Romain Gary
1960
Around 350 pages
I knew I could trust Romain Gary to get us out of our slump. Romain has been through some shit, and ended up killing himself in his 60s. After everything he had seen and recovered from, I can't help but wonder what was catastrophically different about that moment. In his memoir, he says he always felt at peace with the world when he was eating pickles. Who was in charge of getting this man pickles??
Romain Gary had a smother, who depended on her son for all her happiness and dream fulfillment. She expects Romain to become a master tennis player, a famous violinist, a respected diplomat, and the killer of Adolf Hitler. Romain is driven by the desire to please his mother, which leads him to joining the French air force during World War II.
I was glad I had read Roots of Heaven prior to this, as he makes several references to the novel and points to areas in his real life where he drew inspiration for Morel. Gary writes with astonishing honesty and caring, which I would imagine is an arduous task with a memoir. He does not villainize or exonerate his mother, or himself.
Romain Gary is my hero, and gone too soon, like many others on this List.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
After learning that his wife had an affair with Clint Eastwood, Gary challenged him to a duel, but Eastwood declined.
UP NEXT: Rabbit Run by John Updike
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