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Bethany Keats: Adventures through, of, and around.

France

On the Run: French convicts in North Queensland

April 6, 2022 by Bethany Keats
Two newspaper images of two men

In the second half of the nineteenth century, hundreds of escaped prisoners from the French territory of New Caledonia made their way to Australia in search of freedom, with the majority arriving in Queensland. Their aim was to escape the brutal conditions of life in a penal colony. In December 1889, two escapees calling themselves … [Read more…]

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: France, history

Book review: Tiptoeing Through Paris, Picnic on the Print, and Pushing the High Note, by Barbara Johnson Chase

March 24, 2022 by Bethany Keats
Three books on a white fabric background

Barbara Johnson Chase’s three books of art and poetry are books to have on hand for a quiet moment of reflection or escapism. Some poems are a single stanza, while others go for multiple pages, allowing the books and artwork to fill the down-time available to the reader. As a combination of art and poetry, they … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review: The Hanged Man’s Tale by Gerald Jay

January 26, 2022 by Bethany Keats
Close up of the book cover showing the title words

This is one for the crime fiction fans. ‘The Hanged Man’s Tale’ follows the police investigation of a murder where the victim is found hanging inside a canal tunnel in Paris with a tarot card in his pocket. The book is written by Gerald Jay, the nom de plume of the late creative writing academic … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book review: Love’s Legacy by Daniel Fallon

October 14, 2021 by Bethany Keats

When Daniel Fallon’s father died, he inherited two letters sent to his great-great-grandfather by the French romantic writer François-René de Chateaubriand. The letters aligned with a family story about his great-great-great-grandmother Mary O’Neill showing kindness to Chateaubriand when he was in London – and Fallon wanted to know more. Love’s Legacy is Fallon’s investigation into a … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review: French Connection, by Alexis Bergantz

September 18, 2021 by Bethany Keats
looking down at the book on top of a striped shirt and next to a red beret

“French Connection” is a non-fiction work about the history of French migration and French migrants in Australia in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. It’s particularly concerned with identity; a young Australian nation finding its identity, and French migrants to Australia finding theirs. Although it’s non-fiction, it’s highly readable for general interest and non-academic audiences. Author … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Interview: Oliver Gee & Lina Nordin Gee—also meet Kylie and Roger

September 15, 2021 by Bethany Keats
screen shot of an instagram feed showing some illustrations of coffee and photos of life in France

Oliver Gee and Lina Nordin Gee are an Australian-Swedish couple who have been living in Paris for nearly seven years.  Living the dream in Paris—between the two of them they: run a successful podcast, design shoes, and handbags, write and illustrate books, and navigate life as new parents. It may sound exhausting for some, but … [Read more…]

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: France

Book review: Kylie the Crocodile in Paris by Oliver Gee and Lina Nordin Gee

July 28, 2021 by Bethany Keats
Book Kylie the Crocodile surrounded by bougainvillea and a plush crocodile

Kylie the Crocodile lives in a canal in Paris. She used to live in an apartment with a Parisian lady until she grew too big and was released into the canal. Now, she enjoys people-watching and exploring the city’s sights at night when the city is quiet. I love a book that starts with a … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Interview: A mother-daughter duo using books to bridge the Atlantic

July 5, 2021 by Bethany Keats
Two women hold a copy each of a children's book and smile at each other

Ongoing creative collaboration on children’s books across the Atlantic Ocean has helped bring Patti Lecron and her daughter Marianne Lecron closer together while achieving a family goal of leaving their children a literary, artistic, and entrepreneurial heritage.  Patti likes to say that curiosity brought her to France but it was a smile that kept her … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: books, France

Book review – A Genuine Little Mouse / Une Véritable Petite Souris, by PB Lecron

July 5, 2021 by Bethany Keats

Iris, the mouse wants to be the tooth fairy. That’s because, in France, the tooth fairy isn’t a fairy at all but a special mouse that collects children’s baby teeth when they fall out. A Genuine Little Mouse, written and illustrated by PB Lecron, and available in French as Une Véritable Petite Souris, is about … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Book Review – The Return of Martin Guerre, by Natalie Zemon Davis

March 27, 2021 by Bethany Keats
Looking down at a patterned marble coffee table with the book and a cup of coffee on top of it

In 1548 Martin Guerre left his wife, left his son, and left the village of Artigat in southwest France. 12 years later, “Martin” returned. Many people may be familiar with Martin Guerre’s story from various creative works, including a film with Gerard Depardieu from 1982. For those who aren’t, it’s a fascinating story of how … [Read more…]

Posted in: Books Tagged: book review, books, France

Recent Posts

  • On the Run: French convicts in North Queensland
  • Book review: Tiptoeing Through Paris, Picnic on the Print, and Pushing the High Note, by Barbara Johnson Chase
  • Book Review: The Hanged Man’s Tale by Gerald Jay
  • Book review: Love’s Legacy by Daniel Fallon
  • Book Review: French Connection, by Alexis Bergantz

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