Gabriële

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Pub Date Apr 22 2025 | Archive Date Apr 22 2025

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Description

The story of a passionate love affair that triggered a revolution.

An atmospheric, exuberant novel from the best-selling author of The Postcard, Anne Berest, and her sister, Claire Berest, about love and sex, art and revolution, experimentation and creativity, and three young people who changed the world.

The year is 1908, the height of the Belle Époque, and a brilliant, young French woman named Gabriële, newly graduated from the most elite music school in Europe, meets a volcanic Spanish artist named Francis. Following a whirlwind romance, they marry and fall headlong into a Paris that is experimenting with new forms of living, thinking, and creating. Soon after marrying Francis, Gabriële meets Marcel, another young artist, five years her junior. Soon, Francis, Marcel, and Gabriële are all involved in a fervent affair that will change the course of art history and redefine the avant-garde.

As the Belle Epoque gives way to rebellion and revolution, and the world descends into the devastation of World War I, Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp, and Gabriële Buffet revolutionize art and open up new ways of seeing and thinking, along the way posing a vital question for their age and ours: what is the connection between new ways loving and new ways of creating?

Moving between Paris, New York, Berlin, Zurich, Barcelona, London, and Saint-Tropez, Gabriële is as audacious, uninhibited, intimate, and unforgettable as its central character, the mercurial, pioneering Gabriële Buffet.

The story of a passionate love affair that triggered a revolution.

An atmospheric, exuberant novel from the best-selling author of The Postcard, Anne Berest, and her sister, Claire Berest, about love...


A Note From the Publisher

TARGET READERSHIP

- Fans of Anne Berest’s The Postcard, who are eager to immerse themselves into another “true novel” that seamlessly blends meticulous historical research and propulsive storytelling.
- Readers of historical fiction set in the early 20th century like A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Last Nude by Ellis Avery, and interested in fictionalized biographies, especially those highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of women to culture, the arts, and society
- Fans of fictionalized biographies of 20th-century artists and creators, like The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain, The Great Passion by James Runcie, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin, The Other Einsteinby Marie Benedict, The Parisian by Isabella Hammad, The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman, and The Masterby Colm Toibin.
- Readers interested in art history, the origins of modern art, and the lives of artists and writers who made up the avantgarde movement in the early 20th century
- Readers of novels featuring strong female characters challenging the norms of their time, as well as with an interest in French culture and history, especially Paris’s vibrant art scene during the Belle Époque

KEY SELLING POINTS

- Nielsen numbers for Anne Berest’s previous title, The Postcard: hardcover: 35,500; paper: 11,300; ebook: 31,200
- Explores the hidden history of their family while shedding light on one of the most influential figures of the avantgarde movement in the early 20th
- The novel offers a fresh perspective on the life of Gabriële Buffet—a significant yet often neglected figure in the modern art world, who worked with and inspired some of the most influential male artists of her time—and highlights her intellectual contributions and artistic vision.
- Written by Gabriële’s great-granddaughters, Anne and Claire Berest, the novel offers a personal and intimate portrayal, blending family legacy with historical narrative.
- The book provides an original and captivating perspective on the lives of some of the most important artists of the 20thcentury, including Francis Picabia, Guillaume Apollinaire, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Arp, Elsa Schiaparelli, and many more.

TARGET READERSHIP

- Fans of Anne Berest’s The Postcard, who are eager to immerse themselves into another “true novel” that seamlessly blends meticulous historical research and propulsive...


