female protagonists, dual story lines, theme of death and dying as a part of life. The narration and translation are both excellent, and I really enjoy how she weaves stories together.
It does feel as though this debut novel is a little rougher around the edges when compared to her second novel, and some ideas are not fully flushed out. It is also shorter than her second novel and maybe more approachable. Both novels have a variety of characters and dual timelines. For her second novel, I paired the physical book with the audiobook, which turned out to be a very good choice because while the both audiobooks are very well narrated, some French names and words were easier to understand in conjunction with written words. Also, there are a lot of characters involved, and I felt the actual book helps me to follow the story.
Personally, I preferred her second book. This book is still well written and I am glad to be able to listen to it. I am looking forward to reading the third book. (by the way - all three books are standalones I believe. You do not have to read her other books to enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for offering an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange of my honest review.

I've been curious about Valérie Perrin, so I jumped on the chance to listen to the audio version of Forgotten on Sunday. I enjoyed the story, though I found it a bit confusing at times. There is a lot of jumping around between characters and timelines, but the story moves quickly so it was quite interesting.

Translated from French by Hildegarde Serle, they do a wonderful job.

The audio version of Forgotten on Sunday was performed by Elisabeth Lagelee who does a nice job, esp with all of the French pronounciations of the names in the story.

4/5 ⭐️
This is a wonderful multi POV novel, and although is a short novel it goes into a very deep detailed of all characters. I am so excited that I was able to get a copy of the audiobook, the narrator was fenomenal! I devoured it in one afternoon. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this wonderful new novel.

Justine works as a nursing assistant at a retirement home. She becomes very good friends with Hélène and Justine loves to hear her stories about the past. These two encourage each other to confront their tragic memories.

I very seldom say this. But, this book probably should be physically read and not via audiobook. It took me quite a while to figure out what time period I was in. The author did not let you know at the beginning of a chapter so you had to go pretty far into the chapter to figure it out. Also, the main character, Justine, would flash back to her past. This story was a bit confusing in places.

The narrator, Elisabeth Lagelée, did a very good job, especially with the French.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Pros: Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy and the What Should I Read Next podcast has been raving about Valerie Perrin, so I was excited to see this book, which is her debut, on NetGalley. I read this book in one sitting because I was curious to learn about the pasts of the characters and to discover twists along the way. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style (and, I assume, the work of the translator) and immediately put Fresh Water for Flowers on my to-read list.

I switched between ebook and audiobook to read this book, and it was great on both formats. I especially enjoyed the audiobook narration and hearing the names spoken with a French accent.

Cons: I did not love every plot point, but that won’t keep me from reading more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Europa Editions, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read this book.