Exiles by LJ Ambrosio, the third instalment in the Reflections of Michael Trilogy revolves around the story of Ron, who starts a new life in Paris after Michael's death to further his own freedom from people and society.
The book takes us through new characters like Louie, whom Ron catches stealing a book and Lily, the girlfriend of Louie and their experiences at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. It highlights their interactions, moments of self-discovery, and the magical ambiance of the bookstore. I am surely right when I say that all of us who dedicate ourselves directly or indirectly to the world of books have dreamed of having our own bookstore.
This is a conversation between two individuals, Ron and Louie along with Lily, discussing various topics such as writing, literature, and their personal lives. Louie is interested in writing and has journals and occasionally writes poetry. Ron offers Louie a place to stay. They also discuss the Beat Generation and the importance of working-class authors. The conversation shifts to French cinema and its significance. Later, they have dinner together and share stories.
Louie expresses his contentment with living at the bookstore. The book highlight's themes like writing, literature, copy editing, the Beat Generation, French cinema, and personal relationships.
We find vivid moments of Louie getting welcomed by Lily's family, his love for France, challenging situations, which he overcomes with Ron's help, showcasing their strong bond. Louie and Ron also explore the Loire Valley, experiencing its magical charm, with profound moments of connection with nature, and witnessing glorious sunrise.
The themes of friendship, self-expression, and the power of literature are prominent throughout the narrative as Louie, Ron, and Lily share intimate moments over meals and literary games. The characters find solace and inspiration within the walls of the bookstore.
The characters, especially Louie, undergo personal growth as they engage with the books and atmosphere of the store. Louie's journey from self-doubt to confidence is a central focus, showcasing the impact of literature on individuals.
The description of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore creates a vivid and enchanting backdrop for the story. The aura of the store, with its welcoming environment and diverse literary offerings, plays a significant role in shaping the characters' experiences.
The book provides insight into the author's motivations and inspirations and underscores the importance of personal connections, lifelong learning, and the influence of friendships on creative endeavors.
The book is a hymn to life. Ambrosio's characters, just like real life ones, don't give up. They take their destiny into their own hands; they try to change their existence starting from small gestures. They do everything they can to get out of the gloomy condition they fell into some time ago. They break the silence.
I don't want to say what the story is specifically about. I just intend to rescue what I think you should consider when reading it: a story of people who do exist, even if we ignore them; that are in remote places, that occur in any country, even though we pretend that they are not there, whose lives are as valuable as any, even when the general public ignores them and it seems that they do not exist. The book reminds us that they are.
The book offers a heartfelt exploration of human connections, artistic expression, and the transformative power of literature. Through the characters' experiences at the bookstore, readers are invited to reflect on the beauty of storytelling and the profound impact of shared moments of inspiration.
The language and dialogues are engaging to make the conversations between the characters livelier and more interesting to capture the reader's attention. The descriptive language creates a vivid image of the bookstore, the piano room, and the atmosphere.
The content is divided into chapters to improve readability and make it easier for the reader to follow the conversation and events expanding on the characters' motivations and aspirations, providing more insight into their backgrounds.
I found reading it intense, small, beautiful, overflowing with pertinent reflections, strongly autobiographical, optimistic and pessimistic in equal parts.
One of the many merits that are recognized in certain books by authors is precisely that they tell us common facts, about common people, but that we always, in one way or another, do not notice. That is why these authors manage to transcend time and move us, because they remind us precisely of those lives and connect us with our humanity.
This book is close to that, and I affirm that it is close, because we are dealing with a novelist who will probably surprise us later with many more novels that not only come close, but totally achieve it.
From the beginning, the book provokes curiosity and desire to continue reading, and this curiosity is crossed by several questions that the reader can ask from the beginning. This curiosity that the beginning causes, marked by the initial prejudice made me reflect on the extent to which we judge the context, and for that reason alone, it is worth reading it.
I must add that the description of the environment and its characters places us in a universal and recognizable place, and I insist on this, because it seems to me that it is one of the great merits of the book. Being this universal, the recognition is individual, and I am sure that other readers will be reminded of some other place with those characteristics.
The protagonist of the book deserves special mention, who at the same time is the central character of the story he tells. The interesting thing is that the protagonist has no ego and describes himself and the other characters without pretensions or judgments, but aware of his life.
Reflections of Michael Trilogy by LJ Ambrosio is a work to read. Good books should be read, nothing more, nothing less. The writing is fluent, the descriptions are accurate and detailed. The characters are full of weaknesses, as in real life, and strengths. Life is nothing other than this: resisting adversity and finding beauty in ordinary lives, in habitual and why not, banal gestures.
It takes an extraordinary pen to keep a reader from these three books. That's what happened to me. I recommend it to all those who want to take a trip, who want to forget about themselves but are not afraid of running into what they are fleeing from, Reflections of Michael Trilogy is a mirror.
The novel, the last installment in this engrossing trilogy, takes readers to the heart of Paris, where the protagonist Ron, at his friend Michael's suggestion, sets out on a journey of self-exile. Ron's story develops with depth and resonance against the backdrop of the city's lively culture and passionate protests, providing a complex examination of identity, friendship, and the search for purpose.
Much like its predecessors, this novel makes me feel a variety of things, including laughter, anxiety, excitement, wonder, and loss. Ambrosio's skill in incorporating these emotions into the story is what gives the trilogy its unique quality. While there is room for improvement in the book, overall the story is heartwarming and well worth reading.
Ambrosio shows a wonderful capacity to add levels of intellectual insight and emotional depth to her storytelling throughout the story. Every page exudes a feeling of urgency and poignancy that drive readers to reflect on life's most important issues in tandem with the characters.
Excerpt
“So, then what is your name? American in Paris?”
“Okay, Louie, my name is Ron. Happy now? I have already seen that movie. Book. Now.”
“There you go again speaking that strange language with no emotions. My name is not pronounced Louie it is Loo-ee like our former kings! That is how you say it!”
Speaking carefully, yet getting more annoyed, Ron asked him for the book back again, to no avail. He tried again now speaking to him in English, “What is the book you took?”
Reluctantly, Louie took it out of his pants, then handed it back to Ron answering in English too. “Thoreau! On Walden Pond.”
Ron, took the book and looked at the young man as he tried to read his intent in stealing it, “So, you like Thoreau that much to steal him or what?”
“I do not know his writings; the only nineteenth century American I am familiar with is Whitman and Leaves of Grass. I did read Civil Disobedience by Thoreau in class. It was great, but I wanted to read another of his works.”
“Louie, you speak English very well."
“I studied the language at the university. I used to believe America led the world. Not anymore.”
“Well, I will not call the police. Tomorrow, I recommend you go back to the bookstore and become a Tumbleweed."
“A what?” Louie said, with shock.
“A Tumbleweed, like me and you,” Ron said firmly.
Ron instructed Louie in the steps to joining the Tumbleweeds at Shakespeare and Company. “Write a one-page biography, bring it to the store, joining it with the 30,000 other biographies that are housed there. You must work a 2-hour shift at the bookstore taking care of the books, dusting them, and putting them back on their shelves. And you must read one book every day. You can sleep any night at the bookstore with all the other weary travelers. Keep the book, then come back and tell me if you want to be a Tumbleweed.”
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