Advance Praise

Praise for Gabriële 

“Sensitive, refined, intelligent… An unmitigated success.”—Les Inrockuptibles

“A story crafted with luminous tenderness.”—L’Obs

Praise for The Postcard 

“Powerful, meticulously imagined... The Postcard (translated into a lucid and precise English by Tina Kover) takes its readers on a deep dive into one Jewish family’s history, and, inextricably, into the devastating history of the Holocaust in France... [A] powerful literary work... that contains a single grand-scale act of self-discovery and many moments of historical illumination.”—Julie Orringer, The New York Times Book Review 

The Postcard is also a historical detective story about how to uncover those truths—and what remains forever lost in the fragments of documentation that leave a scattered trail.”—Lucas Wittmann, TIME Magazine 

“Moving…Ms. Berest has done her research, artfully weaving grim facts and figures into her family history…Let’s hope that a book like this, which encompasses both the monstrosities of the past and the dangers of the present, will guard us from complacency.”—Heller McAlpin, The Wall Street Journal 

“In what feels like a literary magic trick, Berest transforms her own family’s complex and heartbreaking Holocaust history into a novel that masterfully blends elements of drama, mystery and philosophy. It’s propulsive yet deep—an intimate, exacting contemplation of loss that somehow ends in love.”—Kate Tuttle, People Magazine 

“Stunning...[The Postcard] leaves us wondering whether the opposite of memory is not forgetting, but rather indifference.”—Leslie Camhi, The New Yorker 

The Postcard is...a powerful exploration of family trauma...transmitted in the womb or down the generations; a longing for what we don’t know and can never know of the people whose lives are responsible for our own existence, and an internalization of the very worst that humans can do to one another, visited on one’s own family.”—Lauren Elkin, The Washington Post 

“Reading this novel is intimate...It is as though Berest has taken us by the hand to lead us through the family home and search for the family graves that don’t exist. Who are your invisible ones? she continues to ask through the tour, and we are forced to answer, both on her account and our own.”—Virginia Reeves, New York Journal of Books 

The Postcard recreates in stunning detail the lives of Berest’s lost family members and weaves them into a detective story, loosely centered on the postcard.”—The New York Times 

“A can’t-miss novel.”—Chicago Review of Books 

“An “un-put-down-able” book is like a double rainbow — rare and oh so magical. Titles like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith, and The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton... Now comes another un-put-down-able book, The Postcard, by French writer Anne Berest.”—Kitty Kelley, Washington Independent Review of Books 

“Compelling.”—The Washington Examiner 

“Whenever I put it down, I was pulled back by the sheer strength of Berest’s storytelling. Her ability to conjure real people in surreal circumstances while digging deeply into her own psyche is profound. My understanding of that time and my post-war family’s reaction to it runs deeper as a result.”—Helene Siegel, Jewish Journal 

“Straddling the boundary between fiction and memoir, this is one of the most inventive books I read this year.... A must-read for anyone who wants to understand how European amnesia about the Holocaust affects Jewish citizens today.”—Forward, A Best Book of the Year 

“This novel is a beautiful, affecting portrait of mother and daughter searching for their family history.”—Nichole LeFebvre, On the Seawall 

“In this riveting, poignant and unflinching autofiction, Berest (the great-granddaughter of painter Francis Picabia and Resistance fighter Gabriële Buffet) pursues the mystery ruthlessly....This brilliant novel, at times harrowing in its telling, is surely one of the finest of the year.”—Janet Somerville, The Toronto Star 

“[Berest] deftly intertwines the story of her research with the stories she uncovers.”—Elizabeth Edelglass, Hadassah Magazine 

“Undeniably compelling...A testament to the power of imagination and an investigation of empathy.”—Vogue, A Most Anticipated Book of 2023 

“Intimate, profound, essential.”—ELLE Magazine 

★ “Phenomenal...powerful...brilliant.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

★ “Not only a significant contribution to our understanding of the Holocaust but a moving reflection on loss, memory, and the past, in equal measures heartwarming and heartrending. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review) 

★ “Electrifying...Berest is aware that she’s relating a tragedy, but her narration rejects the impulse to let her family members’ stories rest at that...Acknowledging both the horrors of the Holocaust and the humanity of those it targeted, The Postcard is a commanding family memoir.”—Foreword reviews (starred review) 

★ “[A] brilliant work of autofiction...The book derives enormous power from seemingly small details...This is a gut-wrenching, exceptional work.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review) 

★ “A unique piece of autofiction that unfolds like a thriller while seamlessly addressing a number of hefty social issues past and present... Berest’s moving storytelling brings her ancestors’ story to life in dramatic, artful ways, often interspersing historical events with running discussions between mother and daughter.”—Alice Cary, BookPage (starred review) 

“A masterfully woven family story covering five generations of women, The Postcard is a true story that reads like a novel, and a historical narrative with lessons still relevant to today.”—Lilith Magazine, A Best Book of 2023 

“Though partially a mystery and even a spy thriller, The Postcard ultimately reads like an absorbing and tragic biography of an extended family, ripped apart by the cruelties of Vichy France.”—Debra Sparks, Frenchly 

“An important story...It will open people's eyes. Anne did her homework—she knows what she's talking about.”—Isa Fernandez, Loveland Magazine 

“Full of suspense and emotion, The Postcard is a quest for origins that plunges us into the darkest hours of European history. A deeply moving book.”—Leïla Slimani, author of The Perfect Nanny 

The Postcard is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read, and certainly the most beautiful I’ve read in recent years. It floored me, to put it mildly. I will never forget Ephraïm, Emma, Noémie, and Jacques. Universal figures, they are a part of my, of our family now.”—Valérie Perrin, author of Fresh Water for Flowers 

“A novel of such intimate power that one feels it in the body as it’s read…A brave act of survivorship and storytelling.”—Kathryn Ma, author of The Chinese Groove 

“Absolutely compelling and engrossing, The Postcard by Anne Berest and translated by Tina Kover is a story of memory and loss and a new standout in literature about the Holocaust.”—Caitlin Baker, Electric Literature, “Indie Booksellers Recommend 13 Books for 2023” 

“I loved this book so much. I cannot stop thinking about it...It’s a book that will haunt you and make you think about family legacy, traditions, and so much more.”—Elisa Shoenberger, Book Riot, A Best Book of Spring 2023 

“Will deepen readers’ understanding of that horrific event while clarifying the role of memory, loss, and the past.”—Library Journal, “Best World Literature of 2023.” 

“I highly recommend “The Postcard” – even if you’ve been tempted to never again read a novel about the Holocaust – if only to learn what the true meaning of what it feels like to be the child and grandchild of survivors. It also shines a light on France, its past and its outlook on Jews during contemporary times.”—The Reporter 

“Based on actual events in the author’s life [The Postcard] transcends the usual. It renders the tragedy poignantly and with impact that can be felt in the gut...This prize-winning book is one not to be missed by anyone who cares about justice and human dignity...Absolutely intriguing.”—Eric Boss, MPIBA 

“In this sweeping family saga, Berest illuminates opportunities for kindness and betrayal in wartime France and the long echo of the Holocaust’s atrocities...will appeal to fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Book Thief.”—Booklist 

“The story overall is poignant, tense, restless, and ultimately pivotal, as Anne not only solves her mystery, but, more importantly, gains her identity...The anguish and horror of genocide arrive with fresh impact in an absorbing personal account.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“Combines the excitement of a thriller with the emotional power of a requiem…A moving, extraordinary book.”—Le Point 

“I think it's time we get to know this amazing author better.”—Advanced Reading Copy 

"The vividness of Berest’s imagination is given all the more force for being firmly couched in the rigorous research that she documents as the book continues, in quasi-Proustian flashbacks seamed with precise analysis and candid self-disclosure. The reality she presents is one you can accept."—The Sydney Morning Herald 

Praise for Gabriële 

“Sensitive, refined, intelligent… An unmitigated success.”—Les Inrockuptibles

“A story crafted with luminous tenderness.”—L’Obs

Praise for The Postcard 

“Powerful, meticulously...


Marketing Plan

Marketing & Publicity

  • Print & e-galleys available
  • National and regional media
  • Author tour

Marketing & Publicity

  • Print & e-galleys available
  • National and regional media
  • Author tour

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9798889660897
PRICE $28.00 (USD)
PAGES 368

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